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5 Tools That Make University Life Easier

In this digital age, university students have far more tools at their disposal than the classic notebooks, highlighters, and flashcards. Whereas all these traditional tools are still useful, you’ll make your life at university much easier if you also invest in a few basic gadgets. 1. Noise-Cancelling Headphones It makes sense to fit in some studying whenever you have a few minutes to spare. However, this is often easier said than done. If you’re unable to make it back to your apartment (or even to the campus library), you may need to sit down anywhere you can find, such as in a crowded coffee shop or the cafeteria. All the noise around you can be distracting — but you can block it out if you have noise-cancelling headphones. If it helps you to focus, play music; otherwise, experiment with white, pink, and brown no ise. 2. Digital Notebook Buying a notebook for each class along with plenty of pens and pencils can lead to clutter — not to mention, you’ll need to carry everything around with you all day. A digital notebook will allow you to keep all your notes in one place and to organize them even more effectively. Plus, you’ll be able to review your notes, spend time on homework, and check other information you’ve jotted down whenever you want. 3. Phone Charging Case Your phone battery is unlikely to last a full day when you’re out and about . However, it can be inconvenient trying to find somewhere to charge it — and there’s always the risk you’ll forget your charger at home. Keeping your phone in a charging case solves this problem, as you can top it up at the click of a button as soon as it starts running low. 4. Fitness Tracker It’s easy to fall into unhealthy habits at university, even though you have many opportunities to stay fit. You should find that having a fitness tracker keeps you disciplined. Depending on the model and the settings you choose, your fitness tracker can count the calories you’ve burned and set goals for each day, remind you to stand up and move around at regular intervals, draw your attention to your mental health, and even push you to take screen breaks or divide your study time into smaller chunks. 5. Laptop Cooling Mat Using your laptop for high-power tasks can make it overheat, which can cause permanent hardware damage. Your laptop may even shut itself down for protection, forcing you to stop using it for a few minutes. To prevent everything from inconvenience to broken components, make sure your laptop stays the right temperature by using a cooling mat. You’ll then be able to use it for long periods without limitations. All the above can make a difference to your life at university, but it’s the big things that matter the most — like housing. Search for an apartment where you’ll have your own space, be comfortable, and have access to a range of great amenities. For Waterloo student housing that ticks all the boxes, there’s myREZ . You’ll be living just steps from campus in a spacious, fully-furnished suite that comes with in-suite laundry. There are also large study spaces and a games room on site. Book a tour to see it for yourself.

Gifts Under $30 for Everyone on Your List

The holiday season can easily push you to the limits of your budget when you have many people on your gift list. The good news is it’s possible to find items friends and family members will definitely appreciate for under $30. All you need is a little inspiration. 1. Bluetooth Speaker Anyone can benefit from a bluetooth speaker. It’s ideal for playing music when friends are over and listening to podcasts while doing chores. Prices have come down considerably since bluetooth speakers first hit the market, meaning you can now find a high-quality model for less than $30. 2. Fragrance Sampler Who doesn’t love receiving perfume as a gift? The difficulty can be choosing the right scent. The solution is a fragrance sampler. Since it has several perfumes in one box, the recipient is sure to love at least a few of them — you even may help someone discover a new favourite scent. 3. Makeup Brushes It’s important to replace makeup brushes now and again, as they eventually become worn, damaged, and unhygienic. Give someone you care about a well-deserved upgrade with a selection of new brushes. 4. Candles A candle can be comforting during the cold, dark winter evenings. Search for a unique scent that will forever make the recipient think of you. 5. Beanie Stylish and practical, a beanie is another ideal winter gift. Particularly fashionable this year are those in cable knit with pom-poms. 6. Portable Air Purifier A top gift idea for those who want to improve their health is an air purifier. Portable models are particularly inexpensive and enable recipients to take them anywhere. This is an especially great choice for someone who lives in a big city where there may be high levels of pollution. 7. Spice Blends If you have someone in your life who loves to cook or who would like to experiment with more new flavours , some traditional spice blends could be the perfect gift. It should encourage the recipient to try out some new recipes — and maybe you’ll be invited to a meal! 8. Mug A gift idea that’s inexpensive and easy to personalize is a mug. Find a design you know will resonate with the recipient or even print your own design. 9. Paint By Sticker Having a simple craft to do can be an ideal way to relax on a lazy weekend. A new trend is paint by sticker — it’s like paint by numbers but much less messy. The result is a masterpiece that will look great on the wall of any student’s bedroom. 10. UNO Cards UNO is simple enough for kids, but it never gets boring, even as an adult. Find a novelty set for a friend and you’ll be able to play together when you have nothing else to do. Purchasing less expensive gifts is just one way you can reduce expenses. Another is to move into a more affordable alternative to student residence. Waterloo has a student community at myREZ . With your own bedroom in a fully-furnished apartment, an in-suite laundry machine, and blazing fast WiFi , you’ll also be much more comfortable than you were living on campus. Book a tour to check out the facilities before you sign a lease.

