Blog Posts

How to Become a Better Paper Writer

I t’s common to receive poor grades at college simply because you struggle to write good papers. You may have a good grasp of the material but find it difficult to express yourself in writing. If this is happening to you, here are a few things you can do to improve. 1. Understand the Assignment Before you start working on your paper, make sure you know what you’re trying to achieve. Reread the question a few times, highlighting the key words and jotting down some ideas. Check how long the assignment needs to be, whether you are restricted to using particular sources , and if there are other criteria you need to meet. 2. Introduce and Develop Your Argument Instead of writing down everything you know about the topic, figure out what argument you want to make. Use the first paragraph to introduce the argument and subsequent paragraphs to expand on each point. Tie everything together in the conclusion — this final paragraph shouldn’t include any new information ; it should just summarize what you’ve already covered. 3. Avoid Plagiarism If you commit plagiarism, you will get caught and the consequences could be severe. Universities have sophisticated plagiarism software that reveal if you’ve copied chunks of text from another student, or even if you’ve just used the occasional sentence you found in another source. Software can also detect if you’ve made minor changes to word order or used synonyms. Remember that it’s also plagiarism if you copy something but add a reference to the source. You should only include quotes when this is necessary for the assignment. Otherwise, put information into your own words. 4. Be Concise Cut unnecessary adjectives, adverbs, and other filler words and think about how to make your sentences more concise. This will gain you points for style. If you’re struggling to meet the word count, adding fluff won’t help. It’s likely that you’ve neglected some important points. Go back to the assignment instructions and figure out what you’ve missed. 5. Stick to Simple Language Your professors are not interested in your expansive vocabulary — they want to see that you understand the material and can express the ideas in your own way. A paper is no place to try out new words you’ve recently learned, unless they relate to the topic. There’s too big a risk that you’ll misuse a term, which will lead to a weaker paper. 6. Proofread Your Paper at a Later Date Come back to your paper an hour or more after you’ve finished — it’s better still if you wait a full day. This will help you see your writing in a new light, meaning any areas for improvement and typos will be more obvious. Make sure to proofread your paper several times before you decide it’s finished. It can also help if you read it out loud to check the flow. 7. Ask for Support If you’re still having trouble writing papers, use the academic services at your university. For instance, you may be able to receive writing support or find a tutor who can read your papers and give you tips on how to improve. Even when you follow all the above tips, you’ll struggle to write great papers if you’re unable to focus at home. Your best course of action is to leave your on-campus housing and search for apartments for rent. North Oshawa has fully-furnished suites, designed with the student lifestyle in mind, at Foundry Simcoe. Apply now while there are still spaces available.

Why It’s OK If You’re a Night Owl at College

Productivity advice often talks about starting the day early and immediately jumping into tasks that require high focus while you have the most energy. But what if you’re a night owl? Just the idea of getting up early likely makes you want to cringe. The good news is night owls often thrive at college, not least because you can set your schedule to be active later in the day. 1. Focus in the Evenings Many students try to study in the evenings just because it’s convenient. If you’re a night owl, this is actually the best time of day for you to study, as it’s when you have the most energy. Choosing to study when you feel energized means you’ll retain more of what you’re learning and produce better work. To use this to your advantage, do your homework right after class while everything is still fresh in your mind. 2. Avoid Interruptions Studying at night also has the advantage of providing you with a quieter environment. You’re much less likely to face distractions, such as a friend dropping by , a roommate needing to ask you something, or even your phone constantly buzzing with notifications. 3. Choose Afternoon and Night Classes If you know you’ll struggle with morning classes, avoid them. You could even opt for night classes and leave the day free for other activities. Since both afternoon and night classes tend to fill up later than morning classes, you should find you also have more choice. 4. Lead an Active Social Life Plenty of the student experience has nothing to do with academics. Parties, events, and some extracurriculars take place in the evening and at night. Morning people may be too exhausted to take full advantage, whereas you will be fully alert. This puts you in a prime position to have fun and build real connections. 5. Take Risks Studies have found that night owls are more likely to take risks. This is also an indication that you’re cut out to be an entrepreneur. Many students start their first business at college to make an income without holding a traditional job — it’s definitely something worth considering. 6. Benefit from Your Creativity Another common characteristic of night owls is creativity. You’ll likely do well if you’re taking a creative major, but you may also like to consider choosing some creative electives to see where your skills could take you. 7. Succeed at Academics Finally, night owls often score high on inductive reasoning tests, which are good indications of general intelligence. This is why night owls often succeed academically — although they find it easier to perform well when exams are not scheduled for the early morning. A risk of living on campus is you may be paired with a morning person and find that your routines disturb each other’s sleep. An option for Durham College off-campus housing is Foundry Simcoe. You’ll be living with a community of students right near campus, but you’ll have your own room in a suite or townhouse. Sign a lease now and, even as a night owl, you can take advantage of our early bird pricing.

