Your Guide to On-Campus Living

Sharing space with many different people can be difficult - but also lots of fun. That's why residence life can be a mixed experience.

To make the most of it, you need to focus on the perks and keep an eye out for the problems of on-campus life.

Here are some tips to make your time in residence go smoothly:
 

Meet your neighbours

Let's face it: Being anti-social won't do you any good. If you don't venture into the hall and meet people, you might find yourself alone quite a bit.

One idea to help with the meet-and-greet thing is to help a neighbour or your roommate move in if you've arrived early. Most people in rez don't know anyone else, so they'll be thrilled that you've taken the time to break the ice.
 

Get to know your roommate

It's true that not all roommates get along, but sometimes that stems from two people knowing absolutely nothing about each other.

Talking to your roommate about his or her interests, friends or favourite classes can sometimes change your initial impression. Ignoring your roommate can be difficult and it will cause much more grief in the long run.

If you can't get along whatsoever, you could:

• Talk to the senior student on your floor (usually called a "Don" or "Rez Fellow").
• Request a room change from housing services, in extreme cases.
   

Lock your door

Always. Even if you're just stepping out to chat with a friend down the hall for five minutes, you should keep your door locked when you leave the room.

Whether it's some clothes, your alarm clock or parts of your computer, things get stolen in residence and they're unlikely ever to be returned. Locking your door is a safe way to keep track of your belongings and a good habit to start.
 

Decorate your room

Rez is not a five-star hotel. Rooms usually have old carpet and concrete walls to match the defaced desks and chairs.

So liven up your room with your own personal style:

• Hang posters on the walls
• String lights up in your window
• Put a mat on the floor or a throw rug on a chair
• Create picture frames or cut out funny ads and put them around your room

Remember, your room is where you'll spend most of your time and you'll want it to feel like home.
 

Plan floor events

Create events for your entire floor to do as a group. It will give everyone a chance to de-stress from school and catch up with floormates:

• Organize a floor soccer tournament in the fall, or ice-skating and snowman building in the winter.
• Plan movie nights with a theme, such as Star Wars or girly musicals like Grease.
   

Eat as a floor

Eating dinner in the cafeteria alone every night might not be fun. Arrange to eat with people from your floor or residence who have the same class schedule as you.

Eating lunch or dinner with other people can lead to lively conversation about classes or hi-jinks like daring friends to eat cereal with gravy.
 

Have Fun!

You're going to be living and sharing your space with the same people for eight months, so it's important to make friends.