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Holiday Break Tips for Students in Queen’s Off-Campus Housing

A Student’s Guide to a Stress-Free Holiday Break Although most students look forward to the holiday break, it can be a time of stress for others. Returning to your family home after many months and finding a way to fill the time can lead to anxiety. To have a stress-free break, there are a few things that may help, depending on the reason for your anxiety. Set Goals for the Holiday Break Your time at university is often so packed with activities that you barely have time to breathe. It can be quite a shock to go from this to nothing. Initially, all the free time may come as a relief. After a few days, though, it may feel just as overwhelming (if not more so) than having a full schedule. To overcome this problem, set goals of what you’d like to achieve over the holiday break. This will mean there’s always something you can do. Your list may include visiting certain friends and relatives, books you want to read, your exercise goals, and art projects you want to complete. You could even search for an opportunity to volunteer for a cause that matters to you — this will look great on your resume. Find Seasonal Work If you lack enough money for gifts or even to just feel comfortable meeting friends, a solution could be to find a seasonal job. This is also another solution to give you something to do. Contact your old workplace or ask local businesses if they need an extra pair of hands — it’s common for companies to need more help this time of year. Alternatively, you could reach out to parents in your area to ask if they need a babysitter while they’re out at parties or events. Avoid Family Conflict It can be particularly difficult seeing college friends excited about going home when you have a strained relationship with your own family. Anticipate potential problems in advance and create a strategy to deal with them. For instance, if you tend to have arguments with your parents, think about what discussions are likely to arise and what would be the best way to deal with them. In addition, figure out some coping mechanisms. These could include leaving the house when tensions are high and going for a walk or to see a friend. Having an activity like a seasonal job or volunteer position could be useful for keeping you out of the house more. However, if you do need to stay at home, practice some breathing exercises in advance or think about whether there’s a friend you can text and vent to. Lastly, reward yourself whenever you do effectively deal with stressful family situations. Choose an activity that either relaxes you or helps you let off steam soon afterward. If you’d prefer to stay at university over the holidays to avoid some stress (and perhaps continue working at your part-time job), that’s always an option, too. However, it’s lonely being on campus when almost everyone else has left — you’ll be much more comfortable in Queen’s off-campus housing. Students who live at Foundry Mack are just a 10-minute walk from campus and they receive a spacious apartment with modern appliances and pure fibre internet. Join our waitlist to secure your place in time for the next holiday season.

How Living in Queens Off-Campus Housing Sets You Up for Success

How Living Independently Sets You Up for Lifelong Success The idea of living alone for the first time in your life may be intimidating. You’ll be responsible for everything about your living situation, and you may be concerned that you’ll be lonely. However, learning to be independent while you’re still a student is a great life lesson. In fact, there are several ways it can set you up for success. 1. Have a Social Life on Your Own Terms Socializing is a big part of the college experience, but it can often feel like your social life is forced on you rather than your choice. When you have your own apartment, guests are always your friends and they visit when you invite them. You’ll never need to suffer having someone else’s friends invading your space or feel like you must socialize because a roommate wanted to throw a party. Of course, you will need to set boundaries. If you have friends who have never lived alone, they may misunderstand your situation and believe you always want company. This could mean they drop by unannounced. If you’re happy with such an arrangement, that’s fine. However, you may find that you enjoy spending time alone, which will be something you need to address with your friends. Ultimately, with the right communication, you may find that you have an even better social life than if you lived with others. This is because you’ll be spending your social time with people you care about, rather than taking whatever opportunities to socialize arise. 2. Learn to Be Self-Reliant Maintaining your home and solving all the issues related to your apartment on your own can be stressful at times, but you’ll have a great sense of accomplishment once you’ve finished a task or fixed a problem. If you’re able to balance this with knowing when to ask for support, you’ll have learned an important lesson that will serve you well throughout your life. 3. Find Out Who You Are College is already a period of self-discovery. Living independently will add to that experience by showing you how you want to live and pushing you to become comfortable with yourself. It’s easier to be in tune with your emotions and to learn how to deal with the negative ones when you’re not constantly surrounded by other people. 4. Become Financially Independent You’ll be learning plenty about how to budget while at university. However, it can be frustrating when the decisions of others impact your budget, which can be the case when you live with roommates. Not only do you need to split the cost of rent and utilities, you also need to contribute a share to household expenses. Living independently will help you improve your financial skills, which will be beneficial in the future — no matter if you decide to continue living alone or if you want to share your home. 5. Fill Your Time with What Matters to You Living alone forces you to find fulfillment in ways that don’t involve other people. Even though you’ll spend much of your day outside your home — such as in class and at extracurriculars — you’ll still need to decide how you want to spend all your free hours. Knowing what fulfills you will be useful for the rest of your life. Whether you want to be completely independent or you’d prefer to have roommates, you can find the Queens off-campus housing for you at Foundry Mack. Our floor plans include suites with one to four bedrooms, available furnished and unfurnished, and you’ll only be responsible for your share of the rent. Contact our team today to secure a lease.

