Residences vs. Off Campus Student Housing Part 3 - On Campus Traditional Style Dorms

Now you may be thinking that I have forgotten about traditional dormitory style residences. If you really want to go and experience what it's like to live in a dorm, then go ahead. Personally, I find that it is over hyped and a terrible living situation to be in. From experience, it is actually very inconvenient way of living. Imagine, taking a shower when suddenly someone walks into the washroom and has the worse stomach ache ever. Not only will you have the liberty to bask in the smell and all its glory but you'll have a rare opportunity to enjoy the ensuing symphony of human excreta make contact with a shallow pool of water. 

And what about food? The mandatory money grabbing meal plan... Yeah sure, everything is 50% off but that's only because they take half of what you paid for your meal plan away immediately, so you only get to spend half of what you paid. Now, what once may have seemed like an amazing discount is nothing more than a lie.

I really don't like eating on campus, especially at the cafeteria. I'll admit to going to the coffee shops around campus though. They are really convenient if you only want a hot drink and a pastry for a reasonable price. Everything is just so expensive, small in size/portion, and lacking in flavour. Plus, if you check the nutritional values of what they serve, you might actually be better off going to McDonalds and eating there everyday, which could be "meh" at best if you count calories and make smart choices. Everything they serve is just so loaded with fat, grease, sodium, and sugar. Instead of buying lunch/dinner on campus, you're better off walking over to the plaza. The plaza generally have better quality food, more selection, and better deals.

University of Waterloo has two traditional style residences (not including the colleges, since I have never been to any of those, I can't comment on them other than it is still cheaper to live off campus than in one of those colleges), Ron Eydt Village (REV) and Village 1 (V1). At V1, you have your own room with a desk and a bed and have communal washrooms. REV is similar to V1, the only difference being is that these are double rooms, so everything is doubled and you have to share the room with someone. So, V1 has more privacy than REV. 

Here's a tip, avoid living in REV at all costs. My friend used to live there and he said everyone there would be smoking weed all of the time. He used to get high in his room just from the second hand smoke. If you care about your marks and, most importantly, your health and lungs, don't live in REV. If you do end up in REV, speak your don about switching into another residence as soon as possible.

V1 is a lot more tame in comparison to REV. You can get work done in your room or in the study areas without getting disturbed generally speaking. The lobby area, where the cafeteria, recreation area, study rooms, and front desk are, is often packed with people, so that could be a great place to meet new friends. If you really want to live in a traditional style dorm and want to actually be able to get work done and study, then pick V1.

Part 1: Here

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Working Out and Exercising

The best way to avoid the "Freshman 15," where students gain at least 15 pounds, is to have a balanced and healthy lifestyle by eating healthy whole foods and getting exercise regularly. Exercising can be in the form of walking to class instead of taking the bus or going to the gym regularly. My focus will be on working out and exercising.

Since it is currently winter and freezing cold outside, it was almost -40 degrees Celsius with windchill today, I personally try to go to the gym regularly and avoid walking and running outside. However, during the Fall and Spring semesters, I will try to get in some cardio by either walking or running to and from campus if I have the time to.

When I go to the gym, I do my thing and work on strengthening and conditioning myself. I get into my zone and get the workout done safely and as fast as possible. It is important to have a plan and a workout planned out for the next 30 minutes to 2 hours. Is it leg day? Bench? Deadlifts? Squats? Know what you have to do, what weight you will start off at and work up to, how many sets, and how many reps so that you're not standing around looking for what to do next. You want to move from one exercise to the next quickly. You want to keep your heart rate up and your blood pumping. Most importantly, know your limit, stop if something isn't right, don't hesitate to ask for help,  and you don't want this to be your last workout ever. A small injury can set you back months of progress and cause problems for you in the future. I really like the statements posted in Columbia Ice Field (CIF) above the mirrors, they are a constant reminder for patrons to stay safe so that they can return another workout the following day.

I really like going to the gym, I can pop my earbuds in and isolate myself from everyone else and think with a clear mind, or I can meet new people, it really depends on my mood on what I end up doing. It is a great atmosphere as everyone is working towards a similar goal and its a great way to decompress all that stored up stress and anger for this and that course.

Something you see a lot of people at the gym using are supplements. They may be drinking their pre-workout, protein shake, or a concoction of multiple supplements. I personally stick with protein shakes most of the time before and after a workout. I have used creatine, BCAAs, and pre-workouts but nothing really beats the versatility and simplicity of a good ole protein shake. Also, I am kind of lazy too, I've been forgetting to buy more creatine and BCAAs. :) I usually stock up on whey protein powder since I often use them as meal replacements as well. So, if I am coding all night and I miss a meal, I'd shake up a protein shake and drink that instead of heading over to McDonalds or to the pizza parlour. If I am in a rush in the morning, I'd pop 2 scoops into my shaker bottle and shake up a protein shake that would last me all morning until noon to just after 1 PM or so.

The 2 most popular types of whey protein powder are concentrate and isolate. The main differences between the two are the speed at which the body absorbs either and the percentage of protein by mass. Isolates take more processing to make than concentrates and due to the process which they make whey protein, isolates are absorbed by your body faster than concentrates would be. Also, isolates are at least 90% protein per gram, that is, at least 27g of protein per 30 g serving of whey protein isolate. Whereas, concentrates are about 80% protein per gram, that is, about 24 g of protein per 30 g serving.

