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After a packed semester, winter break may come as a relief. However, as much as you look forward to some time off, you may soon feel bored due to the lack of activity. The good news is there is no shortage of things you can do, both while you’re still at school and when you’ve returned home. Here are some ideas to consider.

1. Ice Skate

If you’re looking for a new activity to keep you in shape over the winter, go to your local ice rink. There may be discounts for students and you may even be able to skate for free during events like ugly sweater day.

2. Go Sledding in the Park

Another option to keep active is sledding — although this barely feels like exercise because you’re having so much fun. Head to a park that has a good hill with something flat to sit on.

3. Throw a Holiday Party

Say goodbye to your college friends with a party in your student apartment or have a get-together when you’re back home as a chance to reconnect with hometown friends. Whatever you do, there’s no need for it to be a big event. However, classic holiday tunes (perhaps with some karaoke), Santa hats, and plenty of food are all musts.

4. Do Some Baking

Baking treats is a great way to spread holiday cheer. If you bake a big batch, you’ll be able to deliver some to each of your friends and still have enough left over for your family. Baking cookies can also be a great social activity, as you can have fun decorating them together.

5. Have a Holiday Movie Marathon

Another relaxing social activity to do with friends or family is to watch all your favourite seasonal movies. This is a great option for right after you finish baking because you’ll have snacks for the evening.

6. Find the Best Light Displays

Take a drive around the neighbourhood to find which houses have the best light displays. You could even do this in both your college town and when you’re back home.

7. Organize a Secret Santa

If you have a big group of friends and are worried you don’t have the budget to buy everyone a gift, an ideal solution is a secret Santa. This is extra fun if you have a theme or you try to guess who gifted each present.

8. Contribute to the Big Meal

In previous years, you may have left the big holiday meal to other family members. This year, take an active role by learning to cook at least one dish. You may like to prepare a family recipe or you could introduce something new to the table.

9. Find a Volunteer Opportunity

If you want to fill your days with meaningful activity, search for ways to volunteer over winter break. There may be local fundraisers happening, you could donate or collect items for holiday drives, or you could lend your time to a charity like a soup kitchen.

10. Make a Bonfire

There’s nothing more satisfying on a cold winter’s evening than a bonfire. If you have access to a fire pit, you can host a bonfire yourself. Make it complete by preparing s’mores and hot chocolate.

One more thing you could do over the winter is search for rooms for rent. Barrie students can find premier student apartments at Arcadian Students. Our brand new housing community has everything you need to thrive next semester, including your own room with a desk, onsite study rooms, a fitness center, and much more. Plus, you’ll be just a 10-minute walk from campus, meaning it will be easy to make it to class on time. Contact us for details about our leases.

The first stage toward landing a job is writing a cover letter that makes employers want to give you an interview. This may be a new experience for you if you’re still in college, but it’s not dissimilar to a college admission essay. A major difference is that AI often assesses cover letters, particularly at large companies that receive many job applications. The good news is you can master cover letters by keeping in mind a few basic best practices.

1. Choose an Appropriate Font

Before you write a single word of your cover letter, make sure you’re using a professional font — this is no place to be experimental to stand out. In fact, a classic like Times New Roman is ideal.

2. Address the Right Person

Find out who will be receiving your cover letter by looking at the name on the job listing or addressing your letter directly to the employer. Start the letter with “Dear” followed by a title. You should be able to find the person’s title on LinkedIn. Failing that, you can call the company and ask a receptionist. This will help you avoid misgendering someone, which is an especially big risk if the person has a gender-neutral name.

3. Make the Purpose of Your Letter Clear

Don’t assume the person receiving your cover letter will know what job you’re applying for — the company may have several open positions. Begin your cover letter with a sentence that explains that you want the employer to consider you for the particular role that you’re interested in. Mention where and when you saw the job advertised and include any reference number.

4. Add a Quick Introduction

Briefly give some key details about yourself. This should include what college you attend, your major, and your year. This will allow the person reading the letter to quickly decide whether you’re likely to be qualified — and, therefore, whether it’s worth reading on.

5. Explain Why You Want to Work at the Company

Talk about why you want to work at the specific company. This is important because it’s common for applicants to send almost-identical letters to multiple companies. Making it clear that the cover letter is unique for the specific position will impress employers and let them know you have a genuine interest in working for them. For instance, you could mention something you like about the company or how the position fits your career goals.

