Blog Posts

8 Tips for Throwing a University Friendsgiving-image

A great alternative to heading home for Thanksgiving is to hold a Friendsgiving at university. This is just like a regular Thanksgiving celebration — in that you eat delicious food and you’re surrounded by people you care about. However, you can host one whenever you want and you have more freedom as to the menu. Here are some tips to make it an event everyone will enjoy.    1. Have a Potluck   Take the pressure off the host by sharing the cooking among all the attendees. Make sure everyone coordinates what they’re bringing to have a variety of dishes.   2. Think About the Drinks You’ll Serve   If any of the guests invited to the party prefer not to cook, you can always assign them drinks duty. In addition to the classic choices of beer and wine, you could serve cocktails (or alcohol-free “mocktails”) or a hot drink like warm cider.   3. Offer a Selection of Desserts   Ask a few people to bring a dessert to have various options at the end of the meal. Pie is always a top choice, but cookies are great if people are already quite full from the main course.   4. Consider Chicken Instead of Turkey   It can be challenging to cook turkey if you’ve never attempted it before. Plus, the size of your oven may be a restriction. A better option could be to serve chicken, since it’s faster, easier, and more versatile to cook.   5. Get Experimental   Show off your creativity by putting a personal spin on a traditional dish. Your options are limitless — although some are likely tastier than others. If you want to prepare a dish you’ve never made before, it may be worth doing a trial run. That way, you can taste it yourself before sharing your creation with others. In fact, this is a good practice even if you’re making something traditional, just to ensure you know what you’re doing.   6. Make Sure You Have Sufficient Dishes and Utensils   Something that’s easy to overlook at your first large gathering is the need for more plates, utensils, and glasses than you likely have in your apartment. You may need to coordinate with a couple people to ensure you have enough. Don’t forget the serving spoons!   7. Set a Start Time   Unlike with other parties, guests shouldn’t arrive fashionably late for a Friendsgiving . If everyone arrives at the same time, you can start eating immediately when the dishes are at their best. However, any guests who want to put finishing touches on their dishes at your place should arrive a little before the official start time.   8. Keep the Oven Hot for When Guests Arrive   You’ll most likely need to reheat several of your guests’ dishes. If your oven is already hot, you’ll be able to do this in a minimal amount of time.   To host your next Friendsgiving, you’ll need to live in an apartment that’s large enough to accommodate all your friends and that has a full-size kitchen. For University of Waterloo housing that ticks all the boxes, there’s MyRez . Book a video tour to explore where you could be living.  

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How to Be an Eco-Friendly Student-image

University is a great time to become eco-friendly because you have more control over your lifestyle than you’ve likely ever had before. Being eco-friendly means paying attention to all the decisions you make — large and small — which can involve a huge range of activities. Start with just a few changes and build up gradually with these ideas.   1. Use a Bike   Whenever possible, ditch the car and go by bike. If you don’t have one already, you can purchase a secondhand bike. Alternatively, you may be able to join a bike-share program. Biking is a great way to exercise, it’s relaxing, and it’s an option when your destination is a little too far to walk.   2. Reuse Water Bottles and Coffee Cups   Drinking plenty of water throughout the day is a great practice, but you’ll add to your carbon footprint if you’re always purchasing this water. You can save money and become more eco-friendly by carrying a bottle with you wherever you go. Just be sure to purchase a reusable one rather than refilling a disposable bottle — it will last longer and it’s more hygienic, since disposal bottles are not intended for reuse.   Similarly, if you buy coffee most days, it’s worth investing in a reusable coffee cup. You may even receive a discount for bringing your own mug, especially if you buy your coffee on campus. For a lightweight, extra eco-friendly option , look for a cup made of bamboo fibres .   3. Save Water   There are multiple ways you can save water, but the most significant tends to be showering, since this uses a huge amount of water every minute. If you take particularly long showers, you may like to start timing yourself and regularly cutting down by a minute.   You can also save water on laundry by only washing full loads (although using cold water is the most eco-friendly tactic of all). Finally, turn off the water while you’re brushing your teeth.   4. Reduce Clothing Waste   It can be tempting to buy a piece of clothing because it appeals in the moment, but it isn’t a sustainable option if you only wind up wearing it once. Think carefully before purchasing anything. For a piece of clothing to be an eco-friendly choice, you should wear it at least 30 times. If you struggle with this ( perhaps you often find something that looks great in the store, but you find you dislike it later), buy secondhand clothing. Furthermore, instead of throwing out clothing you no longer want, donate it. You could even organize clothing exchanges with other students.   5. Turn Off the Lights   Get into the habit of turning off the lights whenever you leave a room and check all the lights are off before you leave your apartment. It’s particularly important to turn off lights in the summer because they can contribute to heat and cause you to use more energy cooling your apartment.   6. Eat More Vegetarian Meals   Many people never try being vegetarian because they feel it would be impossible to go without meat. Even so, this doesn’t mean you can’t reduce your meat consumption. After all, there’s no need to have meat with every meal — there are plenty of delicious and filling vegetarian meals you can try. You may like to start out by eating just vegetarian food one day a week and gradually increase to more days. If you replace meat with vegetables and grains, you’ll improve your diet as well as reducing greenhouse ga s emissions.   It’s easier to be eco-friendly when you live near campus and prepare most of your own meals. For UWaterloo off-campus housing, there’s MyRez. It’s a short walk from campus, you can buy what you need for meals on site at the Avenue C grocery market, and there’s a place to safely store your bike. Book a video tour to check out the apartments and onsite amenities.  

