I often think about how much I wish I was able to complete a full bachelor’s degree in the arts and humanities at Camosun.
When I first came to Camosun, I was in my early 30s and I had finally made the decision to go back to school. I did not have a good time in high school. The confidence that’s so essential for a positive high-school experience didn’t arrive for me until much later in life, and when I finally did make that scholastic leap, I was filled with trepidation, not sure at all if I’d be able to do it.
However, soon after I arrived, I discovered that I was more than capable. In fact, I not only survived in the program I took, I flourished, and it awoke a hunger in me that I’d never known before.
After I completed my diploma in two years, I yearned to continue studying. Even after finding a new job in the field that I’d studied so hard in, I still wanted to be in school. So I took more classes. I took anything that I was interested in.
Soon I had way more credits than I needed to get into UVic, so I thought that I should probably get a BA and gain experience in a bigger university.
I gave it an honest go at UVic. I studied hard and got decent grades, but I missed the small classes at Camosun. I missed the intimacy of knowing your instructors and your classmates well. I especially missed the way I never had to compete with 100 other students when asking a question or participating in class. The larger university setting felt cold and hectic. I came back to Camosun last year and just continue taking classes I’m curious about.
I wish Camosun would seriously consider in offering full degrees in the arts and humanities. Offering more courses in the social sciences and bringing more focus to the arts would help students understand the world in a holistic fashion, and offering full BAs in these areas would help students—and the college—become well rounded in world understanding.
I know it would take a good deal of funding, and some serious brainstorming, but I like to lean on the side of anything being possible. There are certainly other students who feel the same way.