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Practical Move-In Day Tips for Student Apartments

Moving out of your parents’ home and heading off to university is exciting — but it also requires a great deal of preparation. You’ll need to make sure that you bring the right things, arrive at an appropriate time of day, and recruit someone to help you carry your belongings. Here are a few things to do to ensure move-in day goes smoothly. 1. Decide What to Pack Create a list of everything you’ll need to take with you. Base this on what you know about your apartment — for instance, its size, whether it’s furnished or unfurnished, and what exactly is included. To make sure you don’t forget anything essential, use the list your school provides, search for packing lists online, or ask friends what they’re taking. 2. Figure Out What to Leave Behind Just as important as making sure you bring everything you need is leaving behind the things you don’t need. If you’re going home between semesters, you should leave behind any clothing you won’t use this season. In addition, decide what you can purchase when you arrive, such as stationery, cleaning supplies, and groceries. Add these to a shopping list and head to a nearby store soon after you move in. 3. Reach Out to Your Roommates Your roommates may be your friends or they could be people your student housing has assigned you to share with. In either case, it’s worth setting up a group chat where you can coordinate your move-ins. One thing to talk about is what each of you will bring to the apartment. For instance, you’ll be able to share between you things like a coffee maker, microwave, and vacuum cleaner, meaning it doesn’t make sense to bring more than one. You should also decide when each of you will move into the apartment. If all of you will be arriving on the same day, at least make sure you come at different times — as all of you trying to move your belongings in at once could be a challenge. Bear in mind that it may take y ou a couple hours to finish moving in, especially if you’re bringing furniture. 4. Bring Help Ask a parent, sibling, or friend to come with you on move-in day to help you carry your belongings. Don’t bring too many people, as this will mean you have less space in the car for your possessions and may even make carrying belongings into your apartment more difficult. However, do make sure you have enough helping hands to carry heavy items. 5. Avoid Boxes The problem with boxes is they create a large amount of waste that you need to find a way to dispose of. Storage bins are much more practical, as you can use them to keep your apartment tidy once you’ve moved in. Plus, they make moving out easier — whether that’s when you find better housing or after you graduate. Before you even start thinking about move-in day, you need to have accommodation lined up. The most convenient, comfortable, and affordable type of accommodation is student rentals. St. Catharines students can find off-campus housing at Foundry Lofts. You’ll have your own room in either a furnished or unfurnished apartment with three or four roommates. You’ll also be able to meet other students in places like the games room, fitness facilities, movie theatre, and fireside lounge. Join the waitlist to be the first to hear when a space opens up .

Full- vs. Part-Time College: Which Is Right for You?

A major decision when you start college is choosing between full- and part-time study. Enrolling as a part-time student will mean you have more time available for other activities, whereas full-time students spend more time in classes and dedicate a large amount of the rest of their time to studying. To figure out what would be right for you, it’s important to compare the advantages of both options. Advantages of Full-Time College The main benefit of studying full time is that you’ll graduate earlier, which means you’ll be able to start working in your desired field sooner. Whereas you may be able to find a related job now, it’s likely that your dream job requires a credential. Another advantage is that there will be a greater range of scholarships available to you if you maintain full-time status. If you’re awarded one of these scholarships, you may significantly reduce how much you pay in tuition. Finally, being a full-time student may be a requirement for your family to receive certain tax breaks, which would save you even more money. Advantages of Part-Time College An obvious advantage of being a part-time student is you’ll have a flexible schedule. You can create a class schedule that works for you, perhaps by having a couple classes a day or by packing a few classes into the same days and keeping the rest of the week free for other activities. This will increase your availability for work — and with a decent job, you could earn enough to pay for your tuition and other expenses while you’re still studying, meaning you graduate without debt. For this reason, studying part time can be a good option for students who receive a good job offer or are unable to receive any substantial scholarships. Combining the Two Options There’s no reason why you can’t switch between being a full-time student and a part-time student. For instance, you may like to take an opportunity one semester that means you’ll be unable to study full time (such as a research position, internship, or volunteer work). You could also end up becoming a part-time student if you find that one of your classes is particularly challenging and you need a lower workload or if you decide to drop a couple classes after it’s too late to sign up for others instead. On the flip side , you could decide to take just a few semesters full time to push your graduation date forward. Full- and part-time students alike find it more comfortable to live off campus. Look for housing that’s near campus, has great amenities, and will provide you with your own bedroom. For Brock off-campus housing that meets all these criteria, there’s Foundry Lofts. Our student community is a 10-minute walk from campus and features spacious apartments with either four or five private bedrooms. On site, we have restaurants, a study zone, a games room, a fitness centre , and much more. Contact us to join the waitlist to secure a unit as soon as one becomes available.

