A Home away from Home - University of Guelph

University of Guelph's ambassadors regularly visited our high school to offer more information and answer any questions we may have about any faculty. They provided several brochures which gave us plenty of insight into the campus life as well. I also attended an event known as "Ontario Universities' Fair" in Toronto where we were able to have conversations with a lot of current students at different universities before selecting which ones we wanted to apply to. I applied to about 4 universities and my top two I had trouble choosing between Guelph and Waterloo. I selected Guelph because it was a smaller school, I would be closer to home, and because I heard positive things about their science programs from upper-year students.

I believe it is a well-rounded curriculum. All the courses build upon one another and there is a fair amount of freedom to choose electives. One can choose whether they want to focus on human or mammalian physiology as well which I find helpful as some are aspiring to be medical students but there is a lot of students wanting to be a veterinarian (Ontario Veterinary College is based in Guelph).

I initially did not get into Bio-Medical Science as my 12th average grade did not meet the cut-off range. Guelph admitted me to Biological Science (was not my choice). However, after my first year in Biological Science at Guelph, I re-applied for Bio-medical Science and got in. The minimum score to get in was a cumulative average of 75% after first-year, however, it also depends upon the number of students they already have in the program that year. Bio-Medical Science is more geared towards what I want to pursue - medicine.

There are many jobs on campus. The most common one is working in the hospitality sector. On-campus jobs work around your schedule. They pay the minimum wage but are very convenient as you can take shifts between classes as well. Programs such as work-study, URA, USRA, all work towards providing students with opportunities to gain experience.

Orientation week is the biggest event. It is the week before the school year begins. Students get to know the campus, where all their classes are, their residence, meet faculty members and fellow students! There are events throughout the day during O-week. Some of the major ones include club day, block party, and pep rally.

The tuition for my program was around $4000. There are some compulsory fees for the university that came to about $800, however many of these no longer remain mandatory and students can choose to opt-out. The residence and meal plan came to about $6000 for me (single room, full meal plan). Entrance scholarships ($3000), OSAP ($7000 in grants + loans), and bursaries awarded based on my financial status ($2,500).

I applied and received an entrance scholarship. I applied before starting university. In terms of financial aid, I receive OSAP (grants as well as loans). These applications have to be periodically renewed but the process generally takes place online.

Exams take place over two weeks and there is usually a day or two in between to study for the next one. There is a "reading week" in the winter semester in which classes are not scheduled, which gives us time to catch up on studying.

Since Guelph is still a fairly small university, there is plenty of help available to those who seek it. TAs (teaching assistants) are always looking to provide help or guidance if needed. Professors always offer extra office hours and encourage visiting them. Teaching methodology depends upon the professor, however, most first-year classes are huge so they usually opt for powerpoint presentations and always use overhead projectors. Some post their complete notes online while others post parts of their notes and students have to fill in the rest in the lecture. Assignments or quizzes are a component of every first-year course typically, which gives the students more opportunity to boost their grades. Professors and teaching assistants are knowledgeable. If a TA is fairly new to their job and still learning, there are other TAs around willing to help.

I lived on campus the first year to get to know more people and form study groups. I enjoyed having a single room. My residence had a cafeteria and a Starbucks downstairs. There were several study lounges and academic help sessions were held in these by residence staff who were also current students. It was helpful to hear from them and get their advice on how to have a successful time at the university. There were a variety of food options, however, most of these had certain hours they operated. From the second year, I moved back home to save on expenses.