Mount Allison is so supportive of all students and they really want you to succeed. The Wellness Centre provides services to students with documented disabilities other than learning disabilities and The Meighen Centre is for students with learning disabilities. This support includes note takers, alternate exam settings, alternate lecture and exam formats, mentoring, the use of adaptive technology, and other services. For more information on these student support services, visit the Wellness Centre and Meighen Centre websites.
In this the 18th video in our 20-part tip series, fourth-year honours psychology student and Orientation Chair Aleka Maclellan discusses what students can do to enjoy Mount Allison before they turn 19.
All residence events are generally all-ages. Turning 19 really isn’t as life-changing as it’s cracked up to be and there’s certainly no shortage of things to do before then at Mount Allison.
I would suggest many of the previously noted ideas of what to do in Sackville. For Art lovers there’s visiting the Owens, START, and Struts galleries. I would also suggest going out and exploring the region, experiencing theatre, getting involved in club activities, and grabbing a coffee with friends. In first year I often went to movies at Sackville’s one-room Vogue theatre, especially the Friday night toonie movies ($2 movies, for non-Canadians). For music, there are wet-dry nights at the Pub and various house events.
In the 17th in our 20-part video tip series, fourth-year biology students Beth Whitfield and Brittany Cain talk about their favourite places to relax and unwind around campus.
Brittany really likes the solarium and pub in the Student Centre and Beth suggests the Waterfowl Park as a good place to de-stress. Personally, I enjoy taking a walk down Bridge Street to see the very end where there used to be a bridge. Now it is just a chasm where you can look out across the marshes and see the Radio Canada International shortwave towers. It is a really tranquil place (except when the train comes by). If you’re not up for a long walk, then I’d suggest going to the War Memorial park downtown. It’s a quiet place to relax and reflect.
In the 15th of 20 in our video tip series, fourth-year psychology student Aleka Maclellan talks about the best places to grab a coffee in Sackville. Drinking coffee is a study-aid and habit-forming, so it’s no surprise that there are five good places to get coffee in this university town. Starting with the obvious, if you’re in the library trying to get some work done, you’ll want make a quick stop at the Flying Bean cafe. If you are chilling at the Student Centre, you’d want to stop by Gracie’s. If you’re downtown, there’s the ever-popular Bridge Street Café. On the way back to campus, there’s the Cackling Goose organic food store. All of the above locations offer organic fair trade coffee, but if you’re craving something more generic, there’s always Tim Hortons by the highway. I personally like the Cackling Goose because they make it in small batches, but Bridge Street is a great spot for getting together with friends.
In the 14th of our 20 part video-tip series, fourth-year history and anthropology student Sarah Underhill talks about viewing art in Sackville. Firstly, there’s Owen’s Art Gallery, the oldest university art gallery in Canada, which hosts student and established artists’ work year-round. There’s also the START (Student Run Art) Gallery and Struts Gallery in downtown Sackville. Sarah mentions the Fine Arts Show and Sale, which provides an opportunity for students in the Fine Arts department to showcase and sell their artwork. There is the new addition of Colville House, where you can explore renowned Canadian artist and alumni Alex Colville’s life and work. For information on art news in Sackville, see the web site for the Sackville Arts Magazine, which was founded just last year to increase community awareness and involvement within the arts scene in Sackville.
In the 13th video in our 20-part video tip series, third-year biology student David Summerby-Murray discusses places to see outside Sackville. He mentions the Tantramar Salt Marshes, just outside Sackville (part of why Canon Envirothon came to Mount Allison). There’s also the Bay of Fundy, which has the highest tides in the world. If you are adventurous, I’d recommend going to Halifax. It’s a great city and only a 2 hour drive from Sackville. About 30 minutes from Sackville is Moncton, which hosts a lot of popular live music and has an international airport. For history buffs, there’s also Fort Beauséjour, the location of the beginning of the British offensive in the French and Indian War.
In the 12th in the 20-part video tip series, third-year religious studies student Oudai (OD) AlTabbaa discusses the many things to do on weekends in Sackville.