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Easy Slow Cooker Recipes to Try in Your Student Apartment-image

A slow cooker is an essential cooking tool for all college students. You simply add the ingredients, leave it running for a few hours (perhaps while you’re in class or studying), and return to a delicious meal. The possibilities for recipes are endless, but here are some options that are simple, nutritious, and tasty.   1. Baked Potatoes   Possibly the easiest recipe of all for your slow cooker is baked potatoes. Russet potatoes are ideal, although anything with a thick skin will work. Wash the potatoes thoroughly, dry them, and pierce them with a fork. Then, sprinkle on some salt and wrap each in aluminum foil. They’ll take eight hours to cook on a low heat and four to five on a high heat. They’re ready as soon as they feel soft.   Once your potatoes are baked, all they need is a topping. Some great choices include shredded cheese, green onions, and sour cream.   2. Hawaiian Chicken   Another particularly easy recipe is Hawaiian chicken. Cover your slow cooker in nonstick spray and place a few pieces of boneless chicken inside. Drain a can of crushed pineapple, mix the fruit with twice as much barbeque sauce, and then pour everything over the chicken. It will be cooked after three to four hours on a high heat and six to eight hours on a low heat. Complete the meal by serving the chicken over rice.   3. Honey Garlic Chicken   Another way to cook chicken is with honey and garlic. Prepare your slow cooker in the same way as above. Then, mix together ⅓ cup of soy sauce, ⅓ cup of honey, two tablespoons of tomato paste, two teaspoons of chili paste, one tablespoon of rice vinegar, and four cloves of garlic (minced). This is enough for at least half a kilo of chicken. Cook everything for four to five hours on low heat or two to three hours on high heat. It’s best if half way through you can flip the chicken over.   4. Spicy Chili   Warm up in the winter with some spicy chili. Start by frying some ground turkey, beef, or a vegetarian alternative. Cook on medium heat until the meat has browned and then add it to your slow cooker along with a can of diced tomatoes, a can of kidney beans, a can of black beans, and a packet of chili seasoning. You can also add a diced jalapeño if you want to add some extra spice. Leave it to cook on a low heat for three to four hours.   5. Baked Ziti or Penne   You can even cook pasta in a slow cooker — ziti or penne are top choices, but other short pasta will do. This recipe calls for pasta sauce, but you can always buy some ready made . Add it to the slow cooker with enough water or broth for the amount of pasta you’re cooking, a can of diced tomatoes, and a little dried basil and dried parsley. You can also add your choice of meat: ground beef, turkey, or Italian sausage are ideal. Fry the meat with one onion until it is browned, then add a clove of garlic and l eave it to cook for one more minute.   Cook all of the above ingredients for six hours on a low temperature or three hours on a high temperature. Then, add the pasta and cook it on high for another 15 minutes. Check to see if the pasta is done at this point — it may need up to 30 minutes more depending on the temperature your slow cooker reaches. To serve, sprinkle some cheese on top and wait for it to melt before you dig in.   To benefit from a slow cooker, you’ll need a decent kitchen in your student housing. Waterloo students receive a large kitchen equipped with modern appliances when they live at MyRez. Plus, you’ll only be sharing with four other students. Check out the apartments by booking a video tour.  

