Blog Posts

6 Unique Qualities of Gen Z

If you were born between the late 90s and early 2010s, you’re a Gen Zer (most university students are part of this generation). Everything from growing up in the digital age to living through a pandemic as a child, teen, or young adult has influenced this generation’s values and personality, leading to some unique qualities. Here are a few to think about as you start planning for the future. 1. Serious About Work–Life Balance Gen Zers are unwilling to dedicate their lives to work. They are refusing to do unpaid overtime and rejecting the hustle culture. Their idea of success is achieving a healthy work–life balance. In addition, they’re looking to gain specific experiences from work. Many value having a mentor and appreciate the chance to train others. They also like to work with clients and customers. Both of these things suggest that Gen Zers appreciate knowledge sharing and collaborative work. 2. Gamers Although there have been plenty of gamers in previous generations, Gen Zers are different. For one thing, they like gaming to interact with others — it’s a social experience more than a chance to relax. Gen Z’s interest in the metaverse is also different from other generations, with the main focus being spending time with friends in a virtual environment and meeting new people. 3. Financially Driven It’s likely that seeing the struggles Millennials have faced with their finances has led Gen Z to pay more attention to money. A greater proportion of Gen Zers say they want to save money than do members of other generations. Many are unsure about the best way to budget and control their spending. Although they expect banks to provide them with advice, more than half say financial institutions are falling short. 4. Passionate About Traveling Gen Z has been bitten by the travel bug. After Millennials, Gen Z is the generation most likely to have traveled or to have purchased a vacation in the last six months. Gen Zers are using trips to recover from schoolwork and exams or to take a break from work. 5. Social Media Is for Inspiration and Information There are many reasons why people use social media, but the main drivers for Gen Z are inspiration and information. They use platforms to inspire them about where they could travel to next, learn about trends, and find answers to their questions. Other generations tend to use search engines for these things. 6. Nostalgic Perhaps nostalgic is not quite the right word, since it’s decades Gen Zers weren’t even alive to see what they’re passionate about. Yet, their appreciation for historical trends is a unique quality of this generation. This is apparent in their music tastes and fashion choices like low-rise jeans and claw clips. In addition, more Gen Zers say they prefer to think about the past over the future than do members of other generations. A major distinction between Gen Z and the generations that came before is that Gen Zers are asking more from life. For example, many students are not satisfied with traditional dorm rooms and are instead living in apartments in student communities. Foundry Lofts offers Brock University off-campus housing with everything Gen Z students could want, including a games room, movie theater, fireside lounge, and study spaces. Book a tour to see how living here will enhance your university experience.

9 Ways to Create Your Perfect Morning Routine

If you’re not a morning person, getting up in time for early classes can be a challenge. However, having a morning routine can make a big difference . With the right routine, mornings could even become something you look forward to! 1. Sleep Enough No morning routine can make up for a lack of sleep. Figure out how many hours of sleep you need a night and set a bedtime accordingly. Better still, having a regular bedtime and wakeup time will mean you naturally begin to feel sleepy and wake up at the same time each day. Bear in mind that for this to be effective, you may need to put screens away for at least an hour before bedtime. 2. Use Natural Light Waking up to darkness makes it feel like it’s still nighttime. Incorporate natural light into your morning routine by keeping your curtains open as you sleep, opening the blinds immediately , or even spending a few minutes outdoors. 3. Avoid Hitting the Snooze Button Set a limit as to how many times you’ll allow yourself to hit the snooze button — this could be once or twice. If you’re well rested and have a morning routine you enjoy, avoiding the snooze button will become easier. 4. Have an Actual Alarm Clock The problem with using your phone as an alarm clock is it’s tempting to immediately look at all your notifications when you wake up. Before you know it, half an hour has passed and you’re still in bed. This can mean you need to rush to get ready for classes, which ruins the rest of your morning routine. An added advantage to having a separate alarm clock is you can choose a style that works for you. This could even be one that has no snooze button at all. For instance, some wake you up with light or by vibrating your bed instead of using sound. If you need a push to get up, you could choose an alarm clock on wheels that will start moving away from you and around the room — this will also mean you start your day energized! 5. Meditate A top choice for the first activity in your morning routine is meditation. This only needs to last five minutes and is a great way to clear your head or set an intention for the day. Use the guided meditations you find on YouTube or an app. 6. Exercise Another idea for a morning activity is a short workout. This is likely to work best if you’re already a morning person, since it may mean you need to get up slightly earlier. A benefit is it will ensure you fit time to exercise into your day. You could do some simple moves in your bedroom, hit the gym, or search for fitness classes taking place near you. 7. Make Your Bed Avoid the temptation to crawl back into bed by making your bed as soon as you get up. This will signal to your brain that the day has begun and you need to start being active. 8. Eat a Breakfast You Enjoy As well as providing you with the energy you need for the day (especially for your first classes), breakfast can be a treat in the morning. Choose something that’s easy to prepare or even that you can prepare the night before. Ideally, it should also be healthy and filling. Pair your meal with your favourite hot beverage — as well as a glass of water to start the day hydrated. 9. Play Music or Podcasts Add entertainment to your morning routine with music or podcasts. If you choose music, you may find yourself dancing. Podcasts, however, are ideal for learning something new or putting you into a good mood. You can avoid needing to get up too early by living near campus. You’ll find Brock University off-campus housing at Foundry Lofts. All our suites have four or five bedrooms and two bathrooms, meaning you have the privacy, space, and time you need for a relaxed morning routine. Contact us for a lease now — we only have a limited number of units still available.

