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The Residence Choice.

Choosing a university and a program is very difficult, especially with all your choices and options, weighing the differences and similarities can be exhausting! And then the discussion of residence and housing comes up which can bring you to yet another decision road block. 

In my opinion, choosing a residence is just like choosing a university in the sense that it's purely a personal decision and in most cases, based upon a feeling you get when you visit and about where you see yourself living for 8 months. Therefore, there is no secret formula that makes choosing a residence a piece of cake.

I have however, found that there are a few things you can ask yourself to make your decision making process potentially a bit smoother. 

First, consider whether or not you want to be a part of a large residential community or a smaller residential community. 
Answering this question will lead to discover whether one of the main rresidences (Village 1, Mackenzie King Village, Ron Edyt Village, or UW Place) are for you, or whether you should consider the smaller University Colleges residences (St. Jerome's, Conrad Grebel, St. Pauls, or Renison). 

Next, think about what kind of living arrangement you would prefer. You will be choosing between a traditional dormitory style or suite style.
This is where this decision becomes complex because you must factor in numerous things:

• Do I prefer to have a single or double room? 
• Is living with several people in an apartment style residence something I would enjoy?
• What kind of meal plan do I want?  Do I want to cook for myself?
• Am I comfortable with sharing a common bathroom?
• Do I want to live in a Living and Learning Community?

And finally, you will want to think about the type of facilities that are important to you and how accessible they are. This includes study areas, laundry mats, fitness centres, eateries, and lounges. 


As the June 2nd deadline for the completion of your Residence Preference Form approaches, these three areas to consider may help you narrow down your choices. Follow this link to a helpful page that will break down the residences and compare them to one another.

And remember, when all else fails, go with your gut instinct!

I Love Waterloo Arts!

Check out these awesome Waterloo Arts button shots I received!

Photos by Micaela Cali!

Kierra's Waterloo Favourite #3: Hagey Hall Room 1101

At the start of my first year, I was so excited about sitting in a big lecture hall with tons of other students and feeling like a "true" university student. Although I have since learned that being a university student is more than sitting in a lecture with 200 other students, I still love the feel of large classrooms full of students with their laptops out, soaking in a lecture.

The first lecture I attended was for my ARBUS 101 "Intro to Business in North America" class when I walked into a classroom I consider one of the coolest at our university.

It was HH 1101 (located in the new wing of Hagey Hall). It's big and bright with rows and rows of seats and really comfy chairs! There are electrical outlets at every spot (eliminating the race to class to get an outlet for your computer) and a large projection screen that you can see from any seat. Not only did I love being in that classroom but I loved that class even more!

To me, HH 1101 holds some great memories. Since ARBUS 101, I have had an Accounting tutorial (a weekly Q&A held by the Teaching Assistant), written a Sociology exam, and had many group study sessions in this room.

And so ... this lecture hall (Hagey Hall 1101) is my #3 favourite at Waterloo!

Books and Lecture Halls! It doesn't get much better than that :)

Is spring here yet?

Today it officially felt like Spring has arrived!

Although the weather has been a little up and down lately (one minute it was beautiful and the next minute I’m looking through my window to a blizzard), traces that nice weather is approaching are everywhere. To me, the season of spring means seeing less winter jackets, students filling the libraries at 8:30 in the morning studying for exams, finally spotting green grass, no longer going out of your way to take the indoor or underground tunnel routes from one building to the next, not minding when the bus arrives 10 minutes late and the end of roll up the rim.

There is however, just one sign of spring that no Waterloo student can ignore ... the return of the Canadian Goose!

Our campus is just not the same without the presence of our best friends, the geese. And coming from someone who is terrified of birds, I've grown so accustom to them being around, joining me on my walks to class, lending friendly morning reminders to get out of bed when I lived in residence, and they can often be spotted grazing on the lawns of many buildings. To me, the return of the geese means the ending of Winter term and the beginning of warmer weather.

As a Waterloo student this is what Spring looks like to me.

So what does the Spring look like to you?

Side note: I don't advise that you chase after the geese, VERY bad idea!

Top 5 activities first year students enjoy doing while they're not studying...

1. Watch or play intramural sports at the Columbia Ice Fields (ball hockey is my favourite!).

  

2.Watch movies in the residence lounges or at the Galaxy Theatre in Conestoga mall (a 5 minute bus ride from campus).

3. Join a club or society on campus (or even start their own!).

4. Attend evening events (open mic/comedy/ trivia nights) at the campus pub called the Bomb Shelter.

5. Catch a late night snack at the infamous Campus Pizza (open until 5am every day!) located in University Plaza right beside the university.

The ELPE!

Today a certain buzz has been going around campus. It's that time of the year again... time for undergraduate students to write the English Language Proficiency Exam (The ELPE)!

What is the ELPE? It's a 300 - 500 words essay that every Waterloo undergraduate student must complete, and pass, in order to graduate. Yes, it's like a literacy test but before you think about it too much, DO NOT PANIC :)

When I was told about this exam, I thought, "I'm an Arts Student! I don't need to worry about writing a short essay". But, after hearing rumours of someone who knew someone who did great in high school English and failed, or someone who failed for not writing a title on their exam, the anxiety began to creep in (well more like rush in!)

With all the talk about the ELPE I have heard today, I thought I would put together an "all you need to know" list about writing and surviving the ELPE!

• For Arts students, a 65% must be achieved to pass.
• On your transcript it will be recorded as a "pass or fail" with no grade present.
• One may receive a conditional pass (CP) which means that the student neither passed nor failed the exam. It is mandatory for them to attend a review session, to receive a pass.
• Every faculty writes the exam at a different time. Unlike Math or Engineering students, Arts students do not write the exam during orientation week. Based on your Grade 12 U English grade, you may be required to write the exam in December or April.
• Every student who writes the ELPE has the opportunity to request a review session after taking the exam, where a tutor from the writing centre will sit down with you to asses your writing skills and provide areas for improvement.
• There are many resources(such as sample essays, and workshops) that you can use to ensure you do the best you can on the exam. VISIT THE ELPE WEBSITE, it has so much there to help you get prepared.
• If you don't pass, do not panic because you have options! You are able to participate in a writing clinic and then retake the exam.
• If you are unsuccessful at writing the exam your second time, you have the option of taking a course during an academic term (ARTS 101) that will fulfill your ELPE requirement if successfully completed. 

Last year, on a day much like today, my friends and I walked to the Physical Activities Complex building. I was shaking as we entered the large gym and took our seats to begin the exam. After the hour came to a close, we exited the gym, talking about which essay topic we chose. Yet, even after we finished I was still worried "what if I forgot an instruction, what if I didn't write my topic number on the booklet". I was convinced I had failed until I received an email informing me that I passed! 

So, the best tip I can offer you is, stay calm, read through all of the instructions and do the best you can! It's like any other exam you will write. The most important thing is to be focused and relaxed!

Best of luck to those who wrote the ELPE today and to those of you who will be writing it some point in the coming year!
Trust me, you can do it!