Accepting Your Offer

Hey guys! This post is going to look a little but different than the others, I'm writing it on my iPad before my dance class... So just a little heads up!

Accepting your offer is a big deal, you've gone through all the hard work of deciding where to apply, and them you actually apply. Here in Ontario, you get to apply to 3 colleges or universities, and then the end when you accept one, it automatically rejects all your other offers.

Here are some tips to ultimately choosing which school is right for you:

Don't choose just based on looks
Take academics into consideration, a school might have the best campus ever, but if it doesn't have the program that you're in love with, maybe think about your other options.

Don't choose just based on academics
On the other hand, you're going to be at your school for around 4 years, so you are going to want to love the campus. You can have a school with great academics, but if the campus is hard to get to, spread out, or just isn't right for you, consider your other schools.

Take a tour
One thing that I highly suggest is taking a tour of the school that you were accepted to. This is a great way to not only get to know the campus, but learn about the school. Tours enable you to get your questions answered by a real person, not just an FAQ page. Also, tour guide will bring up concepts that you didn't think of to ask about. Also, sometimes the schools will give your free promotional material - when I visited my school they gave out m&ms with the schools name on them... Always a plus!

Don't choose a school just because your friend is going there
If you're going to be going to a school for 4 years, you're going to want to make sure that YOU'RE happy, not your friend. You will make new friends, and You will have the opportunity to keep your old ones... So you don't necessarily need to go to the same school as them.

Read the instructions on what to do
If there are words, read them because they could possibly be important. You don't want to end up not going to your top choice just because you didn't accept their offer properly!

Consider scholarships
Each school will have different amounts of scholarships that the will offer you. If money is a big factor to you, you can see if schools will give you counter offers. Also keep in mind that your scholarship could possibly go up or down by the end of the year. In my case, my top school was offering me $1000, but by the end if the year I had bumped up my average to a 90, so I ended u getting a iPad and a $2000 scholarship!

Think about where you're going to live
Is the school close enough to live at home? Are you going to commute? Are you living on campus? What are the living or transportation expenses that you will have? There are a lot of things to consider.

Well, I hope this helped some of you! Feel free to write me a comment tell me where it got it! :)

Floorcest

Okay this one is kind of a no-brainer for most of you guys that live in residence.
Personally, it's not a problem because I don't find any of the 4 guys on my floor attractive at ALL. But for some of you that live in bigger floors could run into the problem that you find a guy/girl that you like.
Usually I would say go for what you want, but on this topic, just try to hold off until you move out of residence. Yeah, it would be nice to date someone on your floor, you wouldn't have to walk halfway across campus to see them, and it would just be more convenient... But what happens if you break up?
As my friend would say... AWKO TACO.
The good thing about breaking up with someone is that for the most part, you don't have to seem them again.
...Unless that person happens to live 2 doors down from you, of course.
Imagine how awkward it would be, running into you ex, day after day. And it's not only going to be awkward for you, but probably a lot of the floor.
I know this sounds pretty harsh, but it's definitely one of those rules that you should listen to.
If you're really interested in someone, wait until you move out of rez to further this relationship.

Keeping In Contact With Friends

One of the challenges with going off to school is trying to keep a part of your old life intertwined with your new life. I'm lucky because I know quite a few people that are going to my university from home, but a lot of people don't get that. It's hard to keep in contact with your friends from home, whether they've gone off to other schools, stayed back for a year, or moved to other places. It's tough, and if you ask a lot of people, they're going to tell you that it just isn't possible. I'm going to be honest, a lot of people try, and it just doesn't work - but it can.
Even I'm finding it hard to stay connected to some of my old friends.
I think one of the hard concepts to grasp is that people grow and change... And sometimes we don't understand that and just can't realize that people can grow apart. At times, all it takes is people to grow apart so that they can come together again.
Sometimes we just have to learn to let people go, so they can grow, and so we can grow. Just because you're saying goodbye to someone for now, it doesn't mean it's for forever.
But you know what? You can totally still keep in contact with you friends or girlfriends or boyfriends and whatnot. There's someone on my floor who has a girlfriend back in California, and he's in Ontario. Another girl on my floor lives 10 hours away form her boyfriend. Both of these couples have found ways to make their relationships work. I have a friend at school that is originally from British Columbia, and she's going to school here in Ontario. She still keeps in contact with her friends.
With so many kinds of social networking websites and programs that help us connect to people, facebook, twitter, tumblr, skype, computers, and our phones, the world makes it pretty easy to keep in contact with people.
In the end, it takes two people, and it takes effort from both sides to make something work.
Distance can kind of be like a test; a test to see who is worth the trouble and who is worth it to you.
All in all, I think it's also important that you try to keep old friendships, but also make new ones. If you're always surrounding yourself with the same people, then you're never getting to experience new people. While making new friends can be scary, it's something that you definitely should try.

