Move in day can be difficult for every student, whether you’re a frosh or a senior. With the start of university approaching quickly, here are a few things to do before move in day at Waterloo. Keep reading for 20 things you can do to make your move in day easier!
1. School Supplies
You don’t want too many, and you definitely don’t want too few. It’s important to have an appropriate balance of what you need and what you will need in the future, but it’s also important to be conservative. Since buying school supplies within the University will be fairly expensive, bring essentials such as a; laptop, a laptop backpack, A5 binders, mechanical pencils with extra led, pens, a scientific calculator, notebooks, erasers, printer paper, a small laser printer, staplers, and a hole puncher.
2. Residence Supplies
You’re going to be spending a great deal of time in your residence, so it’s important to be as prepared, and as comfortable as you can. Like any residence items they’ll eventually be used up, and so it’s important to save for rainy days. Here’s a Waterloo link to what you should bring based off of your residence.
3. Setup Your Waterloo Email
Waterloo will communicate to you through their personalized email, so it’s important to manage, and check it. You can also change this email address to your own personal one if you’d prefer. Here’s a link explaining how to setup your email, and how to redirect it.
4. Access Your Free Microsoft Suite
As a Waterloo student you get access to a free Microsoft Suite, and all you have to do is login with your Waterloo email (questuserid@edu.uwaterloo.ca), and then enter your quest password; and from there you can download your free suite which contains, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, OneNote, and Skype for Business.
Note, the Outlook on this account is where your emails from Waterloo will be sent to if you don’t opt for an email redirect.
5. Join Waterloo Facebook Groups
It may seem a ‘bit unnecessary, but Facebook groups are great for, networking, advice, questions, and socializing. Here’s a link to the 2016 frosh class group.
6. Get to Know your Roommates
When Waterloo gives you your residence information try to get in contact with your roommate(s). You could potentially agree to bring certain items to reduce costs, or you could simply introduce yourself, so it’s easier, and more conformable to interact with each other on move in day.
7. Discover your Shopping Areas
Get to know the stores you’ll be using regularly for groceries, food, and clothing. Here’s a link to Waterloo’s shopping areas.
8. Things to Do
Despite your courses you’ll have a good amount of free time especially in the first two weeks, so get to know fun places to go! Here’s a list of places you can check out.
9. Explore the School’s Clubs
Clubs are great way to meet students of all years, to have fun, and to even be productive; so it’s a good thing Waterloo has over 200. So, try figuring out which one you’d like to join ahead of time! Here’s the list of all the clubs.
10. Learn How to Cook
Learn how to cook, and no cooking doesn’t just mean eggs, and Kraft Mac and cheese. Preferably, learn how to cook foods that have substance, and that could last anywhere between two to three days like pasta, and spaghetti. Since cooking will save you your money, and your health it’s definitely worth it.
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11. Learn How to Wash Your Clothes
For those who don’t know how, it’s obviously important to wash your clothes, and it will be less of a nuisance for you to learn while in school. You want to be able to use basic human skills while in school, not develop them.
12. Make a Bucket List
Make a bucket list, no seriously make one. Include all the things you want to do while in University, and it may seem a ‘bit cheesy, but it’ll encourage you to go out of your comfort zone.
13. Plan a Budget
Make sure you plan some sort of budget before you go to University, you definitely don’t want to be eating instant noodles for your entire term.
14. Plan for the Weather
It’s important to prepare for Waterloo’s weather which can get pretty cold.
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15. Identification
Make sure to pack important pieces of identification like passports, health cards, social security numbers, and drivers license for future uses in banks, clinics, and job applications.
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16. Send your Photo for Your WatCard
If you send your photo before hand you won’t have to wait as long to get your WatCard. Your WatCard’s your official ID for waterloo, and it’s used from anything to signing out library books to getting access to on-campus bars. Here’s a link to how to setup it up.
17. Lists on Lists
Lists have been scientifically proven to help people prevent mistakes. In this case they can help prevent forgetting to pack certain items. That’s where lists can help, not only can you check over them, but someone in your family or a friend can check over them as well. This makes lists magical.
18. Keep Track of Important Dates
The university can only do so much in reminding you of important dates, so make sure you keep up with everything, and try to do things before the official due date in order to ease your mind. Here’s a link of all the important dates from 2016 to 2017.
19. Get Your Drivers License
Some of you already have this, but if you don’t it’s cool to get since it makes commuting easier, and since it gives you more freedom in university.
20. Spend Your Free Time Wisely
This summer is probably going to be the most consecutive amount of free time you’re going to have for the remainder of your life. So, use it wisely, and spend time with your friends, and loved ones that you may not see in a while or even ever again.
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