Blog Posts

How to Spend Winter Days in Durham College Student Housing

8 Ways to Spend Winter Days Even if you’re not a fan of the cold and are looking forward to when the days turn warm again, you have to admit that winter can be a great time of year. This is especially true while you’re at college because you’ll be surrounded by friends, meaning you’ll always have someone to hang out with. Plus, if you have your own room, you can use a cold winter day to relax or focus on yourself. In particular, there are a number of fun and productive ways to pass your winter days. 1. Enjoy the Snow Have an old-fashioned snow day with a snowball fight, sledding down a hill in a nearby park, or building snowmen. Make sure you wear plenty of layers to avoid feeling chilled later. 2. Rediscover the Joy of Reading College students often neglect reading for pleasure because they spend so much time with their textbooks. Pick up an old favourite or a book you’ve been meaning to read for a while to remind yourself of how reading can also be fun. This is a great way to escape reality while you forget about all your responsibilities. 3. Catch Up on Homework Don’t forget about your academics for too long, though. A winter day when you have no plans is ideal for making progress on some of your assignments. You’ll thank yourself later when you’re busy again. 4. Have a Movie Marathon If you can afford to take some time off or you just need a break, consider hosting a movie marathon. Stock up on snacks, invite some friends over, and pile the couch with blankets. You could watch old favourites, new releases, or stick to a theme. 5. Take a Nap Another way to rest and recover is with a nap. You should be at least trying to sleep enough each night, but sometimes it’s just not possible. Catch up on the sleep you’ve missed to recharge. 6. Clean Your Apartment Once you’re feeling refreshed, put that energy to good use by cleaning your apartment. While doing a load of laundry, you could declutter your desk, take out the trash, or do all the chores that fall to you that week. If you play some music or listen to a podcast while cleaning, it won’t even feel like much effort. 7. Video Chat with Your Friends or Family Check in with someone back home through a video call. You may realize weeks have passed since you had a proper chat with someone important in your life. 8. Do Some Baking Experiment with a new recipe for cookies or cupcakes to share with friends. You could enjoy your creations during a movie night, bring them to your next club meeting, or offer them to your roommates — this is sure to make you extra popular. You’ll have a better time during winters at college if you live close to other college students but also have your own space. An alternative to living on campus is to move into a student community. For Durham College student housing, there’s Foundry 1805. You’ll be able to meet new people in places like the wellness center and study rooms. Plus, when you want to spend time alone, you can retreat to your private or semi-private bedroom. Book a tour to see the suites and facilities for yourself.

Working in a Room for Rent: Oshawa Near OTU Remote Work Guide

A Guide to Finding the Best Remote Work Opportunities Searching for remote work can open up a huge number of opportunities for jobs while you’re still at university. You can work for a company based anywhere in the country (or the world), fit your job around other commitments like classes, and even continue working when you return home at the end of each semester. Despite the increase in remote work, though, it can be difficult to find the best opportunities. You need to know where to begin. 1. Search for Fully-Remote Positions Check job descriptions for indications the position is fully remote. Since some jobs may be categorized as remote when they’re actually hybrid, you need to read the wording in the job post carefully. 2. Consider Working with a Recruiter Working with a recruiter can help you filter out positions that are not right for you. As well as specifying you only want remote jobs, you can mention any other preferences you have. For instance, there may be certain times of day when you’re always unavailable or you may be looking for work in a particular field. 3. Ask at the Interview If you decide not to work with a recruiter and are unable to determine whether a particular job is remote from its description alone, make sure you ask at the interview. Some employers may be willing to make a job remote if they feel a candidate is a great fit and would carry out the work to a high standard without supervision. Bear in mind the interviewer may ask to hear your reasons for wanting to work remotely. You also need to make it clear how this setup would benefit the company. As well as talking about your need for flexibility, explain how the lack of a commute, better job satisfaction, and a greater work–life balance would result in higher productivity. 4. Decide if an In-Person or Hybrid Position Could Be Worthwhile You may find a job that sounds perfect for you — perhaps it’s part-time, involves interesting work, and would help you develop skills that will be useful after you graduate. However, the employer may want an in-person employee or only be willing to make the job a hybrid position. In this case, you need to decide how important it is for you to work remotely. If you’re unable to make the job fit around your classes, you’ll have to rule it out. However, if it comes with a number of perks that outweigh the downside of needing to commute to work, it may be worth considering. If you land a remote job, it’s crucial to have a quiet place where you can focus as well as a fast internet connection. Relying on the campus library or a café is no good because these places may not always be available. A far better option is to find student housing that offers everything you need. Consider a room for rent. Oshawa, near OTU, has Foundry 1805. You’ll be able to work comfortably in your private or semi-private bedroom and can take advantage of our high-speed internet. When you want a break, head to the onsite wellness centre or one of the restaurants just across the street. Book a tour now.

