first year Archives - Queen's Journal

Living at home versus on-campus during a pandemic

Written on March 2, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

For many of us, this year’s university experience has been confined to a computer screen, splitting our time between refreshing OnQ and attending dreaded Zoom lectures. With COVID-19 forcing Queen’s to move online for the academic year, many students have faced a school year far from what they expected....

Queen’s to open 300 additional spots in residence

Written on November 6, 2020. Posted in News, University.

An additional 300 students will be accommodated in Queen’s residences in the winter term. In consultation with Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox and Addington (KFL&A) Public Health, the University set a cap of 2,300 students for residence occupancy—half of the usual capacity. Currently, there are...

Queen’s sees 38 per cent increase in first-generation university students since 2017

Written on October 2, 2020. Posted in News, University.

The First-Generation Student Admission Pathway was launched in 2017 with the goal of recruiting first-generation students—those who would be the first in their families to attend university—to come to Queen’s. Since its launch, Queen’s has seen a 38 per cent increase of self-identified first-generation...

‘I got my test results seven days after I showed symptoms’: Students worried the University can’t stop an outbreak

Written on September 25, 2020. Posted in News.

Nick, whose name has been changed for safety reasons, is a first-year engineering student living in residence who developed COVID-19 symptoms on Sept. 14. He was moved into the isolation residence at David C. Smith Hall the next day. To prevent the spread of the virus, students living in residence...

Queen’s Black Academic Society offers first-year mentorship program

Written on September 25, 2020. Posted in News.

Queen’s Black Academic Society is launching a remote mentorship program to pair self-identifying Black first-year students with an upper year mentor who can help them navigate the transition to Queen’s. “Our mentorship program’s focus on linking self-identified first year students and upper year students...

Students in residence “generally” following pandemic safety guidelines

Written on September 18, 2020. Posted in News.

Two weeks after moving in, students in residence are adjusting to an experience unlike that of any other year. About 1,800 students and 90 student staff members moved into University residence buildings during the week of Sept. 1-5. Students were placed on floors in cohorts with other students in...

Queen’s student creates app to connect students remotely

Written on September 15, 2020. Posted in News.

Amidst a turbulent return to campus, Eric Fillion, Sci ’21, hopes to ease the effects of social isolation for Queen’s students with a new app called Kaku. Fillion first came up with the idea for the university-based social platform in August 2019 when he realized students were struggling to find...

COVID-19 pushes Queen’s orientation week online

Written on August 27, 2020. Posted in News.

Following the University’s May 21 decision to move the fall term online, the Arts and Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) announced a virtual orientation was underway for incoming students. The majority of events scheduled for this year’s orientation are adapted versions of previously in-person events. According...

Residence to offer 'household model' in the fall to limit contact between students

Written on July 27, 2020. Posted in News, University.

When Phoebe Schneider, ArtSci ’24, applied for residence and paid her deposit in June, she wasn’t sure what to expect. According to the University, residences will be organized in a “household model,” with students living in floor-based communities alongside other students in their same program of...

ASUS Mentorship Program underway for upcoming remote term

Written on July 27, 2020. Posted in News, Student Politics.

The Arts & Science Undergraduate Society (ASUS) has launched the ASUS Mentorship Program (AMP) to connect incoming students with those returning to Queen’s. “When I was in first year, I had a subpar orientation week, and my floor wasn’t the most conducive to socializing,” Luca Bonifacio-Proietto,...

Queen’s to offer single occupancy residence in fall

Written on May 30, 2020. Posted in News, University.

Queen’s is planning to open its residences in the fall, but not at full capacity. The University is preparing for remote course delivery in the fall but released an online post containing residence information for incoming first-year students. “Even with most course delivery by remote means, we anticipate...

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...

Discovering what life is like away from my immigrant family at Queen's

Written on September 20, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

The first night I spent at Queen’s in my residence room was hellish. I wasn’t feeling the tricolour spirit, and I missed home desperately. I wanted to go back to Scarborough. Granted, I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. Within a few weeks, everyone I knew was craving a home-cooked meal and a...

What I’ve learned paying my own way through a Queen’s education

Written on September 5, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

The first time I told this story, I was in my first year of university. I was sitting on the grass at City Park, just a few blocks away from Queen’s, with my orientation leaders and group. We were playing Two Truths and a Lie, and one of my truths was that I was a 20-year-old first-year student. I...

Queen’s offers students a chance to make their mark

Written on July 29, 2019. Posted in Opinions.

When you return home after your first semester at Queen’s, you might struggle to describe why it feels so special to be part of the Queen’s community. You might struggle to tell your family what it felt like to put your tam on for the first time. You might find it hard to explain to your friends...

