10 Things To Bring To University

With the summer quickly ending and the new school year quickly upon us, I figured I would offer some advice on what you should be bringing to Lakehead University with you! Whether you’re travelling to Lakehead from across the province or across the globe, here’s a list of 10 things to bring to University.

1. Laptop or Tablet: Having a portable computer with you is extremely helpful for taking in-class notes, working on homework or projects in the library, or doing open-book exams. You don’t need anything fancy unless your faculty suggests you buy a certain model. I have the HP G6, which I purchased almost 5 years ago during my first year! It’s still going strong and works like new. It’s about a 50/50 mix of students with PCs to students with Macs.

2. Blankets/Comforter and Dorm Decor: You’re going to be spending the next seven to eight months in your dorm or townhouse. Make it your own with a nice comforter, some posters, and some cute dorm decor! Keep in mind that Thunder Bay has a lot of stores where you can purchase these items – Wal-Mart, Home Outfitters (they have lay away!), Superstore, the campus bookstore, and Sears, just to name a few.

3. A Printer: This is totally optional (the library has printing – both black and colour) but it’s a nice convenience if you need to print something last minute. Keep in mind that Campus Tech, our on-campus tech store, sells printers and ink. Same goes for the laptops mentioned above. It’s all student priced, too.

4. Winter Coat/Boots: Winter is long and often cold here in the North. Expect to be doing lots of outdoor activities like skating, skiing, and snowshoeing! Even if you’re not into sports, it’s still an icy trek to classes. A good pair of boots (I suggest Sorels) and a heavy winter coat are a must here in Thunder Bay. You should also get a good pair of mitts and a hat to keep yourself warm!

5. An Agenda: Keep yourself organized and on top of all your projects, tests, and exams with an agenda or planner. You can get a cute one from Chapters bookstore or Wal-Mart, or pick up a FREE agenda downstairs in front of the LUSU office! PS – even you don’t use an agenda, I suggest grabbing one from LUSU anyways… there are valuable coupons in there, a campus map, and some other helpful resources. The bookstore also sells this great dry erase wall calendar that is very popular among students!

6. Mattress Topper: Unless you’re driving down to Lakehead, this is likely something you’ll need to buy in town… however, a mattress topper is a great way to make those dorm beds a little more comfortable! You can buy them at Wal-Mart or Superstore for under $30, and they are basically an extra foam cushion that goes over your mattress!

7. Stamps, Envelopes, and Packing Supplies: Of course you can pick up the phone and chat with your family and friends at any time, but sending a letter or package (for birthdays or Christmas if you aren’t going home!) is extra special. It’s cheap to mail letters in Canada, and most mailing supplies you can purchase at the campus bookstore. I bet your parents would love to receive a surprise letter from you, or send some maple syrup back home!

8. A Mini Fridge: A mini fridge is included in all dorms, and obviously you have a big fridge in an apartment/townhouse. However, some students in the townhouses and apartments want to have their own fridges for medication or late night snacks. You’re more than welcome to bring your own mini-fridge on campus!

9. Shower Caddy: If you’re staying in a dorm, you’ll be sharing a bathroom with your floor. Having a shower caddy, which is basically a plastic bin, is a great way to carry all your hygiene items with you to and from the bathroom. They are purchasable at most big box stores!

10. Your heath card, driver’s license, passport, and social insurance card: Time for your parent’s to relinquish hold on these cards and bring them with you to University. You’ll obviously need your driver’s license (if you have one) to drive here, and your health card to access health services on and off campus. It’s also a good idea to have your passport with you in case some friends want to take the 45 minute drive to the American border! PS – taking copies your social insurance card and health card could also work.

And here are a few things NOT to bring with you to Lakehead University:

• Excessive amounts of shorts, dresses, and summer outfits. Fall hits here in mid-September, so you won’t get much wear out of these.
• Hot plates, microwaves, space heaters, candles, or elements. These are not allowed in on-campus housing.
• Old textbooks or books that might help. Trust me, you’re unlikely to use these unless there is something you know you’ll go to. Chances are you’ll be able to find the same information at the library, on a database, or online.
• High heels. Ladies, bring one or two universal pairs – not twenty. Trust me, you’re going to want to be rocking winter boots around these parts.
• A version of Microsoft Office. Don’t buy it. You get a free version of MS Office 365 with your Lakehead e-mail account. Click on this link to download (LU e-mail required) or head to Campus Tech in the tunnels to get your copy!
• Pets. Need I say more? You CAN have a little fish, though! 🙂

I hope that this list helped a bit… and remember, there are TON of online resources for you to use and get ideas. Keep in mind that you aren’t moving to another planet, and if you forget anything major, there any lots of stores near campus to grab what you need! Residence also has a valuable list of things to bring and not to bring, which is of course a bit more inclusive than what you see here!

Can’t wait to see you in the fall! 🙂

Across the Border: Grand Marais

A lot of people that think of Thunder Bay think that we are in the middle of no where – mainly because we are a 16 hour drive from Toronto and an 8 hour drive from Winnipeg. However, what a lot of people don’t know is that there are a lot of places to explore around Thunder Bay!
A couple weekends ago my cousin and I drove across the US border to a little town called Grand Marais (Mar-ay), which is about an hour and a half from Thunder Bay. It’s an adorable little tourist town which a population of around 1,300 people and is often busy (especially during the weekends) in the summer. My mom was camping down there for the weekend, and we decided to visit and walk around town!

The entire drive down is along Lake Superior, and Grand Marais sits on the waterfront as well. Despite the cold waters of the lake, tons of people were out fishing, boating, and swimming. We walked along the boardwalk into town and were in love with the vibe of the little town. With music playing and the smell of fresh food in the air, we hardly wanted to leave!

