Last year for March Break I visited Mont Tremblant with some friends, and though it was a lot of fun I missed the opportunity to visit open houses at Queen’s and other universities. I’m sure many of you are in the same boat – whether you were vacationing down south or had trouble finding the right day to drive out to Kingston.

Though I was not able to come to Queen’s for the Open House, I was fortunate enough to visit Kingston twice during my second semester of grade 12. The first time, I got to stay with an older friend at her house in the student village, just 5 minutes north of the campus. The second time, I took a guided tour of the university on a Saturday with my parents. Both of these experiences greatly contributed to my decision to come to Queen’s. Once I had the opportunity to walk around the campus, I got a positive feel for the environment and was able to picture myself as a student at Queen’s.

I definitely encourage all of you to take the time and visit the campus, especially if you didn’t get the chance to during March Break. Here are some easy ways to do so:

1. Prospective students from all faculties can join in a guided campus tour, which gives a brief tour of the business building, Goodes Hall. You can find the information to sign up for one of these tours at http://www.queensu.ca/admission/contacts/campustours.html.

2. If you’re interested in a more in-depth guided tour of Goodes Hall, feel free to email the Commerce office at commerce@business.queensu.ca. Usually, there is a standard meeting time of Fridays at 3:00pm where anyone can drop by for info and a tour. As part of the High School Liaison Committee, I help run the tours, and I find most prospective students learn a lot about the Commerce program that they didn’t know before visiting.

3. If you do not have the opportunity to visit Kingston, you still have the ability to use the Commerce office as a resource for answering any questions you may have. Also, feel free to e-mail me at 9dvl@queensu.ca. I’m happy to answer any questions you might have about the Commerce program, Queen’s, or Kingston in general!

- Danielle Lucchese, COMM’14

I know its already been 2 weeks since we’ve been back, but I’ve just been so overwhelmed with readings and assignments that I have not had the time to update yet. So I am walking around campus and I am very excited to see many of the people who have contacted me through Facebook here and doing so well.

This week is the busiest week so far since I have been back. We have four assignments due in  the upcoming week: Finance, Business Decision Models, Management Information Systems and Marketing. There are meetings every week. including meetings with my cultural club which I am an executive of: Queen’s United Chinese Student Association.

Also, after 2 weeks of being back, I finally finished unpacking most of my boxes, and somewhat settled into our apartment. It has been a very long process, but after finally getting it over with, I now feel more at home. If anyone is thinking of moving out after first year, please do not hesitate to contact me or any of the other 2nd years. We can provide you with excellent resources to use on your house-hunt.

Until next time!

- Sheila

After being here at Queen’s for a week, it already feels a lot like home. Just to quickly recap my week…the move-in last Sunday went pretty smoothly. I expected to arrive to a chaotic, packed residence, but since all of the students moved in at different times throughout the day, it wasn’t hectic like how I thought it would be. Residence orientation started that evening, but after all of the Facebook groups about res, I think a lot of the other students here were already well-informed. It’s a quiet affair, but it’s an efficient way to meet others on your floor.

Wednesday marked the beginning of the faculty-specific orientation. I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise for anyone, so all I really want to say about the Commerce orientation is that it’s a lot of fun, a lot of partying, a lot of screaming, and that the unique experience really brings everyone together. Considering it’s organized by students for students, they were very good at anticipating what our needs were as incoming frosh. Frosh week was definitely a memorable experience, and I would recommend that everyone give it a chance before judging the event too harshly. I warn you to catch up on sleep before frosh week, as you won’t be getting a good night’s sleep for the next seven days! (And that’s a good thing.)

On Sunday afternoon, I attended the Capstone event held at Ban Righ Hall. It gave students a chance to meet other frosh and interact with Queen’s professors and other Kingston residents. The event was a relaxing one, with great food…perfect timing since all of the cafs are closed on Sunday evenings.

Which brings me to today, Monday, the first day of classes. I only have one class, so I took it pretty easy today. I spent the rest of the evening scouring for food with friends, shopping for a new cell phone, and attempting to figure out the Kingston transit bus schedules. Coming from a big city to a much smaller one is a bit of an adjustment, but I’ll get there eventually!

Now I’m off to figure out where all of my classes will be held tomorrow…it looks like they’re scattered all over the place; but I’ve got an hour between every class so I can take some time to explore the main campus.

Until next time,
Kat

The new year in Kingston means plenty of greedy landlords and wide eyed first years shuffling through snow and lease agreements. Thankfully, I took care of the hard work last year and am resigning my lease this year, which makes the entire process nice and easy.

Everyone in first year at Queen’s is guaranteed a spot in residence, which is superb in my opinion. There is no worry about housing and finding house mates, and will allow you to settle into the Queen’s culture much more smoothly. In second year, I would say typically 90% of students will move out of residence and into a house.

The great thing about the housing at Queen’s is the location. The student “Ghetto” is a few blocks directly beside and behind the campus. This small block is where everyone will live. There is no lengthy commute, and the most you will have to walk to get to campus, even if you live on the far outskirts, is 10 minutes. In comparison to some other schools in southern Ontario, which have housing a lengthy commute away from campus, Kingston is able to provide a conveniently located, student dominated, block of houses. Finding a house in Kingston is never really an issue. The real challenge lies in trying to find a good house.

When choosing a University people can rely too much on the academics. Don’t get me wrong, this is the most important factor, but understanding the entire school package will allow you to find the best fit in your University choice. Now, in my completely unbiased opinion, Queen’s excels in both these areas.

I walked up my slush filled walkway and stood on my front porch, concluding a 5 hour day of travel.  Coming back to Kingston, feels like I am going back home.  Queen’s is a very small, tight-knit, community.  It seems that you get to know just about everyone.  Over the break I had a third year theatre major recognize me from Campus.  It just goes to show how small the University really is.  Going off to University doesn’t have to be like approaching a looming dark cloud of terror.  Attending a school that is not a commuter school leads to this closeness, and these very students becoming your new family.  So, despite enjoying my winter break immensely, arriving back in Kingston just feels like all is right in the world.  I am home.

Best of luck in the coming year

Until next time…