Is Holland College easier than UPEI?

By: Tony Davis

Growing up on P.E.I., it isn’t weird to hear Holland College referred to as Holiday College. Some believe college is much easier than university.

So, The Cadre hit both campuses to ask the hard-hitting question.

The Cadre went to UPEI and Holland College to ask students why they preferred to study at either university or college. (Tony Davis)

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First we asked UPEI students ‘why do you study at UPEI instead of Holland College?’

Daniel Mowat is a UPEI student studying engineering. He made the decision to come to UPEI because Holland College didn’t offer the program he is interested in, he said.

“I don’t look down on anyone, but it might be a little more relaxed there maybe. I have a few friends that go there, and they say it is a little more relaxed, there is nothing wrong with that.”

Jason Ryan also studies at UPEI and says the program he is in isn’t offered at Holland College. He is studying biology and thinks people view college as easier, he said.

“I don’t know if it is true for all the programs, but it is definitely perceived that way.”

We had to see what the other side of the story was. So, The Cadre hit the Holland College Prince of Wales Campus to ask: ‘Why do you study at Holland College and not UPEI?”

Many college students like Jordan Fillmore said it was a cost issue. UPEI classes cost too much in contrast to Holland College courses, he said.

“I really wanted to try and make things easy on myself financially.”

He also thought taking a two-year program might be less stressful than attending UPEI for four years.

“In different ways it is a lot easier and in a lot of ways it is a lot harder. There is a lot more learning as you go and on the job experience. UPEI, what it offers is kind of the academic point of view of how you should be studying, how you should be learning these things, where as Holland College we offer a much more hands-on approach.”

Fillmore had some back up to his theory. Fellow student at Holland College Jamie Barnes said she didn’t make it through university, because she felt you just had to tell professors what they wanted to hear.

“I didn’t like the style of learning,” she said, “There wasn’t a lot of feedback you got directly from your professors.“

She doesn’t think that university is more difficult than going to a community college; she even struggles to keep up to tight Holland College deadlines.

“I do struggle to keep up with the daily amount of assignments and tight deadlines we have to have. Ultimately, it will serve me better in the industry I want to work in.”

Feature photo by: Holland College

Tony Davis is a second-year journalism student at Holland College.