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Summer is a great time to recover from the hard work of the previous semester and catch up with your hometown friends. However, it’s also worth using the long months you have productively. There are plenty of small activities you can add to your summer schedule that will help you feel productive — while still meaning you have fun.

1. Set a Health Goal for the Summer

Choose at least one aspect of your physical or mental health you’d like to improve over the summer. Then, set a goal and decide what steps you’ll take to meet it. For instance, you may like to improve your diet, stick to a workout routine, journal a certain number of days each week, or incorporate mindfulness activities into your day.

2. Read Outside

Spend more time outdoors while being productive by taking your books with you on a trip to the lake, beach, or park. Set a goal for how many books you’ll read over the summer. Don’t feel like everything you read needs to relate to your major — reading fiction is a great way to expand your mind, improve your imagination, and develop empathy.

3. Search for a Mentor

Summer is the perfect time to search for someone who can provide you with advice to help you reach your goals after you graduate. Reach out to people in your faculty, alumni, or professionals in your community to ask about opportunities to receive mentoring.

Alternatively, if you have no one in mind you could ask, sign up for a mentoring program that matches students with people in the field they want to enter.

4. Consider Your Personal Branding

After you graduate, you’ll be using personal branding to show potential employers that you’re the ideal candidate. The summer is a great time for reflecting on how you want to present yourself. Consider the message you want to portray (about your skills, values, and what makes you unique) and find ways to apply it to your resume, LinkedIn profile, and online portfolio or website.

5. Prepare for Next Semester

Make sure you start next semester feeling fully prepared. Dedicate some time over the summer to organizing your files, decluttering, and reviewing any notes from classes that are prerequisites to the classes you’ll be taking in the upcoming semester.

6. Make Time for Hobbies

Hobbies allow you to be productive while participating in the activities you enjoy the most. Schedule time over the summer to work on a personal project, improve your skills, or even learn something new.

7. Search for a Volunteer Program

Volunteering will give structure to your days over the summer, help you gain valuable experience to put on your resume, and allow you to make a difference to a cause that matters to you. Find out if there are any programs in your community that you could join.

8. Find Time to Relax

Remember, you don’t need to be productive for the entire summer — it’s just as important to relax and recover. This will help you avoid academic burnout next semester. Give yourself permission to spend time doing nothing in particular. You’ll reap the benefits when you return to university in the fall with a clear mind.

One more way to use your summer break is to look for student rentals. St. Catharines has the perfect housing at Parkway Lofts. Upgrade your student living experience by moving into our luxury apartments. You’ll find it easier to study, relax, and socialize thanks to amenities like complimentary Wi-Fi, study rooms, and a common area lounge. Contact us to secure a lease on your preferred floor plan.

A great professor will have a lasting impact on your time at university, perhaps even the rest of your life. However, many professors may never know how important they’ve been to their students. You can change this by thanking your favourite professor through a formal email that expresses your gratitude — here’s how.

1. Sum Up Your Thoughts in a Short Subject Line

Make sure your professor knows what the email is about by including a relevant subject line. Professors are busy people — knowing what an email contains helps them decide when to read it.

2. Address Your Professor Correctly

Find out what title your professor prefers. If the professor has a doctoral degree, this is likely “Professor” or “Doctor.” Otherwise, it will likely be “Mr.” or “Ms.” However, you may be on a first-name basis with your professor if you’ve developed a close relationship.

3. Write a Personalized Message

Make it clear exactly what you’re thankful for, whether that’s guidance, mentorship, or a particular opportunity your professor provided you with. Avoid writing a generic message — instead, include specific examples of how the professor has supported you. This will show that you’re genuine about your appreciation.

4. Talk About the Future

You may also like to talk about how the support you received from your professor has influenced your future career path or further studies. If your professor could be a useful contact, you may like to express a desire to stay in touch.

5. Be Brief

The last thing you want is for your thank-you email to take up an unreasonable amount of your professor’s time. Instead of going into a lot of detail, stick to the key facts to be as concise as possible. A maximum of six short paragraphs is ideal.

6. Sign Off Appropriately

End with the professional closing phrase of your choice. Options range from the standard “Sincerely” or “Kind regards” to those that continue expressing thanks, such as “With appreciation” or “Yours in gratitude.”

