“Stauffer is my homeboy!” is a common phrase to hear around campus, particularly around midterms or finals.  Another good catchphrase is “Douglas is my homeboy!”, both making reference to Stauffer Library and Douglas Library located at the intersection of Union and University.  Now, I’ll admit to not always being a great fan of studying at the library, but I’m slowly learning to like it.  Actually, like is a bit strong, I’m learning to tolerate some late nights in Stauffer when the Goodes Hall breakout rooms have been completely booked up.  As I work best at night, I can really appreciate the late hours that the library is open until.  Douglas closes at 11:00 PM, and Stauffer typically closes at 1:45 AM, although the building itself remains open so if you’re a real night owl, you aren’t left out in the cold!  There are cubicles, desks, and computer stations scattered around all 4 floors, as well as many group study rooms that you can rent.  Typically, the higher up you go, the quieter the study space.  When exam time rolls around,  Stauffer is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  So really, you have no excuse to not get any reading done…even after you’ve wasted precious hours on Facebook, MSN, YouTube, or watching your favourite TV shows.

Until next time!

Kat

If you don’t know what Twitter is, then you’re really missing out on a big part of life! Contrary to popular belief, Twitter is not a site where people just update what they’re doing, like a Facebook status update. People like you and me, or even Barack Obama or Air Canada use it as a tool to promote products, such as sales, or update its followers (ie. its subscribers) on the current news.

I used to be so against it because I had thought that people just updated their statuses, and yes many people do just do that. But now that I’ve really gotten into it, I use it as a tool for communication.

Did you know that many major Queen’s players have Twitter? People such as our AMS President Michael Cici (@michaelcici) and the principal of Queen’s University, Daniel Woolf (@queensprincipal) have and actively use Twitter. If you’re interested in athletics, Queen’s Athletics (@queensgaels) also use Twitter. Also if you’re wondering about security on campus, you can follow Queen’s Campus Security (@CampusSecurity). If you’re just looking to see some updated news on Queen’s University in general, you can follow the official Queen’s University twitter account (@queensu).

Overall, I love Twitter and I update mine multiple times a day with the latest going-ons in my life, as well as any news that the people whom I follow share, or any news from school such as assignments or exams. It is a good way to learn about the daily lives of a typical Commerce student like me because I am constantly updating Twitter, yet I may not have a lot to say each day for me to write a blog entry.

If you want to add me on Twitter, my username is @pinkrose398. Add away, and make sure you introduce yourself to me, I also welcome any questions that you have about Queen’s Commerce.

Anyways, I need to get back to my essay that’s due tomorrow, have a good night!

- Sheila

I spent part of my Reading Week at my former high school, meeting with some of my old teachers.  I was asked to speak to a number of Grade 11 and 12 classes, so I threw together a short slideshow presentation on myths and facts about the undergrad university life.  I thought I would post some general myths and facts on the student blog to try and address some of the fears you may have.
MYTH: You’ll be drowning in debt upon graduation
- This is completely false.  A lot of universities offer various forms of financial aid, be it through academic scholarships, bursaries, or other awards.  There is also government assistance such as OSAP, or you can choose to work part-time and save up.  I actually chose to work two part-time jobs during the school year and, along with the scholarship and bursary I received from Queen’s, I was able to pay for the entire first year myself.  I worked part-time through first semester, and I am still working the same position in my second semester at Queen’s without having any difficulty with the workload.
TRUTH: Frosh Week will be one of the most memorable experiences you will have at university
- 100%, completely clichéd, truth.  Frosh Week will really set the tone for your first year.  It is completely led by students, the week is a total blast, and I’m sure you’ll be looking back at the experience with very fond memories.  The people you meet at Frosh Week will be with you for the next four years; you may as well get to know them!
MYTH: Your lectures will be led by boring professors who talk for about 3 hours while you fight to stay awake
- Also false.  The first year Commerce classes are one hour and twenty minutes long; about the same length as a typical class in high school.  Also, I have yet to come across a professor who will lecture for the entire time.  Many of the classes are highly interactive and many profs will encourage group discussion and analysis.
TRUTH: Assigned readings and assignment due dates come up a lot faster than you think.
- Stay on top of everything, learn good time management skills, get your priorities straight and you’ll be well on your way to a successful first year.  I’m speaking from experience, trust me.

If you have any other questions in regards to the Commerce program at Queen’s or just general university life, feel free to shoot me an email at 8tykw [ at ] queensu.ca.  I’d be more than happy to answer any questions that you might have.

Until next time!

This  isn’t going to be one of the regular blog posts, but nevertheless what I am up to at the moment. I have started my exchange and am currently sitting in France after a week of travel and getting settled in. It has been one exciting week and I thought I would share my exchange with you to get your excited for your own if you decide to make Queen’s your home next year.

I started my exchange early and headed out of Canada on December 30th to be in Paris for New Years. Despite being excited about seeing Paris for the first time on the 31’st, my body seemed to have other plans and I slept away the afternoon from some serious jet lag. I was lucky enough to spend New Years under the Eiffel tower and the following day exploring (making sure to get a crepe on the street of course).

The next day was spent traveling by train to Toulouse (South of France) where my exchange university is. I will be spending the next four months at ESC Toulouse. Thanks to my total French vocabulary of around 100 words (up from 3 at the beginning of the week) I will be taking class in English.

Something that I really took for granted at Queen’s, are the amazing facilities we have available to us. The theatre style seating, laptop ports, wireless internet everywhere for free, breakout rooms, lounge facilities, free morning papers, projectors and media centers in every room, the NSC (computer facility downstairs) and even the little name cards for classes are all things I will miss here in France. Goodes hall, and the Queen’s facilities are really something to be proud of and I am really grateful to have access to them.

This past week has been pretty interesting. I spent the week with no Internet disconnected from the world (watched the Dark Night 5 times), got food poisoning on Sunday, had no hot water for 4 days, and finally today am able to go online from somewhere other then McDonalds (they have free WIFI). Despite this, I would not change anything about the exchange. Everybody I have met has been really nice, the culture here in France is amazing, the baguettes are nothing short of spectacular and I am really excited for the next four months of school and travel.
I made a couple of videos of my time in France thus far and a tour of my apartment here and should have them up in the next couple of days to see. I will be making more as I travel and hope you will follow the next couple of months with me.

Bon Annay,
Michael.

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