There’s really always something happening in Sackville during the school year. There are events and activities organized by the 140+ clubs on campus, concerts at the Pub and George’s, theatre productions, house parties, and even Zombie Apocalypses . I would recommend going to at least one residence party first year. If you’re only going to a couple, I’d go to Cancun Campbell and Windsor’s Mardi Gras to get a feel of what they’re like. For more low-key ideas, there’s always checking out Sackville’s Waterfowl Park, Mount Allison’s Owens Art Gallery, and START/Struts Art Gallery downtown. I'd also highly recommend going to at least one of the President's Speaker's Series. With the school's lecture funds, the school brings in renowned intellectuals like Steven Pinker and Rebecca Goldstein to campus. There are academic talks and conferences throughout the year.
In the 11th in our 20-part video tip series, fourth-year environmental studies student Avery Wheeler offers her advice on overcoming exam anxiety.
I’m not going to lie, the first exams you’ll take in University will probably be stressful. You have probably never taken a 2-3 hour test that’s worth 40-60% of your final grade. Don’t be too alarmed though. If you’ve gone to class and done the readings and assignments, you will do just fine. Finals are really the major assessment of whether or not you’ve been paying attention. Avery mentions that you can study in groups to be aware you’re not the only one studying all day. If that helps, by all means go for it. You will discover the study methods that work best for you.
Tenth on our list of 20 video tips for incoming
Mount Allison University students is how to stay fit and healthy on campus. Fourth-year
environmental studies student Avery Wheeler discusses Mount Allison’s athletic
facilities and why you should use them to avoid the dreaded and “very real”
freshman 15.
There is a focus on staying healthy at Mount
Allison and the school offers among the best fitness and recreation facilities
I’ve seen. From the Athletic Centre (indoor swimming pool, weight room, and
gymnasium, the aforementioned intramural and club sports, and the fitness
centre (which I use regularly) there is ample opportunity to burn off all the
food from meal hall you will inevitably overindulge in.
There are also various
dance societies (whose instructors will teach beginners) as well as aerobics,
yoga, meditation, and martial arts groups. The newly refurbished pool is a
great place to de-stress and burn off steam around exam-time.
I just wanted to make a small mention of a really important cause at Mount Allison: Shinerama. It's an effort that raises money for Cystic Fibrosis Canada, a nonprofit organization that funds scientific research, treatment & patient services, and education and public awareness of Cystic Fibrosis (CF), the most common fatal genetic disease affecting Canadian children and young adults.
Shinerama is the college and University arm of Cystic Fibrosis Canada which last year contributed $1 million to total revenues for the organization.
For a number of years, Mount Allison has been recognized nationally for it's involvement in Shinerama. Currently, Mount Allison teams make up five of the top 10 teams nationally.
Consider Mount Allison's (≈) 2250 undergrads to Dalhousie's (≈) 12,000 and all five teams surpass them. That's really impressive and due to all of the hard work that Beth Whitfield and the rest of the Shinerama team have done already over the summer in fund-raising efforts around the area.
If you want to get involved in helping an organization that improves the quality of life for patients and strives to find a cure for CF you should get involved with this group. For more information contact Shinerama Chair Beth Whitfield at shinerama@mta.ca or in the SAC office in the Student Centre. You can also like the group on Facebook, follow it on Twitter, or visit their website for more information. Here's a video from the group talking about their work:
Cystic fibrosis causes a build-up of thick mucus
in the lungs leading to severe respiratory
problems. Meanwhile, mucus and protein build-
up in the digestive tract results in extreme
difficulty in digesting and absorbing adequate
nutrients from food.
The effects of cystic fibrosis are most
devastating in the lungs. Ultimately, most CF
deaths are due to lung disease.
It is estimated that one in every 3,600
children born in Canada has cystic fibrosis.
Approximately 3,800 Canadian children,
adolescents, and adults with cystic fibrosis
attend specialized CF clinics.
In the 9th video in our 20-part tip series, fourth-year honours psychology student and Orientation Chair Aleka Maclellan discusses where she goes to find a quiet place to study.
