Blog Posts

Places to Do Schoolwork or WFH Assignments for a Change of Scenery

You’re likely to find that you can do much of your schoolwork during university remotely. Whereas this could mean from home, your bedroom is far from your only option . In fact, searching for new spots can give you a change of scenery to keep you motivated and help you meet new people. This is especially important if you have a large number of your work-from-home assignments or if some of your classes are online. Several places outside your apartment stand out as top options. 1. Coffee Shop Your local coffee shop is a quiet place to work, but it also has activity , which some students find helps them concentrate. As well as the benefits of your favourite caffeinated drink and free WiFi , you may end up making friends with the baristas and regulars if you strike up a conversation. 2. Campus Library If you prefer somewhere quiet, there are few better options than your campus library. You’ll be surrounded by other students, have access to resources and knowledgeable librarians, and be able use the WiFi . The only problem is you won’t be able to use this option for taking online classes if you may need to participate . 3. Public Library An alternative to your campus library is the public library in your city. You’ll gain the same benefits as being at your campus library, but this allows you to mix things up. It’s an especially good option if you’re looking to go somewhere other than campus. 4. Your Favourite Restaurant Give yourself a treat while you study by eating a leisurely meal at your favourite restaurant. If it’s not too crowded, the staff may be happy to let you stay for up to a few hours. 5. Study Spaces Finding a dedicated study space is ideal for working on a group project or studying with classmates. As well as spaces on campus, your options include renting out a coworking space or finding out if anyone in the group lives in student housing with onsite study spaces. 6. Parks Avoid spending all your time indoors by heading to a park. On a pleasant day, it can be motivating to sit out in the sun — you should find that you make good progress with your schoolwork. As you may not have WiFi in the park, this option is best for tasks that don’t require internet, such as if you’re able to work from books alone or you can open all the webpages you need beforehand. Alternatively, you could turn your phone into a mobile hotspot. Of course, there will be times when you do want to study at home. For these occasions, you need somewhere comfortable where you can focus in peace. For UWaterloo off-campus housing, you have Preston House and Bridgeport House. Both offer fully-furnished suites as well as dedicated study spaces on site for the times you want a change of scenery but you’d rather not go far. Book a tour of the property of your choice today.

9 Habits for Success as a Student

Students who are successful at university tend to have a few habits in common. By adopting these habits yourself, you’ll increase the chance you gain good grades and you’ll make the most of your time at university. 1. Set Goals You’ll feel more incentivized to stick to your studies if you have some specific goals in mind. The most successful students are always working toward a combination of short-term and long-term goals. 2. Study Effectively Successful students avoid passively absorbing information in class. Instead, they use a variety of note-taking techniques. Plus, they use effective study tactics outside of class, such as committing to staying focused for only short amounts of time, using flashcards, and studying early in the day rather than late in the evening. 3. Participate in Class To take full advantage of your classes, it’s crucial to participate . You’ll see the most successful students sitting at the front and in the middle. They’re also the ones asking questions and contributing to discussions. 4. Sleep Enough It’s impossible to be successful if you’re sleep deprived. The students who do best at university are the ones who have a set bedtime and arrive at their morning classes feeling well rested. 5. Active in Extracurriculars Extracurriculars do more than just enrich your university experience — they also help you perform better academically. This is because they allow you to pursue your passions, maintain an active social life, and feel connected to your university. All these things improve your sense of wellbeing and enable you to focus better on your academics. 6. Talk to Their Professors Regularly Successful students are unafraid to clarify concepts they didn’t understand with their professors. They also attend office hours for feedback and advice on how to tackle papers or exams. The added benefit of being in close contact with your professors is that you’ll build strong relationships that could be useful after you graduate. 7. Create a Weekly Schedule At university, it’s up to you to ensure that you’re on track with your studies and don’t forget about classes, deadlines, or meetings. Writing down a weekly schedule will ensure you stick to a regular study plan and always arrive to your commitments on time. 8. Choose Their Classes Wisely You may want to graduate as soon as possible, but filling your schedule to the brim will make it more difficult to do well in each of your classes. Successful students think carefully about what they can manage and balance difficult classes with easier electives. They also strive for variety in each semester to keep things interesting. 9. Form Study Groups Studying in a group often helps you to improve your understanding of the material and retain more information. It’s the chance to hear explanations in a different way and explain concepts to others. However, successful students are picky about what study groups they belong to — they form groups with other students who are committed to working on the material and not people who will only use meetings as a chance to socialize. Another thing most successful students have in common is that they don’t live on campus. Instead, they have a private bedroom in an apartment for more focused studying. For Waterloo student housing, you can choose between Preston House and Bridgeport House. Both offer large, furnished suites with ensuite washrooms. There are also onsite study spaces for when you need to focus and communal areas where you can socialize with other students. Book a tour of the property of your choice.