7. Proofread Before Sending

Just like you proofread papers and other assignments before you submit them, you should proofread your thank-you email. In fact, it’s a good habit to proofread anything you write before sending it, no matter how. Since you put a lot of effort into writing the perfect thank-you email, it’s important to check it to ensure it expresses your thoughts as you wanted and has no errors that may look unprofessional or may lead to a misunderstanding.

Great professors are just one factor that makes your time at university special. Another is your student housing. Improve your Brock off-campus living experience by moving into Parkway Lofts. In addition to a stylish apartment, you’ll be within walking distance of campus and have access to great amenities, including a fitness centre, common area lounge, and multipurpose room. In addition to our shared suites, we have one-bedroom studios, meaning you can choose whatever suits your budget and lifestyle. All our apartments come with a luxury bathroom just for you or shared with one roommate. Book a tour to see our student housing for yourself.

Everyone is aware that tuition fees are expensive, but it may come as a shock just how expensive everything else at university is. To ensure you don’t exceed your budget, you need to have a strategy in place to save money.

1. Find a Part-Time Job

You’ll be able to put less effort into saving money if you’re earning an income. Many students look for jobs on campus because employers tend to be understanding of the need to fit your work hours around your class schedule. However, you may like to look off campus if you want to gain a specific type of experience to help you find a job when you graduate.

If you feel like it would be too much work at the same time as studying, an alternative could be to find work during your breaks. There may be seasonal jobs available in the area or you could offer services on a freelance basis.

2. Cook Your Own Meals

Eating out is not only expensive, it’s often unhealthy. With just some basic cooking skills, you can prepare a diverse range of meals. You could even involve your friends or roommates by taking turns to cook and sharing the meal.

3. Track Your Spending

To know exactly where your money is going, it’s necessary to track your spending. Either use a spreadsheet or a budgeting app to make a note of every purchase.

4. Purchase Used Textbooks

One of your biggest expenses at university will be textbooks. If the books you need haven’t changed recently, it makes sense to pick up used versions. As a bonus, the student who had the book before you may have highlighted sections or added notes, which could aid your own understanding of the material. Once you’ve finished a class, sell the textbooks on.

5. Buy Only What You Need

Before making any purchases, think about whether you actually need the items. This is especially important before you start university, as it may be tempting to buy more school supplies than you need. In addition, avoid impulse purchases. It’s always better to give yourself time to think about whether buying something is a good idea. If the item you want is expensive, it may be worthwhile to wait for a sale.

6. Prepare Coffee at Home

Many students enjoy taking a cup of coffee with them to their early classes. However, there’s no need to buy coffee on campus — making it at home is much cheaper. Although one coffee is not too expensive, it adds up to a big difference over several weeks.

8. Find Fully-Furnished Housing

Needing to purchase furniture for your apartment will significantly increase your housing expenses. Plus, you’ll need to think about what you’ll do with all the furniture once you finish university. You’ll either need to sell it (likely at a loss) or ship it (another expense). Avoid these headaches by looking for fully-furnished housing.

You don’t need to look far to find affordable student rentals — St. Catharines has Parkway Lofts. We offer various fully-furnished floor plans to suit every budget, ranging from studio apartments to four-bedroom suites. Our apartments have private or shared luxury bathrooms and a full kitchen as well as a commercial-style kitchen in the common area. Secure your spot now while spaces still remain.

Food on campus is often far from the healthiest. Plus, eating out every day becomes expensive. Knowing a few basic recipes will help you avoid fast food, eat a balanced diet, and save money.

1. Ramen

The student experience is not complete without the occasional ramen. Make sure you always have some in the cupboard for times when you have no energy to cook but lack the budget to eat out. The noodles will be ready to eat in the time it takes to boil water.

2. Homemade Pizza

Pizza can be healthy if you prepare it yourself and use plenty of vegetables for toppings. You can either buy a premade crust or use pita. You also have several options for the sauce: purchase pizza sauce, make some yourself, or use some sauce you already have.

3. Baked Potato

For a filling meal, there is nothing better than a baked potato. It will be ready in 12 minutes if you put it in the microwave or 45 minutes in the oven. The options for toppings are endless, although some of the healthier choices include ham and broccoli, cottage cheese and roasted tomato, Tex-Mex, and tomato-pesto.