6. Give Examples of Your Skills

Rather than just saying that you possess the skills mentioned in the job post, demonstrate how this is true. Anyone can list qualities they think an employer wants — it’s much more impressive if you can provide real-life examples. These could be through experience you’ve gained while a student, at other jobs, and during internships.

7. Keep It Short

Employers don’t want to spend hours reading cover letters. Make yours appealing by keeping it concise and to the point. Once you’ve included all the above information, simply close with a note of thanks — there’s no need to think of other ways to add more details.

8. Add Your Contact Information to the Bottom

You’re likely attaching a resume to your cover letter, but the two could become separated. Plus, it’s inconvenient for employers to look for your contact information elsewhere. For these reasons, it’s important to include your contact details on your cover letter. It’s also useful to note when you’re available for an interview and to mention when you’ll follow up if you don’t hear from the employer — to show you’re serious about the position.

Finding a job while you’re at college is less important if you’re living in affordable student housing. Barrie students can save money by moving into the housing community Arcadian Students. Less than 10 minutes from campus, it has everything you need, including your own room in a fully-furnished apartment with fibre internet and in-suite laundry facilities. Sign a lease today.

Writing papers tends to be one of the most stressful aspects of college. Worse, you know that doing a bad job or failing to submit on time will impact your grade. Students who are new to paper writing tend to suffer from many of the same challenges. The good news is there are solutions to all of them.

1. Lack of Time

Professors always think they’re giving you enough time to complete papers — but it may not feel that way to you. However, unless you’ve taken on far too many classes or other commitments, you should have enough time to complete everything: you just need to schedule time to work on assignments in advance. Key to this is having a study schedule. Block out time to work on papers and other other homework each day and specify exactly what tasks you’ll focus on.

2. Writer’s Block

Even if you do make time in your schedule for paper writing, you may struggle to achieve much when you sit down to work. A blank document is always intimidating, and it can be difficult to know where to start. There are a couple ways to approach this. One is to leave the opening paragraph until later. Instead, begin with the area you’re most confident about writing, such as something you found particularly interesting during your research. It’s also crucial to keep writing once you get started — don’t stop to perfect your sentences until the end. This way, you won’t lose momentum.

3. Not Enough Sources

A common strategy is to pick sources to use for your paper based on their abstracts. However, when you come to read the articles in full, you may find that they don’t contain the information you need. If you’ve left yourself plenty of time to finish the paper, this will be less of an issue — which is one reason why your study schedule is so important. In addition to looking for a better source yourself, you can ask the librarians at your campus library for help.

4. Moving in the Wrong Direction

It’s common when you’re inexperienced in writing papers to become distracted by a particular idea and to start moving in a new direction. This is a problem if you end up failing to meet the objective of the assignment.

Prevent this from happening by creating an outline for your paper that details which arguments you’ll cover before you write anything. In addition, it’s important to keep returning to instructions for your assignment to ensure you’re on the right track.

5. Plagiarism

Plagiarism can be both intentional and unintentional. Never believe you’ll get away with intentional plagiarism — your professors will check your papers thoroughly to ensure you haven’t copied sources or another student’s (past or present) work. You can avoid unintentional plagiarism by making sure you paraphrase ideas (taking notes in your own words helps with this) and by using citations for all your sources.

6. Unresponsive Professors

Sometimes, you need extra guidance from your professor to ensure you’ve understood the instructions for an assignment. However, if your professor is busy, you could be waiting for days for a response. The best option in this case may be to continue as well as you can and make any changes later. Remember you can also use office hours to talk to your professor if you don’t receive a prompt reply to your email. Plus, you can use services on campus, such as support from the writing center.

You’ll find it much easier to write papers if you have a quiet place at home where you can study. You won’t find this in a dorm room — you need to live off campus. You can find a room for rent in Barrie near Georgian College at Arcadian Students. As well as the desk in your fully-furnished apartment or townhouse, you’ll be able to use the onsite study rooms. Book a tour to check out the floor plans and community amenities for yourself.

You likely check your social media profiles throughout the day without even thinking about it. Whereas social media definitely has its share of benefits — for instance, it allows you to stay in touch with friends at other universities and to build a network that could be useful after you graduate — it can start to consume your life. Having the occasional social media cleanse can be beneficial in a few ways.