Personally, I have always favoured the 2nd floor of the library because it’s generally quiet and it’s where people go when they really need to get work done, so the atmosphere is fairly serious, especially around exam time. There’s also, as Aleka mentions, empty classrooms (especially Avard Dixon) that can be used by students after class.
For non-music students, if you want to get away from everything and really get down to work, there’s the music library in the Music Conservatory. It’s always quiet there and it’s a spot almost nobody outside of the music program knows exists. Some other people are able to be productive at Bridge Street Café, but for me it’s too loud and busy, but could work with casual group work or meetings. If you are doing group work, there are lounges in each residence that are really good for this purpose. Wherever you choose to study, try to stay focused on your work, and not on Facebook.
In this video, fourth-year psychology and English student James Barth and fourth-year biochemistry student Erin Stewart give their take on adjusting to university life at Mount Allison.
I think an important point to make is that it is completely normal to feel a bit out of place and nervous at first — everyone feels that way. Mount Allison is an extremely welcoming community and there is no reason to worry that you won’t find where you fit in. Sometimes it takes a while for you to find your niche, but in the meantime just try to relax and enjoy the ride. Everybody will be in the same situation as you, so don’t be afraid to introduce yourself to new people. It is completely socially acceptable to find a group of strangers, both first-year and upper year students, and introduce yourself. Oh...and once again, remember to pack rain boots. Geoff Campbell Communications Assistant Mount Allison University
In the 7th video tip in our 20-part series, third-year religious studies student Oudai (OD) AlTabbaa from Damascus, Syria gives his advice on how new international students can adjust to life in Canada and at Mount Allison University.
Speaking as a student who spent his youth growing up mostly in suburban Chicago, I didn’t experience culture shock or have trouble adjusting to Canadian life, but that’s not the same for everyone. I know that the International Centre offers all kinds of help with common issues like off-campus work permit applications, post-graduation work permits, filing taxes, health insurance, and a range of other services.
Mount Allison also offers a mentorship program to incoming international students to be paired with an upper-year student to help them adjust to Canadian culture and Mount Allison in particular. Before you arrive there is also a 45-page handbook for international students with important information for international students. and there is even a service available for someone to meet you at the airport when you arrive.
In this 6th out of 20 video tips for incoming Mount Allison University students, fourth-year environmental studies student Avery Wheeler returns to discuss the academic transition from high school to university.
As I wrote on my blog back in September of my first year, “The main difference between high school and university is that there is nobody there to hold your hand or spoon feed you. You can come to class or not, you can read the book, or not...the only person it will affect is you.”
In high school you probably had your parents and teachers reminding you to stay on top of things. In university classes, there’s no hand-holding. Professors at Mount Allison are very supportive and accessible, but you have to put in the work yourself. What you make of this great opportunity is entirely up to you.
Fourth in this 20-part
video series for the Class of 2015, Alex Dalton (fourth-year international relations)
and Avery Wheeler (fourth- year environmental studies) share what they wish
they knew before they came to Mount Allison.
The one thing I wish
I knew is that with a little bit of effort and being social the first few weeks,
there’s really no way you won’t meet a great group of people. Mount Allison is
known for its close-knit community and building lifelong bonds. The bottom line
is that while you may not become the closest of friends with everyone you meet
during Orientation Week, you'll find at least a few you will be friends with long after
your time at Mount Allison. I know I did.
I just wanted to make a quick comment on the "20 Tips in 20 Days for first-year students" video project I've been working on. In less than 50 hours there have been over 600 views of the three video tips posted so far and an incredibly positive reaction on both Facebook and Twitter. I'm glad to see you're all enjoying them. Again, I am not the only one who has worked on this project. All of the credit for videography goes to eCommunications Coordinator Nadine Leblanc. In addition, these videos are student voices so, again, thank you to everybody who volunteered their time to help tell the story of Mount Allison University.
Tomorrow morning's video is features students responding to the question "What's one thing you wish you knew before you came to Mount Allison?". One part serious and one part funny but both parts useful I think you'll enjoy it.