How to Manage End-of-Year Stress

Although the end of the year should be a time to look forward to, it definitely brings its share of stress. This is especially true for students — you need to balance studying for finals with holiday parties and other seasonal events, make travel plans to return home to your family, and purchase gifts, which could stretch your budget thin. No matter what’s stressing you this year, there are things you can do to feel better. 1. Set Some Rules for Yourself Self-discipline can go a long way toward beating stress. This means setting rules for yourself and making sure you stick to them. These rules could relate to your budget for gifts, sticking to a study schedule, or living a healthy lifestyle even when temptations abound. 2. Eat a Balanced Diet Key to staying healthy is eating well. Gaining most of your calories from whole grains, vegetables, and high-protein foods will keep you energized for longer, which will ensure you can cope with any challenges that crop up. In addition, a diet rich in vitamins and minerals can improve your sleep quality. 3. Sleep Enough Of course, you’ll need to put in the effort to ensure you sleep enough — simply eating a balanced diet won’t automatically lead to longer nights in bed. The best thing to do is set a bedtime and wake-up time and make sure you stick to them, at least on weekdays. Only when your body is able to recover from all the activities of the day are you able to manage your stress. In addition, sleeping enough will keep your immune system strong, which is particularly important when you’re feeling rundown, as this make s you more prone to illness. 4. Make Time for Yourself It’s easy to forget to take time for yourself at the end of the year. With classes, exams, clubs, and social engagements, you may have a full schedule. All this can become exhausting and may mean you miss out on doing the things you enjoy the most. Remind yourself it’s fine to turn down some invitations for a quiet night in or a weekend on your own enjoying your hobbies. Go for a nature walk, read a book for pleasure, or finish a craft — whatever brings you joy. You should find you feel refreshed and stress free after just a few hours. 5. Schedule Short Breaks In addition to scheduling long periods of time for the activities you enjoy, fit short breaks into every day. For instance, after studying for an hour, it’s a good idea to stand up and move around. You could even go for a short walk, do some stretches, or fit in a quick workout. An important way to manage your stress is to have an apartment where you feel at home. An alternative to University of Waterloo housing is myREZ . You’ll be able to relax in your private, fully-furnished bedroom, prepare for finals in one of the WiFi study spaces, or stay fit with a visit to our onsite fitness and yoga studio. Contact us for a lease now and you could be living here next holiday season.

What to Do When You’re Homesick at University

Almost all students feel homesick when they go away to university. It’s logical — you’re suddenly away from everyone you know in a new city with a new life. It’s even common to feel homesick again when you return to university after going home for the holidays. The good news is these feelings tend to subside with the following coping strategies. Know What to Expect It’s important to be able to identify that what you’re feeling is homesickness and understand why you’re feeling this way. Homesickness is a type of grief: you’re mourning that you are unable to be around familiar faces, which creates a sense of loss. In addition to missing tangible things — like people, places, and pets — you likely also miss the sense of belonging and your regular routine. Underlying all this is insecurity due the unknown and unpredictable. Remember That You’re Not Alone Since homesickness is so widespread, you can be sure that most of the people you meet are feeling the same way. Plus, you should bear in mind that high school friends who went to different universities are likely feeling homesick. You may be uncomfortable talking about your feelings with people you’ve just met, but you can always check in with these old friends and vent. Many will be glad you did reach out, as it will help them feel less alone, too. Start Routines and Traditions Embrace the opportunity to create a new routine that works for you. Start by figuring out what incentivizes you to get up in the morning — perhaps a hot cup of coffee or a gentle stretching sequence. In addition, adapt traditions from home or start new ones. This could be as simple as preparing a particular dish on the same evening every week or scheduling a video call with a loved one at a certain time during the weekend. Explore the Area Spend time every day familiarizing yourself with your surroundings. You’ll feel more at home if you’re acquainted with all the buildings on campus. Plus, you can discover some spots to become your go-to places, such as a coffee shop, park, or particular area of the library that has the best seating. Make Friends Your homesickness will dissipate sooner if you start building a group of friends. Although the first people you meet may not end up being your closest friends, what matters is that you begin forming connections. Take advantage of all the opportunities you have to meet people, such as events on campus, clubs, and study groups with classmates. Find Counselling Services Long-lasting or intense homesickness can increase any anxiety or depression you’re already experiencing. Most universities offer some kind of support to students, such as counselling. If you’re unable to cope on your own, remember that these services are for students just like you — don’t be afraid to ask for help. You’re less likely to experience homesickness for an extended period of time when you have a home you love. Most people find on-campus housing uncomfortable — not least because you have no privacy — and prefer to live in student apartments. Waterloo students can find a place to call home at MyRez. You’ll have a room in a suite where you can retreat whenever you want to be alone, and there are plenty of options when you want company, including our games room and a fitness and yoga studio. Apply now to be mat ched with like-minded roommates.