7 Subscription Boxes Perfect for Living in Queens Off-Campus Housing

7 Subscription Boxes to Add to Your Wishlist When a relative asks you what you’d like for a gift this year, have an answer ready: request a subscription box. There are all sorts of subscription boxes available. Some can provide you with the essentials you need, which will make planning ahead and budgeting that much simpler. Others will give you a treat to look forward to each month. In particular, though, there are a few types of subscription boxes you should consider adding to your list. 1. Snack Boxes Having healthy snacks on hand will stop you from wasting money on expensive junk food. It’s even possible to find subscriptions that meet specific dietary needs, such as vegan and gluten-free boxes. 2. Meal Kits Receive all the ingredients you need to prepare delicious meals, along with detailed instructions on how to cook everything. Subscriptions provide you with exact proportions of each ingredient — meaning no food waste. Best of all, you’ll learn new recipes and techniques, which will help you develop skills that can be useful throughout your life. 3. Clothing A number of clothing subscription boxes exist, all of which allow you to create a personal profile to receive clothing that matches your personal style. This is a great way to refresh your outfits regularly. 4. Books You can find subscriptions to physical books as well as ebooks — make sure you tell your relatives how you prefer to read. In either case, you’ll receive a selection of great titles that will help rekindle your love for reading. 5. Candy If you have a sweet tooth, a candy subscription box can be a great treat — it’s a much better alternative to receiving a few pieces of candy as a one-time gift. Every month, you’ll receive a completely different selection, including candy from famous brands and from artisanal makers. A fun-size box is perfect for one person: you’ll be able to indulge just enough. 6. Personal Care With a personal care subscription box, you can receive anything from hair products to makeup and nail polish. There are even at-home spa kits to encourage you to take a day to relax and pamper yourself. 7. Fandom Boxes If you’re a fan of a particular TV series, comic book, sport, or anything else that lends itself to collectibles, there’s a good chance there’s a fandom subscription box out there that would be perfect for you. Research your interest or hobby to find if you can add a particular box to your gift list. One type of subscription no student likes is a meal plan. Whereas this tends to be a fact of life if you live in a student residence, it’s possible to take control by moving into your own apartment. Foundry Mack offers Queens off-campus housing where you’ll be truly independent. All our suites have great floor plans, which include a modern kitchen with granite countertops. However, we also simplify your life by offering all our apartments fully furnished and providing a monthly in-suite cleaning service. Apply now to secure our lowest rates of the year.

Entrepreneurship From Rooms for Rent: Kingston Students Can Make Money with These Tips

How to Balance University & Entrepreneurship Gaining experience as an entrepreneur while you’re still at university is a great option if you’re hoping to run your own business after you graduate. Plus, it will give you more money to spend and help you start paying off your student loans. However, it’s crucial to strike a balance between your studies and your business to make sure you succeed with both and to prevent burnout — here’s how. 1. Decide on Your Priorities Every one of your goals and responsibilities may seem important, but it’s not possible for all of them to take top priority. Ranking your priorities in advance will help you figure out what to do when two things are competing for your time or when you have clashes in your schedule. 2. Set Goals Specify long-term goals and short-term targets for both your business and university commitments. The short-term targets should relate to your long-term goals, as this will help you check if you’re on track or if you need to make changes. Fit these targets into an action plan that includes a detailed daily schedule along with activities to complete each week to ensure you keep progressing. 3. Make Time for Yourself It’s easy for school and work to take over your entire life — but this is unhealthy and could ultimately lead to you failing both. Leave enough time for hobbies, socializing, and extracurriculars. Plus, make sure to include exercise in your daily routine. This is especially important if your business involves sitting for long periods. When you take care of your body and mind, you’ll be in a much better position to do well academically and build a business that can thrive. 4. Create a Home Office Dedicate an area of your apartment to be your home office. Choose somewhere quiet where you can focus and use an actual desk rather than your couch or bed. Keep the area organized, tidy, and equipped with everything you need, such as your laptop, pens, pencils, sticky notes, and a white board. Make sure there is sufficient lighting for working after dark, especially if you’re writing in notebooks or reading textbooks. 5. Take Advantage of Student Discounts and Resources Use the discounts and resources available to you as a student for more than just schoolwork. For example, you may be able to access online journals that provide useful information for your business or purchase software at a discount. Your university may also have connections in the business world to connect you with a mentor or advisor. Lastly, other students may be interested in forming a partnership or working for you. 6. Avoid All-Nighters No matter if you’re panicking about a fast-approaching due date or you want to push through and finish something for your business, it’s never a good idea to stay up all night. A lack of sleep will make it much more difficult to focus, lead to poor decision-making, and increase your risk of illness. If you’re struggling to keep up with your workload, reorganize your schedule, consider if there’s something you could drop, or outsource some of your business tasks. 7. Link Your Schoolwork and Business Venture Whenever possible, choose classes that will teach you useful skills for running your business. Better still, use your own business as a case study in assignments — this will cut your workload in half. To run a business from home, you need to find a comfortable room for rent. Kingston students who live at Foundry Mack receive their own rooms in a large suite along with amenities like pure fibre internet, a washer and dryer, and access to Foundry Club. Join our waitlist to be the first to hear when spaces come available.

