Summer Time and the Living is Easy?

The fish are jumping and the cotton is high – I’m sure that’s true somewhere.

Welcome to the dog days of summer. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines the “dog days” as the period from early July to early September when the hot sultry weather of summer usually occurs in the northern hemisphere, or as a period of stagnation or inactivity. Well somebody forgot to remind Queen’s University about the period of stagnation or inactivity as things definitely aren’t stagnating around campus!

True, most of the students are gone and faculty and staff are using up vacation time, but the popular myth that the university closes in the same way that high schools do is completely false. We had Spring session and Summer session is just about to end. We’ve had a variety of groups and conferences on campus this summer – we actually just said good-bye to our Shad Valley student group who called campus home for the last month as they busily worked on innovative projects, attended pre-university lectures and explored Queen’s and the City of Kingston. Not to mention the Admission Services Office that has been switching gears getting ready for the Class of 2012 and planning things like Fall School Visits, the Ontario Universities Fair, Campus Fall Preview and Campus Tours while still watching for final transcripts to arrive. And have we mentioned the construction on campus yet? By the way, the blasting of the Jock Harty Arena is in full swing.

So yes, the frenetic pace of campus has waned somewhat, but as the saying goes this is just the calm before the storm! Only 34 days to go until we’re back in full swing again! So hush, little baby, don’t you cry! Did you get the Gershwin reference? Did you? Anyone? Is this thing on?

To ensure that you’re still learning over the summer, here’s my useless trivia fact for those of you interested in the origins of the term “dog days of summer”. During the summer months in the northern hemisphere, Sirius, the “Dog Star,” rises and sets with the sun. During late July Sirius is in conjunction with the sun, and the ancients believed that its heat added to the heat of the sun, creating a stretch of hot and sultry weather. They named this period of time, from 20 days before the conjunction to 20 days after, “dog days” after the Dog Star (http://wilstar.com/dogdays.htm). So there you go. Feel free to use this at your next gathering or maybe even at orientation…now there’s a conversation starter!

 

Dan Seneker

Senior Admission Coordinator – Western Canada

International Baccalaureate – it’s not just about the Diploma!

An International Baccalaureate (IB) education is without a doubt an excellent preparation for University level studies, and here at Queen’s we value and respect this high calibre education.

It is well known that the strength of the program lies in the full completion of the Diploma and Queen’s recognizes Diploma students with the opportunity to receive University credit for Higher Level courses. However, not all students have the opportunity to complete the full diploma and instead many of you will receive an IB Certificate for IB courses completed.

Does this mean that all of your hard work in your IB courses will go unrecognized? Not at Queen’s! You may be surprised to know that Queen’s provides the same recognition of credits to students who do not complete the full diploma but are awarded the IB Certificate for Higher Level courses completed.

Now, you are probably wondering what kind of credit you can expect to receive – and we have the answers! To see a complete listing of courses eligible for transfer credit, please visit http://www.queensu.ca/admission/ib/ and scroll to the bottom of the page. Here you will find a listing of equivalent courses by Faculty, and the IB grades needed to receive credit for the listed course.

For those of you receiving IB Certificates for Higher Level courses completed, I encourage you to submit your final results to Admissions Services as soon as they are available. You may be pleasantly surprised to hear you too could be receiving transfer credit towards your degree – and remember transfer credits will help you work toward your degree!

 

Allison Tapak, Admission Coordinator, Western Canada

Residence Room Allocations Are Here

For those of you that will be joining the Queen’s community next year, I can guess what many of you have been doing frequently over the past couple of weeks. You have been visiting the Residence homepage checking to see if the Residence room allocations were complete.

Well, they are now there! Please visit https://housing.queensu.ca/residence/ to find your room information.

As many of you may already know, Queen’s University is truly a residential community. Well over 90% of our students are originally from outside of Kingston, Ontario and the majority of first-year undergraduate students live in one of our 16 Residence buildings. To see where our Residence buildings are located, check out the Residence Map.

Residence is an incredible place to begin the transition from high school to university. The Residence staff work to create an environment that is both welcoming and inclusive and from my experience in first-year a great deal of fun! There will be plenty of educational (e.g. tutoring) and social (e.g. floor intramural teams and going to lunch and dinner together) activities to get involved in, and lots of opportunity to meet new people and try new things. Five years later, I am still in contact many of the people from my floor in Victoria Hall – 4D.

Over the next few weeks, you will receive information from Residence regarding Move In Day (Sunday, September 2), your Meal Plan options and what to bring / what not to bring. Should you have any Residence specific questions, we would encourage you to contact Residence directly at

Phone: 613 533 2550
Email: reshouse@queensu.ca
Web: https://housing.queensu.ca/residence/

Whether you are staying in Residence or living in a house or an apartment for first-year I’m confident that you will find the environment and support you need for a successful transition from high school to first-year.

Bryan Sippel – Senior Admission Coordinator (Ontario)

Kingston, Ontario: Best When Experienced

Soon, you will be moving out of your accustomed space to begin a new life at Queen’s. Not only will you be moving out of your house, apartment or yak haired tent (if you’re coming from the Tibetan plains, that is), you will be leaving a home community that is comfortably familiar and rich in your past experiences. You may be wondering if the City of Kingston will be able to offer a lifestyle through which many rewarding and diverse experiences are readily possible. Well, I’m here to tell you that it can!

