Student Life

The idea that everyone with an electronic device is under surveillance has circled mainstream society since George Orwell’s 1984. 

Last year, a friend reminded me that undergrad would likely be the only time in our lives when we get four-month summers. Having always wanted to travel, I decided it was time to take a leap and put my savings into action.

When I graduated from Queen’s this past June—my best friend by my side and in identical convocation robes, my mom wiping her tears as I strutted down the stage—I remember thinking this Hallmark moment couldn’t last forever.  

For most people, getting the chance to meet a famous person sounds like a dream—but, under the wrong circumstances, that dream can easily turn into an awkward nightmare.

Earlier this month, with five minutes to spare before my first philosophy lecture of the year, I was sprinting down University Avenue to make it to class on time.

On Sept. 1, following a tedious 24-hour journey from Narita Airport in my native Japan, I finally arrived at Queen’s to begin my semester as an exchange student.

Last summer, I embarked on a five-week educational trip to Baie-Saint-Paul, Québec—a town an hour north from the province’s capital, Quebec City.

There are only a few moments in the daily lives of university students where we’re apart from our screens. 

Frosh Week’s purpose is to integrate students into Queen’s as smoothly as possible, which creates plenty of opportunities for things to go wrong. Here are some stories from current Queen’s students about their Frosh Week mishaps over the years.

While the start of the fall semester is a perfect opportunity to set academic goals, the lingering summer heat makes finding the motivation to buckle down and focus a serious challenge. 

Most children grow up with common and shared fears—like a fear of clowns, spiders or the dark. But ever since I was little, I’ve been afraid of something much more unique: crying.

This past summer, I had a Sunday routine I could really get behind. I’d hop on the subway from my house in Toronto to the Ed Mirvish Theatre downtown, buy the cheapest tickets I could find, and sit through two hours and 45 minutes of pure bliss enjoying Wicked the Muscial.

Just because your time away from school is over, and the weather is getting cooler, doesn’t mean you should let the fall blues kick in. Here are four ways for you to keep living out your summer vibes while gearing up for the school year.