Why Living in RES was the BEST decision of my life!

People always ask me what living in residence was like. I don't know how else to say it but living in

Look how HAPPY they look!

residence was the BEST decision of my whole university life. I learned so much about myself and York as a result of living on campus.

DISCLAIMER: I think that I should mention that as an international student I didn't have a ton of options when it came to living in Toronto, just because I didn't know my way around the city, so living in residence was the best option for me.

What should you expect from living in residence?
-Events, upon Events, upon EVENTS

I <3 Movie Night

--When I first moved in I thought that living in residence meant that I'd just have a place on campus to sleep and store my stuff. I didn't think there'd be so many things to do. Within my first month I had been to more residence run events that classes...there were things that happened almost every day! Events like, house meeting, meet and greets, movie nights, game nights, weekly t.v. show viewing parties in the common room, baking nights and so many more. Honestly I didn't expect my
Don, a.k.a. residence adviser, to have so much for me to do or to care so much that I come out and take part. So there's no shortage of things to do in residence on a weekly basis. All you have to do is venture out of your room to take part!

-Always having someone to hang out
 --Since there are so many people living in residence there's never a shortage of people to hang out with. If you attend a few house events, you'll meet some of the people that live in your building, in your house or on

your floor. Meeting people means that no matter what time of day it is there's someone there for you to hang out with. So gather up your courage and be brave enough to step out of your room and knock on the door next to you and meet your new best friend. That's exactly what happened to me, the girl I wound up being BFF's with knocked on my door and introduced herself...the rest as they say is history!

-Convenience of being right at the heart of the action
 --Being on campus means that you're always here. So you have lots of opportunities to attend events that happen at night without worrying about having to catch the last bus back home. So you'll find that your ability to get involved is even easier since you don't have to worry about commuting home after an event. Also living on campus means that you can sleep in a little bit later so if you have an 8:30 class you can wake up at 8:15 and still make it to class with time to spare!

Common Myths about Residence
-Endless Parties: There are lots of really fun events that happen in residence, and there are parties that happen however, the residence life staff do a really good job at making sure that people don't have parties every night or that the parties aren't too loud or don't go too long into the night. Around exam time in fact

Not exactly accurate!

there are quiet hours that are strictly enforced so that everyone has the opportunity to study for their exams!

-There are No Rules: Sometime people move into residence expecting there to be no rules, however in order to keep everyone safe there are some rules but nothing that infringe too much on your independence. Things like drinking in public spaces, smoking, or destroying furniture are rules that keep us all safe. But no one is going to be your parent.

-Sharing a bathroom means I'll never get to shower: For some reason people seem to think that living in residence will mean that there will be long lines waiting for showers, sinks or toilets. Yes you do have to share your bathroom with more people than you might be used to, it does not mean that you'll never have a chance to take a shower. Since everyone has different class and work schedules there are very few if any times that you'll find yourself waiting for a shower. I lived in residence for two years and I NEVER had to wait for a shower, and I lived on a floor with 23 other people!

I can't say enough good things about living in residence, I really enjoyed every minute of my time there. If you're on the fence about applying for residence or you're worried about moving in let I hope that you feel inspired to apply and are excited to move in! If you have any questions about anything that I wrote about here feel free to comment below!

Until next time, remember to take it one day at a time and catch me in the Zone!

Nicole

What's it really like to live in residence?

Hollywood and the media present us with many different representations of what "dorm" life is like. Films like Van Wilder and Animal House suggest that living on campus will be one big party, Old School and Road Trip play up the bonds we make and the community created on campus.

Sorry to be one that bursts your bubble BUTT not everyone's college/ university experience is like that. My life in residence wasn't like that at all. I'm not saying that I didn't have fun or create strong friendships, but my time in residence wasn't spent crawling from one raging dorm party to the next!

So... "What is life in residence like?" Excellent question! Life in residence for me was the best experience of my life. I got the chance to live with a wide variety of people from all over the world. In fact I met one of my best friends in my first week of living in residence!

There is always something happening in residence, the Don team is always busy at work trying to make your experience in residence a memorable and amazing one. There are weekly events that happen in residence including, movie-nights, common-room get-togethers and game nights. There are also monthly house meetings that all residents are required to attend, where dons tell you about upcoming events, important info and cool stuff happening on campus. The best part is that there is always someone around in residence. You are never alone. It's good to know that you have some place you can call home...LITERALLY!

Check out me and some of the friends I made while living in residence! Ahh the memories!!

Dorm life is MUCH more than just the room you live in, it’s also the people you live with. The girls on my floor were my FAMILY while I was at school without them I would never have survived!

YAY FUGITIVES (that was our house name lol none of the ladies in the pics had ever been charged with a crime…that I know of…unless AWESOMENESS is now a crime!)

Residence...my home away from home!

Residence life is unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before. For most people it's the first time they have ever lived away from home, which brings with it, it's own challenges and rewards. Not the least of which is learning how to do laundry and being responsible for waking up and attending class. 

Life in Residence!

Living on res is really convenient since you can come and go to classes without having to wake up super early, you can stay late at school without having to worry about catching the last bus and you are in the best possible position to get involved on campus...since you live there!

In each res there are “houses” depending on which floor, building or suite you live in. The “houses” are great because you can get to know your neighbours without having to awkwardly knock on their door. The people you live with in res really become like family especially if you’re an international student. First Year residence is guaranteed so, if you're an incoming student and you want to live in residence you will be able to find a place to live. The fall/winter residence application is still active here is a link if you want to apply.

Tips for Residence

1. DO IT!!! I lived in residence for my first 2 years and it was the BEST experience! It helps make the transition from high school to university easier!

2. Think about the kind of person that you are at home and who you want to be at university. If you’re a real studious person at home and you really want to keep that up in university you MIGHT want to consider having a single room. If you’re the life of the party, you might not want a room-mate, unless you plan on rooming with a friend. The housing people are really good at pairing people up…IF YOU ANSWER THE QUESTIONNAIRE HONESTLY! Keep in mind that in most of the residences there are more single than double rooms so don’t be too bummed if you don’t have a room mate. 

3. There are 2 different types of residences offered at Keele. “Traditional” Residences and “Suite-Style” Residences. Traditional = (Complex 1) Tatham Hall and Vanier Res. (Complex 2) Stong Res. Suite Style = (Complex 2) Calumet Res and Pond Road Residence. Winters and Bethune Residences (Complex 1 & 2) are a mix of traditonal and suite. 

4. You major matters when it comes the residence offers you receive. Housing tends to put similar majors or college affiliations together. People in The Arts tend to get offered rooms in Winters Res while people in The Hard Sciences (bio, chem, etc.) tend to get offers in Bethune Res for example.   

5. EVERYONE ALWAYS WANTS TO GET INTO POND. Pond Road Residence is the newest and some say the nicest. It is really nice, BUT it’s kinda far away from everything classes and food places on campus. It is also known as a hub for international students, since it hosts “Global House.” Pond is nice but I wouldn’t count out the other residences!