20 Tips for first-year students: #10- Stay fit on campus at Mount Allison University

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.

Geoff Campbell
Communications Assistant
Mount Allison University

20 Tips for first-year students: #4- Get some inside information

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.

Alex mentions the very useful reference librarians and Avery mentions that rain boots are a must have as, you know, it sometimes rains in Sackville.

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.

Geoff Campbell
Communications Assistant
Mount Allison University

20 Tips for first-year students: #2- Choose clubs that match you

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 The Argosy 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.


Geoff Campbell
Communications Assistant
Mount Allison University