Grad credits one-on-one help

Commerce and Business Administration Diploma grad Sasha Ramnarine says thanks to Douglas, he succeeded at getting his degree at SFU and is on track to head to law school.

When Sasha Ramnarine started out at Douglas College in 2003, he was looking for direction.

"My ultimate goal was always law school, but I didn't know what to take as my undergrad," says Ramnarine.

A self-confessed "lazy high school student," Ramnarine signed up for some Student Success courses to improve his study skills. Then during a fortuitous ride on a campus elevator, a poster for the Commerce University Transfer Program caught his eye. Having worked at his father's restaurant since he was nine, he could see how the program was relevant to his life experience. He enrolled and hasn't looked back since.

Now, with an SFU Bachelor of Business Administration, Finance on the horizon and a coveted spot of the Dean's list, his path to law school has become a lot more clear. He credits hands-on teaching and the quality of Douglas instructors with helping him reach his potential at university.

"At Douglas, I could easily get help. The professors would interact with us in class. At SFU, if I had a question in first or second-year classes, I would have had to wait until the end of the lecture," says Ramnarine.

Learning from teachers who have current industry experience, some of whom also teach at SFU, better prepares students for the work environment too, says Ramnarine.

"If you want to learn and interact with professionals, Douglas is the way to go," he says.

Courses from the Commerce University Transfer Diploma and Associate of Arts, Economics satisfy most of the first and second-year courses needed for the Douglas Bachelor of Business Administration Program, along with business administration and commerce programs at SFU, UBC and the University of Victoria.

When he started at SFU, Ramnarine noticed compared to his friends, he had retained more of what was learned in his first two years. He says the one-on-one time he got at Douglas made all the difference.

"Going to Douglas made me better at setting goals and managing my time," he says, adding that smaller classes also improved his social skills.

Not only did Douglas give him the tools to succeed at university, but it gave him skills that translate well to the workplace. For the next year, he hopes to work as a teaching assistant and get fund management experience with the Student Investment Advisory Service at SFU.

In Fall 2009, he plans to start law school and focus on corporate law.

Ramnarine says he'll always remember his roots at Douglas.

"If I were to go back in time, I would thank myself for coming to Douglas," says Ramnarine.

Related Links

Commerce University Transfer
Associate of Arts, Economics
Information Sessions
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