Advice Archives - Queen's Journal

Three steps to surviving a Kingston winter

Written on November 3, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

When choosing to attend university a five-hour flight away from where I grew up, I knew I was in for a weather change. Growing up in a temperate rainforest, I was used to what most people would classify as ‘bad’ weather: in Vancouver, it usually rains more than 150 days a year. How could a little...

How to succeed in online learning

Written on September 22, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Whether you’re a seasoned online learner or you’ve never taken a virtual class before, this semester is bound to be difficult for everyone in its own way. While it’s important to appreciate the opportunity to continue our education during the pandemic, it’s understandably frustrating for students...

Asking for a Friend: Being left on read and planning for a restful Reading Week

Written on February 13, 2020. Posted in Columns.

I’m Audrey Helpburn, The Journal’s resident advice-giver. I answer questions about love, friendship, school, and more to help Queen’s students put their best foot forward on and around campus. Although I’m not a professional, I aim to give the best advice I can to students who need a bit of guidance....

Asking for a Friend: School, work, and friendships, oh my!

Written on January 31, 2020. Posted in Columns.

Asking for a Friend: Struggling to find a dream job and being ostracized by housemates

Written on January 17, 2020. Posted in Columns.

Asking for a Friend: Navigating shifting relationships and being overcommitted

Written on November 22, 2019. Posted in Columns.

Asking for a Friend: Avoiding a Halloween party and navigating couple costumes

Written on October 23, 2019. Posted in Columns.

What I learned from all the bad advice I’ve received during university

Written on October 4, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

I arrived at Queen’s with many things: clothes, my great-aunt’s old mini fridge, a box of books, and a lot of bad preconceptions about university. By the time I carried that same box of books back down the residence stairs to my mom’s car, I’d accumulated a few more misguided ideas. I can trace some...

Asking for a Friend: Rekindling a relationship and making the most of final year

Written on October 4, 2019. Posted in Columns.

Asking for a Friend: An accidental relationship and feeling disconnected from Queen's

Written on September 20, 2019. Posted in Columns.

Queen’s Takes the Real World: An unexpected detour to med school

Written on February 1, 2019. Posted in Columns.

Every medical student has a story of what they were doing when they first got their university acceptance: how they celebrated, who they immediately shared the news with, and how they felt relieved and rewarded for their hard work. I wish I had that. Instead, acceptance to medical school came with...

Queen's takes the Real World: Trading Kingston for the concrete jungle

Written on November 29, 2018. Posted in Columns.

If you open any of my old diaries or yearbooks, one staple of my identity has always been the same: I’ve known exactly what I wanted to do with my life and where I wanted to be since I was seven years old. When I pictured myself as an adult, it was always as a career woman working at a newspaper...

Queen's Takes the Real World: The journey from Queen's to law school

Written on September 28, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

A Queen’s student prepares to enter the real world. Illustration by Amelia Rankine When I graduated from Queen’s this past June—my best friend by my side and in identical convocation robes, my mom wiping her tears as I strutted down the stage—I remember thinking this...

How my late aunt Susan’s words guided my life and education

Written on June 25, 2018. Posted in Lifestyle.

Recently, I’ve been bombarded with advice about how to navigate university. I never expected the most meaningful guidance I’d receive, for university and life, would come from a speech my late aunt delivered over seven years ago. The speech—and her battle with cancer—taught me happiness isn’t something...

Back to the basics: “How do I ask a cute guy out?”

Written on March 3, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

Dear S&M: There’s this really good-looking guy in my tutorial that I’ve been waiting to ask me out all year. He still hasn’t even though we’ve been flirting and talking all year… Should I ask him out or will that make me look weird? Do guys even like it when girls ask them out? — Sadie...

S&M: Flying Solo

Written on November 11, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

“Hi S&M, can you please talk about female masturbation next? I’ve never done it before and I want to try it but I’m not really sure how to go about it and it feels overwhelming. None of my friends ever talk about it and it feels too taboo for me to just ask them. Do you have any advice for a first...

How to survive grad school applications

Written on October 25, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

With chill winds sweeping across campus and graduation on the increasingly-visible horizon, there’s only one thing left to do for many students moving on from Queen’s — begin applying to as many graduate programs, internships and jobs as you can stomach. Having completed this process last fall — I’m...

Introducing S&M

Written on September 30, 2016. Posted in Lifestyle.

Hi there, Journal readers! Our names are S and M, and together, we are yours truly: S&M. Convenient? We know. Clever? Maybe. We know what you’re thinking: why is there a sexual innuendo as a newspaper headline? Allow us to shed a little light for you. S and M met on a fateful first day of university,...

Talking Heads: If you could give advice to your first-year self, what would it be?

Written on August 2, 2016. Posted in In Focus.

“Work harder academically. Being an Eng I underestimated how hard it would be. But other than that it was a fucking great experience socially. Sorry, I swear too much.” Keshav Sharma, Sci ’18 “Remember to always organize your time as much as possible. Coming into university all...

Talking heads: In one sentence, what advice would you give to your students?

Written on February 2, 2016. Posted in Opinions.

“Live life to the full.” Christine Sypnowich, Philosophy “Take the job you can get, not the job you want right now, because it’s just too difficult to find work in the industry.” Mario Morin, Mining Engineering “Take a year off and travel.” Chris Bongie, English “I believe in learning...

What I wish I knew before exchange

Written on August 18, 2014. Posted in Lifestyle.

Preparing to leave for exchange was by far the most emotionally overwhelming experience of my life. I can really only describe it as an emotional roller coaster. There are serious highs, like the day you get your acceptance email and realize its actually happening, or when you remember that you’ll...

Cheesy advice

Written on October 1, 2013. Posted in Editorials.

What would you want to know coming into a new school? What wisdom would you have wanted to impart on your younger, more vulnerable self? Last week, Queen’s TV released a list of ten things they wished they had known in first year. While their tongue-in-cheek style is no doubt an attempt to be relatable,...

QJAdvice: T.W.

Written on October 24, 2012. Posted in Lifestyle.

Hi QJAdvice: My ex started Facebook messaging me after not talking to me for the past 1.5 years. They asked me how I was doing and I replied to be polite. I’m not sure what this means. What should I do? T.W. Hi T.W., Talking to an ex can be a confusing experience, but not necessarily a bad...

QJAdvice – Samantha B

Written on September 20, 2012. Posted in Lifestyle.

Question: “Hey QJAdvice, My Boyfriend and I have been dating for 2 months, and he just brought up that he is going on exchange in January. We talked about going unofficial again so there would be no pressure. I have a lot of anxiety about the up coming months. What should I do? -Samantha B” Answer:...

QJSex: Are you sexually active?

Written on September 20, 2012. Posted in Lifestyle.

“Are you sexually active?” Almost everyone has heard this question when you go to a family doctor for a checkup. Whether it’s in a physical or when making an appointment to get an STI test, it’s a pretty standard checkup question. Even though the answer may seem simple, be careful — various assumptions...

Tag: Advice