1. Discover How Much You Rely on Social Media

You may be unaware of just how much you use social media until you stop. At the beginning, you’ll likely find yourself automatically reaching for your phone to check your feeds. It’s important to acknowledge how often you do this to take steps to incorporate social media into your life in a healthy amount after you finish your cleanse.

2. Improve Your Mental Health

Even though most people are aware that social media can have a negative impact on their mental health, they continue to use it every day. Having a social media cleanse will likely reduce your anxiety and make you happier. In particular, a short break may be exactly what you need if you’re feeling stressed. Pay attention to how you feel — and remind yourself of this feeling if you notice that you’re slipping back into bad habits in the future.

3. Cut Negativity Out of Your Life

A major reason social media has a negative effect on mental health is that feeds tend to be filled with people who seem to have better lives than us. This is natural — everyone likes to post the best aspects of their lives — but it’s even more pronounced if you follow influencers. You may start to feel envy or worry that you’re not as successful or living as full a life as other people. When you step away from social media, you have the chance to focus on yourself.

4. Practice Self Care

Use the time you free up during your break from social media for self care. Rediscover a hobby you’ve been neglecting, read more books, or find other new activities you enjoy. You’ll be surprised about how many hours you have available for these things when social media is not consuming all your time.

5. Focus on Real-Life Interactions

Whereas social media is a great tool for staying connected to people who are far away, nothing compares to spending time with friends in person. With a social media cleanse, you’ll be able to give your friends at college your full attention, which will strengthen your relationships and help you make new friends.

You may feel lonely when you start a social media cleanse, especially if you tend to be connected for most of the day. The good news is there are plenty of people around whom you can spend your time with while you’re at college — especially if you live in student rentals. Barrie students can move into the brand new community at Arcadian Students. Your private bedroom will mean you have your own space when you need it, but you’ll also have many opportunities to socialize with your roommates and other people who live in the building in places like the common area lounge, outdoor grill, and basketball half court. Contact us for details.

You may have a broad idea of what kind of work you’d like to do after you graduate but still be unsure about exactly what kind of career to pursue. An important consideration is your core values. Bearing your values in mind is key to finding fulfillment from your work. It is helpful to unlock your core values while you’re still at college — before you enter the workforce full time — to ensure you make the right career decisions.

Core Values Defined

Before we go any further, it’s necessary to be clear about what we mean by core values: they are your most important beliefs, priorities, and qualities. Both individuals and companies hold core values — businesses express them through their mission statements.

Exploring Your Core Values

You may already have some idea of your core values — they may have influenced what major you chose or the activities you’re involved in outside of your classes, such as campus organizations. However, many students are still figuring out what matters most to them and may continue the process even while they’re applying for jobs. Just thinking about whether a company’s mission statement and culture resonates with you can be revealing. Other things you can do include taking an Enneagram assessment, considering your strengths and passions, and reflecting on what you’re most proud of achieving.

Why Find a Job That Aligns with Your Core Values

Uncovering your core values before you enter the workforce is useful because it means you’ll ensure your job aligns with these values. As a result, you’ll enjoy your work and be more productive, which can improve your chances of a promotion. There’s also a greater chance you’ll be working with people you get along with.

Incorporating Your Core Values into Your Career

Beyond making sure a particular job matches your core values, it’s necessary to think about how you can incorporate these values into your long-term career. To do this, you need to acknowledge that your values may change over time. This could mean you need to seek a job in a slightly different field in the future. You may also want to pursue further education or training to open new doors. Lastly, it’s crucial to understand that there’s a difference between values and skills — you may be competent in a particular role, but if it doesn’t match your values, it’s unlikely you’ll feel fulfilled.

Make sure you spend plenty of time reflecting on your core values throughout your time at college. This requires spending time alone — which could be difficult if you don’t even have your own space. This is one reason why you should consider moving off campus and into rooms for rent. Barrie students can find a new home at Arcadian Students. You’ll have a private room and en suite bathroom in a five-bedroom apartment or townhouse. You’ll also have the chance to expand your social circle by meeting other people who live in the same building in places like the common area lounge, outdoor fire pit, and basketball half court. Pay us a visit to see where you could be living.