4. Baked Ravioli

Cover some ravioli with pasta sauce and cheese and bake it in the oven for a fast, nutritious meal. If you make a large dish, you can heat up portions later in the week.

5. Casserole

Another great option for a large dish that will last several days is a casserole. Use soup as a base and add any combination of meat, vegetables, and cheese you like. Heat everything in a casserole dish in the oven.

6. Scrambled Eggs

Don’t feel like scrambled eggs are only for breakfast — they’re a great way to increase your protein intake without spending much at any time of day. Give the eggs some flavour by scrambling them with cheese or vegetables.

7. Tomato Soup with Grilled Cheese

If you don’t feel like preparing tomato soup yourself, purchase some fresh soup or even keep a few cans around for emergencies. To make a proper meal, serve with a grilled cheese sandwich.

8. Tortilla Wraps

A wrap is ideal when you have just a short break for lunch or when you return home in the evening after a long day of classes and don’t want to spend time cooking. Roll up some vegetables, deli meat, or other fillings in a tortilla wrap and heat it up or eat it cold.

9. Sheet Pan Chicken and Vegetables

A nutritious, delicious, and easy-to-make dish is sheet pan chicken and vegetables. To prepare it, all you need to do is cover a baking sheet with a mixture of vegetables (such as potatoes, peppers, onion, and garlic), coated in olive oil, salt, and black pepper. Then, place a couple pieces of chicken breast on top. Bake in the oven for around 20 to 25 minutes.

It’s difficult to prepare healthy food when all you have available is a microwave. If you live in your own apartment, though, you’ll have a full kitchen to use whenever you like. Parkway Lofts offers Brock off-campus living with everything you need to upgrade the student experience. In addition to a kitchen with quartz countertops in your suite, the community amenities include a commercial-style kitchen where you can prepare meals with friends. Contact us now for a lease in our student community while limited spots still remain.

Almost immediately after ChatGPT launched, there were concerns about how students would use the tool. Universities were worried that students would use it to generate papers from scratch and not put in any work themselves. Students, on the other hand, worried that their professors would be able to detect papers created by AI and flag them for plagiarism. The issue remains complex today. It’s important for students to know what are the appropriate uses of AI, both from an ethical standpoint and to avoid being accused of cheating.

Can Plagiarism Checkers Detect AI?

Most professors run their students’ papers through a plagiarism checker. This ensures the student hasn’t copied parts from other sources or collaborated with others. These tools now also detect AI. They provide professors with a percentage of how much of the paper is likely AI-generated content, with those sections highlighted.

AI tools are becoming more advanced — but plagiarism tools are keeping up. As well as detecting new capabilities of AI, the developers of these tools are constantly working on eliminating false positives. This is equally important because it could be devastating for a student who has done nothing wrong to be accused of cheating.
When Is It Appropriate to Use AI?
Some of your professors may not mind you using AI to an extent — although they’ll still expect you to put in the effort to create a great paper. However, other professors have a zero tolerance for AI. When this is the case, it is best to avoid AI tools entirely.

If you’re unsure about the standards at your university, ask your professor before you start writing a paper or find out what the rules are at your school by talking to your academic advisor.

Ways to Use AI

In the case your professor does allow you to use AI, this doesn’t mean you can generate a text and just edit it slightly. Instead, you may be able to use a tool like ChatGPT to gain inspiration, such as if you’re unsure where to begin or you’re struggling to come up with ideas for a particular section of your paper. You could also use an AI tool to create a first draft of your paper and then rewrite it in your own words — it’s important not to copy anything exactly because the plagiarism checker is likely to flag it.

However you use AI, you’ll still need to do research and find sources for your paper. It is crucial to fact check everything the AI produces because tools often hallucinate: make up facts and even sources for those facts.

If you’re considering turning to AI because you’re feeling frustrated with your studies, a better solution is to change your approach to schoolwork. The first step is to find somewhere you can study in peace. The best place is your own bedroom — but only if you don’t share it with anyone else. For Brock University off-campus housing where you’ll have your own space, there’s Parkway Lofts. In addition to the desk in your luxury student apartment, you can use the onsite study rooms. Book a tour to see how living here will give your life an upgrade.