Ideas for Starting a Side Hustle at University

Whether you need extra money to maintain the lifestyle you want during university or you want to explore what the business world has to offer, a side hustle is an excellent endeavor to consider. You’ll also learn entrepreneurial skills that you can use after you graduate and gain valuable work experience you can add to your resume. Options for a side hustle are almost limitless, although some ideas stand out as being the best. 1. App Development Identify a problem you and many other students face every day for which there is currently no solution. Then, provide the solution through an app. There’s no need to be a web developer to turn your idea into reality — all you need is an app builder and your app can be available on the Apple Store and Google Play in no time. 2. House Moving With a large vehicle and a small team of physically fit students to help, you can start a moving service. After you’ve paid for gas, all the money you charge to clients goes to profits. 3. Tutoring Put the hours you spent studying to do well in your classes toward more than just good grades: tutor students who are taking those same classes now. Tutoring services are always in demand at universities, and you can provide the service right from campus. 4. Photography If you’ve taken any photography classes at college and you own some decent equipment, you can start a photography business. Options include taking portraits and headshots, selling photos you take at events to local news outlets, and creating stock photos to sell to online platforms. 5. Fitness Classes The perfect side hustle for student athletes is to offer group exercise classes. You could start out with weekly sessions, but if you gain enough interest, you may be able to run classes every morning or evening. If you’re able to gather a large enough group, you’ll only need to charge each person a small amount to see big returns. 6. Used Goods Head to thrift stores and flea markets on weekends to look for deals. Select a niche you know well — perhaps fashion or collectibles — and sell whatever you find through an online store. 7. Home Cleaning A particularly scalable side hustle is house cleaning. If you end up with more clients than you can handle yourself, simply recruit other students to help you. Almost anyone can clean houses — you just need basic cleaning equipment, reliable transportation, and an eye for detail. 8. Organic Produce If your university is in a big city (which most are), options for local, organic produce are likely limited . Reach out to farmers in the surrounding area and buy in bulk to sell to your own customers at a markup. You could even create organic produce boxes that you deliver to customers on a weekly basis. Working a side hustle may mean you need plenty of space, or you may just prefer to have a private room to return to at the end of a long day. In either case, you’ll need to find something other than an on-campus student residence. Waterloo students can find spacious apartments at MyRez. We offer perks like fast WiFi , an onsite grocery market, and a roommate matching service to pair you with likeminded people. Book a video tour to check out our student housing for yourself.

How to Reconnect with Your Family While You’re Home on Break

When you’re away from university, it’s common to feel homesick and look forward to being back with your family for the holidays. However, it’s also common for all the old conflicts to surface almost as soon as you set foot in your family home. Plus, your parents and any younger siblings will now have routines that don’t involve you — and the last thing you want is for your presence to feel disruptive. To make your stay at home an enjoyable one, take the following steps to reconnect with your family. 1. Fit Around Them While your family members will be happy that you’re home, you can’t expect them to change their schedules to suit you. All this time at university has taught you plenty about being independent — apply it now to staying in your family home. 2. Follow Your Parents’ Rules Of course, there will be limits to your independence at home. You may have almost complete freedom while at university, but you need to follow your parents’ rules when you’re back under their roof. These rules could include how late you can stay out, who you can invite over, and what chores you need to do. This may be a difficult transition at first, but it will ultimately mean that your stay is much more enjoyable for everyone involved. 3. Spend Time with Your Family It’s easy for the holidays to pass only for you to realize that you’ve spent almost no time with your family. You’ll want to see all the friends who went to different universities, and there’ll be plenty of events keeping your family busy. However, you’ll miss out on a great opportunity to reconnect if you fail to schedule time to do things with your parents and siblings. Make sure you dedicate at least a couple days for quality time together. 4. Find Ways to Get Involved After the initial excitement of seeing everyone (and once you’ve caught up on some well-needed rest), you may find yourself getting bored at home. Your parents will definitely appreciate it if you volunteer to help out around the house and with other tasks. Perhaps you could run to the store for last-minute holiday supplies, pick up a young sibling who’s too young to drive, or put your skills toward some home repairs. 5. Talk About Your Goals for the Future Your goals may have changed dramatically since you left for university, especially if your classes revealed opportunities you never knew existed or you discovered a new passion through an elective or extracurricular. Your parents are some of the best people to discuss your long-term goals with, since they know you well and have life experience. You may be able to ask them for advice about what to do next, to check your resume, or to introduce you to contacts within the field you want to enter. Since you live in your family home for only a fraction of the year when you’re at university, it’s extra important to have a place you can call home for the rest of the time. For off-campus University of Waterloo residence, you’ll find everything you need at MyRez. Feel at home with a private bedroom, onsite grocery market, and fast WiFi throughout the building. Book a video tour to check it out.