 

Living with strangers is always a bit tough at first, but it can be particularly difficult when you’re also dealing with all the other adjustments that come with transitioning to college life. Having a great relationship with your roommates will make your life much easier — you may even become close friends and confidants. At the very least, it will mean your living situation is more comfortable. Here are several things you can do to ensure you get along well.

1. Spend Time Together

When you move in, put in the effort to spend time with your roommates to find out more about them. You may find you have interests in common, such as the same hobbies, taste in music, or TV shows you like to watch.

2. Learn Each Other’s Schedules

Know what days your roommates need to get up early and make sure you keep the noise down the night before to let them sleep. You may also like to coordinate when you’ll have meals — either to eat together or to give each other space in the kitchen.

3. Use Headphones

Wearing headphones can be a huge help for avoiding noise. This is useful if you want to listen to music or watch something even during the daytime, as there’s always a chance one of your roommates is studying or sleeping.

4. Decide on Boundaries

You’ll all come to the apartment with different ideas about how you want to live. Discuss between you what boundaries you each have to establish a set of rules. You’ll need to come to decisions about things like sharing food, using each other’s appliances, and leaving belongings in common areas. You may also need to set rules for having guests over, especially if you expect to entertain in the living room rather than in your bedroom.

5. Divide Chores Between You

Whereas you are responsible for keeping your own bedroom clean (and your bathroom, if you don’t share it with anyone else), there’s still the kitchen and living room to think about. Split chores between you, either by rotating with a chore chart or assigning each person a set of chores.

6. Clear the Air

If you do run into problems, communicate with your roommates. For instance, if someone is not doing a fair share of cleaning or is breaking the rules you set at the beginning, talk about it. This will prevent a small issue from turning into a major conflict.

Nonetheless, it is important to decide what issues to bring up. Bear in mind that your roommates all come from different backgrounds and may have habits you find unusual. If these habits are not causing any real problems, it’s best not to say anything.

7. Live Your Own Lives

Even if you become good friends with your roommates, it’s important to follow your own path at college. Make other friends, join clubs based on your own interests, and avoid spending too much time together when you’re at home. Remember, though, you don’t even need to be friends to have a good relationship with your roommates — if you never become more than acquaintances, you can still be friendly and make small talk.

It’s much more challenging to have a great relationship with your roommate if you’re sharing a room rather than an apartment. New students may think that living on campus is their only option because they don’t know anyone at college yet. In fact, you can find a room for rent in Barrie near Georgian College at Arcadian Students. We’ll match you with roommates with whom you’ll share a five-bedroom apartment or townhouse. Contact us for details about how to pay us a visit.

It’s never too early to start preparing for exams — you can even begin right at the start of the semester. In fact, planning for exams from the moment you start your new classes is ideal because you’ll make sure you absorb information the first time you learn it. Here are a few things you can do to ensure you’re prepared for all your exams.

1. Create a Study Schedule

From the first day of classes, create a study schedule for the coming months. When you have a routine, it’s easier to make sure you study enough every day, which can help you avoid cramming. Be as specific as possible in your schedule to ensure you’re clear about what you need to do every time you sit down at your desk to study.

2. Make Time for Breaks

Avoid being too ambitious in regards to how much you’ll study. You may be able to keep up with a fast rhythm at the beginning of the semester, but you’ll soon burn out. Figure out how long you can maintain your focus and schedule breaks in between. In addition, give yourself a chance to rest and focus on self-care every day. Use this time for activities you enjoy that are unrelated to schoolwork.

3. Improve Your Note-Taking

Make sure your notes are helpful when you’re rereading them before an exam. Experiment with different note-taking techniques to find one that works for you. It may be helpful to digitize your notes to be able to easily add to the notes you take in class with information you learn from reading textbooks.

4. Take Advantage of Office Hours

Office hours are a great way to build a relationship with your professors. Early in the semester, use office hours to introduce yourself and discuss your goals. Later on, go whenever you have specific questions about the material or need a little extra help.

5. Find a Tutor

If you’re struggling with a particular class, skill, or subject, consider studying with a tutor. The one-on-one support you receive will go beyond what your professors are able to provide.

6. Join a Study Group

Another way to gain extra practice is to set up a study group. Meet at least once a week to discuss the concepts you learned in class and test each other on key definitions.