"Make new friends, but keep the old, one is silver and the other is gold."

I know this has kind of been a lame post, but really, keeping in contact is something that you're going to have  to deal with when you're going through school.
It can be sad, feeling like you're being left behind or forgotten, but the great thing is that you have the power to try and change these things, you can make an effort, and you can make new friends.
I've been through this, and you will too, or maybe you already have. I hope that you've made the right decision for YOU if you have already, and if you haven't yet, just stay true to yourself.

Choosing A Major

While this topic might not seem very relevant to people who are currently in college/university already, it actually could be! You might think that the people who are entering school next year only have to deal with this, but it's a concern that people presently enrolled have to worry about as well. People do switch majors, it happens! Let me just get this out there, I think it's complete BS that we have to plan our lives at 16/17/18. When I was applying for university, I was only 16, yet trying to plan the rest of my life. For most of our lives, we're told to act like adults - yet we're never given the chance... until you have the decision to choose your major. Anyway, here are some tips for trying to figure out what you want to take!

You Can Switch Your Major

During the application process, yes, you are asked to apply to specific programs. Does this mean that you have to stick to that decision 100%? NOPE. A lot of people change majors - it's nothing to be ashamed of. If you get through your first year and realize that you've made a huge mistake, don't freak out too much! You can always talk to an academic adviser and get their help in deciding what you can do for the future. With that being said, just make sure to not make a decision too quick. I'll be honest, for the most part, first year courses suck majorly. They're very broad and all over the place and aren't specialized at all. That stuff comes usually in years 3 and 4. So if you're concerned about your major, but still interested in it, just keep in mind that it could get better.

You Can Choose A Double Major or Minor

A lot of people struggle with choosing between two different programs. If you find two programs that you absolutely LOVE, then look into doing either a double major or minor. A lot of times you can't add a minor until at least your second year, so you have time to look into different possibilities. Just keep in mind when picking courses for first year what courses you might need to take second year for your minor - pay attention to prerequisites. 

Listen To Your Heart

Unless you have a crazy supportive family, then you'll probably have people trying to tell you what to go to school for. When I told my dad that I was going to major in psychology, he got really mad. When I told a family friend, I got the reaction "ARE YOU CRAZY?". I know how hard it is to go against what my parents wanted. (well, parent... my mom was supportive and just wanted me to be happy) Don't choose a program because that's what's expected of you. Do what YOU want. This is your life, and you're the one that's going to have to live with the decision. Really, you're going to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt - wouldn't it be better to love your degree than to spend all that time and money and hate it? University/college is the time to find who you are, maybe it's time to start with choosing what to go for.

Think About Future Job Opportunities

I'll be honest with you, some degrees are kind of useless. While I definitely want you to follow your heart and do what you want to do, I think it's also practical to think about the future, and what you're going to end up doing what the degree. 

Your Major Isn't Your Career

When picking a major, keep in mind that just because you pick a certain major, it doesn't mean that it's going to end up being your specific career. Take psychology for example. The first thing you think is a psychologist, but that's no necessarily true! While that is a choice, there are so many more... A social worker, a teacher, a counselor, working in a R&D department - and so many more. Just make sure to keep in mind that the possibilities are quiet endless, you never know where your degree will take you!