How to Become a Better Negotiator

One thing you may not learn at university is how to negotiate. However, this is a skill that is often crucial throughout life, particularly when you enter the workforce. For instance, you may need to negotiate to gain good terms of employment or your job could involve negotiating with clients or vendors. Negotiating skills may also come in useful now, such as if you want to secure a better deal on a purchase or snag an interesting role on a group project at university. Learn how to negotiate better by follo wing these tips. 1. Prepare in Advance Whenever you know you’re going to be in a situation where you’ll need to negotiate, come up with a strategy ahead of time. Determine what outcome you’re hoping to achieve, where you’d be willing to compromise, and how you’ll make your case. Finally, consider how the other person could answer and how you, in turn, will respond. 2. Figure Out Alternatives Think about what you’ll do if the other person denies your request. You should have ideas for alternatives you can ask for instead. Another option could be to find what you want from another source. 3. Take Things Slowly When you’re anxious, it’s normal to rush through a negotiation — but this is unlikely to lead to a good outcome. Instead, deliver your argument calmly, take the time to listen to the response, and, if you don’t receive the answer you wanted, give yourself time to consider any counteroffer. 4. Value Yourself It’s impossible to negotiate well if you lack self-confidence. Believe in yourself: if what you’re asking for is reasonable, you should feel that you deserve what you’re requesting . In fact, you may like to start the negotiation by asking for slightly more than you think you deserve — just in case the other person values you more highly than you do yourself! 5. Make the Deal Worthwhile Instead of simply asking for what you want, explain why the deal would be beneficial to the other person. If you’re unsure about what you could offer in return, ask. 6. Accept a Refusal Graciously If the person you’re negotiating with refuses your request and has nothing you’re willing to accept as an alternative, you may need to concede that what you want is not going to be possible. When it’s clear that this is the case, the best thing to do is move on — begging and pleading will only lead to resentment. Learn from the experience and consider how you could approach a similar negotiation in the future differently to see better results. One occasion when students often feel the need to negotiate is securing a lease on rooms for rent. St Catharines students, however, are in luck — you can find affordable housing at Foundry Lofts. Our leases are all inclusive, meaning the rent covers furnishings, utilities, and internet. Plus, we have a wide range of excellent amenities to sweeten the deal, including a movie theatre, onsite parking, a fitness centre , and an outdoor courtyard. Book your tour now.

4 Challenges Students Face When Writing Papers & How to Overcome Them

You may feel like you’re the only one struggling when you see your peers handing in assignments early, never requesting extensions, and taking paper writing in their stride. The truth is, though, that many students find writing papers to be one of the most difficult aspects of college. In particular, there are a few challenges that can make finishing a paper a nightmare — but the good news is there are ways to overcome all of them. 1. Poor Time Management When a professor assigns you a paper, it’s common to underestimate how much time you’ll need to write it. If you’ve been attending all your classes and studying hard, the question may seem quite straightforward. As a result, you may put off getting started to spend more time with your friends or to attend events on campus. However, once you sit down to write the paper, it’s likely you’ll find it takes significantly more time than you were expecting. This can easily lead to disaster. Luckily, there’s an easy fix: start working on your paper almost immediately . There’s no disadvantage to finishing early, and the end result will be much better. 2. Writer’s Block Of course, you could start working on the assignment when you have plenty of time to spare only to find that you’re unable to think of anything to say. This tends to happen when you’re overthinking the paper — it becomes this huge, important thing in your mind, whereas it’s actually just one more college assignment. Reminding yourself that it’s not such a big deal can help. If the due date is still far in the future, you can afford to just jot down some ideas for now. You may be pleasantly surprised to find these ideas quickly become fully formed and you make decent progress almost immediately . 3. A Lack of Literature Another issue may be that you’re struggling to find literature from credible sources to support your arguments or to provide the facts and statistics you need. Improving your time management can help with this: by starting early, you’ll be able to spend longer searching for appropriate literature . If you remain stuck, remember that the librarians on campus are there to help you. It may be that you’re not using the right keywords or you’re dismissing something that would meet your needs. Whatever the problem , a librarian can help. 4. Drifting from the Question It’s easy to become distracted by an interesting fact or idea you encounter while researching your paper and end up taking the assignment in a completely new direction. However, if you fail to answer the question, your grade will suffer. This is especially likely to happen when you’re new to writing long papers — you’ll learn how to stay on track as you gain more experience. For now, though, the best way to overcome this challenge is to regularly return to the question and think about whether what you’re wr iting is relevant. Possibly the most important factor when it comes to writing papers is having somewhere quiet where you can work undisturbed. You can find just what you’re looking for at Foundry Lofts. Our alternative to Niagara College residence provides you with a private bedroom in a fully-furnished apartment with just three or four roommates. If you need a change of scenery, you can also head to one of our private study spaces. Book a tour to check out all the great facilities.