Tips for Touring Campus & Durham College Residence Options

8 Areas to Visit on a Campus Tour Taking a campus tour is crucial for helping you decide if you’d like to attend a particular college. To make the most of your tour, there are a few places you must make sure to visit. If they don’t form part of the official tour, go exploring on your own. 1. Facilities for Your Major It’s not enough to know that a college offers the major you want to study — you also need to check if the facilities are top class. Find out what kind of technology and equipment you’ll be using, check the class sizes, and see if you can imagine yourself studying there. 2. Areas for Extracurriculars When you’re not studying, you’ll often be participating in extracurriculars. In fact, social life at college is almost as important as earning your credential. Visit places on campus that hold meetings for clubs, activities, and unions. Depending on your hobbies, these could include the performing arts and sports facilities as well as the student center. 3. The Dining Area Have a meal on campus during your tour to try the food. While you’re in the dining hall, consider the atmosphere — this is a place where you’ll often be spending time with friends, whether to eat lunch or just to grab a coffee between classes. 4. The Career Center Although you won’t be thinking about your future career when you start college, it will become increasingly important as you near graduation. A career center with plenty of resources and supportive staff can make a big difference to how easily you’ll be able to connect with employers. In addition, the career center can help you find internships, practice your interview technique, and fine-tune your resume. 5. The Library The campus library is a top place to go when you’re studying and want a change of scenery. Check if it has comfortable places to sit, a wide selection of books and other resources, helpful librarians, and spots for group study sessions. 6. The Student Health Centre It’s important to know what kind of health care you’ll be able to receive on campus, including counseling services. Even if you’ve never suffered from mental health problems before, you may find you benefit from counseling at some point. College can be stressful — it’s always good to know you can turn to a professional with your worries and concerns. 7. Unique Features Every campus has something that makes it special. For instance, this could be a building with unique architecture, a statue, or a plaque. These features are great indicators of the institution’s values and culture. 8. The Surroundings You won’t want to spend your entire time at college on campus. Once you’ve finished your tour, explore the wider surroundings. See if there are interesting places to visit during the weekends and sites to show friends and family who come to visit. In addition, think about what kinds of activities you’d most enjoy. Living in a big city will give you access to museums, galleries, and restaurants, whereas a rural area will have more opportunities for outdoor pursuits like hiking, canoeing, and biking trails. You’ll likely see the dorms during your campus tour, but it’s important to remember you can also live off campus. An alternative to Durham College residence is Foundry 1805. You’ll be much more comfortable in our premier student housing than in a cramped dorm room: you’ll have a spacious suite with plenty of storage, updated appliances, and secure access. Plus, you’ll still be just steps from North Oshawa campus. Contact us to pay our student housing a visit on the same day as your campus tour.