The new year is all about creating a new you. One thing almost everyone wants to work on is fitness. With these high-intensity workouts, you can fit an effective training session into your day without even leaving your apartment. Plus, none of them require any equipment.

1. Core

Training your core isn’t just important for gaining ripped abs — your core is responsible for maintaining your posture and keeping your spine safe from excessive load. With a strong core, you’ll reduce back pain, become more flexible, and improve your balance. You can work your core in 20 minutes with this routine.

Start with some plank exercises. Try to hold a regular plank for 90 seconds before switching to the right side for 45 seconds and then to the left side for another 45 seconds. Finish with one minute of a straight arm plank.

Next, move on to the cardio portion of your workout. Do 20 tuck jumps followed by 40 jumping lunges.

Return to the floor for a V-sit. Try to hold the position for 40 seconds, rest for 20 seconds, and then hold it for another 40 seconds. You may need to bend your knees when you first try this exercise, but you should be able to straighten your legs as your core becomes stronger.

End the workout with leg lifts. Do 20 on the right side, do 20 on the left, and then repeat.

2. Cardio

This cardio workout is the shortest routine because it’s the most intense. Although it takes just 15 minutes, you’ll definitely know you’ve worked hard once you’ve finished.

The workout consists of four moves, each lasting one minute: high knees, butt kicks, jumping jacks, and standing mountain climbers. After you’ve completed all four, take a one-minute rest. If you’re able, repeat the sequence two more times.

3. Strength Training

You don’t need any weights to do strength training — you can just use your body weight. This is important for building up your muscles, protecting you from injuries, and strengthening your bones.

Start the session with the four-minute plank exercise from the core workout. Follow this with 20 squats, 15 pushups (you can go from your knees, if you need to), and a one-minute wall sit. Finish with the same 20 leg lifts as the core workout — again, twice on each side.

4. Cardio and Strength Training Combined

For the ultimate workout, combine cardio and strength into one. This involves doing two circuits.

The first circuit consists of butt kicks, burpees, jump squats, mountain climbers, and standing bicycle crunches. Do each exercise for 45 seconds and then rest for 15 seconds. Once you’ve finished, repeat the circuit.

For the second circuit, do 40 seconds of mountain climbers followed by a 20-second plank and then take a one-minute rest. Next, do lateral plank walks for 40 seconds and hold another 20-second plank. Rest for one minute before repeating the circuit.

Being able to exercise in your bedroom is great if the alternative is venturing out into the cold to walk to a gym several blocks away. However, an even better option is to have a gym in your building. Parkway Lofts has a range of great amenities — in addition to a fitness center, our Niagara College student housing has study rooms, a common area lounge, and a commercial-style kitchen. Book a tour to check out our luxury student apartments for yourself.

Whether you’re not much of a social butterfly or you just like having some time for yourself, it’s useful to have ideas for ways you can spend time alone while you’re at university. Many student activities involve being with other people, such as attending club meetings, going to parties, and hanging out with friends or roommates. Nonetheless, there are also plenty of options for activities to enjoy by yourself.

1. Try Everything on the Menu at Your Local Coffee Shop

When you want a change of scenery while studying, a top place to go is your local coffee shop. Set an aim to try everything on the menu — if you spread this out over the few years you’re at university, it shouldn’t be impossible.

2. Journal

Improve your writing skills by journaling on a regular basis. You could note down memorable things that happen to you, track your progress toward meeting your goals, or search for writing prompts to keep things interesting. Since there’s always something you can write about, there’s no reason not to try.

3. Listen to Music

Make playlists of your favourite songs for different moods — a playlist made up of just songs you know all the words to is a must. Remember to check out other people’s playlists on the streaming app of your choice to discover some new tunes as well.

4. Explore New Restaurants

Whenever you’re not in the mood to cook, check out a new restaurant near you. In addition to those on campus, explore places in your neighborhood.

5. Take a Shopping Trip

You can even take a shopping trip if you’re short of cash — just go window shopping. Check out what’s trending in fashion and interior design for inspiration. For instance, you may be able to adapt outfits you already have, create your own decor for your student apartment, or pick up something similar (but cheaper) at a thrift store.