Because it’s a tourist town there are tons of little gift shops, bakeries, and restaurants nearby. A lot of the items are handmade! We also got to try some of the “World’s Best Donuts” there – we bought the last few of them!

Last year my cousin and I went and there was an event going on called the Fisherman’s Picnic. The streets were absolutely packed with people, there were markets and craft sales, open restaurants, log rolling (look it up!), minnow races, and more. It was such a fun event and we had a great time!
The town is affectionately called “America’s Coolest Small Town” and I’d have to agree. Between the kind patrons (my mom described it like you were on a tropical vacation because the locals are SO friendly), delicious food, and unique markets, there is always something to do and to see.

If you have a Passport (Canadian or otherwise) that allows entry into the US, I highly suggest taking the drive. The US border is only about 45 minutes from Thunder Bay, and Grand Marais is 45 minutes past that. Last year my car broke down half way there, but we didn’t let it deter us this year! And a little tip: a lot of Thunder Bay people purchase items online and ship them to Ryden’s border store on the American border. Shipping is cheaper that way, it’s only $3 for them to accept it there, and it’s a beautiful drive! Confession: sometimes I drive to the border just to buy some Vanilla Coke at the border store. #worththegas

I hope you’ll consider making the trip! I know I loved going there this summer!

Fun Classes to Try!

A few weeks ago I made a post about Lakehead University’s business program, but I thought I would make a more general post about some awesome classes that students in any major can take. These classes make great electives! Some of them I have actually taken (donated with a * beside it) and some I have just been interested in or heard good things about!
Keep in mind that the classes offered do change from year to year and were originally taken on the Thunder Bay campus, so if you’re reading this post in a year that’s not 2016 or looking at these from Orillia, things may have changed since!

1. Family Law * (taken 2012-2013)
This is a class I believe all students should taken. Not only is the professor, Kevin Cleghorn, an amazing lawyer, but he is also a great professor. You learn all about family law matters including spousal and child support, division of assets, and divorce. When I took this class it was in-class but now it is offered online. The exam was completely open book and you had the option to do a midterm, assignment, and a paper. If you opted only to do the exam, it was a 100% of your final grade. I found this class very exciting, stimulating, and I feel like it is great knowledge for anyone to know, law student or not!
Find it here – Fall semester, POLI-2315-FDE

2. Introductory Accounting * (taken 2013-2014)
I was required to take this course as a part of my business degree, but I think it’s a good class for everyone to take. It teaches the very basics of accounting and isn’t overly complicated. Considering a lot of students in a variety of majors end up in administration, this might be a great addition to your resume!
Find it here – Fall semester, BUSI-1512-FA (For business students, BUSI-1012-WA/WB)

3. World Religions
My sister took this class last year and really enjoyed it. It’s a lot of reading but is very interesting (as you can imagine). You write two papers, there are some discussions on the online message boards, and a completely open book (including computers) True and False exam. My sister said it was a very eye-opening class, and a great way to learn about the world around us!
Find it here!

4. Online Anthropology * (taken 2012-2013)
So each year the Anthropology department chooses an intriguing topic to make an online class on. When I took it, it was the Peoples & Cultures of Africa. I loved this class – it was an interesting class that consisted of reading articles sent to us (no textbook!) and 3 papers. No exam, no midterm. That might have changed with the topic but it’s worth looking it! I also found it extremely interesting! This year the topic is Alien Depictions in Anthropology which sounds so awesome to me! I wish I had an elective this year so I could take it!
Find it here – Winter semester, ANTH-3811-WDF

5. Introductory Psychology * (taken 2012-2013)
I always tell students this is our largest class on campus – running about 250+ students, everyone seems to love this class! Mike Moland, the professor, is a super awesome and funny guy, and makes this 7-10pm class a lot more bearable. You learn all about basic psychology concepts, parts of the brain, and why we act the way that we do. Students in Psychology and Nursing are required to this is class, but many students in Social Work, Sociology, English, and other arts take it.
Find it here – Full year, PSYC-1100, there are three options at different times and different professors! I had Mike but I heard Professor Sajna is also excellent!

6. Violence
If I had electives this year I would take this class in a heartbeat. I’m unsure if it’s a new class or not, as I’ve never heard of anyone taking it, but it sounds very interesting to me. It is all about events such as mass murder and homicide, as well as serial killers and genocide. Morbid, I know, but I do find this topic very interesting and I believe it is a class a lot of students (Making A Murderer, anyone?) would enjoy taking.
Find it here – Fall semester, CRIM-3511-FDE

7. Astronomy
A lot of business students take this class in their final year… mainly to break up those heavy business classes and learn something interesting. I was in this class for a short time my first year, and there were a ton of videos, visual/online diagrams, and articles!
Find it here – Fall Semester, GSCI-2310-FDE

Some final parting tips in choosing your classes and electives:

• make sure that you don’t have specific classes you need to take for your electives – this usually happens in your upper years (you can choose electives from a list) but double check your requirements prior to registering.
• if you want to switch things up, try an online class. Sometimes it’s nice to be able to sit at your computer for a few hours and work on a class. Of course, this isn’t for everyone, and if you prefer in-class instruction, stick with that!
• mix it up. If you’re into a certain subject it doesn’t hurt to branch out and try new things. That’s what my first year was all about. You never know what you might be interested in, and where you might learn something new (granted, you’ll learn something new in every class).
• look at the course online as soon as it’s made available to you. You usually have about a week or two after classes start to switch in and out of classes. Seeing the course online ahead of time lets you see the key topics, testing methods, and other important information. If you check it out early and don’t like it, it’s nice to switch into something else quickly and not miss too much! If your professor is already listed for the class, you can also e-mail them and see if they have a tentative course online to look at!