7. Attend the Review Sessions for Your Classes

To do well in your exams, it’s important to attend all your classes — and that goes double for review sessions. Review sessions give you the chance to find out what an exam will involve and what topics you should focus your attention on. You’ll also have the opportunity to voice any doubts with your professor.

The key to preparing for exams is having a quiet place where you can focus on your studies. It’s best if this place is in your student housing. Barrie students can upgrade their living situation by moving into Arcadian Students. Not only will you have your own bedroom in a fully-furnished suite, you’ll also be able to use the onsite study rooms whenever you like. Contact us to learn more about our special rates — available for a limited time only.

As a college student, you need to dedicate many hours of your week to studying, whether in class or on your own. It’s important to make good use of this time because it will have a big impact on how well prepared you are for exams. Study smarter rather than harder by using these hacks.

1. Determine Your Learning Style

Everyone has preferences for how they like to learn. The activities that resonate most with you are likely to fall into one of four categories: visual, auditory, reading and writing, or kinesthetic.

Visual learners like to be able to see the information they’re learning. You may find it helpful to draw diagrams of concepts and to use colour coding.

Auditory learners prefer to hear and talk about information. Joining study groups where you can discuss concepts with other students is ideal. When studying alone, you could try reading your notes aloud or even make recordings of your ideas.

Students who have a reading and writing learning style enjoy reading textbooks and putting their ideas into written form. You should write your notes as bullet points or summaries as you study.

Finally, kinesthetic learners prefer hands-on ways of studying. They enjoy taking classes that have labs and workshops. When you need to read textbooks, take notes, or listen to recordings, you may find it helpful to incorporate physical activity into studying, such as by moving around to maintain your focus.

Reflect on what type of learner you are according to your study preferences or by using an online quiz.

2. Use Mnemonics

To memorize lists and orders of things, use mnemonics. As well as searching for mnemonics that already exist, you might try to create your own. If they’re ridiculous or based on something in your own life, they’ll be especially easy to remember.

3. Doodle to Keep Your Focus

There may be times in class when you don’t need to take any notes and can just listen to the professor. To stop your mind from wandering, it can be helpful to doodle. You can also use this practice if you’re listening to information or reflecting on what ideas to include in a paper.

4. Listen to Music

Whereas some people need silence to study, many students find listening to music helps them stay focused. This is because it puts them in a good mood, which makes it easier to tackle challenges. Create a playlist of tracks that are ideal for studying. This will likely be music without lyrics to distract you.

5. Cut Distractions

Other distractions you need to cut out when studying include notifications and social media. Set a focus mode on your phone to avoid receiving any alerts and commit to studying for a certain amount of time before you do anything unrelated to your class.

6. Rewrite Notes

Refresh your memory of the material before an exam by rewriting your own notes. You could condense them into key facts, group them in a different way, or add information you learned at a later date. However you choose to use this tactic, it will be better than simply reading your notes because you’ll be doing something active rather than passive.

7. Chew Gum

Studies have found that chewing gum increases alertness by keeping you awake and stimulating your mind. Link chewing gum to your memory recall by choosing a particular flavour for each class and chewing the same flavour during each of your exams.

Crucial to being able to study at college is having a quiet place where you can focus. Whereas you likely won’t find this living on campus, you will if you move into student rentals. Barrie has apartments that are sure to meet your needs at Arcadian Students. Our brand new community provides you with your own room and en suite bathroom in a fully-furnished suite or townhouse. For a change of scenery, you can always use our onsite study rooms or one of the nearby cafés. Contact us now for a lease before we run out of space.

When you start your senior year, the reality that university will be over soon and you’ll need to survive in the real world sets in. Another major life change is just around the corner — but there’s no reason to think you won’t excel. In fact, you can start preparing for this next stage in your life while you’re still at university.

1. Begin Your Job Search

Don’t wait until graduation to start looking for a job. Depending on the field you want to enter, it may be worth beginning your search during the fall semester of your senior year, if not before.

2. Attend Job Fairs

One way to find employment is at campus job fairs. These are also a great way to meet employers, talk to people in your industry about what they’re looking for in candidates, and gain a better picture of the job market.

