Should I live in residence, on campus?

Consider the perks when choosing where you want to live when you study.

You should live on campus! Why? Live close to your classes, make friends from all over the world, enjoy a meal plan, and get easy access to your campus facilities. Residence is often the right choice for many students - it’s something that you should strongly consider when choosing your university and planning your student career.

When you arrive to study in Canada, you probably won’t know many many people. Residence if full of people in the same boat - you’ll be around many first year students, who also want to make friends. Before you know it, you’ll have new friends from all over the world and a bursting social calendar! Some universities, such as the University of Alberta, have dedicated first-year residences or floors, so you’ll have an easy time meeting other first-year students.

Living close to your classes has a lot of perks - you can sleep in later, and if you forget anything you’re only a few minutes away from home. Since you’ll be living with other students, it’s easy to find study buddies, or an audience to practice your class presentations with.

One of the biggest perks of living on campus is access to your campus facilities. Many universities, including the University of Alberta, include access to sports and recreation facilities in your non-academic fees. This means that you have access to hundreds of thousands of square feet of sports and recreation facilities, which if you’re living on-campus are likely only a few minutes away.

A big concern for many students is food - will you have to cook? Will you have to eat? Will my dietary needs be accommodated? At the University of Alberta, students in residence have an unlimited meal plan - meaning you can eat as much as you want, at any time, as many times per day as you like (and options include vegetarian and halal)! These meal plans mean you don’t need to worry about shopping for groceries, cooking for yourself, or washing dishes, and you can enjoy as much healthy food as you want!

So now you know you want to live in residence - but how? Is there a waiting list? You’re in luck - some universities - University of Alberta included - offer guaranteed residence. This means that your housing situation doesn’t need to be a worry, and you can focus your efforts on preparing for university instead of worrying where you will live.