Blog Posts

A Guide to Dealing with Graduation Anxiety

Graduation should be the event you look forward to most as a student. Nonetheless, the months leading up to this major life change can be quite anxiety inducing. Your time at university is almost over and you’ll need to navigate the world of work alone — unless you’re moving on to grad school, of course. Avoid what should be a great time from becoming overwhelming by taking steps to deal with any negative emotions that may arise. 1. Enjoy Your Senior Year Your final year at university can be tough, but it’s important to find enjoyment in it — especially since it will all be over soon. Spend time with friends, go to plenty of events on campus, and attend meetings for your extracurriculars while you still can. 2. Stay Organized By now, you should be used to having many responsibilities, but the amount of tasks on your plate may ramp up as your graduation nears. Keep your to-do list for each day limited to a reasonable number of activities to ensure you stay on track without becoming stressed about the sheer amount of things you need to do. 3. Open Up the Conversation You may find that few people are sharing their worries about graduation, which can make you feel more alone. However, the likelihood is that most students are struggling with doubts and concerns similar to your own. Talk with friends about the issues you’re facing — together, you may be able to share ideas to solve common problems. You can also receive support from professionals like your academic advisor or the counsellors on campus. 4. Don’t Worry If Your Path Is Different Some students may be entering a career straight after graduation — but this is only one of your options. You could decide you need a break before you start searching for your dream job. Students often take a few months to travel, begin working as an intern, or pursue something completely unrelated to their ultimate career goals just for the experience. Don’t feel like you’re making the wrong decision just because other people are choosing different options than you. Of course, if you don’t feel ready to leave the structure of academia just yet, you could always consider grad school. You should find this opens up more opportunities and higher-paying positions once you do look for a full-time job. Although you will need to figure out how to pay for grad school, it’s often affordable with a part-time job (you may have good options once you have a degree) and scholarships. If you still have a couple semesters left before you graduate, there’s time to make the last months at university your best yet by upgrading your apartment. For McMaster off-campus housing, there’s no better option than West Village Suites. Our two-, three-, four-, and five-bedroom apartments are less than a five-minute walk from campus and come with everything you need, including sufficient storage, secure card-controlled access, and a self-service concierge service. Our housing is also available to grad s tudents, meaning you’ll be able to stay here if you decide to continue your education. Apply now for the apartment you want.

How to Get Enough Exercise as a Student

Exercise is important for everyone — not just those looking to lose weight. Exercising impacts your health in multiple ways, including by increasing your protection against certain diseases, reducing stress, and keeping you fit for when you need to cope with physically-strenuous situations. You should be making time for both cardio and muscle-strengthening exercise every week. If you’re struggling to fit exercise into your already-busy schedule, there are several easy things you can do. 1. Walk Faster Instead of taking a leisurely stroll to class, pick up the pace and walk briskly. This will increase your heart rate and work your leg muscles. Plus, you’ll reduce the risk of arriving late! 2. Take the Stairs Instead of the Elevator Whenever you need to head to a higher floor (whether on campus or in your apartment building), take the elevator. This will barely take any extra time — if you move quickly, it could even be faster — and it’s an effective way to increase your exercise for the day. 3. Bike Around the Neighbourhood Whether you have free time, you need to head to the store, or you’re going to visit a friend who lives in another apartment building, your best option could be to jump on your bike. If you don’t already have a bike, find out if someone is selling one second hand in your area. 4. Park Farther from Your Destination If you need to go farther afield than is possible by bike, you may need to drive. However, you can still add a little exercise into your route by parking some distance from your destination. 5. Stand Up More Often Just standing up every hour can burn calories. Since it’s difficult to concentrate for more than an hour anyway, schedule regular breaks from studying where you move around a bit and do some stretches. 6. Join an Intramural Sports Team It’s likely your university has a huge range of sports open to everyone — you don’t even need to be good. This is your chance to try a sport you’ve never played before, such as badminton, spikeball , pickleball, or water polo. Experiment with a few to find something you love. 7. Exercise with Friends A more informal way to practice sports is to invite friends to play a game. You could take shots at a basketball hoop, throw a frisbee, or kick a soccer ball around. Another option is to plan an outing, such as a hike, a trip to a nearby ice rink, or a bike ride along local trails. You’ll be having so much fun you won’t even notice you’re exercising. If you have time, you should fit some proper workouts into your schedule as well. Instead of heading out of your way to go to the gym, live somewhere that has facilities on site. West Village Suites has a fitness and yoga studio to help you say fit and find your focus. Our McMaster student rentals provide you with a private room in a fully-furnished apartment. Although you’ll be sharing with between one and four other students, you’ll have an individual lease. Plus, there’s secure storage for your bike avai lable. Book a tour to check out the fitness facilities, our other great amenities, and the suites themselves.