3. Visit the Career Development Centre

You’ll increase your odds of landing a job if you come across as capable and professional in your application and interview. The career development center on campus can help you prepare by giving you tips to improve your resume, helping you practice for interviews, and providing you with career advice. The staff may also know of internships that could help you gain relevant experience before you begin full-time employment.

4. Expand Your Network

You have the chance to network all the time, not just at formal events like job fairs. People you meet at your internship, at your part-time job, in class, and during activities on campus can all form part of your network.

Start thinking of everyone you meet as a potential connection who could help you with some aspect of your life in the future, such as for job opportunities, finding an apartment, or advice. Stay in touch through social media (particularly LinkedIn). If your school has an alumni association, consider joining to expand your network further.

5. Improve Your Online Presence

Whenever an employer is considering you for a job or people meet you in a professional capacity, they will likely do an internet search for your name. Make sure the results present you in the best possible light. The easiest way to do this is to focus on your social media profiles. Delete or change the privacy settings for any content you’d prefer professional contacts not to see and spend time optimizing your LinkedIn profile. To go a step further, you may like to set up a personal website or an online portfolio of your work.

6. Search for a Mentor

It’s useful to have a mentor who can advise you on how to meet your career goals. This person should be someone in your field who you already have a relationship with, such as a professor, a former supervisor, or someone you met during your internship. Ask anyone you feel could fit this role if he or she would be willing to become your mentor.

7. Increase Your Credit Score

Improving your credit score will make you a stronger candidate for an apartment after you graduate and give you better terms when you’re borrowing money, such as for buying a car or starting your own business. One of the best ways to boost your credit score is to make timely payments on your student loans every month. In addition, if you don’t already have a credit card, it’s worth applying for one now and using it only for purchases you know you’ll be able to pay in full. Keep your balance under 30% of the limit to maximize your credit score.

You’ll feel more prepared for life after university if you’ve been living in an independent apartment rather than in a campus residence. You can find a room in Barrie near Georgian College at Arcadian Students. You’ll have everything you need to be independent: a kitchen to prepare your own meals, fibre internet to work on papers from the comfort of your home, and in-suite laundry facilities. Apply now to move in before the fall semester starts.

Although your college years may be among some of the best of your life, they’re certainly not stress free. There’s the drama that comes from college friendships and relationships, anxiety around exams, the challenge of living away from home for the first time, and much more.

One solution to boost your mental health is to turn to wellness apps. Many options are affordable (if not free) and allow you to receive help at the moment you need it.

1. The Shine App

With features ranging from meditations to self-care courses and virtual workshops, the Shine app is ideal for working on your mental health every day. The app was founded by two women of colour who wanted to make mental health support more inclusive and representative. It is now owned by Headspace, meaning a yearly subscription gives you access to Headspace Health. However, there’s also a free version of the Shine app available if you just want meditations personally recommended for you.

2. Mood Mission

Use Mood Mission whenever you’re feeling depressed, anxious, or emotional in some other way. The app will ask you how you’re feeling and then provide you with five suggestions called Missions, all of which have been shown to have an impact on mental health through scientific research. Completing a Mission will give you a reward in the app to incentivize you to keep taking steps to become healthier and happier.

3. Moodfit

It may be that certain coping mechanisms work better for you than others. With Moodfit, you can track what these are. The app also provides you with daily goals to work toward to improve your mental health and allows you to track how your mood changes over time.

Lastly, there are a huge number of learning resources on the app to teach you how to prevent procrastination, rumination, and distorted thinking, regain your motivation, and become responsive instead of reactive. Best of all, everything is available for free.

4. Peers.net

Aimed at people aged 18 to 30, Peers.net is an online platform rather than an app. It’s staffed by people in this age group who have had their own struggles with mental health and who have received training to give others support through one-on-one video sessions.

You can search for the right peer supporter to help you based on life experience (such as depression, loneliness, academic stress, or body image) or by identity (gender, sexuality, or ethnicity). All the peer supporters have the date and time of when they’re next available along with the languages they speak on their profiles.

Another way to boost your mental health is to improve your living situation. You can do this by moving into student rentals. Barrie has a housing community of modern apartments at Arcadian Students. You’ll be able to relax in your private bedroom, chill with your roommates in your fully-furnished living room, or meet other students in the common areas, which include a lounge, basketball court, and outdoor fire pit. Contact us to sign a lease today.