Good luck in choosing your major!
If you ever need some help with figuring out what you want to do, talking to the student services or academic advisers at your school can help!
Or, if you want to send me a message, maybe I can help you figure out some things... I've been through it before! :)

Happy Valentines Day! ...Lets Talk About Mental Health

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!
I hope you have a lovely day today, whether you're celebrating with a special someone, spending it by yourself, or celebrating with friends and family. If you're spending it alone, there's no need to be upset about it! There are so many things that you can still celebrate, your love for friends, family - and mainly yourself.
Sometimes with all the chaos in life, we forget to care for ourselves; our bodies, and our mental health.
I decided that now would be a good time to bring up the topic of mental health.
When people hear the phrase 'mental health' a lot of them just shrug it off, like it's something that doesn't really matter or pertain to them. They really don't realize how wrong they truly are.
Everyone has a certain degree of mental health, when you have good mental health, well, good for you! That's awesome. When you have bad mental health is when problems can occur. 

Being a teenager and turning into an adult is hard enough, without throwing in university or college into the mix. Combine these together and you get this mix of stress and confusion and freedom and so much more. Some people handle this change well, while on the other side, some people don't handle it very well. 

Mental health has a negative stigma attached to it - and it makes it hard for people to ask for help. It's just so horrible that someone can be suffering so much, and in silence, just because they're afraid that they'll be looked down on, or that someone won't take them seriously. Personally, I believe that this is total BS. No one deserves to suffer, especially in silence. As a society, we really need to work on this, or else this is a problem that isn't going to go away - it's going to get worse. 

The good thing is that things are happening to help get rid of this!
On Tuesday, Bell had a campaign going called Bell Lets Talk. How it worked was that if you tweeted and tagged it with #BellLetsTalk, they donated 5 cents to mental health initiatives. It happened on facebook too, if you shared their picture then they would also donate 5 cents. 

1 in 5 Canadians will have some kind of mental illness at least once in their lives. 

There are so many different kinds of mental illnesses that one can suffer from, just to name a few: schizophrenia, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, anxiety disorders ect. All mental illnesses are bad, and they all deserve treatment. 

In university and college, it's quiet easy to lose yourself and end up lost.
I know it can be really hard to tell if someone is suffering, but if you know someone that you think could be wrong with someone you know, or even if you suspect that you might be suffering with something - please talk to someone. On your campus there are probably mental health counselors that can help you and help you decide what the next step is.
Really all I'm trying to say is that you deserve the best, even if you might not believe that right now. If you need help, get it, please.
If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. If it's anything really serious, there are help lines for pretty much everything - I'd post them here but each area has different ones.
Anyway, that's enough of me ranting for right now. Happy Valentines Day, and I hope you take the time to remember to love and appreciate yourself.

<3

Doing Good For Your Community

I know when you're in school sometimes it's hard to imagine getting all of your work done, and you don't really have the time to think about giving back to your community. But really, there are so many opportunities that are available to you that don't actually take that much time!
In my residence I live in an LLC (Living learning community) and the one that I chose was Leadership and Volunteerism. So pretty much on my floor there's 9 of us in total, we have a peer mentor and each month we participate in an event that enables us to give back to the community.
We've volunteered at an event called Shinerama for Cystic Fibrosis and stood outside for a few hours getting donations, made lunch for the local outreach and support center for teens, and today we donated blood. Unfortunately, I was unable to donate blood because for my height and weight I don't have enough blood - but I really encourage those of you who are able to.

Honestly, donating your time doesn't sound too fun, but there are so many opportunities that you can find. The hard part is finding something you're interested in. Something that I did in high school to get my mandatory volunteer hours was train dogs! You might not be able to find somewhere that you can do that, but I know local animal shelters and human societies are always looking for help.
If you like running, there's always runs and walks that are looking for people to cheer runners on, hand out water and other things.
If you like people, try your local homeless shelter!

Really, your time could make such a difference in someones life - the choice is yours!

Snow Day Surprise

The great winter gods of Canada have blessed us with a snow storm, and today actually is a snow day for me! Woo for long weekends. As great as snow days are, sometimes they can be a bit boring - usually roads are really nasty and you don't want to get into an accident so everyone just stays inside. So, I'm going to provide you with a few things to do to make your snow day (or just normal day... with snow) not so boring!

