Vexler is giving half-hour presentations to first-year York students about how to get money for university – scholarships, part-time jobs, and parents – and how to hold onto it – discounts for students and good budgeting.

One of her top tips is to look for scholarships and bursaries. When Vexler’s mom pressed her to apply for scholarships a couple of years ago, she applied for a few, and was awarded one in addition to an entrance scholarship. Her only regret is that she did not apply for more.

“If you spend a couple of hours and apply for five scholarships and you get one for $1,000, it’s time well spent,” she tells students in her presentation. “Every dollar you get is a dollar less in loans you’ll have to repay.”

Students often think of the Ontario Student Assistance Plan (OSAP), but as Vexler points out there are many scholarships and bursaries available and it’s not too late to apply. She directs them to a variety of websites, including www.yorku.ca/osfs, and www.ScholarshipsCanada.com.

Tips on everything from buying food with expiry dates that are far into the future to finding a bank with discounted fees for university students are part of Vexler’s presentation. She developed her tips with York’s Student Financial Services office, where she is employed as a work/study student – one of the employment opportunities she promotes to students.

In addition to how to budget for food, computer costs and books, she cautions students not to get caught up in the fashion wars. “People won’t know if the shade of black you’re wearing is last year’s,” she says.

Money management is just one of many presentations being offered to students during a university-wide academic orientation – a new initiative this year that is underscoring the activities organized by York’s colleges.

Frank Cappadocia, York’s director of student community and leadership development, says the university-wide academic orientation is a new approach to make sure students get the support they need from the start.

Presentations range from stress management to how to get an ‘A’. The Learning Support Services office can, for example, teach a student who knows his or her course will have a multiple choice exam, how to study for that type of exam, he says.

“In the first four weeks, there are a couple of things we are trying to ensure – the importance of being on top of your financial situation, trying to understand the academic expectations being put on you by your program, and coming to grips with that reality,” says Cappadocia.

To give students a boost as they go into classes and to conclude Frosh Week, York University will hold the first university-wide York Day on Tuesday September 6 – the day before classes start. In addition to a College Cheer competition (the loudest cheers win), more than 150 booths will be set up to help students learn about a wide variety of clubs and activities at York. York Day begins at 10 a.m. in the main gym of the Tait McKenzie Centre on the Keele Campus.

Information about Orientation and York Day can be found at:

http://www.yorku.ca/orientation

York University is the leading interdisciplinary research and teaching university in Canada. York offers a modern, academic experience at the undergraduate and graduate level in Toronto, Canada’s most international city.  The third largest university in the country, York is host to a dynamic academic community of 50,000 students and 7,000 faculty and staff, as well as 180,000 alumni worldwide. York’s 10 faculties and 21 research centres conduct ambitious, groundbreaking research that is interdisciplinary, cutting across traditional academic boundaries.  This distinctive and collaborative approach is preparing students for the future and bringing fresh insights and solutions to real-world challenges. York University is an autonomous, not-for-profit corporation.

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For more information, contact:
Janice Walls, Media Relations, York University, 416-736-2100 x22101, wallsj@yorku.ca