Alexis Stein is completing her final year at East York Collegiate. She says she is torn between attending college or university. She originally wanted to go to university to become a teacher.
Her marks and the competition for places in university started to make her think that university may not be for her.”My parents helped me decide which university I should go to, but my marks weren’t high enough and teaching seemed to be hard to get into,” Stein said.
“My guidance councellor told me about college and helped me find some of the programs that I was interested in.”
Stein is determined to get the right education for her. Colleges Ontario hopes to influence her decision over the next few months with a new marketing campaign.
The OBAY campaign, a play on the word obey, has placed posters started on bus terminals and subway stations around the city the poster have slogans that read, “My son started thinking for himself. OBAY put a stop to that.”
Linda Franklin speaks for Colleges Ontario “We are challenging the bias held by many parents that college is a lesser choice for their children’s education,” she said “we are not better or worse than universities, but we just want to give more opportunities.”
Stein has said that she has decided to go to a college after she graduates. Her top two choices are either George Brown or Centennial College. She hopes to take classes in either social service or children’s care. “I’m a little nervous about it (college), but I can’t wait to get started.”