4 Strategies for Setting Boundaries with Your Roommate

Making the adjustment to living with a roommate can be a new experience for many students. Even if you turn out to be great friends, you’ll likely have different ideas about how you expect to share your living space. To avoid stepping on each other’s toes, it’s important to set boundaries. Here are some strategies to try. 1. Avoid Doing Too Much Together When you start university, your roommate may be the only person you know. You may like to go to events on campus together just to avoid going alone. However, as you start meeting new people — in classes, at clubs, and just around campus — it’s important to spend less time with your roommate and have your own hobbies and friends, too. Otherwise, you may end up struggling to make a wider circle of friends. 2. Decide on Rules for Guests Discuss how comfortable you are having guests over to the apartment, including significant others. You may decide to set a limit to the number of guests and only have visitors on certain days at certain times. This will ensure the apartment is quiet enough for you to study during the rest of the week. You should also consider other implications of frequent visitors — for instance, they may use shared food and supplies and you’ll likely need to clean the apartment after any large gatherings. Since you and your roommate may have quite different ideas about guests, you’ll need to be willing to compromise. The important thing is to arrive at a set of rules you can both agree on. 3. Talk If You’re Unhappy About Something No roommate will ever be perfect — that’s something you’ll just have to accept. However, if your roommate is crossing boundaries, you need to address the issue as soon as possible. Expecting your roommate to just know you’re annoyed is unlikely to change anything and will only lead to resentment. For example, if your roommate is breaking any rules you set together, not doing a fair share of the chores, or being too loud when you’re trying to sleep, talk about it and figure out how you can come to some sort of resolution. 4. Own Up to Your Mistakes It’s just as likely you’ll annoy your roommate as it is that your roommate will annoy you. When you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize, and commit to doing better next time. Being mature will develop trust and mean your roommate is much more likely to yield to your requests. You can avoid many problems with roommates by having your own bedroom. As this is rarely an option on campus, you’ll need to search for an independent apartment. Foundry Lofts offers Brock off-campus living for students who want to experience having roommates without the discomfort of sharing all their personal space. Our apartments have four or five bedrooms, two bathrooms, and large communal living areas. You’ll also be able to meet more students in the games room, movie theatre, fireside lounge, and fitn ess centre . Apply now to secure a lease.

Affordable Ways to Decorate Your Student Apartment This Holiday

It’s common to start missing home as the holidays approach. To lift your spirits, take a break from preparing for finals and decorate your student apartment. You can achieve impressive results without spending much at all. Here’s some inspiration to get you started. 1. String Up Fairy Lights Fairy lights are ideal for creating a warm atmosphere in your apartment after dark. You can string them up in all sorts of places, including around your bed, along the walls, and on the ceiling. 2. Put Reusable Stickers on Your Windows Reusable stickers won’t leave a mark on your windows and will give your neighbours a glimpse of your holiday decorations. If you add some to the window in your bedroom they’ll be the first thing you see when you wake up and draw the curtains. 3. Scatter Fake Snow Just a small amount of fake snow is enough to enhance the winter theme throughout your apartment. Scatter it on windowsills and along shelves where you have other decorations. 4. Set Up a Mini Tree A full-size, real Christmas tree may be too expensive, but an artificial mini tree could be within your budget. Set it up in the living room where it will welcome guests and collaborate with your roommates to cover it in decorations. 5. Hang Christmas Tree Balls Simple ornaments like Christmas tree balls are inexpensive and can instantly transform your space. If you buy them in bulk, you’ll have plenty to hang on your tree as well as around your apartment. 6. Make Snowflakes You only need paper and scissors to make snowflakes. Hang them around your apartment with string or tape them to a wall. Creating some with roommates can be a fun activity to decorate your apartment together. 7. Holiday Cards Make a display of all the holiday cards you receive. You could purchase a card holder to hang them on the wall or set them up on the coffee table in your living room. 8. Throw Pillows Find some throw pillows with a festive theme for your couch or bed. If you already have plenty of throw pillows, buy just the covers. 9. Block Letters Having a set of block letters is always fun. You can use them to create a seasonal message now and change to something else later. 10. Stockings Hang a stocking for yourself and each of your roommates in the living room. Before you leave for winter break, you may like to all drop a few treats inside each stocking for each other. No matter how much you decorate a dorm room, it’s unlikely to ever feel like home. Now is the perfect time to think about where you would prefer to live in the new year and start searching for student rentals. St. Catharines students can find modern apartments at Foundry Lofts. Not only will you receive your own bedroom in a spacious suite, you’ll also be able to take advantage of our onsite parking, movie theatre, fitness centre , and outdoor courtyard. Apply today before all the rooms are taken.