Every Where You Look Its ARTS ORANGE!

Today, the Federation of Students Colour Me Educated campaign came to a close with a vibrant "dropping of the paint" ceremony.

The campaign, as I mention in a previous post, has been raising donations for the Pathways to Education organization over the past nine weeks, creating a little friendly competition between faculties. Through awesome activities such as dumpster diving, balloon drops, and silent auctions, the Federation of Students have raised awareness about the Pathways organization and its work to address high school drop out rates and assisting underprivileged youth reach post-secondary education.

At the end of the campaign, the faculty who raises the most amount of donations has paint, in the colour of their faculty, dropped on Federation of Students Representatives, as well as the university's President. Hence, the paint drop!

AND THE 2011 COLOUR ME EDUCATED WINNER IS ..... ARTS!!!!!

Check out some photos from the day's event!

 The Paint Dropping Pools. Can anyone say "hot" seat!

 The Student Life Centre Courtyard. What a beautiful day!

The Glee inspired group, Acabellas, did a wonderful job performing songs for the crowd!

ARTS ORANGE!

The President, Feridun Hamdullahpur, drenched in Orange!

 The Federation of Students President, Brad Moggach (above), and his fellow executive team, Nick Soave, Vice-President Education (below left) and Nikki Best, Vice-President Internal (below right) also receiving buckets full of paint!

Congratulations to the Faculty of Arts for raising the most donations, as well as a huge congratulations to the Federation of Students for their successful Colour Me Educated Campaign! The campaign's total raised amount is soon to be announced!

Did You Know?!

During the exam time the Davis Centre Library is open 24 hours!

OR

You are able to skype the librarians in the uWaterloo libraries. Having trouble researching or reference citing while at home? Chat with the librarians and get help! 

What I Wish I Knew about University while in High School!

March Break has come and gone! As a prospective student you might have spent the week visiting some campuses, and gaining new information on programs, financial aid, housing etc. If by now you have more things to think about than you did before, and you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, I'd like to share with you a short video of two 4th year Waterloo students sharing 5 things they wish they knew when they were in your shoes. Watch the video, and read some of their tips down below!

1. Don’t Neglect Your Soft Skills

·  University offers you more than the chance to receive good grades! It's important to thrive academically, but, you should also focus on developing a variety of skills.

·  You begin to notice exactly how important it is, in an interview, to be able to talk about who you are and to present yourself in a professional/ approachable manner.

·  Employers are confident that you're able to learn the job. What they're concerned about is: what kind of thinker you are, how well you develop and present ideas, how motivated and passionate you are and in what kind of manner you interact with their clients.

2. There is a life outside of school. Don’t forget about it!

·  Get involved, make connections, meet new people, do something that challenges you!

·  Take advantage of every opportunity you have whether it's clubs, societies, co-op opportunities, travelling abroad, or exchange programs. 

3. Don’t look at choosing a University as just a School but about choosing a COMMUNITY.

·  What kind of experience do you want? What kind of community are you looking for? What lifestyle do you see for yourself in the coming years?

·  Look at the complete picture when looking at a university.

·  What feeling are you looking to have when you step on campus? (tight nit environment? large campus with many opportunities?)

4.  Look ahead but don’t stress yourself out about it!

·  It is never too early to look ahead and research.

·  Talk to as many people as you can and ask them about their experiences.
·  You have lots of options so explore, explore, explore!

·  And remember, planning ahead doesn’t mean you have to stick to it.  

5. It all comes down to finding what you love and that's really what going to university is all about!

March Break Open House 2011 Success!

After excitedly and anxiously awaiting the event of the season, March Break Open House, we're ecstatic to hear the ringing of last Tuesday still in our ears!

Thank you so much to those who were able to attend and for making it a great success once again this year. It was so nice to see many eager prospective students and to meet all of you. Especially for me, to be able to put some faces to the lovely emails I've received over the past few months!

And what a wonderfully sunny March day to be on campus! The entire uWaterloo campus was buzzing and full of energy with hundreds of students, family and friends exploring buildings and residences, while gathering advice and information from uWaterloo's Faculty, Staff and current students.

