For us, it's the discussions with other students and our professors! Each classroom always felt like a safe space to share opinions and ask questions in. Whether it was during class or after, you would always able to find somebody to have an open conversation with! While we may be moving online for a semester, we have no doubt that our professors will work to maintain this interactive nature of our courses. After all, it really does feel that all of our faculty members want us to succeed, and we’re all very supportive of each other!

Starting in your first semester as an MSc student, and in second semester as an MPH student, you can take electives in addition to your required "core" courses! Whether they are offered within the Department of PHS, or approved electives offered from other departments, you will have many course-options as a Public Health Sciences student! To see the list of electives that are available within the department, make sure to check out your program-specific student handbook that will outline more information!

More information on available electives in PHS here:

https://phs.queensu.ca/programs-courses/graduate-courses

More information on electives across all graduate programs at Queen's University:

https://www.queensu.ca/academic-calendar/graduate-studies/courses-instruction/

It's going to be some work, but you are given all of the tools you need to succeed! Last year, there were many weekly assignments to complete, but you could always turn to the TAs and your fellow classmates for a helping hand!

Better yet, when it came to the midterm and final exam, you were given an opportunity to use your very own formula-cheat sheet. Our biggest tip for success is to never hesitate to reach out to others if you are having difficulties with the material! Whether it's the professor, the TA, a tutor, or a fellow classmate–you can always find help!

Useful Resources:

Choosing the "best place" to live really depends on what you are looking for in your student house! Do you want to live in the downtown area of Kingston? Or do you want to live a bit outside of the student bubble?

In any case, there is a variety of student housing options that will be available for rent that are within a walking distance of campus. Kingston is a very walkable city, after all! To learn more about housing options, you can consult the "Off Campus Housing" Facebook Page! You can also successfully search for student housing in Kingston on websites like Kijiji!

Other Resources:

Queen's University - Community Housing:

https://community.housing.queensu.ca/

Queen's University - Off-Campus Housing: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1618611005028802/

Queen's University Student Housing - Kingston https://www.facebook.com/groups/383002602386338/

QUMSA (Queens University Muslim Student Association) HOUSING https://www.facebook.com/groups/qumsahousingbros/

Kingston (ON) Rooms for Rent & Apartment-Sharing https://www.facebook.com/groups/kingston.roommates/

Kingston ON Rental Properties https://www.facebook.com/groups/kingstonontariorentalproperties/

In our main building, Carruthers, we have a student lounge with couches, a desktop & printer, a kitchenette and cubicles! It's an awesome space to work on assignments with friends, find a quiet space to work alone, or to just hang out and play board games! Also, you will be given access to a Grad Lounge in Stauffer Library that you can use to do some work!

That said, there are so many places on Queen's campus to study that the possibilities are endless! Our favourites (outside of Carruthers and Stauffer) include: Douglas Library, Bracken Library, The Brew and the upstairs areas of Beamish Munro Hall.