Mid-way between Toronto and Montreal, and just a 30 minute drive from the U.S. border, Kingston is a flourishing regional centre that gives way to a quality of life experience, which is at once dynamic in its inspiring present and absorbing in its celebrated past. Yes, you will soon become resident of one of Canada’s most vibrant and historic communities: a city clad with all the bustle and amenities one could ever need. Here, you’ll be able to explore many historic sites, art galleries, museums, theatres, and bookstores that make for the appeal and enjoyment a day’s outing should afford. You may wish to spend an evening chatting with friends at a sidewalk cafe, tasting a new exotic dish at one of the assorted restaurants, or look for fair trade goods and local artisan crafts at the countless eclectic shops, all readily within walking distance of the University.

Whether you choose to stroll through Canada’s oldest continuously run Farmer’s Market in search of maple syrup candy and pecan tarts, or enjoy the great licks of a White Mountain ice cream cone while on route to Wolfe Island via ferry for a mid-day stroll, you’ll find your new home lending itself well to the sensibility and budget of those ever burgeoning interests you possess. If you’re an experienced scuba diver, autumn may find you eagerly taking advantage of the various historical and artificial shipwrecks (e.g. paddlewheelers, schooners, wooden steamers, etc.) found underwater and just offshore. For the less adventurous, you may simply prefer to wake early and head to Pan Chancho Bakery and Café for some freshly baked pain au chocolat and a leisurely waterfront walk, only to find yourself marveling along the way at the architecture that has earned Kingston the “Limestone City” nickname. Halloween might find you audacious enough to brave the Haunted Walk of Kingston or visit Fort Henry National Historic Site for the Ghosts of the Fort tour.

Should you be tempted to pack your figure skating fringe or hockey gear, Kingston has a use for them. As the weather becomes brisk with winter, you can head on down to Market Square for the quintessential Canadian outdoor skating experience. Afterward, you can stop by Coffee and Company for a toasty cup of hot cocoa to warm you from head to toe delicious.

For thespian inspiration and as winter slowly wakens to spring, you might choose to share in the Reelout Queer Film Festival or Kingston Canadian Film Festival, but you don’t have to wait for these events to engage in dramatic flair. You can do so all year long by viewing a picture at the Screening Room or Cinema Kingston, or instead by taking in a live student-run production by attending Queen’s Musical Theatre.

Regardless of preference, season or mood, Kingston has ample activity and interest to keep you occupied when not in the throws of academia or immersed in on-campus buzz. You’ve made a great decision to attend Queen’s and in doing so, have chosen a new hometown that is nothing short of a cultural and recreational hub for the best student experience that a city such as Kingston can ever hope to provide.

Kimberly Fournier ~ Admission Coordinator ~ Western Canada

 

Whether you weather the weather or not…

A few of you might be coming to Queen’s from a few short blocks away. I’m willing to bet that most of you who are reading this are coming from significantly further away than that! In fact, I’ll put $20 on approximately 95% of you coming from more than 100 kilometres (60 miles) from Kingston… Ha! I win!

One of the main questions I’ve encountered from prospective and future students (aside from “Where is Kingston??”) is “What is the weather like there? Do you get 5 feet of snow?” While we are a bit further north than larger metropolitan areas like Toronto, our weather here is much the same as you’d find in nearby areas! For my inaugural post, I’ll walk you through what you should expect during the four seasons here in Kingston. I’ll start with our current season – sweet summer!

Summertimes in Kingston are marked with pleasantly warm days and cooler nights. The average temperature in July is about 25 degrees Celsius (77 Fahrenheit) but daytime highs and the humidex can often make it feel like it’s 30+ out there (over 86 F). Luckily, we have the wonderful breeze of Lake Ontario here on campus to keep things cool! Nonetheless, if you’re visiting Kingston sometime this summer, be sure to bring shorts, a couple t-shirts, and lots of sunscreen!

Once you arrive in September, things will start to cool down. Fall in Kingston, and especially on campus, is a beautiful sight with some amazing colours in the local foliage. Campus is fairly well tree-covered, so you don’t have to go very far for some great photos. Summer-like weather will still be prevalent in early September, so don’t leave all your shorts at home. For the latter parts of September and most of October, you could definitely get by with a couple pairs of comfy jeans and the traditional Queen’s Hoodie!

Now, let’s talk winter.

First things first, we’re not in Iqaluit. You won’t be wearing a parka for six months of the year. To be honest, I didn’t even break out my heavy winter coat (my Team Canada Hockey jacket) until halfway through January. That nice cooling breeze you experienced in the summer will now work against you a little bit, but it’s nothing that’s not manageable. In fact, most students wear their faculty jackets all winter if they get one. The coldest day ever in Kingston was way back on January 4th, 1981 when the mercury hit -34.5 C (-30 F). Luckily, nowadays, we don’t get anywhere near that cold, with the average temperature in January being around around -8 degrees C (18 F). Yes, we do get snow here, but it tends not to accumulate much. Kingston winters are marked by colder snowy bits interspersed with mild melts partway through. While we might get a total of over 6 feet of snow falling on the city, you will rarely see more than a foot or so on the ground at any given time.

Once the beauty of spring starts, you’ll know it. The first day that the spring temperatures start climbing above freezing, Kingston comes back to life again. You’ll find yourself outside with your fellow classmates playing road hockey or trying to find a dry spot of ground to sit and soak in the sun while studying. You’ll first notice the weather changing and the days getting longer in about mid-March. By the time April hits, the days are nice and warm – tempting you to stay outside and enjoy the sun when you should be studying for your finals!

So there you have it! What you should expect here for weather. If you’re coming from not too far away and you plan on going home for Thanksgiving, I recommend switching your summeresque clothing for your winter gear at that time. If you’re coming from further abroad and want to pack lighter, there are tons of great stores here in Kingston you can purchase warmer clothing from, including our own Campus Bookstore!

Just for the record, today it’s sunny, 22 degrees C and I’ve got a date with the golf course tonight.

I love it.

Kevin du Manoir – Admission Representative/Amateur Meteorologist