1. Get Caught Up/Ahead On Work

Yeah, I know, sounds boring. But it's my duty as your university blogger to make sure you don't completely neglect your work. Maybe read a page or two of that textbook you've never opened but should be done... Or at least make a title page for that 10 page paper you should be writing, okay?

2. Play In The Snow

Seriously, you're never too old to play in the snow. Grab a bunch of your friends, and get out there! Build a snowman, make a fort, have a snowball fight, make snow angels, go tobogganing (use lids off of containers if you need to). But really, don't be afraid to get out there and have fun - no one wants a party pooper!

3. Movie Day

If you aren't feeling well (there's a pretty nasty cold going around at my school) or you're just not a fan of the cold weather, snuggle up with some blankets, popcorn, hot chocolate and some movies! You could have a movie marathon... Some ideas:  Harry Potter, Bring It On, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Mission Impossible, James Bond, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, Nicholas Sparks Movies (get the tissues ready)

4. Bake

Get together with your BFFs, grab a cake mix and make a creation! If you're feeling really adventurous  you can try a rainbow marble cake! (Instructions here - http://www.paisleyjade.com/2011/05/marbled-rainbow-cake.html)

5. Build a Fort

If you never made a fort when you were a child, I feel sorry for you - because you have been deprived. Get all the blankets in your house/room and make a blanket fort! Not only is it a fun thing to do, but then you have a really cool place to spend the rest of your day.

6. Board Games Day

Get old school and dust off that old version of monopoly and have a games day with your family, friends, housemates, girlfriend/boyfriend or whoever you can find! Collect all the old board games (or any other games for that matter) and make it fun! 

7. Snow Day Party

Yeah it could be short notice, but hey, we're university/college students so we're okay with throwing together a party on short notice... as long as it means we get to party! Make it winter themed, or just have a good time.

In the end, the main thing is just to stay safe everyone! :)
Comment with your ideas/how you spend you day!

I'm Still Here!

Hey guys, I know I haven't posted in a few days - I'm sorry!
But I just wanted to make a post to tell y'all that I'm still here and I'll resume blogging soon.
Right around now is midterms and I have papers to procrastinate and tests not to study for. (just kidding... well, kinda.)
Anyway, I'll probably have a post up in the next few days :)
Good luck on your midterms everyone!

Living in Residence

One of the big choices with going to school is deciding whether or not to live in residence on campus. Personally, I took the plunge and moved away from the home to live in residence.
Now, I'm not really sure what it's like at other universities, but there there's two different types, traditional and non-traditional. The traditional is how you would think a normal dorm room would be, just a bunch of furniture - but here that's divided down even further. You can either be in a single or a double, and depending on what building you get put in, you could end up sharing a bathroom with your whole floor or 1-2 other people. The non-traditional puts you in a townhouse with 4 other people, along with 2 bathrooms and a full kitchen. Again, divided up into doubles and singles.
Anyway, now that you've heard about the boring-ness of how the residence system works here, the point that I'm trying to say is that you're ALWAYS AROUND PEOPLE.
You are never really alone when you're living in residence. Whether you're seeing other people, living with them, hearing them, or anything else - there's always someone.
And the fact about people is that we're not perfect, and there's always going to be the people that annoy you, and that make you crazy. Dealing with these people suck, but it's a big part of being in residence! Here are some tips for dealing with residence and the people involved in it.

1. Give People A Chance
Within 15 seconds of meeting someone, you've already judged them, you've already made up your opinion about them. How much can you lean about someone in 15 seconds? Nothing. Because you never really truly know someone. Something I've learned over the course of my stay here so far is that you really need to give someone a real chance before you make up your mind about them. People will really surprise you. You might become best friends with that person who you thought was a complete bitch, or you might realize that the really nice girl a few doors down is a backstabber. Please, just try not to make a snap judgment about someone.

2. If Something Is Bugging You, Speak Up
Obviously something that you're going to encounter at university/college is parties - anywhere and anytime. They can be loud and obnoxious and bug the hell out of you. If the people above you are partying every night until 4am, and it's getting in the way of your sleep and studies and just your life - you need to speak up. There are ways that you can 'anonymously' complain, call your don (in my residence each room has a phone), facebook them, text them, or whatever. If something is bugging you that much, then it's not right for you to have to put up with it.