7 Tips for Bringing Up Your GPA in 2023

A good goal to have each new semester is to improve your GPA. However, you can’t just will this to happen — to see results, you need to put in the effort. To make 2023 your best year yet, use some proven strategies to bring up your GPA. 1. Receive Support from a Tutor If you’re struggling with a particular class and are worried it will bring down your GPA, seek extra support. Find a tutor who can help you understand the difficult concepts, work through problems with you, and give you advice before you turn in your assignments. 2. Stick to a Study Schedule It’s easy to fall behind if you only study when you feel like it. Dedicate a certain amount of time to each of your classes to do homework, complete the required readings, and review your notes. An added benefit of studying regularly is the material will always be fresh in your mind, which can help with retention for tests. 3. Commit to Finishing Assignments on Time If you fail to complete an assignment on time, your GPA will definitely suffer. Your professor may still grade your paper, but you’ll likely receive a penalty for being late. Using your study schedule to give yourself plenty of time to complete homework should ensure you never miss a due date. However, if something does happen outside your control, let your professor know as soon as possible. You should find that if you give your professors at least a couple days’ notice that you’ll be unable to finish an a ssignment on time, they’ll be lenient and give you an alternative to avoid a drop in your grade. 4. Join Study Groups Another way to ensure you stay up to date is to join a study group for each of your classes. You can use the opportunity to quiz each other, talk about your ideas for projects, and clear up any doubts. As well as meeting on a weekly basis, you can set up group chats to discuss class material at any time. 5. Take Better Notes You won’t remember much if you just passively read textbooks and listen to your professors speak in class: you need to take notes. Experiment with different note-taking tactics to find out what works for you, whether that’s bullet points, short paragraphs summarizing the material, or mind maps. You should also figure out how detailed your notes need to be — this may differ between classes. 6. Ask More Questions If you don’t understand something during a class, ask your professor. Remaining confused could mean you understand the material incorrectly and make mistakes in your assignments. 7. Meet with Your Professors Your professors are there for more than just giving classes. If you have a problem that’s too personal or requires too long an answer to ask in class, meet your professor during office hours. Together, you can discuss how to approach studying and what you need to do to improve assignments. The only way you’ll be able to study effectively is if you have a quiet space at home. You won’t find this in dorms, but you can create the perfect study spot if you live in off-campus housing. For apartments near McMaster, there’s West Village Suites. You’ll receive a private room in a fully furnished apartment with two to five bedrooms — we’ll match you with roommates who study like you. Plus, you can use the onsite WiFi study spaces, which are ideal for individual and group study. Apply now to secure an apartment that meets your preferences.

6 Important Questions to Ask During Campus Tours

A crucial way to choose the university you’ll attend is to take campus tours. These will show you where you could be spending your days for the next four or so years. To make the most of the experience, you should ask the tour guide, students, and other people you meet plenty of questions. Use the following questions to assess whether a school is likely to be right for you. 1. How Do Your Professors Enhance the Classroom Experience? The way professors deliver classes can make a big difference to your learning experience. Find out if there will be opportunities to take field trips, learn practical skills, or attend talks from guest lecturers — especially if you know these things would aid your understanding of the material. 2. Is It Easy to Find Internships? You may need to complete an internship as a requirement of your major, or you may just like to do one to improve your job prospects after you graduate. It’s useful to ask students at the university about their experiences finding internships, including what kind of support the school offers and whether there are interesting opportunities in the area. 3. How Do You Spend Your Free Time? Find out what students do when they’re not studying and whether it’s easy to make friends. You may like to specifically ask students how they spend their weekends, what kinds of clubs they belong to, and whether the atmosphere on campus is welcoming. 4. Why Did You Choose This University? Everyone you talk to will have a different reason for choosing the school, but some of the answers may resonate with you. For instance, students may mention the offerings from a particular faculty, the location, sports teams, the culture, or the facilities on campus. 5. How’s the Food? Even if you intend to cook most of your own meals, there will be times when you want to buy food on campus to save time and effort. Having tasty, nutritious food available can make a big difference to your experience. 6. Do I Feel Comfortable Here? You should also ask yourself some questions during the tour, the most important being how you feel about the campus. It’s important to trust your gut. If something doesn’t feel quite right, consider removing the university from your shortlist — even if it has everything you need in terms of your preferred major, class sizes, and extracurriculars. Pay particular attention to whether the students seem happy or stressed and how enthusiastic they are about the school when you ask them questions. Your tour may include a visit to the dorms — but you should bear in mind that living on campus is just one option . Many students prefer to find their own apartments to gain freedom and privacy. An alternative to McMaster residence is West Village Suites. You’ll have a private bedroom in a suite with blazing-fast WiFi , upgraded furniture, and either a balcony or terrace. Plus, you’ll be within walking distance of campus. Book a visit to coincide with your campus tour.