Overcoming inadequate feelings as a first-year student

Written on July 29, 2019. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

One month into my first year at Queen’s, I wanted to drop out and go home. There wasn’t anything wrong with Queen’s. In fact, it was the opposite: there was something wrong with me—or so I told myself. Early in the year, I decided that I was wholly inadequate and unqualified to be a Queen’s student,...

Fall term break not worth a fragmented orientation week

Written on September 28, 2018. Posted in Opinions.

After its inaugural run and seeing the new two academic days in practice, the Queen’s community needs to have a conversation about the new Orientation Week structure—and whether it’s something worth reversing. The class of ‘22 was the first to follow the new format, which was passed by Queen’s Senate...

Reality for a residence don

Written on January 12, 2018. Posted in Features.

The Residence Dons at Queen’s University play a vital role in the residence experience of many first-year students. While many have rewarding and engaging experiences as a Don, some deem the job exploitative and, at times, unnecessary. To understand more about their job at Queen’s, The Journal spoke...

What I’ve learned from Queen’s

Written on July 31, 2017. Posted in Opinions.

If you could tell yourself something before going into your last year of undergrad at Queen’s, what would it be? This is a question that I’ve been grappling with throughout my summer in Kingston. As I’m going into my fifth year at Queen’s, I’m beginning to realize the time I thought I had to value...

Diary of a frazzled frosh

Written on July 31, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

I remember arriving at Queen’s with painful clarity. Approaching the Sir John A. Macdonald exit on the 401, my stomach had grown so knotted it seemed I’d turned to stone in the passenger’s seat. The campus was packed with cars, parents and students alike as we neared Leggett Hall, my new home. When...

Concurrent Education applicants directed to study at the BISC

Written on May 29, 2017. Posted in News.

“Because of the high quality of your application, you are eligible to receive an offer to our Concurrent Education (Arts) program, or to the Bachelor of Arts (Honours) program, at the Bader International Study Centre (BISC) in East Sussex, UK. We no longer have space in Con-Ed (Arts) on our Kingston...

Top 10 things I learned from first year

Written on March 17, 2017. Posted in Lifestyle.

As my first year at Queen’s comes to a close, I can honestly say that my experiences living alone have made me feel ever-so-slightly more adult. While I still don’t drive on the highway, nor do I know how to do my taxes, I can fill up a laundry card like nobody’s business. Here are some other things I’ve...

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: What do you remember about Existere?

Written on September 15, 2015. Posted in Opinions.

Four of the largest first-year classes to take place on West Campus

Written on July 28, 2015. Posted in News.

Four first-year science courses will move some of their lectures to West Campus this year. The classes — BIO 102, CHEM 112, PHYS 117 and MATH 121 — had held three lectures each in auditoriums on Main Campus in previous years. The lectures had been situated in Dunning Hall, the BioSciences Complex,...

Queen’s faces of mental illness: Navigating new spaces

Written on October 7, 2014. Posted in Lifestyle.

As part of Mental Illness Awareness Week, Lifestyle is featuring personal stories from Queen’s students each day from Oct. 6-10. We’ll be continuing the initiative throughout the year with monthly stories. If you’re interested in submitting a story, please email journal_lifestyle@ams.queensu.ca. Now...

Residence price tag too high for some

Written on September 4, 2014. Posted in Features.

In her first year at Queen’s, Elysha Roeper found herself staring down a bill for over $10,000 — to be paid immediately. She decided the residence experience wasn’t worth the price. When Roeper entered first-year in 2012, the cheapest residence option — living in a triple room — cost $10,749. Today,...

Welcome to Queen’s: Highlights for your first-year experience

Written on August 19, 2014. Posted in Lifestyle.

Wondering if Queen’s was the right choice for you? Worried Western would have been better? Never fear freshmen, here is where you belong. As an incoming second-year student, I can say Queen’s has something to offer everybody. Here’s a few things you have to look forward to in your first year: Frosh...

PSE: Does it make a difference?

Written on July 30, 2012. Posted in In Focus.

The Personal Statement of Experience (PSE) is unique to Queen’s and is also vital to the application process, according to Stuart Pinchin, associate university registrar of undergraduate admissions. In a few exceptional cases, it’s possible that one student’s PSE will put them ahead of another student...

Why I didn't wanna be a Gael

Written on January 20, 2012. Posted in Opinions.

I still think back to my uncertainty when I decided to become a Gael two years ago. After all, I spent the majority of first year watching reruns of bad sitcoms in my residence room. If an incoming first-year had asked me what to expect at Queen’s, I might’ve told them to expect to cry during the...

Tag: first year

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