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Benefits of Starting a Study Group-image

If you get easily bored or exhausted when studying alone, the alternative is for you to join a study group. Aside from improving your study habits, there are other benefits you can get when you join a group.     Prevent procrastination.     Procrastination is an easy trap to fall into if you study alone at your student housing. Waterloo has a lot of sights and sounds to offer to students, so if you get easily distracted and you’re the type to delay everything to the last minute, joining a study group can help.     You’ll be forced to study at a set time, and be held accountable by the members of your group. So aside from learning about the topic, you also get to improve your time management skills.     Absorb information quickly.     If you didn't understand something in class, chances are somebody from your group can explain it for you. You can review the material, exchange ideas, and disagree with one another, which makes you learn faster and gain a better understanding of the topic.     Make learning fun.       Studying on your own can become monotonous and boring. Having people around you while studying is a great way to liven things up, and also makes the entire process more enjoyable.           Learn new study habits.      The reason why you’re struggling could be because you’re stuck in your old ways. By joining a study group, you can observe your group mates, see their methods, and incorporate them into your own regimen.     For example, you may have noticed that some of your classmates use color-coding and mindmapping while studying. If you’re a visual learner, these techniques could be very effective .     Get a fresh perspective.     S olo learning brings just one perspective to the table, while a study group gives you the chance to delve deeper into a topic, share ideas, have debates, and most importantly, learn from each other.     Compare class notes.     Note taking can be challenging, especially if your professor talks too fast. With a study group, you can compare notes with other members to fill in the gaps and to see if you missed something during the lecture.      Refine your people skills.       Attending a class can sometimes feel like a one-way street. The professor does all the talking, while you sit still and listen to what they have to say. A group study can improve your social skills because you get to interact with different personalities. By working with your peers, you learn to listen closely, ask questions, and accept different points of view.     At times, it can be difficult to ask a question in front of the  class , but you might find it easier to do so within a smaller audience. Developing these soft skills will help once you enter the corporate world.     Gain a support system.      It can be hard to reach out to friends and family who are not going through the same thing as you. But with a study group, you have an instant support system to provide you with motivation and morale support.     Every university student should try to join a study group to see if a group environment can help make them a better student .       

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How to Have a Good Relationship with Your Professors-image

It’s important that you establish rapport not only with your classmates, but also with your professors. They can enhance your undergraduate experience and provide you with glowing letters of recommendation. They’re also renowned experts in your desired field, so you can use this connection to know more about the industry you want to get into. Most of them also have connections to potential employers, which could be useful once you graduate .            At this point in your life, you’ll also need a mentor who will ensure you’re on the right track to the career you want for the future. Usually, the first person that comes to mind for mentorship is one of your professors.     But if you’re the shy type who typically sits at the back of class, here are some tips on how you can establish a relationship with your professors .         Participate in class.     This might be obvious, but active participation scores major brownie points. You know that awkward part near the end of class where your professor asks if anyone has questions, and no one answers because they’re all raring to go?     Raise your hand, but don't ask questions just for the sake of asking them. Ask thoughtful questions that show you’ve been listening .         Learn more about them.      You can visit the official university website to read up on your professors’ bios, or google their official website to know more about their specialty work, research, and publications.     It’s one thing to check their official bios, and another thing to stalk their social media profiles. What if you accidentally liked an old IG post, or let it slip that you saw their socials in one of your conversations? This could get awkward .       Take advantage of office hours.     Professors have office hours so they can talk to students outside of class. So instead of spending free time in student apartments, Waterloo students can use these office hours to inquire about a topic discussed in class, to clarify a recent grade, or even just to say hi.     People love to talk about themselves, so this would also be a good time to ask what is rewarding about their field, or what advice they would give to an undergraduate like you. You can also talk about your own personal goals and ask for advice on how to achieve them.     Keep things official, unless they would be the first to bring the conversation on a more personal level. Make an appointment instead of just dropping by , arrive on time, and be mindful of time constraints.     Do the extra credit.      Completing the extra credit will show that you really like the class, and gives you a buffer in case you scored low on an exam or didn't do well on an assignment.      Stay in touch.      Once the semester has ended, you can stay in touch by sending a quick email or asking to connect via LinkedIn. You can update them with your internships, or simply thank them for their role in your accomplishments .       Strike while the iron is hot and ask for that recommendation once you’ve passed their class, and not six months after. Because let’s get real for a moment here: your professors routinely meet new faces , and they won’t remember you as well as you’d remember them.     Remember that professors are people, too! They want you to succeed as much as you do, so don't hesitate to approach them. Learn to ask for help, and make yourself known. This will benefit your career in the long run .  

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