Student life Archives - Queen's Journal

How to take a good spicy pic

Written on February 1, 2022. Posted in Lifestyle.

My first time sending a nude was in eighth grade. I was wearing a bright pink Nike full coverage sports bra. I held up my iPad and took a Snapchat of myself making a duck face. I sent scandalous pictures far before I understood the risk factors, knew what I wanted to send, or how to communicate and...

Student housing horror stories

Written on January 28, 2022. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

When the first drops of water hit my bed, I was getting ready to leave for work. The sound of my housemate’s showering upstairs wasn’t the thrum of white noise it usually was. I squinted at my ceiling, and watched a drop of water fall onto my duvet. “Oh my god,” I said, running upstairs and yelling...

Trying to lose my virginity shattered my views on sex

Written on January 21, 2022. Posted in Lifestyle, Postscript.

This article discusses sexual assault and may be triggering for some readers. The Kingston Sexual Assault Centre’s 24-hour crisis and support phone line can be reached at 613-544-6424 / 1-800-544-6424. The Centre’s online chat feature can be reached here. The night I lost my virginity, things didn’t...

Preparing for my biggest adventure yet—a semester abroad

Written on November 26, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle.

It’s been a dream of mine since high school to study abroad. Now, I’m preparing to go on exchange at Queen’s University Belfast in Northern Ireland. While this is a really exciting time for me and many others who will be going on exchange in the winter, it is also quite stressful—and feeling lost...

Ranking places I’ve cried on Queen’s campus

Written on November 26, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

For the past few weeks, I’ve felt the existential dread of graduation creeping up my spine. I’m an overachiever who has never not had a plan—and for the first time in my life, I feel completely and utterly lost. My newfound anxiety had led me to a few embarrassing breakdowns on Queen’s campus....

Learning to navigate finances as a university student

Written on September 2, 2021. Posted in Features.

One of the most off-limits topics in our culture is money. The ‘money taboo’ keeps children from learning about financial literacy as they grow up. As a result, young adults often feel confused and overwhelmed when they have to navigate their own finances in university. “Growing up, I was taught nothing...

The art of sliding into DMs

Written on March 12, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Sliding into someone’s direct messages or ‘DMs’ is a scary move. Many of us refrain from messaging the person we’re interested in because we overthink what to say and don’t want to come across as creepy or overeager. While it’s intimidating, sliding into someone’s DMs can be a quick and effective...

Tales from customer service

Written on March 9, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

When I was in high school, I made the unfortunate decision to take a job as one of Santa’s helpers at my local mall. I expected the position to be fun, helping to carry out the magic of Christmas time to young kids. What I failed to consider was that parents around the holidays—especially parents...

How adopting my cats changed my life

Written on March 5, 2021. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

In a corner of my living room at any given time, there’s a pile of Whiskas cat food scattered across the hardwood floor. Every day my cat, Eleanor, sits mischievously in front of her bowl, looking into my eyes before she sticks her furry little paws into her dish and flicks her dry food onto the floor....

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....

The highs and lows of substance use during COVID-19

Written on February 11, 2021. Posted in Features.

This story discusses substance abuse. It may be triggering for some readers. Kelly King has never been a staple drinker. But since the onset of the pandemic, she has experienced a drastic change in her substance use. “I don’t have particular habits. I go through periods and phases and most often...

Sexual liberation while racialized

Written on January 22, 2021. Posted in Features.

This piece uses “Queer and Trans Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (QTBIPOC)” to refer to the experiences of Queer racialized students. We acknowledge this term is not universal. Sexual liberation has always been core to the feminist movement. In North America, for a long time, that has looked...

Three safe ways to be social during winter break

Written on November 27, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

This winter break, I’ll be spending my holiday apart from my friends—but that doesn’t mean we won’t still hang out. My hometown is a COVID-19 hotspot, so like many other students returning home for their break, I won’t be able to spend time with my friends face to face. Fortunately, my friends and...

Being a sugar baby at Queen’s

Written on November 20, 2020. Posted in Features.

This story mentions sex work and sexual violence. It may be triggering for some readers. For Kate*, sugar babying—engaging in a kind of dating where one partner financially supports the other—started as a way of earning some additional income. As a graduate student, Kate receives funding from the...

How COVID-19 reshaped my student finances

Written on October 9, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

In the middle of March, I lost three jobs in the span of 24 hours. One moment I was employed and living comfortably, hanging out with my friends near St.Patrick’s day—in the next, I was living through one of the most bizarre events I could’ve ever thought possible, my world uprooted. I know that...

Planning in pencil, not pen

Written on October 8, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Whether it’s your first or fourth year of undergrad, we all worry about the future from time to time—I know I certainly do. Even though most of my plans seemed pretty set at the beginning of 2020, I was still worried something catastrophic would happen. In the new year, I applied for spring graduation—June...