Do You Need to Possess Every Qualification Listed on a Job Posting?

It’s common for jobseekers to dismiss some positions they see advertised because they don’t meet one or more of the requirements mentioned. The post may be asking for more experience than you have, a degree, or particular skills you’re unsure if you possess . When a job is otherwise perfect for you, it can be hugely disappointing to feel that you shouldn’t apply because you don’t fulfill all the criteria. In these cases, the best thing to do is to stop worrying that you lack some of the qualifications listed on the job posting. Listed Qualifications Are Often Guidelines Bear in mind that many qualifications on a job listing are just what an employer would prefer candidates to have. Unless the post explicitly says that these qualities are requirements, the employer may be willing to overlook the fact that you don’t possess some of them. This is particularly likely to be the case if you are a perfect fit in other ways. Think About Your Transferable Skills Even though you may not have the specific kills mentioned in the job post, you may be able to make up for it in transferable skills. It’s likely that you’ve gained relevant skills from other jobs you’ve held, your university studies, and any volunteering you’ve done. Transferable skills could come from working on group projects, managing your time to meet deadlines, coming up with solutions to problems, paying attention to detail, or even developing a passion for a greater cause. Use Your Job Application to Explain Why You’re Right for the Job You’ll need to convince the employer that you’re right for the job, despite the fact you lack some qualifications. Give plenty of examples of what you could bring to the role and to the company as a whole. Show that what you lack in experience you make up for in motivation. Do Your Research Find out as much as you can about the company. Include your findings in your job application and in answers to interview questions. Hiring managers will be impressed by your interest and more likely to consider you. In particular, learn about the company’s mission and values to talk about how you could play a part in meeting goals. Find a Contact at the Company You’ll always increase your chances of landing an interview if you know someone at the company. Check for connections on LinkedIn, ask other students, and attend job fairs on campus to see if you can meet an employee. This contact may be able to recommend that the hiring manager at least consider you — which could be enough to move your application to the top of the pile. If you’re looking for a job while you’re still at university because you want to move into a better apartment, there’s no need to stress. You can find affordable Laurier student housing at Preston House and Bridgeport House. You’ll receive a fully-furnished suite located just steps from university and great onsite amenities, including a pool table, dedicated study spaces, and a fitness centre . Book a tour to see the building of your choice.

5 Zero-Waste Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint as a Student

When you start university, you’re more in control of your life choices than ever before. This makes it the ideal time to think about how you could reduce your carbon footprint. A key way to live a more eco-friendly life is to strive to produce zero waste. There are a number of things you can start doing immediately, many of which take almost no effort. 1. Switch to Reusables You may already have several reusable items, but there’s always more you can do. Head to the store (with your reusable bags) and pick up some other essentials. This could include a water bottle, travel mug, microfibre cloths for cleaning (instead of paper towels), and washable utensils. If you often like to pack a lunch , use silicone snack bags. 2. Choose Sustainable School Supplies Instead of shopping for school supplies at the last minute and purchasing whatever is left on the shelves, start looking early to find items that are not made with excessive amounts of plastic. Pencils are already better than pens, but you can make them zero waste by choosing ones that are recyclable or compostable. You should also search for eco-friendly notebooks and folders. It’s even better to avoid buying things entirely, which you can achieve if you take all your notes on a tablet or laptop and purcha se digital versions of textbooks. 3. Buy from Local Businesses Whenever you go shopping, check to see if local businesses have what you need. This will tend to lead to lower emissions, particularly when it comes to food. Find out if there’s a farmers’ market in your area where you can buy fruit, vegetables, and other produce. The food will be fresh and won’t have emitted a large amount of carbon to reach you. 4. Compost Your Food Waste There will always be parts of food you’re unable to eat, such as vegetable skins and fruit peel. Instead of throwing this waste out with the rest of your trash (where it will end up in a landfill), reuse it by composting. You may think you need a large garden to compost, but it’s actually possible even if you live in an apartment without a balcony. Just buy an indoor composting unit and use the results to grow houseplants. 5. Recycle Much of the other waste you create is recyclable. Before you throw anything in the garbage, stop to think about whether you could recycle it instead. The likelihood is your apartment building has a separate can for recycling, meaning it’s just a matter of throwing it in the right place. 6. Stop Driving Instead of using a car to get around, walk, bike, or use public transportation. Whenever a car is necessary, see if you can carpool with other students or coworkers to reduce multiple vehicles down to one. You’ll have much more control over your lifestyle if you live off campus. For Waterloo off-campus housing, you have the choice of Preston House and Bridgeport House. Either will mean you reduce your carbon footprint by being able to walk to campus. However, you’ll also be comfortable, as you’ll have a private bedroom and en suite bathroom. Contact us to book a tour of your preferred property.

