I chose Queen's because of its strong push for well-rounded students. It has many co-curricular opportunities for student jobs, clubs, organizations with a strong established student society. The campus itself is beautiful and is very close to downtown Kingston. That combined with its strong reputation made the school an obvious choice.
Course Curriculum :
Good- for fine arts it should have a more customizable degree but overall it's decent. For Fine Arts, we only get to study drawing, painting, sculpture, and printmaking. I wish I could have had opportunities in digital art and photography as well.
Exams :
No exams are needed for Canadian students like myself, I simply needed my 12th-grade high school diploma.
Placement :
I have been employed in the Work-Study program where I am a full-time student and work for Queen's 8 hours per week and make up to $2000 per year. This is based on financial need.
Internship :
Yes, Queen's University has a year-long internship. I have not done it so I don't know the details. It's called the QUIP and you usually do it in your third year and then you must do your degree in five years.
Events :
Orientation Week is a big deal at Queen's. It's completely student-run and each faculty runs their specific week. We all get matching t-shirts and go over academic orientation and also bonding experiences to encourage students to make friends. A homecoming is a big event as well. Alumni return for events and there are also massive street parties to celebrate. There is a parade and a football game and everyone wears their spirit wear, outfits in red, gold and blue. You can tell what year every alumni is by their jackets which are colored based on their faculty and have their year on them. The engineers dye themselves purple.
Fees :
Tuition was ~$7000 per year for me. We also pay an AMS student fee which covered a health & dental plan, a bus pass, and money towards the student government.
Scholarship :
There are entrance scholarships based on averages beginning at 80%. There are other entrance scholarships as well. The financial aid includes entrance bursaries, general bursaries, and the work-study program.
Examination Structure :
After classes end we have a study week, followed by the exam period. Exams are listed weeks before on our student portal and are usually proctored. Not every class has a final exam. I don't know how this compares to other universities. I've only taken exams in Art History so I don't know how other courses work.
Faculty :
Arts & Science at Queen's is the largest faculty, which helps and hinders it. It's not as intimate as the other faculties and it's hard to get the specific support that one degree needs because you get lost in the masses.
Hostel :
In the first year, everyone lives in on-campus residences. In the second year and above, you find off campus rental housing in the nearby university district within a 15-minute walk of campus. These are usually housing with 2-6 other people. You find a house as a group.