6. Create a New Workout Routine

Whether you need a new challenge or you’ve never enjoyed exercising but now want to get in shape, there’s no time like the present for mixing up your workout routine. If you live somewhere that has a gym or if there’s a fitness center on campus you can use, consider how to use the equipment available to you. Otherwise, search for workout videos you can do at home with just your bodyweight.

7. Wander Around Campus

If you’re looking for an activity to do on your own when you have just a short time between classes, there’s nothing better than exploring campus. You may discover places you were unaware of, such as potential study spots.

8. Read a Book

An activity that’s ideal no matter where you are is reading — all you’ll need is a comfortable place to sit, which should be easy to find both on campus and at home. Keep a book in your backpack that’s unrelated to your classes.

9. Watch a TV Series

Don’t feel like you always need to be productive. If you don’t have the energy to focus on reading a book, watch a TV series instead. Even if you only have a subscription to one streaming service, you should always be able to find something interesting.

It’s difficult to find much time to be alone when you’re sharing a room with someone else. Living at Parkway Lofts means you’ll be able to spend as much time alone as you want. Our Brock University off-campus housing provides you with your own room or even your own studio apartment. You’ll be living just across the street from campus near many places you may enjoy visiting by yourself, such as local parks, art venues, and malls. Book a tour to check out our student housing for yourself.

You’ll spend a lot of time reading at college, but it can be hard to find the time to read anything other than your required books. However, books are also great for expanding your mind and helping you progress toward your personal goals. Whenever you have some downtime over break, pick up one of these influential books to keep your mind active.

1. Indistractible

There are a huge number of things vying for your attention when you’re at college. This can make focusing on your studies challenging at times. Instead of pursuing quick fixes that are unlikely to work in the long term, read Indistractible: How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life. The book is by behavioural design expert Nir Eyal. He provides a four-step process based on research you can use to cut distractions and become productive.

2. Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?

You’ll learn plenty in college — but your classes will also neglect some key knowledge you’ll need to survive in the real world. In Why Has Nobody Told Me This Before?, Dr. Julie Smith explores crucial topics, ranging from building confidence to dealing with disappointment. She also provides actionable advice you can use at college and beyond.

3. Digital Minimalism

College is the ideal time to figure out how you want to live your life. A great starting point is Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport. The book will help you assess the role technology has for you and show you how to make changes, including a digital declutter.

4. Educated

If you ever feel like college is too difficult, you may find it inspiring to read the memoir of someone who has tackled major challenges to succeed academically. Educated is a bestseller by Tara Westover, who was raised by survivalists and homeschooled until she went to college. From a childhood isolated from the rest of society, she beat all odds and ended up earning her PhD.

5. The Years That Matter Most

Wherever you are in your college journey, it’s worth picking up The Years That Matter Most: How College Makes or Breaks Us. Paul Tough takes you through all the steps you need to tackle to be successful at college — from choosing the right school to graduation day. It discusses the good, the bad, and everything in between, including through anecdotes from other students.

6. Atlas of the Heart

Whether you’re finding it difficult to make friends, need to improve your networking skills, or want to maximize your chances of making a good impression at an interview, it helps to understand others’ emotions. Atlas of the Heart: Mapping Meaningful Connections and the Language of Human Experience is a must-read. Brené Brown teaches you the basics of how to connect and maintain close relationships.

7. Range

If you ever worry that you haven’t found your one passion, Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World will put your mind at ease. When writing the book, author David Epstein researched people in top fields — everyone from athletes to Nobel Laureates. He discovered that the vast majority were generalists rather than specialists. He attributes their success to their agility and creativity. Reading this book should give you inspiration to keep building your skills in a variety of areas.

One reason you may not be reading books during the semester other than those for your classes is because you lack a quiet place where you can go whenever you want to spend time alone. This is something you’ll only find if you have your own room — which means you need to move off campus. For Niagara College student housing, there’s Parkway Lofts. Our luxury apartments come in various floor plans, including studio apartments where you’ll have full privacy. Book a tour to see how living here will enhance your college experience.

Job postings can be intimidating due to the large number of skills and qualifications they tend to require. If you haven’t yet finished your degree and want to start working while you’re still at university or you’ve already started your job search for post-graduation but don’t yet have any experience in your field, you may feel hesitant about applying for some positions.

