Blog Posts

How to Thrive in Your First Semester

Most students have mixed feelings about going away to university. For one thing, it’s exciting: you’ll meet new people, discover things about yourself, and have the chance to explore your passions. On the other hand, it’s scary leaving your family and friends behind, perhaps to live in another part of the country. The first semester, when everything is still new, is the most challenging of all. Luckily, there are things you can do not just to cope but to thrive. 1. Push Yourself It’s easy to just coast along and do only what makes you feel comfortable. However, this will likely mean you’ll struggle to make friends and you’ll miss out on some great opportunities. A better strategy is to sign up for plenty of activities — including ones you’re not sure even you’ll enjoy — and attend some of the many events you see advertised around campus. It’s better to try something once and determine it’s not for you than to have regrets. 2. Create a Schedule No one will provide you with an outline of how to spend your days at university: it’s up to you to make sure you’re using your time wisely. Make a note of upcoming assignments and decide when to work on them and allocate time to reviewing notes from your classes or studying in your own time. Never expect to remember an appointment or commitment — write everything down in a planner. 3. Go to All Your Classes Similarly, it’s unlikely that anyone will be checking that you attend class. You can skip as many classes as you want — but that’s not a good idea . Unless you have an excellent reason for not attending, make sure you do go. After all, using someone else’s notes won’t be nearly as effective when preparing for exams. 4. Consider Getting a Job Depending on your situation, working part-time while you study could be great — or it could be a terrible idea. If you’re worried about having enough money to maintain the lifestyle you want, a job may be a weight off your mind. However, if you find academics particularly difficult, it may be better to focus solely on your education. 5. Make Sure You Have Time to Relax You can easily fill your schedule with classes, extracurriculars, and events — but there’s no need for every moment of your day to be productive. In fact, it’s important to have time to rest each week, whether that involves reading a book unrelated to your classes, watching a movie, or even taking a nap. 6. Check In with Old Friends You’ll make some great friends at college, but it’s important not to lose touch with old friends. Checking in regularly with people from back home will help you maintain those relationships. Plus, friends who are studying at different universities are likely feeling as out of place as you are — and hearing from you regularly may be a great help . 7. Venture Beyond Campus If you live near campus and nothing takes you farther afield, it’s easy to stay in the vicinity of your school the entire time you’re at college. Your first semester is the best time to explore your surroundings because you haven’t fallen into a routine yet. You may even discover great places you’ll end up revisiting throughout your time at university. The right housing makes it much easier to thrive at university. Many students realize that living on campus and sharing a room with someone else will be uncomfortable and instead search for apartments for rent. Waterloo students can find the perfect home at King Street Towers. You’ll receive a bedroom in a suite with no more than five other students. Plus, you’ll have the chance to meet even more people in communal spaces like our fitness centres , games rooms, and study spaces. Book a tour to see it for yourself.

A University Student’s Midterm Prep Guide

There are few times of year more stressful for university students than right before midterms — but it doesn’t need to be that way. With the right preparation, you’ll feel ready to ace your exams. Here are a few practical tips to consider. Create a Study Schedule You know that you need to study on a regular basis, but it’s easy to make excuses and procrastinate if you lack a schedule. Note what you’ll study each day and at what time. Be as specific as possible in your study plan to ensure you cover all the topics you’re likely to encounter in your exams. Sleep Enough Make sure your schedule accounts for plenty of sleep — it’s impossible to retain knowledge if you’re exhausted. Besides, if you start sticking to a bedtime before your midterms, you’ll find it easier to fall asleep the night before exams, and you’ll wake up feeling refreshed. Keep a Clear Mind It’s completely normal to feel anxious about your midterms, but try to keep things in perspective. On the day of your exams, follow a relaxing morning routine to put yourself in the right frame of mind. Know What the Exam Involves You’ll feel more anxious about your midterms if you don’t know what to expect. Ask your teachers plenty of questions to make sure you’re clear about what the midterms entail for each of your courses. This includes finding out the format for the exam, how much it contributes to your final grade, and what topics it covers. Your teachers may also be able to give you advice on maximizing your grade, such as through attending review sessions, improving a paper you already wrote, or using a particular study techn ique. If you feel uncomfortable asking for clarification in class (although the likelihood is that other students will have the same questions), you can always drop your teachers an email or visit them during office hours. Use All the Materials You Have Take advantage of all the worksheets and handouts your teachers have given you. Add to them the notes you’ve taken in class and any tests you’ve taken (particularly if the exam covers material from the semester). Use all of these to refresh your memory, check your understanding of key information, and ensure you avoid making similar mistakes again. Study in a Group Preparing with others can be much more effective than studying for your midterms alone. Testing each other with flashcards keeps things interesting, whereas seeing if you can explain concepts to someone else will help determine whether you have a good grasp of the material. Receive Support from a Tutor You may benefit from studying with a tutor if you’re feeling particularly overwhelmed. A tutor can explain things in a new way, correct your mistakes, and teach you better study skills. Design a Different Strategy for Every Subject Bear in mind that what works for one subject may be ineffective for another. For instance, a study group could be perfect for one class, but you may be better off spending time on your own condensing your notes for another. Find Various Places to Study If you’re feeling mentally drained one day and can’t find the motivation to study, switch things up. Instead of using your regular study spot, search for a new place — perhaps a coffee shop, the campus library, or a friend’s apartment. You’ll be able to study much more easily for your midterms if you live in a comfortable apartment. For University of Waterloo housing, there’s King Street Towers. As well as receiving a private bedroom, you’ll have access to dedicated study spaces, plus 24-hour fitness centres and games rooms for when you need to unwind. Book a tour to see where you could be living.