6 Reasons to Get Out of Your OTU Residence & Enjoy the Outdoors

Why You Should Be Spending More Time Outdoors at University Most students have a fair amount of free time. Since you’re likely shut inside for many hours when in class or studying, an ideal way to use your free time is to go outdoors. The outdoors has so much to offer — from sports and hiking to a chance to connect with nature. Plus, you can enjoy activities on your own or with friends. Here are a few key reasons why you should be spending more time outdoors while you’re a student. 1. Few Responsibilities Other than your classes, extracurriculars, and perhaps a part-time job, you have relatively few responsibilities. As this is likely to change when you graduate and pursue a career, so take advantage of having minimal commitments now. 2. Long Breaks In addition to free time during the semester, you have long breaks. When you combine winter, spring, and summer breaks, you have many weeks of free time. These breaks are your opportunity to discover new activities that could become your hobbies for life. For instance, you could try skiing, kayaking, or mountain climbing. It will be more difficult to discover such passions later when you have only a few vacation days a year. 3. Take Advantage of Student Discounts Some activities are expensive when you take into account equipment rentals, admission prices, and transport. However, they can be significantly cheaper when you’re at university, thanks to student discounts. If you find an activity you love, you could even purchase the necessary equipment now at a reduced price to make it more affordable to continue after you graduate. 4. Develop Important Life Skills A major benefit of spending time outdoors is you’ll maintain or improve your fitness levels. In addition, you may be able to learn other important skills for life. For instance, by taking a survival skills course, you can learn how to build a fire, create a shelter to spend the night, and administer first aid. 5. Reduce Stress University can be stressful at times — perhaps even most of the time. It’s important to find ways to relax. Spending time outdoors, especially by being active, can be a great way to reduce stress. Going outdoors is a chance to forget about your worries and step away from things that lead to overstimulation, like screens, noise, and crowds. 6. Improve Your Physical Health Being outdoors can also have an effect on your physical health. Leaving the city will mean you’re breathing cleaner air, which can help control asthma and allergies caused by pollution. Spending time in the sun can improve your sleep, whereas exposure to the microorganisms of nature can boost your immune system. Lastly, you may find you’re more motivated to exercise when you’re outdoors than if you go to a gym. You can meet new people to go with you on outdoor adventures at the student community at Foundry 1805. Our alternative to OTU residence is not only within walking distance of campus, it’s also close to Niagara Park, Camp Samac Outdoor Pool, and other great places for nature and outdoor activities. Book a tour to check out your new home.

Life in Shared Accommodation: Oshawa Students’ Job Hunting Guide

What You Can Do Before Graduating to Ensure Career Success Earning a degree is important, but there’s much more you can do to ensure you’re successful in your search for a job after you graduate. In fact, there are several steps you can take while you’re still at university. Here are a few to get you started. 1. Have Clear Career Goals When you interview for positions, employers will ask you about what career you ultimately want to pursue. Having an answer to this question will show the interviewer that you’re the right person for the role. Spend some time now researching what you can do with your degree and possibilities you may like to pursue. 2. Gain Relevant Experience To stand out from other graduates and compete with candidates already in the workforce, you’ll need to have some experience on your resume. Furthermore, it will be helpful if this is relevant to the position. For instance, you may need additional skills you won’t learn in the classroom. You can gain such experience by working a part-time job, doing an internship, or volunteering. It may be worth contacting companies you’d like to work for to see if they have internships or volunteer positions available even if they have nothing advertised. 3. Start Networking Employment will also help you network, which could be crucial to finding a job in your desired field. You should also take advantage of other opportunities to network, such as job fairs and events with guest speakers on campus. Finally, bear in mind that other students, professors, and faculty members could all become valuable contacts after you graduate. 4. Seek Support for Crafting a Resume Take your resume to the career center on campus and ask for advice on how to improve it. When you’re creating your resume, imagine you’re applying for a particular position to tailor it to your career goals as closely as possible. Remember, you’ll need to tweak your resume each time you do apply for a position, such as by changing keywords and highlighting specific skills. 5. Improve Your Social Media Presence Employers may search for you online before they even invite you to an interview. Make sure they’ll like what they see by cleaning up your online presence. The first thing to do is delete anything that presents you in a bad light — you could even set some of your personal profiles to private. Next, update your LinkedIn profile and any social media accounts that are relevant to your industry. You may even like to make your own website, such as for an online portfolio. 6. Strategize for the Months After Graduation There’s no guarantee you’ll land a job in your field immediately after graduation. Figure out how long you’ll be able to survive without work — you may decide you need to take a part-time job or an internship while you search. In addition, come up with ideas that will help you find a job faster. This could include methodically searching job sites on a regular basis, attending job fairs and networking events, keeping a record of the positions you’ve applied to, and dedicating time every day to sending applications. Another important thing to do before you graduate is learn how to be independent. To fully develop this skill, you need to live in off-campus housing. Since renting an apartment on your own may be too expensive, a great solution is shared accommodation. Oshawa students can rent a private or semi-private bedroom in an apartment at Foundry 1805. All the units are fully furnished with updated appliances, granite countertops, and plenty of in-suite storage. Book a tour to check out the housing for yourself.

