^ This is me, right now.

After all the studying and partying and studying, the 2011 – 2012 Fall/Winter semester is officially over. It’s been a great year for me and I was able to make many new friends, participate in many new events and, more relevantly, discover many new places on the Keele campus. As my all-time favourite author would say, “all was well.” Current students are probably looking forward to the summer. I know I am. Despite being enrolled in classes for the summer term, there’s still a nostalgic feeling about finishing another semester that somehow excites me. While we current students are welcoming the end of another semester, the excitement for incoming students must be triple of what we’re feeling; your first year of university is getting closer and closer. Getting nervous? That’s a good sign. It means you’ll try your best to do well. Need some re-assurance? Way ahead of you. Have any questions? You know who to ask (no, not Voldemort, or even Professor Snape for that matter, though Alan Rickman always has a few great answers himself). And with that, I’d like to wish every York student – future, incoming and current – the best of luck with their academic pursuits. May the odds be ever in your favour.

York has many great Fine Arts programs and there are two art galleries on the Keele campus that are currently showcasing several works from students in the Faculty of Fine Arts: the Art Gallery of York University (AGYU) and the Gales Gallery. I visited the Gales Gallery, inside Accolade West, to check out a few of these art pieces. There were three of the students works that instantly caught my eye.

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I was escorting my friend to her doom – er, I mean, her appointment regarding her marks with her professor – on the seventh floor of the Ross building. As we walked down the hall, I noticed how nice the view was from our current vantage so I took out my camera and snapped a few shots here and there. This was my first time seeing the back of Vari Hall; usually I only see the front.  From another window, we could also see as far as William Small and even a bit of Toronto to the south. If you’re bored on campus one day, I encourage you to check this place out just for fun. 

Instead of the usual hustle and bustle, the entire campus has been very calm and quiet lately as students are putting a hold on the parties to concentrate on their studies. I took this opportunity to snap some pictures of students studying – hah, kidding. (The above picture was taken a few months back.) But I did acknowledge that many students prefer studying for exams on campus than at their own homes; after all, some houses have the tendency to become distracting. And so (insert drum roll here) I decided to write a post about how to study for exams on campus – or at least, what I do:

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Hard to believe, but this is my final New Year’s resolution! (If you haven’t read the other ones yet, feel free to browse the first and second). My third New Year’s resolution required me to explore somewhere on the campus I would expect that people have never heard of; that is, a pretty uncommon place usually empty or unvisited on the Keele campus. This was a tough one considering the amount of third and fourth years extremely familiar with the campus, but I narrowed the choices down to Stong House and Barn. Yup, we have a barn. The house itself is reddish brown and white in colour, with the barn portraying similar shades. Surprisingly, though, it isn’t beside Stong College; it’s across the Physical Resources building. Despite its random location, Stong House and Stong Barn were named after one of North York’s most significant pioneer families, the Stong family, who lived in the house from 1854 to 1951 and has remained a cultural emblem for both York University and the North York region since. What I find cool is how Jacob’s father, Daniel, used to farm in the area that is now known as Keele and Jane. But that’s just me. What do you think?

Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror and wonder, “what in the world am I going to do with my life?” Or maybe you’ve been asked the same question by your relatives and friends. I’ve actually experienced both and let me tell you, it’s not a great feeling. The same time, I had known of York’s Career Centre, but I was under the misconception they wouldn’t be able to help me regardless of how many students go to their workshops. 

The purpose of the Career Centre is to help students increase their potential to find the right job for you; students can attend their workshops to improve their resume, interview skills and so on. They also hold career fairs every now and then – the most recent one took place a few weeks ago, and specialized in careers in the Health sector. You may not receive a job on the spot but career fairs are a good way to network with potential employers and perhaps browse through the kind of jobs that will be available for you after you graduate. In addition, they may be the first step you take towards getting an internship for students in fields related to Business, Technology or Environmental Studies.

Current students can even browse through the Career Centre’s online system for the latest job postings by employers both on and off-campus. After a lot of confusion, I gave the Career Centre a shot and it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made since the time I accepted York’s offer on OUAC instead of U of T’s and UOIT’s.

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Lately many TUMBLR users have been writing posts about their acceptances to York. Congrats to everyone who got accepted! If you haven’t received a decision, don’t give up just yet. Admissions go out on a rolling basis; I got mine pretty late when I was accepted. After you’re accepted, the next step is to plan and attend an enrolment appointment. When I was in first year, my appointment took place in 103 Central Square (a.k.a, the Centre for Student Success) and, frankly, it took me forever to find that office. For those who have their appointment in the same place (typically LA&PS students), this picture post will be kind of a mini-guide; it starts off at the bus loop and ends up at Central Square. Hopefully, now, you’ll spend a smaller amount of time being lost or, even better, you won’t get lost at all.

March 31^st: Those who use the YRT, Viva, TTC and GO buses in the York Region will automatically recognize that date as the last day of free bus service to and from the Keele campus. I know people who usually drive to school but have been riding the bus instead so they don’t have to pay for gas. When the free bus rides finally come to an end (like all other good things), York will still offer a discounted Metropass for students who ride the TTC. While many York students are commuters who take the bus, students also arrive to school by …

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The weather’s been really nice lately so I’d like to finally say goodbye (and good riddance) to the slush and the snow and welcome the warm weather with open arms. I’ve had a blog post of York in the Winter before so it only makes sense to create one of York when it’s sunny and green outside. I once received a question on TUMBLR asking whether there were any green places on campus; despite the miniature city-like atmosphere, York does, in fact, have a few green or “nature” places across the entire campus in the form of various woodlots, the ever-so-popular Stong Pond, and my personal favourite; Harry W. Arthur Commons (that grassland right in front of Vari Hall, as portrayed in this surprisingly nice picture I took in 2011 before the snow struck - evidently, it’s a great place to relax or study). If you have any other pictures of a “green” place at York, feel free to share them by linking to them in the comments.

When I think of tours, I think of people walking around wearing jungle hats and collar shirts pointing to random places yelling “Look here! Look there!” When I think of university campus tours, I think of the same thing – minus the jungle hats. Touring a new place can be exciting, but it can also be a bit uncomfortable. I’ve already written a blog post on the value of campus tours so, even if you’re a bit afraid to get out there, I encourage you to step out.

For those who decide to embark on one individually, with their family and friends at one of York’s scheduled campus tours, during York’s upcoming Spring Open House, or even as a group during orientation, I’ve compiled a list of places that are popular among current students and that you should be sure to check out to get the full “York experience.” That, and because I like making check-lists. (I mean, really, who doesn’t?) So, grab your campus map and let’s get going. Introducing the campus tour check-list!

Your campus tour isn’t a campus tour unless you’ve visited:

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