Got a question about residence?

We’ve been getting a lot of phone calls lately regarding residence, so I thought I would add a few quick notes to the blog before heading out for what will hopefully be a glorious weekend of doing absolutely nothing. It’s also fitting that we talk about residence now, since this weekend is Move-Out Weekend. For those of you who don’t know what this is, Move-Out Weekend is essentially when students, well, move-out. More than 90% of first year students will opt to live in residence in first year. In their second year, some of those students will apply to live in residence again, but the most of them will get together with a group of friends and rent one of the houses in the neighbourhoods that surround campus. Since most leases run from May 1 to April 30 (they correspond with the school year calendar), that means that the last weekend in April marks the time to move from residence (or your previous student house) into your new student house. It tends to be a rather chaotic and crazy weekend. One of my favourite activities as an undergrad was to walk around the neighbourhood and watch the endless stream of U-Haul trucks, vans, and cars – all stuffed full! In some cases, students just move down the block, so it’s also fun to watch groups of friends carrying boxes (or large pieces of furniture) from one house to the next. I actually lived in the same house throughout all of my undergrad (after residence), so I only had to go through Move-Out Weekend insanity twice – when I moved in and then when I moved out – but since I didn’t have to move, I got roped into helping other people move. My arms start aching when I think about it…

Anyway, back to the matter at hand: residence. As most of you know, at Queen’s, residence is guaranteed for all first year students – providing that you submit your forms and deposit by June 4^th. Residence assignments are a bit of a combination between a lottery and a preference system – you will rank your room style preferences on the application form, but the lottery component dictates in which order they’ll view your application (each application is given a random number and these numbers are put in order after the deadline). Residence Admissions will usually notify you of your room assignment in mid-July.

You’ll find a bit more information about applying to residence in your offer of admission, but you’ll also find the application form here. Residence is probably one of the things that we asked about the most, so I encourage you to look over the Queen’s Residences website or check out our frequently asked questions page. Also, feel free to contact us – perhaps by posting a question on our wall! – if you have any questions.

Best wishes and have a great weekend!

Danyal Martin

Admission Coordinator

Sure signs of spring!

I think after this unusually long winter we are all looking for the classic tell tale signs that our seasons are changing.  Of course there’s always the solstice, mourning the loss of an hour of sleep – while embracing evermore daylight; waiting to spot the first Robin – brave enough to return; seeing the first flowers poke through the ground, witnessing our students head into their final exams, and of course seeing the first convertible with the top down.  I spotted my first a few weeks or so ago – even though at the time it was -1!

 

There are also some special spring events that mark the new season for us – we have recently hosted our March Break Open Houses, to a record number of visitors – our Saturday tours are starting this month and we are starting to head back out on the road! 

 

I already have a couple of trips for 2008 under my belt and am getting ready to leave again.  A short time ago I participated in events co-hosted by our Canadian Embassy in Chicago, New York City, Washington, DC and Atlanta.  It was a full week and felt like an episode of the Amazing Race – but however travel heavy it was to cover four major cities in four days – I always enjoy meeting with students and their families.  This is equally true whether it is when they come for a campus tour or when I have traveled to an event nearer to them.  It is such an exciting time for students and their families and I am always happy to share my experiences of Queen’s!  I started as a student here at Queen’s in 1991 and by 1996, had finished two degrees – by 2005, the third degree was completed.  I can discuss my student experiences, with fond memories, as easily as my current impressions of our students and campus today.

 

As you are thinking more and more about which university to attend – don’t be shy in asking the questions that are most important to you.  If you’re on a campus tour – talk to your tour guides, if you’re not able to visit the campus – see if there are people around you who have attended the university (ies) that you’re considering and ask them.  If you’re one of the students that I’ll be speaking with in the next few weeks – ask me!  I look forward to meeting you!

 

Wendy Smith

Admission Coordinator – Eastern Canada and USA

 

p.s. I’ve included a picture of a great convertible that I saw in a student parking lot in Andover, MA this fall!

 

 

Thinking internationally?

Perhaps travel cannot prevent bigotry, but by demonstrating that all peoples cry, laugh, eat, worry, and die, it can introduce the idea that if we try and understand each other, we may even become friends.

-Maya Angelou

The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.

-St. Augustine

When I was 15 years old I went on a student exchange to Grenoble, France. After I finished my degree at Queen’s, I taught English at a high school in the Japanese Alps for a few years. I guess this indicates two things: a) I should be a much better skier than I actually am and b) I enjoy checking out life in foreign countries.

What it also indicates is that I was fortunate to have access to these opportunities as a young person. However, when I compare the international experiences that were open to me to those available today, I can’t help but feel a little envious. The world is literally at your doorstep and here at Queen’s we make it easy for you to walk on out and take a peek.

Queen’s has exchange relationships with over 100 universities in almost 40 countries and we are adding new partners every year. For a full list, click here. But exchange is just the tip of the iceberg if you are looking for an international experience. You can spend a month in Africa during the summer studying biology, archaeology, and anthropology through the Canadian Field Studies in Africa Program. Or, if you major in Global Development Studies, you can complete work-study placements and earn course credits in China or Cuba. Of course, you can also choose to spend some time abroad on a volunteer basis. There are plenty of opportunities to do so.

Yet another alternative would be to get involved in one of the many student-run Queen’s clubs that have an international component. One of the most popular and well-known of these is The Queen’s Project on International Development (QPID), whose mission is to assist developing communities in Canada and abroad in improving their quality of life through local partnerships in country.

Of course, there is also the jewel in the Queen’s international crown, which has been written about in earlier entries on this blog: The International Study Centre at Herstmonceux Castle.

Finally, when your studies are winding down in a few years and you’re looking for a way to apply your degree to an international setting, there are resources at Queen’s to help you conduct a successful search.

I’ll leave you with one more travel quote (I love quotes!) by John Hope Franklin which is particularly fitting to the university context:

“We must get beyond textbooks, go out into the bypaths and untrodden depths of the wilderness and travel and explore and tell the world the glories of our journey.”

Happy trails!

Matt Reesor

International Admission Manager