3:00 AM with a Philosophy essay due tomorrow (or should I say today?), several group meetings, an I.C.B.C. meeting in the evening, a COMM161 (Calculus) assignment due on Friday, and a COMM103 (Business Management) write up and COMM111 (Accounting) term project all due on Monday.  Not to mention this is the last week of classes, with the first exam coming up next Wednesday!  Throw in the fact that I’m working 2 nights at my part time job this weekend, and I’ll be amazed once I get through it all.  Stressed?  I should be, but I thrive off the pressure of upcoming deadlines and a hectic schedule.  I’m hoping that’s a good thing…
In the meantime, as I know many students are thinking about where to apply to university, I want to write about my experience in residence thus far.  I remember around this time last year I was looking up information on res life and found very little on the Internet (or maybe I just had too many questions).  I’d also like to clarify some of the horror stories about living on West Campus.  I believe the main concern of most incoming students is the distance from main campus and the fear of missing out.  Fear not, it’s not that far!  I’ve even managed to get from main campus, back to West to pick up a book, and then back to main again in 20 minutes, though it requires precision timing and a bit of luck.  You don’t need to worry about missing out, as there are so many opportunities to get involved at Queen’s, especially if you’re in Commerce.  Also, if you’re holding out for a single room, you’re most likely to get placed at West Campus, where a good majority of them are single rooms (with the exception of the converted common rooms, which are now doubles).  If you’re ever hungry at night, the caf has the barista open until midnight and you’re about a 5 minute walk from a Tim Hortons which is open even later.  As for the layout of the residence itself, West Campus is split into Phase 1 and Phase 2.  I live in Phase 1, which means I don’t have to walk outside to get to the caf.  The place is split into “houses” with 4 floors, and each floor has 4 showers and 4 bathrooms.  The laundry machines are located on the 3rd floor, and you can add money to your laundry card through a little machine located by the front desk.  There’s a study room if you ever need some place quiet to work, music rooms to practice in, and a game room with ping pong tables, couches, and a huge TV.
As of now, it is the last week before exam time so 22 hours of quiet are in place at all of the residences.  I spent this past Sunday decorating my room for Christmas, so my door is wrapped up to look like a present and I’ve got my Christmas lights up.  It’s great to see the floor decorated for each holiday, so it’ll be interesting to see what other people come up with…
That’s enough procrastinating from me, I’ve got to finish up my essay.
Until next time!
Kat