Students return to the books at Cambrian College

Hundreds of new students have arrived at Sudbury’s Cambrian College to begin the winter semester.

The college is hosting its orientation week, offering various activities to acclimatize students to post-secondary life. The college estimates that 650 of the 800 newcomers are international students.

Lynne Courville, Cambrian College student council president, said starting at a new school poses many challenges and stressors -- and it’s especially difficult if you’re an international student.

“You’re learning all about a brand new country,” Courville said.

“And we had a ton of snowfall, so learning all of those things and just trying to get used to the building, on top of your classes and trying to figure all that out. It can be a very fun but stressful time.”

Shweta Shweta is an international student from India. She arrived in Canada for the first time a few days ago, so this is her first time experiencing a northern Ontario winter.

“It’s a bit stressful to be honest, like in this heavy snow, but I think I will get (used to) that,” Shweta said.

“It’s going good as of now.”

Shweta will be studying mental health and addictions. She said she studied psychology in India and was drawn to the field to help those in need.

“Everybody’s so stressed with, you know, hectic jobs, day-to-day life,” she said.

“It’s important to take care of your mental health also, with your physical health.”

Shweta is hoping for a career in addictions after she graduates. So far, she said she’s enjoying living in Sudbury and studying at Cambrian.

'I'M LOVING IT HERE'

“It’s peaceful here and people are so, so warm and nice and my professors are so much fun like, I’m loving it here.”

Jorge Quintanilla is originally from Nicaragua. He is taking global management in a post-graduate program at Cambrian. He previously studied in Illinois, so he said he’s not intimidated by a cold winter.

“Sudbury’s a little colder, but once you get to the negatives it doesn’t really make a difference for me so I’m used to it,” he laughed.

Quintanilla said he’s excited to study in Sudbury.

“It’s not the easiest to go somewhere where you don’t know anybody, but I approach it in a sense that I’m going to get to meet new people, live different experiences,” he said.

He said he hopes to run his own business one day.

The college says a goal of Orientation week is to offer students a chance to make new friends and feel more comfortable in an unfamiliar environment.

It says a total of 5,000 students have returned to campus this semester.