Travel Safety Tips for Students

It’s common to attend college away from your hometown, but it’s likely that you’ll want to travel back home for the holidays to see your friends and family. If this is your first year at university, it may be the first time you’ve travelled alone, which can be quite daunting. Whether you’re going just a short distance or all the way across the country (or perhaps even farther), it’s important to take measures to ensure you stay safe while travelling. 1. Take Out Travel Insurance If you’re travelling from one province to another, you’ll need to have health insurance to cover you in the case of an accident or illness. You should also make sure you have comprehensive vehicle insurance. This will mean that you can receive any repairs to your car much faster (and at a lower cost), which will help ensure you return to university on time. 2. Keep Copies of Your Documents Having copies of your most important documents is useful in a variety of situations. In particular, you’ll have proof of identity in case your originals are lost or stolen. Keeping copies with you is also a good alternative to carrying anything more than your driver’s license and college ID. Besides, there’s no need to make physical copies — it can be just as useful to have a scan of your documents saved to the cloud. 3. Make Sure Someone Knows Your Location Keep at least one family member or friend updated about where you are. You could share your real-time location through an app or just check in regularly. This is a useful safety precaution even if your trip will only take a couple hours ; plus, it will give loved ones peace of mind. 5. Travel During the Day It’s much safer to travel during the day than at night to avoid hazardous conditions on the road and other dangers. If this means you’ll need to get up early, it’s worth it. In fact, since it becomes dark by the afternoon in the winter, it may even be better to split a longer trip over two days and spend the night at a hotel. 6. Don’t Hitchhike If you lack your own vehicle or want to save money on gasoline, you may be tempted to hitchhike some of your way home. However, this is extremely dangerous, even if you travel during the daytime and are selective about whose car you get into. If you’re unable to drive yourself home, find an alternative like a bus, or ask someone from university for a ride. Just make sure that you find an option that will take you all the way home to eliminate the need to hitchhike. If you can’t make it home safely, it’s bet ter to stay at your university over the holidays. There are many reasons why it may not be possible to return home for the holidays. Staying on campus by yourself is a lonely experience — you’ll have a far better time if you’re living in comfortable U of Waterloo off-campus housing. King Street Towers, for instance, offers great amenities like 24-hour fitness centres , games rooms, and a rooftop fire pit. Contact us to book a tour.

How to Throw a New Year’s Eve Party in Your Student Apartment

Parties are a major part of the college experience — and no time of year is more important to have a party than New Year’s Eve. You can throw a successful party for your friends with these helpful tips. 1. Have Plenty of Beverages and Snacks Guests may bring some food and drinks, but you need to have enough anyway. This is crucial to keep the party going until midnight and beyond. You may like to experiment with some new recipes and cocktails to keep things interesting. However, if you don’t have much time, you could always order a few pizzas at some point in the night. 2. Make a Playlist in Advance Instead of relying on ready-made party playlists, make your own. Choose music you know guests will love, including some songs that are great for karaoke. Consider the order of your playlist — starting out fun, building up the energy, and finally signalling to guests that it’s time to think about going home. 3. Choose a Theme Make your party one to remember by giving it a theme. Roaring 20s is a particularly popular idea for this year, but you could also base the theme on your hopes for next year or on saying goodbye to this year. Your party could be classy (such as brunch at midnight) or you could keep things casual with a pajama party. 4. Find Some Games to Play No one wants to be remembered for throwing a boring party. You can ensure it doesn’t happen to you by coming up with some games to play. It’s best of all if you put a spin on some classics to make them match your theme. 5. Prepare the Space Make sure there’s enough room for all your guests as well as sufficient seating. Push your furniture to the edges of the room and remove anything that could be damaged. Designate one area to food, another to dancing or playing games, and another for sitting and talking. 6. Change the Lighting Incandescent (or, worse, fluorescent) lighting doesn’t put anyone in the mood for a party. Hang some string lights or switch out your light bulbs for coloured ones. Black light bulbs are perfect for a party. Alternatively, you could find a smart light that lets you set the colour — make it start flashing different colours once the party is really going. Like with the music , you can use lighting to indicate that a party is coming to an end . 7. Think Carefully About Your Guest List Decide how many people fit comfortably into your apartment (bearing in mind that some guests may bring a friend or two). If you have several friendship groups, make sure you invite a couple people from each. It can be uncomfortable for people if they don’t know anyone at the party except you. Finally, remember the size of the party matters much less than having your closest friends around you at the turn of midnight. To throw a party, you need a big enough apartment. This means finding the right student housing. Waterloo has King Street Towers, which offers students large suites (including some with private balconies) and common spaces like a rooftop fire pit and games rooms. Book a tour to see where you could be living.