Kingston Students’ Motivators for Attending University

6 Perks of Going to University (Besides the Degree) If you’re unsure about going to university, it’s worth considering all the advantages it will bring. Besides the obvious one that you’ll gain a degree, there are numerous perks to consider. 1. Learn to Be Independent Attending university is a great way to learn how to be independent while still retaining a support system. You’ll be responsible for keeping your home clean, managing your time, buying and cooking your own food, and creating your own study schedule. At the same time, you’ll have access to support services from your university. By the time you graduate, you’ll be prepared to live independently in the real world. 2. Form Lasting Friendships You’ll likely stay in touch with many of the friends you make at university for the rest of your life. This is because university is a great place to meet interesting people and have unique shared experiences. 3. Open Your Mind The people you meet and the ideas you encounter will help you see the world in a new way. If you’ve always lived in the same town, you may have been surrounded all your life by people with a similar background to your own. Attending university may even introduce opportunities you never realized existed. 4. Enhance Your Capacity to Learn A university education sets you up to become a lifelong learner. Beyond the knowledge you acquire, you’ll be better equipped to evaluate information and research topics of interest. You may also find that you love learning, which can help you to continue discovering ideas, expand your mind, and become a more interesting person. 5. Gain Crucial Skills The reason employees like to hire candidates who have degrees is because of the additional skills they will have developed during their time in education. For instance, you’ll improve your tech skills, learn how to collaborate on projects, and improve your communication. This is why it’s often possible to find a job unrelated to your major just on the merit of having a degree. 6. Discover Who You Are Many students begin university thinking that they know who they are and what they want from life. By the time you graduate, you may have completely different ideas: you may have changed your career goals, switched majors, or even decided to stay in education longer. In particular, you’ll learn more about your strengths and weaknesses — something that’s not always clear in high school. Subjects you always found difficult before may come alive at university. You’ll also have the chance to engage in numerous extracurriculars, volunteer, and take interesting electives. Something you thought you’d love may end up not resonating with you, whereas you may discover a passion for an activity you’d never considered before. To make the most of your time in university, you need to find great housing, such as a room for rent. Kingston students can receive a suite in the off-campus student apartments at Foundry Mack. You’ll be part of an engaging community with other students, where you’ll have the chance to meet even more new people from different backgrounds. Apply today to secure your place.

How to Prepare for the Semester’s End in Rooms for Rent in Kingston, Ontario

The Complete End-of-Semester Checklist for Students The end of the semester often comes as a relief — but it’s important to remember it isn’t all over yet. From preparing for your trip home to saying goodbye to friends, it’s easy to overlook the important things you need to do. Use a checklist at the end of every semester to ensure you don’t neglect anything that could cause problems when you return. 1. Finish Your Last Assignments Make working on any assignments you still have due your main priority. As you won’t be able to relax and enjoy yourself much when you still have a paper to complete, buckle down now and finish your homework as soon as possible. 2. Check Your Email Whereas you likely check your personal email frequently, it’s easy to overlook your university email when you’re getting ready to leave for winter break. However, since you may receive critical communications now and again, it does help to check on a regular basis. Make a habit of checking at the end of the semester to ensure you don’t miss anything urgent before you leave campus. 3. Confirm Your Final Grades Although it’s unlikely your university has recorded any grades for your assignments incorrectly, since it is a possibility, it helps to check just in case. Pointing out any mistakes to your professors early will prevent problems down the line. 4. Return Borrowed Materials Returning electronics, textbooks, and other rented items even a day late can lead to large fees. Check the return dates for anything you’ve borrowed and make a note on your calendar to ensure you won’t forget. 5. Arrange an Appointment with Your Academic Advisor Your academic advisor is a valuable resource. Schedule a meeting to discuss the coming semester, including what classes you should consider taking and other actions to take that will keep you working toward your goals. 6. Set Aims for Next Semester Reflect on what went well this semester and what you could have done better. Use this to decide how to make changes when you return to university, including how you could improve your study habits, become healthier, or step out of your comfort zone. If there are specific things you need to do — such as apply for an internship, find a better source of income, or search for scholarships to make your education more affordable — request all the information you need before you leave. 7. Celebrate Finally, take time to appreciate the hard work you’ve put in this semester and acknowledge everything you’ve achieved. Spend time with friends — you’re sure to miss them over the break — and go to some campus events now you have a bit more time. The end of the semester, when you’re less preoccupied with classes and other commitments, is also the perfect time to reconsider your student housing. You may have moved into dorms originally for the convenience, but you’ve now found that it may not be the best option after all. You can find rooms for rent in Kingston, Ontario, at Foundry Mack. All the suites are equipped with modern furnishings and appliances, including a washer and dryer. Apply now to secure the lowest rates of the year.