Friday's tip is... a secret. You'll have to check back here on Friday morning or go to http://youtube.com/mountallison (and subscribe) to see what Friday's tip is. This project is all about open communication so feel free to comment on my tip posts, the announcements via the Facebook Page, and on the videos themselves to let incoming students know your tip on the topic.
To share your ideas for future videos you can post comments on our YouTube channel.
There are 17 more to share with you. I hope you enjoy them as much as you're enjoyed the videos so far.
In the third post of a 20-part video series, Sarah Underhill, who expects to graduate in May with a double major in history and anthropology, talks about experiencing theatre on campus and around Sackville.
You’ll notice here that there are theatre productions most weeks of the year. There are many groups to join and watch, both on and off campus, such as Black Tie Productions (musicals), Garnet and Gold Musical Theatre, Windsor Theatre (drama), Tintamarre (bilingual troupe), Live Bait Theatre, and Festival by the Marsh.
You don’t even need to be a drama major to participate in theatre. Friends of mine who aren’t bilingual, or even drama students, performed in Tintamarre’s production of Bouffe! — improving both their French and acting skills. Be sure to come out to at least one show a year. I personally recommend seeing at least one Black Tie production a year — you won’t be disappointed!
Second in this
20-part video series is my friend Alex Dalton (fifth-year Honours international
relations) discussing the best way to choose the club that fit you at Mount Allison.
Every year Mount Allison's student government, the Students' Administrative Council (SAC), organizes an activities fair (known as the SACtivities Fair) every September during Orientation Week. This event features
most of the clubs on campus which actively recruit new members every year. This is your
chance to sign up for as many club mailing lists as you'd like to find out more about the club to decide if you're interested in coming to meetings.
I would recommend
finding at least five clubs that really pique your interest and find out more
information. Once you go to a few meetings, you’ll discover which ones you’re
likely to stick with and you can simply ask to be removed from the other lists.
This way you get the find what’s a match for you and your schedule.
To give you an idea
of what’s possible, I started out as an entertainment writer for Mount Allison's student
newspaper The Argosy, was on
multiple SAC committees and did Leadership Mount Allison my first year. Now, in
my fourth year, I’m the Online Editor for TheArgosy and the Atlantic International Studies Organization and lead Mount Allison’s Amnesty International Chapter. It might take you a while to decide what you’re most passionate about,
but you can be sure that you’ll find something you like and if you dedicate
yourself to it, you can have the opportunity to lead groups in your upper years. Also, if there's an interest you're passionate which there isn't yet a club for on campus it's easy to start a new group and, if approved by the SAC, be eligible to apply for funding.
Your first days at
Mount Allison are approaching quickly. In the first of a 20-part video series,
below you will find a tip featuring fourth-year student Beth Whitfield (honours biology). The tip is about making the most of your
first few weeks at Mount Allison.
The most important
thing to do in September (besides go to class, of course) is to really branch
out and step out of your comfort zone as much as possible. My first day at
Mount Allison I was unpacking my stuff in residence, thinking about all the
technical things I had to do (open a bank account, figure out my classes and
get some food) and someone walked by and said hello. Today he is one of my best
friends and we are roommates in an apartment this year.
I really can’t stress
enough how important the first few weeks are to your success here. Doing well
in class and being involved in extracurriculars is important, but your first
couple of weeks is really meant for you to adjust to life on your own and make
lasting friendships. The upperclassmen are so welcoming and all the first-year
students are just trying to find where they fit in, just like you. I met some
of my closest friends during Orientation Week and I’m sure you will too.
Before I share with you the video I have to give credit to the others without whose hard work these videos wouldn't have been made. In particular, credit goes to Tony Frost for direction, Nadine Leblanc for videography and Melissa Lombard for editing and other support, and of course to all the students who volunteered their time and experience to help. While we were unable to use all of the footage we'd like to that you all for your time and effort in helping new students to successfully adjust.
Again, I simply asked the questions and what you'll hear is honest and hopefully helpful advice relating to your time at Mount Allison. We hope you enjoy and find these videos helpful as you begin your journey to University life.
This is a personal weblog. The opinions expressed here are my own and not necessarily those of Mount Allison University. For official University policy visit their website.