A Guide to Sharing Costs with Roommates

Moving into your first student apartment is exciting. You’ll finally have freedom, your own space, and the chance to prepare proper meals — no meal plan. Although there are numerous benefits to living off campus, all this independence comes with responsibilities. One such responsibility is splitting bills and other expenses with your roommates. Since this can be complicated, it’s important to work out the details from the start. 1. Look for an Apartment with Separate Leases Your greatest expense will be your rent. Some landlords only allow tenants to have a single lease for the entire apartment. The downside to this is you may have problems if just one of your roommates pays late. It’s far better to find housing where the landlord is willing to give each of you an individual lease. 2. Decide How to Share Payments Even if you all have individual leases, there will be costs you need to share. One solution is to use a payment app to reimburse whoever pays. Another option is for everyone to contribute the same amount each month to a checking account. 3. Specify How You’ll Share Food and Household Supplies There are various ways to share food. If you’re all close friends, you may decide you want to share almost everything and even cook meals together. Alternatively, you may only want to share staples like condiments, milk, and bread. The least complicated option is to share nothing at all. You’ll also need to think about how you’ll divide household supplies like cleaning products, toilet paper, and garbage bags. Decide which items you’ll share between you and who is responsible for purchasing them. 4. Choose What Utilities You Want to Have Whereas you’ll certainly need basic utilities like electricity, water, and heating, you have a choice when it comes to things like the type of internet package and whether you’ll share streaming services to watch on the TV in your living room. Determine who will take out the accounts and what day of the month the rest of you need to contribute to ensure the account holder is able to pay on time. 5. Set Rules Around Guests Having guests over often can increase your household expenses, especially if guests are eating meals at your apartment. You may like to set a rule that roommates who have guests over need to reimburse the rest of you for any food and other supplies the guests use. 6. Put Your Agreement in Writing It’s worth putting your agreement into writing. Whereas this won’t be legally binding, it will mean you have a record, which could come in useful for avoiding disputes with your roommates. 7. Note Down Who Owns Each of Your Household Items Another thing to have in writing is what everyone owns. It makes more sense to purchase large items individually, as you’ll then be able to easily divide them between you when you move out. Bear in mind that there will be fewer things you need to buy if you rent a furnished apartment. Before you start thinking about how you’ll split costs with roommates, you need to find somewhere to live. You can find Brock University off-campus housing at Foundry Lofts. We have four- and five-bedroom fully-furnished apartments. You can share with friends or ask us to match you with roommates. Whatever you choose, you’ll only be responsible for your own lease. Contact us now to secure the type of suite you want while we still have some available.

Should You Consider Tutoring Sessions?