The Arts Lecture Hall, located in an area we like to call the Arts Quad, was home to the Faculty of Arts and its March Break festivities. Students who attended had a chance to experience a variety of different activities.

We had information sessions about all the entry programs that the Faculty of Arts offers, from Accounting and Financial Management, Honours Arts, Arts and Business, to Social Development Studies. It was a chance for students to gain in depth knowledge on the program(s) that interests them, as well as to hear from a current student about his or her own experiences.

Throughout the day, several of the Arts departments held mock lectures in lecture halls typically used every day for Arts classes of all kinds. What an opportunity to get an inside look into the life of a university student! 

On top of that there was an Academic Fair with a booth from each of our 30 majors. Faculty and student volunteers were there all day offering students all kinds of information and answering questions. Students were able to begin exploring majors that interest them, maybe even helping them choose their fall courses for those who have already accepted their offers.

The day also offered a variety of opportunities to take campus tours, visit the residences, and learn about student services, talk to academic advisors and ask panels of students anything about their university experience from school, to residence, to extra cirricular involvements .

Check out some snap shots from the day!

 We couldn't have done it without all of our Volunteers!

 Academic Fair! This is a picture of our French Studies booth!

For more photos from the March Break Open House visit our Facebook Page!

It was such an exciting and fun day for all of us here in the Arts Undergraduate Office! I hope you were able to have some great conversations, learn some things you may not have already known, and got a feel for what it's like here at uWaterloo and in the Faculty of Arts.

If you were able to come out to this fantastic event, feel free to let us know what you thought, or maybe what your favourite part was! Email artsrecruitment@uwaterloo.ca because we would love to hear about your experience at the 2011 March Break Open House!

And don't worry for those of you who were unable to attend. Visiting campus and getting in touch with the Faculty of Arts is easy! You can schedule a tour with uWaterloo's Visitor's Centre by contacting them at 519-888-4567 (ext. 33614) or visiting our Find Out More website. 

Videos of the Program Information Sessions and Mock Lectures will be available soon so stay tuned!

Happy St. Patrick's Day Everyone!

Even Porcellino, the Arts Mascot, got dressed up for the occasion!

Arts Ambassadors giving March Break Tours!

MARCH BREAK OPEN HOUSE COUNTDOWN: 7 days!

The March Break Open House is fast approaching! 

In only 7 days campus will be booming with hundreds of future students from all faculties as they are welcomed to the University of Waterloo by staff, faculty, and students alike.

There is no busier time on the Recruitment side of the Arts Undergraduate Office! All of us in the Faculty of Arts are getting really really excited as we put the final touches on the awesome day we have planned. 

As our to-do lists are winding down I thought I would give you all a super secret sneak peek into the projects I've been working on for the Open House!

This currently is the state my office is in!

As you can tell from the picture above, right now I'm working on getting things ready for the big day! 

I've lined up the t-shirts for all the volunteers that will be so generously helping us out. Part of my job has been to assist in coordinating the many volunteers whose bright and shiny faces you will see on the day of. They're not only assisting us with set up and facilitating the sessions being offered, or tending to the various booths/ stations, but will be there to answer any questions you may have. So, be sure to keep an eye out for them!

I've also helped get some other supplies ready such as water (the picture above is of the big tower of water in our supply room), painting signs that will go up around campus, and making some mixed cds that will play in the main foyer of the Arts Lecture Hall (which is where all our guests will be arriving and registering). I'm also working on some video and media related projects that will be used during the March Break Open House in the information sessions throughout the day.

And for my final and most favourite project, I'm coordinate the Faculty of Arts Tours that will be provided by our Arts Ambassadors for the March Break (March 16,17, and 18). I'm currently training student ambassadors, and organizing these tours with uWaterloo's Visitor's Centre.

I am so fortunate to get a chance this year to be so involved in planning and organizing this huge event as I can recall it being one of my favourite and one of the most influential events I attended before making my decision to accept my offer here. I would highly encourage any student thinking about attending the University of Waterloo to come out for this wonderful event where you really will get all of your questions answered and most of all truly experience the Waterloo Arts difference! Everyone is welcome!