A Guide to Getting Through Finals Week

For many students, the idea of finals week brings a sense of dread. It can easily become something that stops you from enjoying all the fun things about the end of the year. A common way to cope is to spend every minute of the days leading up to your finals studying and living off caffeine to pull all-nighters. However, these tactics don’t tend to pay off. If you want to survive finals week and achieve good grades, you’ll need to change your strategy completely. 1. Start Preparing Early It’s impossible to retain a huge amount of information in a short period of time. To be prepared for your exams, you should start studying long before finals week. Prioritize the material you find the most difficult, even though it’s likely to be the least appealing. 2. Create a Study Schedule To commit to preparing for your finals early, draw up a study schedule. In your calendar, specify what you’ll study at what time. Keeping each session short and covering a few classes each day should help you stay focused. 3. Switch Up Your Study Tactics You’ll need to tailor your approach according to the format of the exam. Some exams may require you to remember facts, whereas others may want you to apply what you’ve learned to new situations or tackle problems in an analytical way. Whatever you decide to do, avoid simply rereading textbooks. Instead, use active learning techniques, such as flashcards, practice questions, study guides, and quizzes. 4. Form a Study Group There’s no need to do all your studying alone. In fact, studying in a group can aid your understanding. Join a group of classmates who you know will be committed to focusing on the material and who won’t use the study group as an opportunity to socialize. Use tactics like asking each other questions — being able to explain concepts to someone else is a great indicator you fully understand. 5. Find the Right Place to Study No matter if you’re studying alone or in a group, you need somewhere you can focus without distractions. This could be the desk in your bedroom, your living room, the campus library, or even a coffee shop. Some people find it easier to study with some background noise, whereas others require silence — you’ll need to figure out what works best for you. It may also be worth changing location occasionally. 6. Figure Out the Logistics for Your Exams You’ll feel less stressed if you know when and where your exams are taking place, as you’ll be able to plan how you’ll reach each one. It’s also important to check your schedule early in case you have multiple exams on the same day. If this happens to you, it can be worth talking to your professors about the option to take one of your exams at a different time. 7. Reward Yourself Between Exams Unless you have another exam soon after the one you’ve just finished, reward yourself with a break instead of going straight back to studying. A simple treat like your favourite lunch or even a nap can help you feel more mentally prepared to continue finals week. You’ll be able to dedicate less time to studying if you make sure every minute counts. To have a quiet place at home where you can focus, you need to move out of student residence. Waterloo students can find a new home at Preston House or Bridgeport House. Both are just steps from campus and provide you with a private bedroom with an en suite bathroom. When you want a change of scenery, you can head to an onsite WiFi study space. Book a tour of the property of your choice.

A Guide to Smart Social Media Use for Students

Up until now, the likelihood is you’ve only used social media to share posts with friends and follow accounts you find interesting. After you graduate, though, social media may play a role in your career. Prospective employees or the admissions team at grad schools may check your profiles to decide whether they want to hire you for a job or accept you on a program. Rather than waiting until later to clean up your social media presence, start now to make more of a difference. 1. Update Your Basic Information Make sure your current profiles reflect what you’re doing now. Update your location, add your university and the program you’re studying, and list any work or volunteering experience you’ve gained. In addition, do a privacy check to ensure only people you know can see more than just your basic information. 2. Follow Interesting People Stop following any accounts that post tasteless content, as this could reflect poorly on you. Instead, find figures in the field you want to enter and related accounts to demonstrate your interests. 3. Remove Old Posts Look through the posts you made in the past and remove any that could give a bad impression of you. Think about how posts may look to someone who doesn’t know you, especially when out of context. Whereas you can set posts to private, it’s better if the content doesn’t exist on social media (at least as far as is possible on the internet). 4. Add New Content Get into the habit of posting content regularly that expresses your ambitions and who you are in a positive light. As well as the projects you’re working on at university, you could talk about other achievements, extracurriculars, internships, and your part-time job. You could also start discussions to share your opinions on important topics. All these ideas can be interesting to the people who follow you, while improving your personal branding. 5. Delete Accounts You No Longer Use Make sure you do the above to all your profiles, including those you made years ago, as they could come up in search results if someone is looking for you. If you’re unsure about whether you have any forgotten profiles, do a Google search for your name to check what appears and delete any accounts you no longer want. 6. Stick with Your Strategy Maintaining a great social media presence is a long-term strategy. Continue being careful about what you post going forward and finding ways to improve your profiles. Another way to be more prepared for life after your degree is to learn to be independent. Living on campus is restrictive and, in many ways, it’s nothing like the real world, but you can start becoming self-sufficient by moving into your own apartment. You can find UWaterloo off-campus housing at Preston House and Bridgeport House. You’ll still be a short walk from campus, but you’ll have your own bedroom and en suite bathroom in an apartment with a spacious living room and fully-equipped kitchen. Book a to ur to see the property of your choice.