If you’re struggling with a particular class, subject, or skill, it makes sense to receive extra help through tutoring sessions. Many students are hesitant to try tutoring for reasons ranging from embarrassment about admitting that they’re struggling to concern that even tutoring won’t help them pass a difficult class. If you’re unsure that tutoring would be the right solution for you, consider these benefits. 1. Your Academic Performance Will Likely Improve The most important reason to receive tutoring is that it can help you gain better grades. Research has found that students who partake in tutoring sessions tend to have a higher GPA. In addition, they’re less likely to drop out of college. 2. It’s a Better Use of Your Time Than Studying Alone Some students worry that tutoring will take up too much of their time, especially if they already have a packed schedule. However, you don’t need to make any extra time for tutoring: it can simply replace some of the time you currently use to study on your own. This means you won’t need to sacrifice another activity — such as extracurriculars, socializing, or a part-time job — to fit tutoring sessions into your schedule. 3. You’ll Stay Focused If you struggle to concentrate when you sit down to study alone, tutoring could be the ideal solution. Studying with someone else forces you to stay focused and prevents you from giving in to distractions. It’s also more difficult to make up excuses to skip studying, as you’ll have agreed to meet with your tutor. Many students find that this accountability keeps them disciplined. 4. Hand in Your Assignments on Time Neglecting to study on a regular basis will mean you’re unable to complete your assignments on time. Tutoring sessions will keep you organized, meaning you never miss a due date. 5. Study in a Way That Resonates with You A good tutor will find out what your goals are and how you like to learn. You’ll use effective tactics to aid your understanding of the materials from class and target your weakest areas. It’s impossible to receive such support when you’re in a class with numerous other students, but one-on-one tutoring sessions are completely personalizable . 6. Increase Your Confidence Tutoring will show you that a difficult subject is within your grasp and should give you more confidence in class. Plus, if you feel intimidated about asking a question during class or office hours because you’re worried the answer is obvious to other students, you can always ask your tutor. Tutoring is just one way to improve your grades. It’s also essential to have a quiet place where you can work on your assignments and prepare for tests in peace. When you’re living in a dorm room, you tend to face constant distractions and noise, which makes studying extra difficult. The solution is to move into an off-campus apartment. You can find Niagara College student housing at Foundry Lofts. You’ll have your own bedroom as well as onsite private and group study spaces that you can use alone and with your tutor. Contact us now while we still have some rooms available.

A Student’s Guide to Beating the Winter Blues

Students often have mixed emotions about attending university during the wintertime. On the one hand, you have the fun of holiday parties, movie nights, and other seasonal activities, like baking treats in your apartment. On the other hand, you need to deal with homesickness when you come back to university after winter break, the stresses of classes, and the cold weather that can make it unpleasant to spend much time outdoors. This can lead to the winter blues: a condition defined as feelings of sadness du e to the days being shorter and colder. If you’re suffering from the winter blues, here are a few things you can do. 1. Stay Active It may be tempting to give up on your fitness routine over the winter because the idea of changing into your workout clothes or jumping into a pool are unappealing. In fact, it’s more important than ever to exercise during the winter. Moving releases endorphins, which improve your mood. If you’re struggling with motivation, arrange with a friend to work out together. 2. Spend More Time Outdoors If possible, you should try to exercise outdoors. If you prefer to work out at the gym or at fitness classes, though, it’s worth finding other ways to spend time outdoors every day. Not only will the fresh air energize you, if you walk briskly, you’ll regulate your breathing, which reduces stress. 3. Create a Sleep Schedule It’s crucial to sleep the right number of hours during the winter. Although it may be extra tempting to skip morning classes (especially if it’s still dark outside when you wake up), oversleeping will make it harder to beat the winter blues. Set both a bedtime and a wake-up time — and stick to them even when you have no commitments in the morning. You can also improve your sleep quality by steering clear of caffeine after the early afternoon and putting away screens at least one hour before you go to bed. 4. Find Activities You Enjoy At university, you’re surrounded by potential friends. Find like-minded people to spend time with to fit more activities you enjoy into your week. For instance, you could search for more extracurriculars to join, hang out with roommates, or make brunch plans on weekends to give yourself a reason to get up. 5. Seek Help for More Serious Conditions The winter blues is a common but mild ailment. It is characterized by a lack of motivation, fatigue, and a low mood — but it usually goes away once you’re back into a routine and enjoying life at university again. A more serious condition is seasonal affective disorder (SAD). This is a clinical diagnosis that has a severe impact on a person’s capability to function. If you’re experiencing SAD, you may want to spend all your time alone, your academic performance may suffer, and you may have trouble sleeping. If you’re concerned that you’re suffering from something more serious than the winter blues, it’s important to seek professional help. For instance, you could talk to a counselor — there may be free or discounted services available to you on campus. 6. Use a Light Therapy Lamp Light therapy is a great investment for beating the winter blues and even coping with SAD. You simply turn on a light box that contains fluorescent bulbs as soon as you wake up in the morning, keeping it on for at least 30 minutes. Most people notice an almost immediate improvement to their symptoms. This is helpful when the days are at their shortest, especially if you’re unable to spend much time in the sunlight. You’ll find it easier to beat the winter blues if you have an apartment where you feel comfortable and at home. For premier Brock off-campus living, there’s Foundry Lofts. With amenities ranging from a movie theater and fitness center to onsite parking and an outdoor courtyard, you’ll have everything you need for the ultimate student experience. We have limited availability for move-ins this winter — contact us now.