3. Be Respectful
On the other hand, if you're the one that's partying, try not to do it all day every day. Friday and Saturday nights are acceptable - Monday nights, not so much. If you want to play music, keep it quiet! No one wants to her Gangam Style while they're trying to study for their midterm. Keep the common room clean, it's called a common room for a reason - everyone uses it!

4. Try To Make Friends On Your Floor
Obviously you're not going to be best friends with every single person on your floor. Some of the people you're going to love, while just the sight of some of them will piss you off. Ignore the people who you don't like - no one like floor drama. But really, it is nice to have friends on your floor.

5. Come To Terms With The Bathroom Situation
If you're sharing a bathroom with your whole floor (like me) it's going to feel pretty weird at the beginning. I was so scared to shower for like, the first month! (don't worry, I still showered... Just at weird times) I was scared I would be like, walking out in a towel and one of the guys was going to come in or something, I don't even know what I was scared of now. Looking back, it seems pretty silly, but it definitely took some getting used to. Really though, don't hog the shower in the morning! Some people need to get to class and that's not going to happen if you decide to take your sweet time.

6. Keep Food In Your Room
Vending machines can get expensive, and sometimes you just don't want to talk to the cafeteria. I really suggest having a mini fridge if you're living in residence. Keeping food in your room is great because then you can decide what you have, and what you don't. If you know you're going to be temped to eat something, then just don't keep it in your room. If you have a morning class and the cafeteria isn't open yet, then keep some granola bars or fruit or cereal in your room.

7. Take Advantages Of Residence Events
At my university, every Sunday we have this thing called crew. Crew is when people from the whole building are invited to get together and participate in something, whether it's a movie night, playing capture the flag outside, watching the superbowl (tonights activity) or even carving pumpkins! I never go, and sometimes I regret it. Okay, well, usually I don't, but when there's food involved I do. But that's just not my thing, but if getting together with a group of people and doing things is yours, then make sure to see if your residence has anything like it - if not, suggest something!

8. Take Advantage of the Caf, But Beware
As much as cafeteria food sucks, take advantage of not having to cook and do dishes while you can. Yeah, it sure sucks eating the same stuff every day, but next year you're going to have to find time to grocery shop, cook, clean and whatnot. Just make sure to not have fries and a dessert with every meal - you WILL gain weight. The freshman 15 is not a myth, it is a real thing and if you're not careful it does actually happen.

9. Don't Go Too Crazy With Your Newly Found Freedom
While it is really tempting to always just do what you want and party and drink and have tons a fun - ultimately, is that the reason why you came to school in the first place? I'm paying $15,000 to be here, and I'm going to get my moneys worth and not flush it down the drain. While it can't be all work and no play, it also can't be all play and no work. Find a good balance for yourself, and don't go too crazy.

10. Be True To Yourself 
All the way through school we're taught about peer pressure. I'm not going to lie, there definitely is pressure at university to do certain things. But the pressure isn't in the way that they always told us it would be. It's not always going to be someone standing there with a beer or a joint or whatever saying "Take it or you're going to be a loser." It's kind of invisible pressure. Honestly, I think most of the pressure is pressure that we you put on yourself. It sucks to be an outcast, and the only person not doing something. I know how it feels, because I don't drink. Frosh week was horrible because it was just people partying the whole time... And I doubted my decision to stay sober a few times. Sometimes it's just easier to go along with what everyone else is doing instead of sticking to your decision. I'm totally not saying that you can't drink - if you want to, go right ahead. Just remember that it's just as bad to judge someone for not doing something as it is to judge someone for doing something. Stick to your decisions and just be who you are - you will find people who have the same views on things as you do, don't you worry.

Well that's all for now, I have a midterm to study for! :)
Keep in mind these are just a few things about living in residence that I've learned! I still have a few more months to go, and I'm sure I'll learn a hell of a lot more.
If you ever have a topic that you want me to do a post about, or some advice - feel free to write a comment! You can do it anonymously if you don't want me knowing who you are, if that's what's holding you back.