9 Books to Read During Your Time at University

It can feel like your time at university is so full that you have no time for reading beyond required materials. However, reading other books is a great way to relax, expand your mind, and improve your writing skills. In particular, there are nine books you should consider adding to your reading list — or even downloading to listen to as an audiobook while you walk to class. 1. The Great Gatsby With everyone talking about a revival of the roaring 20s, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s most famous book is a must-read at the moment . You may even have the chance to attend a Great Gatsby party in the coming months. Instead of relying on the movie to understand the background, read the book. 2. Uncle Tom’s Cabin Since college is all about considering different perspectives, it’s a good time to read Uncle Tom’s Cabin. This controversial book takes an anti-slavery stance and is heavy on religion. The content means it is certainly no easy read , but it’s useful for understanding historical perspectives and relating them to the world we live in today. 3. To Kill a Mockingbird Continue your exploration of racism with To Kill a Mockingbird. Harper Lee’s book examines all the different human emotions in this story about a child losing her innocence. Furthermore, the descriptions are so vivid that you’ll feel as if you’re walking through the town and living its events with the narrator. 4. Norwegian Wood One of Haruki Murakami’s most read books is Norwegian Wood — and for good reason. The novel transports you back to the 60s, but everything about it is relevant today. Since it’s a coming-of-age story about a college student, the ideal time to read the book is while you’re at university. 5. Crime and Punishment Your reading list could include a number of Russian classics, but one that it definitely needs is Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. This is another story about a student trying to figure out his place in the world, but it’s from a point of him figuring out his importance — and whether that gives him the right to murder. The book is a great exploration of morality and conscience. 6. The Stranger After you finish Crime and Punishment, read The Stranger. In the novel, Albert Camus paints a completely different picture of the mindset of a character who has just committed murder. 7. 1984 George Orwell takes dystopian fiction to another level in 1984. This book is a warning about a future where people lack privacy and free thought and where there is state-controlled misinformation. If this book has never been part of your required reading at school, now’s the time to read it. 8. Brave New World For even more dystopia, Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a top choice. This book will make you think about the unintended consequences of advances in science and technology and the importance of individuality weighed against benefits for society as a whole . 9. River Out of Eden Even though you’ll be reading many textbooks at university, your reading list shouldn’t just be novels. A great choice for some nonfiction is River Out of Eden: A Darwinian View of Life. It’s one of Richard Dawkins’s shorter books, but it’s an excellent summary of evolution written with humour . You’ll find it to be a great complement to your biology class as well as a good choice if you simply want to understand the basics of science and life in an accessible way. It’s more difficult to read for pleasure when you lack a comfortable, quiet place to settle down with a book. When you live at King Street Towers, though, you’ll have a private bedroom with a bed and a desk, a living room in your shared suite, and access to our study spaces. Book a video tour to check out our Laurier off-campus housing from wherever you are.

How to Stay In Touch While You're Away at University

For most students, going away to university is their first time to be away from home. You’ll experience homesickness at first, but as the weeks and months go by, that feeling will be replaced by excitement as you get to meet new people, visit new places , and experience new things. This doesn't mean you’ll have to say goodbye to the relationships you’ve made at home. As the saying goes, distance will only make the heart grow fonder. You can use the time away from each other to further strengthen your relationships. Here are some tips on how to stay in touch with people who mean a lot to you. Set aside time for catching up. Your schedule can get quickly filled up with classes, work, and study groups. You also have to set aside time for your rest, workouts, and errands. This is why you need to set up time in advance for a quick catch-up with your friends from way back. Make sure to clear your calendar to keep the appointment, or let them know ahead of time if you’re going to cancel. Spend time virtually. Get creative and think of ways on how you can spend time together beyond the usual hi-and-hellos. You can host a virtual game night, start a book club discussion, or watch the same movie online with your friends. Try it the old-fashioned way. Revive the lost art of letter writing and send a letter to friends every month. It’s a lot more intimate than sending a message on Facebook. You can dress up your letter with pretty stationery and include ephemera to make it more special . Send a care package. If a friend back home is feeling down, sending a care package will improve their mood, knowing you went to great lengths just to make them feel better. You can send essential oils, weighted blankets, or a box of baked goodies with a short note from you. Keep track of important dates. Use your planner to keep track of your friends and family’s birthdays, and set an alarm so you don't forget to greet them. You can mail in a postcard or send a bouquet of flowers to make their day even more special . Arrange for a visit. There’s nothing like seeing people in real time to rekindle the friendship. You can arrange to visit each other’s universities and go on a tour. Before their visit, make sure to clean up your student rentals. Waterloo is a historic city so you and your friends can go on a walking tour to explore the Mary-Allen neighbourhood and Uptown Waterloo. You can also show them around the beautiful campuses of the University of Waterloo and Wilfrid Laurier University. Plan for a reunion. Reunite with friends when you’re back home from university - whether it’s over the holidays, spring break, or summertime. Meet old friends, reminisce, and make new memories that you’ll take with you when you go back to school.