Two weeks into Zoom university, students reflect on digital learning

Written on September 18, 2020. Posted in Features.

Jessica Dahanayake, Eng ’20, has always taken a mix of online and in-person courses. For her, there was an important difference between choosing to take an online course and having to take part in a completely virtual semester. “Usually when I took an online course, it was something I was passionate...

Making the most of a strange summer

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

2020 has proven to be a year full of surprises—many of them not very good. With in-person classes ending early and summer jobs and internships being cancelled, many students found they had a lot of extra time on their hands this summer. Strict public health measures and COVID-19 fears meant there...

Reflections of an essential worker

Written on June 1, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

When I think of an essential worker, I picture paramedics, nurses, and doctors—the people on the front line risking their lives every day. Through working at Costco’s garden centre this summer I’ve realized it’s not only the work that saves lives that’s important during this difficult time but work...

Photographing our quarantine

Written on March 27, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Inspired by the Ryersonian’s recent photo essay, in which four students were each given a disposable camera and had to document their day, the Lifestyle section sought to do the same at Queen’s. Then, the spread of coronavirus shut down the University and just about everything else. Instead, we decided...

Student Superheroes: Friends who do it all

Written on March 27, 2020. Posted in Columns.

You don’t need to watch every Avengers movie to know that most superheroes keep their identities secret. Though they help save people from everything from bus crashes to supervillains to giant aliens, they usually do so while disguised in spandex suits complete with a mask. Thankful citizens can throw...

An early farewell to residence

Written on March 20, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

The first-year residence experience has come to an abrupt halt—residence is asking those who are able to leave by March 22 due to the spread of Coronavirus, and most students are already packing their bags and heading home. Some people’s reaction to this news was to trash their residence buildings—on...

Quarantine and chill?

Written on March 20, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

For many students at Queen’s, the past few days have been a whirlwind of packing, moving, and self-isolating in the wake of Canada’s growing COVID-19 pandemic. But when the dust settles, and you find yourself at home with nothing to do and a growing sense of loneliness, are you really going to stop...

Queen's-themed crossword

Written on March 20, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

As the year wraps to its close, here’s a Queen’s-themed crossword to shake the blues borne from COVID-19-related social isolation and the sudden departure of friends and peers from campus. Clues Down 1 Intersects with #2, near ARC 2 Street Party, William/Johnson and ______ 3 Summer social spot 4...

Student Superheroes: Changemakers in the Kingston community

Written on March 20, 2020. Posted in Columns.

You don’t need to watch every Avengers movie to know that most superheroes keep their identities secret. Though they help save people from everything from bus crashes to super villains to giant aliens, they usually do so while disguised in spandex suits complete with a mask. Thankful citizens can...

Talking Heads: If you could switch faculties, which faculty would you switch into?

Written on March 13, 2020. Posted in Opinions.

“Con-Ed, but I’d be a bad teacher.” Kenny Yu, Comm ‘22 “I wouldn’t switch faculties.” Juman Arief, Comm ‘23 “Probably Commerce. I wouldn’t have to do as much work and I’d make more money.” Miguel Valiao, ArtSci ‘21

Student Superheroes: Advocates for strong identity and mental health

Written on March 13, 2020. Posted in Columns.

You don’t need to watch every Avengers movie to know that most superheroes keep their identities secret. Though they help save people from everything from bus crashes to super villains to giant aliens, they usually do so while disguised in spandex suits complete with a mask. Thankful citizens can...

Ranking Kingston’s best milkshakes part 2: Experts reunited

Written on March 13, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

Last March, then-coworkers Ally and Josh happily used their roles as Lifestyle editors as an excuse to skip around town in search of the best milkshakes in Kingston. They found a timeless classic at Tommy’s, a measuring cup of sweet (if overly thick) deliciousness at The Works, and a well-balanced...

What to expect when not expecting to spend a year abroad in Kingston

Written on March 6, 2020. Posted in Lifestyle, Student Life.

After months of waiting for our exchange results, the emails finally entered our inboxes—subject line: “Offer of Exchange.” Our hearts were racing, and the seconds it took to load felt like an eternity. As we rapidly scrolled down searching for the destination, Melbourne and Sydney were nowhere to...

Silencing your inner green-eyed Gael

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

Scrolling through Instagram post-Reading Week can easily incite familiar feelings of envy. Chances are, your finger has recently hovered over various photos of spring break bliss: of peers sliding down ski slopes or sprawled out on Cuban sand. For some people, it’s simple enough to scroll away and...

Tag: Student life

The Journal, Queen's University - Since 1873

Get the App

Get the App