What to Do If You’re Having Second Thoughts About Your University Plans

You may think you know exactly what you want to do at university — where you want to go, what you want to major in, and what you want to do after — only to have doubts when you start school. Although this is not ideal, it’s completely normal and happens to numerous students. Whereas it can be stressful to change your plans, it’s better to realize sooner rather than later that you need to make a change. If you’re having second thoughts about your university plans, there are a few things you need to do to mak e the transition easier. 1. Be Kind to Yourself When you start studying, you’ll discover new things about yourself, explore new subjects you never realized you were passionate about, and learn about career opportunities you didn’t know existed. All this new information can be disruptive to your original plans. The most important thing is to pay attention to how you’re feeling. If you’re unmotivated by your classes, unhappy where you’re currently attending university, or worried your credentials won’t lead you to the career you want, consider what you could do to change things. There’s no need to feel like you messed up somewhere along the way! Even if you decide to change major or transfer and won’t be able to count some credit you’ve already earned, don’t consider that you’ve wasted time. It’s ultimately better to change to a path that’s right for you than to continue just because you’ve already made some progress. 2. Seek Support Your school has plenty of resources to help you make the right decisions about your studies and career choices. For instance, your academic adviser can explain your options for switching majors, give you ideas for how to meet your career goals, and ensure you’ll graduate with an appropriate qualification to continue to grad school. Don’t be afraid to ask all the questions you have — academic advisers have helped countless students in your situation before and will know exactly what to say to you. You can also find support through workshops and other events on campus. For example, there may be information sessions to discuss common problems students face — which will show you how many other people are in the same boat as you. 3. Fully Explore Your Options Rather than rushing into a decision, find out more about your options. Consider your strengths, interests, and goals to arrive at a solution that meets your needs. Look into various schools (including where you currently attend) to figure out what major or grad school programs could lead to your dream job. If you decide to move to a different school, you’ll need to find a new place to live. This will typically mean searching for an apartment, since dorms will likely be full. For McMaster off-campus housing, there’s West Village Suites. In addition to a room in a spacious suite, you’ll be able to take advantage of great amenities, including a yoga studio, fitness facility, dedicated study spaces, and a contactless package concierge service. Living here can make changing your university plans that much easier. Book a tour now.

5 Qualities to Look For in a Student Housing Rental

Moving off campus and into a student rental is a big step. When you live in dorms, you don’t need to think about things like location, who you want as roommates, and lease terms. However, you shouldn’t let this put you off. Living off campus will give you more freedom, allow you to have your own space, and save you money — not least because there are no meal plans. To find the right place, you just need to look for five key qualities. 1. Affordable Price Most importantly, the housing needs to be within your budget. Although off-campus apartments do tend to cost less than dorms, it’s certainly possible to find places that are more expensive! You should have a clear budget in mind before you start searching to rule out any apartments you won’t be able to afford. Bear in mind you’ll need to pay a security deposit before you move in, which will add to your upfront expenses. 2. All-Inclusive Rent It’s more difficult to calculate your budget if you need to pay for utilities separately from your rent. Plus, your bills may change from month to month and will depend on your roommates’ habits as well as your own. To simplify things, it’s ideal if you can find all-inclusive rent. 3. Furnishings You’ll notice that furnished apartments are more expensive than unfurnished ones, but this can be a worthwhile expense. Needing to buy furniture is not just expensive, you’ll also need to pay to transport it when you move out — and you may have nowhere to put it, especially if you’ll be moving back in with your parents after you graduate. Lastly, there’s the issue of dividing furniture up with your roommates. To avoid these headaches, choose furnished housing. 4. An Individual Lease Another thing that can become complicated with roommates is making sure everyone pays their share of the rent on time each month. If someone fails to pay, the rest of you could be on the hook for the money. Similarly, you could have issues if a roommate decides to move out before the lease is up. You’ll avoid all these problems by having an individual lease for your room. 5. A Welcoming Neighbourhood Your housing should be located in a safe neighbourhood not too far from campus — within walking or biking distance is ideal. If you look farther afield, rent prices may be slightly lower, but your expenses will increase if you need your own means of transportation. Plus, the neighbourhood may be less suitable for students, which will mean your living situation will be less comfortable. You can end your search for McMaster student rentals now: there’s a home for you at West Village Suites. You’ll be within walking distance of campus in a fully-furnished suite that you’ll share with two to four other students — these can be your friends or we can match you with roommates. Our individual leases are all inclusive, meaning they cover all your utilities and WiFi . Apply for a floor plan that suits your budget.