I typically stick with concentrates since they are a lot cheaper than isolates and I time when I drink my shake so that my body can and will process the protein when it needs it.

I recommend avoiding the big name brands like ON Gold Standard since they are way too over priced. Last I checked, ON Gold Standard whey protein concentrate was about $80 to $100 plus tax for 5 lb I think. I order my whey protein here, CanadianProtein.com, they ship from Windsor, Ontario I believe and have free shipping for orders over $99. It took me about 2 business days to receive my order here in Waterloo. I bought three 5 lb packages of whey protein concentrate for just under $40 each, so my total came out to just under $120 plus taxes. They also have bulk protein powder in 25 lb and 45 lb packaging, perfect for sharing with your roommates. Each pound is about 15 servings which works out to about $0.53 per serving for the 5 lb bags and even less for the bulk packages.

Whey protein powder that I use: www.canadianprotein.com

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Questions and Answers #2

Q: Hi, I go to <Insert Institution> and I have an <Insert GPA/Average> GPA/Average. <Insert Additional Information> What are my chances of getting into <Program X>?

A: Don't hesitate to send me an email with all of the details and I will respond as soon as I get the chance to with and informed guess. However, I am only a student, I am not a member of the administrative team at the University of Waterloo. Therefore, what I say can be absolutely useless and wrong or spot on or in between. Take what I tell you pertaining to your chances of getting in and etc. with a grain of salt. What I am certain of is that I can give you a good idea of what first/second/etc year was like for me and what I had to do in course X.

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Questions and Answers #1

Q: Hi,

I would definitely like to apply to CompSci but I'll be doing that next year. I also wanted to get into Software Engineering at Waterloo but I've heard that insanely hard to get into. I just had a couple questions about the program though.

What average did you have to get accepted? Where did you get compsci experience? Is it easy to find a co op placements in places such as Google, Amazon etc?

Thanks

A: Yeah, getting into Software Engineering will be much harder since the class size itself is much smaller than Computer science I believe. My average was about low to mid 90's. Personally, I didn't start programming until grade 10 and from there, most of the stuff I have done have been for academic purposes, so assignments and projects. I have done some small size side projects just to try stuff out. A lot of what I learned was mostly self taught since my computer science classes in high school were extremely slow so I would never be prepared for any contests had I just went and rode along with the curriculum.

I also applied to software engineering. I personally don't want to have long hours every day in lectures, labs, and tutorials. Also, I don't really want to take chemistry and don't know how it relates to programming.

Co-op placements can be hard or easy. It really depends on your personal skills, your experience, your application, and how you sell yourself. Getting a job at one of the big tech companies is everyone's dream. Who wouldn't want to experience life at Google or Amazon or Facebook? The last posting for co-op jobs had over 300, close to 400 I believe, applicants fighting over 10 positions at Google's various campuses, so there is competition and it won't be easy to be one of those 10 chosen students.

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Residences vs. Off Campus Student Housing Part 2 - Off-campus Housing

Often, when I ask incoming freshmen why they choose to live in residence, they respond that on-campus housing is cheaper and it will save them money. This is actually false since getting a place off campus similar to what you would get at UWP, MKV, or CLV will cost you just over $400 to $500 a month, plus applicable utilities. This works out to about $1600 to $2000 a semester or $3200 to $4000 for 2 semesters, plus applicable utilities. This is still cheaper than the cheapest residence on campus, CLV, which would cost you just under $5700 for the 2015-2016 school year and and expect this price to appreciate again for the upcoming years by about $200 to $300 a year.

I have seen places along Lester, Albert, and King. Each will run you about $650 to $800 per month, plus applicable utilities. Many places include utilities in the rent or have a monthly flat rate.

Places on Lester and Albert are mostly 5 room apartments with 2 washrooms, a kitchen, and a living and dining room. These usually have little to no amenities but are really close to campus. Buildings on or near King, like Luxe, 1 Columbia, and Sage, have 5 room apartments with ensuite washrooms, and the usual living room, dining room, and kitchen. These places are mostly newer and generally do have a gym, recreation room, and theatre but are also farther away from campus.

Personally, I like living off campus a lot more. I love having an ensuite washroom. I don't have to clean someone else's filth, I can take a shower whenever I want, when I gotta then I will go (if you know what I'm saying :) ) and there wouldn't be any competition, and if you have roommates who love having friends over, there isn't that awkward moment of wondering who just came out of your washroom. My room is about 3 times the size of the room I had in CLV, I have a double size bed, space to roll around in my chair, enough space to fit another 2 desks in my room, and if I really wanted to, I could go days without leaving my room at all and stay hygienic or isolate myself from society completely and survive for as long as my supply of food will last me. To get a decent workout, all I need to do is take a short elevator ride to the gym. If my mates and I want to watch a movie together, we can take another elevator ride to the in house theatre and watch our movies off our phones or laptop on the big screen or even bring a console. I also have an amazing view over Waterloo. Oh, and did I mention that my place has a standalone HVAC system in each unit and a dishwasher, no stacks on stacks of dirty dishes waiting to be washed. Just stick it all into the dishwasher and you get nice clean dishes with little to no effort in about an hour.

Plus, with the stupid lottery system in Waterloo's residences, who knows what kind of hell you might be getting yourself in. You could potentially get into the most sought after Mackenzie King Village suite style residence or not. When you choose to live off campus, you at least you have a decent idea of what your room will be like and know where you will be living.

Part 1: Here
Part 3: Here

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