How to Establish Your Worth as a Jobseeker

As you near the end of your time at university, it’s important to start thinking about what you can do to improve your chances of landing a job that you love after you graduate. Something crucial to do is establish your worth as a jobseeker. This will ensure you don’t settle for less. You may lack confidence, have limited experience in your field, or feel like you haven’t yet had the chance to fully develop your skills. Nonetheless, you’ve worked hard to earn your degree and have the potential to become a v aluable employee. Here are a few ways to ensure both you and the employers you meet acknowledge this. 1. Demonstrate Your Knowledge Compensate for what you lack in experience with the knowledge you’ve gained during your time at university. You have an unique advantage over more seasoned candidates because everything you learned during your degree is still fresh in your mind. In fact, you may even have more up-to-date knowledge than someone who has been in the field for several years. Make this clear in interviews by using technical terms, offering creative solutions to problems, and discussing ideas of how you could contribute to the co mpany. 2. Find a Mentor Another benefit of being fresh out of university is the contacts you’ve made, such as professors and people you met during your internship. Reach out to those who made a particular impact on you to ask if they’d be willing to be your mentor. Having a mentor will mean you have someone in your corner to provide you with advice, cheer you on, and help you overcome your biggest challenges. 3. Fight Imposter Syndrome It’s common for recent grads to suffer from imposter syndrome. If you let your lack of self-esteem show, you could ruin your chances at a successful interview. If you can’t quite believe that you do deserve to be there, at least pretend. This will help you come across as confident. Later, you’ll even begin to believe it yourself. 4. Set Your Limits To ensure your employer values you, it’s important to set some limits. A major boundary to set is the minimum you’re willing to earn. If you’re looking to enter a competitive field, you may need to start with a low salary — but it’s important to decide how low you’re willing to go. Employers sometimes take advantage of new grads who are eager to enter their field by asking them to take on a huge amount of responsibility for low pay. This could come with promises of a salary increase in the near future that never materializes. Remember, you don’t need to prove yourself: you already have by earning a degree and gaining valuable skills. Bear in mind, pay is only one way employers (or even coworkers) may take advantage of your inexperience. You also need to establish limits for things like working overtime and carrying out tasks that don’t fall under your job description. Whereas it can be intimidating to question your managers, this will ultimately help you present yourself as a professional. 5. Keep Searching for Opportunities When you land your first job after finishing university, you’ll want to celebrate — and so you should. However, your journey is far from over. Keep your options open by checking what else is available. This will enable you to continue progressing in your career. You may end up finding something you enjoy more or that has better terms. Alternatively, you may be able to use an offer from another company as a bargaining tool to increase your salary at your current position. If you still have a few semesters left before you graduate, make the most of your time at university by moving into premier student rentals. St. Catharines students can find the perfect home at Foundry Lofts. Our spacious suites have stylish interiors, in-suite laundry, and stainless steel appliances. Plus, you’ll have access to our incredible community amenities, where you can hang out with friends and meet new people. Contact us now while we still have some rooms available.