However, it’s important to realize that requirements on a job post are often no more than guidelines — they’re what hiring managers would like to see in a candidate, but they’re not all essential. To figure out if it’s worth applying, you need to determine whether you’d be able to offer employers what they want.

Demonstrate Transferable Skills

Job posts often specify that they want candidates with experience, which can leave you feeling like you have limited options. However, you almost certainly have transferable skills that could make up for your lack of experience.

It’s important to consider all the skills you’ve gained — through part-time jobs, internships, your studies, participation in extracurriculars, volunteer positions, and other areas of your life. Consider how these skills relate to the qualifications mentioned in the job post.

Show Your Motivation

Another way to demonstrate that you could be an ideal candidate even when you don’t meet all the requirements of a job post is to show a willingness to learn. In your application and at the interview, mention what you’ve learned at university, why you chose your major, and what ambitions you have for the future. It’s better still if you can talk about ideas you have that would enable you to excel in the position and would help the company see results.

Learn About the Company

To do both the above, it helps to know as much about the company as possible. Not only will the hiring manager be impressed by your knowledge, this will also show you have a genuine interest in the position. In particular, you should discuss how the mission of the company aligns with your own values.

Contacts Are Everything

You’re more likely to receive an interview — or even find out about positions that are not publicly listed — if you have contacts within the company. Take advantage of networking opportunities at university, such as job fairs and other campus events. You should also use your LinkedIn network to see if you can connect with someone who may be able to give you a referral. Finally, talk to your professors and previous employers to see if they know anyone, both at companies you’d like to work for and at businesses in your field that you hadn’t considered.

Using your connections will improve your chances of landing an interview for a job where you lack some of the qualifications.
You may be able to avoid needing a part-time job while you’re still a student if you move into a more affordable apartment. You can find Brock University off-campus housing at Parkway Lofts. Our stylish apartments are just across the street from campus, fully furnished, and equipped with all the necessities. Book a tour to see the suites for yourself before you sign a lease.

Whereas the desk in your bedroom is the most logical place to study and work on assignments, sometimes you may need a change of scenery. Studying in different places can help you find inspiration, give you the chance to be around other people (which can make studying a less solitary activity), and keep you motivated. Try the following unique spots and decide which you like best.

1. Your Local Coffee Shop

Treat yourself to your favourite beverage while you study by heading to your local coffee shop. You’ll typically have free WiFi and will be able to stay there as long as you want. You may find that other students and people who work from home are also using the coffee shop, meaning you’ll have the chance to make friends with the regulars if you go often enough.

2. Restaurants

If you have no time to fit preparing a meal, eating, and doing homework into your schedule, head to a restaurant. Pick somewhere that serves delicious food to reward yourself for your hard work. If you eat slowly and the restaurant is not too busy, you should find you’re able to get plenty done.

3. A Public Library

Your campus library is a popular place to study, but there’s also likely to be a public library in your college town that you can use. This is ideal if you’re looking for somewhere quiet where no one will disturb you. If you need to settle down and finish an assignment, this could be a better option than working at home, where all sorts of things could distract you. Plus, you’ll be around books and can ask the librarians for help if you need extra resources to complete your assignment.

4. A Bookstore

Another way to surround yourself with books while you study is to go to a bookstore. Many large bookstores have dedicated areas where you can sit with a laptop to study. They typically have free WiFi and you may be able to grab a cup of coffee while you’re there.

5. The Park

When the weather is pleasant, you can study in the park. This is also a great way to get your daily dose of vitamin D and some fresh air. You could even bring a flask of coffee or snacks to have a picnic when you need a break from studying. Just bear in mind that you may need to stick to tasks that don’t require WiFi.

6. Coworking Spaces

If you’re working on a group project, need to meet with someone in a professional capacity (such as a potential mentor), or want to network with people in your area outside of just students, consider going to a coworking space. If you won’t be going often, look for somewhere that allows you to pay by the hour without requiring you to sign up for a membership.

When you live at Parkway Lofts, it’s easy to mix up where you study. Whenever you want a change from the desk in your fully-furnished bedroom, bring your assignments to one of the study rooms, the common area lounge, or the multipurpose room. There are also restaurants and coffee shops nearby. Pay us a visit to see our Niagara College student housing for yourself.