Life in a Room for Rent: Oshawa Near OTU English Major Career Ideas

8 Unexpected Jobs for English Majors If you enjoy writing and reading literature, you may have decided to major in English. Unlike some other subjects, English doesn’t lead to a few specific careers, which can cause students to worry about what they’ll do after they graduate. In fact, you have numerous options. In addition to some of the more obvious (like English teacher, journalist, or librarian), there are some unexpected choices that may resonate with you. 1. SEO Specialist An alternative to journalism that also involves plenty of writing is as an SEO specialist. The job requires adapting content to improve rankings for websites in search engines. You’ll need to add keywords in a way that sounds natural and make pieces more readable, such as by removing the passive voice, adding transition words, and reducing repetition. In addition, you’ll need to learn about the ever-changing technical side of SEO, which means being comfortable with technology. 2. Secretary A job you can pursue straight out of university before you have much work experience is as a secretary. In addition to people and organizational skills, jobs tend to involve a large amount of writing, such as for taking notes and writing emails. For this reason, employers often like to hire English majors. Ideally, you should search for secretary jobs in a sector you find interesting — for instance, a job at a publishing company could lead to work as an editor in the future. 3. Social Media Manager If you spend a lot of time on social media and are familiar with all the major platforms, you may like to pursue a career as a social media manager. Business owners will find you to be an appealing candidate because they can trust you to craft compelling posts with the correct grammar. 4. Product Namer The best product names are catchy, descriptive, and often puns. Not just anyone is able to craft such names — this is the job of a product namer. As an English major, you are most likely witty and creative, making this a perfect option for you. 5. Audiobook Narrator Many English majors would love to be able to make a living by reading. This is possible if you become an audiobook narrator. The work tends to be freelance — but the good thing about this is you can find projects reading books you enjoy. To succeed, you’ll need to have good inflection and be able to read aloud for long periods of time without making mistakes. 6. Event Planner Planning for events requires a great deal of written and verbal communication, as you need to coordinate with vendors and venues. If you’re also well-organized, creative, and a good leader, you should find you thrive as an event planner. 7. Tour Guide Use your writing skills to develop scripts you can use to give tours of a place you know well, such as your hometown or the city where you attended university. Whereas hourly wages tend to start low, the best tour guides receive plenty in tips. 8. Psychologist If you’re looking to continue your education after you’ve gained a degree, one area to consider is psychology. You’ll likely need at least a master’s, possibly a doctorate, but you’ll be well prepared if you’re empathetic and understand human behavior — things you’ve likely learned through your extensive reading. As the job market can be competitive, it helps if you graduate with a good GPA. This means studying hard throughout your time at university. However, it can be difficult to focus on complicated texts and to write elaborate papers when you’re living on campus — you need your own space where you can have peace and quiet. You can find all this in a room for rent. Oshawa, near OTU, has Foundry 1805. As well as your private or semi-private bedroom in a fully-furnished suite, you can use our study rooms whenever you want. Apply today for our lowest rates of the year.