How an OL student social helped Arif build connection in distance learning

When Arif Mahmood returned to study through TRU Open Learning, moving away from a traditional classroom setting was a big adjustment. Studying on his own felt isolating at first, but his perspective shifted when he attended the 2025 Open Learning Student Social in Vancouver.

“Going to the Vancouver social changed that. I met people taking Open Learning for completely different reasons… It gave me the social side I hadn’t realized I was missing.”

Meeting peers from all walks of life gave him a renewed sense of belonging. That connection inspired him to attend Spring 2026 Convocation in Kamloops to celebrate alongside them, and eventually move on to an online Master of Public Safety program at Wilfrid Laurier University.

The credits he has from the Diploma in Police and Justice Studies program he completed ten years earlier allowed Arif to jump straight into the final two years of his Bachelor of Arts degree. While his first self-paced courses took up to eight months, a shift in mindset changed his trajectory. Realizing that self-paced study meant taking control of his schedule rather than working slowly, he blocked off dedicated time and was able to complete his courses in three to six weeks.

Collaborating with Academic Advising allowed Arif to customize his degree path even further. He took specialized electives on women’s rights through Athabasca University, which ultimately became the focal topic for his capstone project.

His advice for new Open Learning students is to consult with Program Advisors early to explore unique course options, and to always wait for assignment feedback before submitting the next one. As Arif points out, it is far from fun to hand in two assignments at once, get a bad grade on the first, and realize you can no longer make improvements on the second!