Why Now Is the Right Time to Get Outdoors

To take full advantage of your time at university, you should have plenty of fun adventures. Many students say after they’ve graduated that they regret not spending more time outdoors. Now is the ideal time to discover new places and try new activities, especially since you may not have the same opportunities later. There are several reasons why this is the case. 1. You Have Long Breaks When you start working, you may only be able to take a few days off a year, whereas at university you have a couple weeks over the winter and spring plus a much longer break for the summer. Even if you have other commitments, such as a seasonal job or internship, or you want to spend time with your family, you should be able to find the time for some outdoor trips. Many students use their breaks to travel abroad. This opens up even more opportunities, including snowboarding, skiing, and water sports. Plus, you can find hiking trails almost anywhere you go — these are great ways to enjoy the fresh air and take in some scenery. 2. It’s a Great Way to Fill That Free Time There’s no need to wait until you’re on a break from university to head outdoors. If you manage your time well, you can study just on weekdays, leaving weekends free to spend with friends. You could explore the nearby area, practise sports, or find programs to learn useful survival skills, such as first aid, building a shelter to stay warm, and starting a campfire. It will be easier to do all this now than when you’re older and have responsibilities like childcare. 3. You’ll Destress It’s not just important to use your free time productively because you’ll have more fun — spending time outdoors will help you relax and get rid of all that pent up stress. Staying active is obviously great for your physical health, but it’s also one of the best ways to improve your mental health. This will mean you’re able to return to your studies with a clear mind and you’ll be more likely to avoid burnout. 4. Activities Are Less Expensive with Student Discounts It may also be more difficult to experiment with outdoor activities later because prices will increase. Student discounts can be significant, covering everything from transport to equipment and instruction. If you look out for discounts, you may even be able to purchase equipment that is usually prohibitively expensive for a good price . You’ll need a home base from which you can start your outdoor adventures and return after a long day or extended trip. Your best option is to find a student rental. Oshawa students can receive a suite at Foundry Simcoe, complete with a private bedroom and spacious living room where you can plan your next excursion with friends or roommates. Plus, there are great places nearby for various outdoor activities, including Niagara Park and Kedron Dells Golf Club. Apply for a suite now and you may still be able to grab a unit with a balcony before they’re all gone.

3 Steps to Take Before Graduating to Ensure Career Success

It’s easy to become so involved in your studies that you almost forget graduation is just around the corner. You likely have a few last assignments to complete, and it’s reasonable that these are taking up the vast majority of your time. Plus, you need to say goodbye to all the things you’ll miss about university, including your friends, your centre at your university, your professors, and faculty members. Remember that you are just one of many students and, unless you make the effort to stay front of mind , even your favourite professors may forget about you. 3. Search for Opportunities on LinkedIn Your LinkedIn profile is like an online resume that anyone can see. Add everyone you know as a connection to expand your network, including all your friends and classmates. They may be able to connect you to someone useful. You may also like to follow companies that you’d like to work for, just to express an interest. Next, fine tune your profile by uploading a professional headshot, a summary of what you’re looking to achieve, and details of your experience — at university and elsewhere. Finally, you could even start searching for jobs to apply for before you graduate. Your last few months at university are the most important ones of all. Make them your best yet by moving into the welcoming student community at Foundry Simcoe. Our alternative to Ontario Tech University residence provides you with a comfortable suite equipped with high-speed internet and modern appliances, including a washer and dryer in your unit. Contact us now for an immediate move-in.

The Downsides of Cramming for Finals

Whether you’re unorganized or you just don’t know how to effectively prepare for your finals, you may find that you end up cramming the day before a big test. Unfortunately, this is a bad idea for a number of reasons — including the following. 1. You’ll Soon Forget the Information You may be able to retain the facts long enough to pass the exam, but most of the information will never enter your long-term memory. Whereas this is less of an issue for general education courses, it’s a problem for material related to your major. It could mean you struggle with later classes, at grad school, or in your career. 2. It’s Ineffective It’s impossible to concentrate for long periods of time — and cramming usually involves spending many hours studying without a break. After the first hour of cramming (or often less), your attention will start to wane and you’ll no longer be absorbing the information. At this point, you’ll just be wasting your time. However, if you spread out your study time, every minute you spend preparing for finals will be time well spent. 3. It’s Tiresome Whereas it’s true that studying for finals is far from the most fun part of the university experience, it shouldn’t be something you hate. If you leave studying until the last minute, you’ll need to cover the same material until you’re sick of it. However, switching from preparing for one exam to another will keep your mind engaged. 4. Your Stress Levels Will Rise Cramming tends to make students anxious and stressed. This leads to nausea, loss of appetite, and forgetfulness — which just adds to your anxiety. You may find that your mind goes blank on some questions and you worry about the answers you do give. This stress may persist after the test and can impact your performance on other finals or even mean you stay feeling anxious until you receive your results. 5. You’ll Be Exhausted If cramming means you only sleep for a few hours before the exam, you’ll likely be too tired to concentrate. This will slow you down and make it more difficult to process questions, especially when the wording is not exactly what you expected. 6. Your Test Scores Will Be Lower Students who cram usually have lower test scores than those who start preparing weeks before their finals. Since crammers are less familiar with the material, it takes them longer to figure out what the question is asking and how to answer. This is particularly problematic for essay questions, as you need to know how to pull together different pieces of information. However, you’re also likely to score lower on multiple-choice tests, since there’s a higher risk you’ll run out of time. To gain top grades on your finals, you need to start preparing early and use the time you have available wisely. If you want to be able to concentrate on your studies without distractions, it makes sense to search for rooms for rent. Oshawa students should look no further than Foundry Simcoe. You’ll receive a private bedroom and an en suite bathroom in an apartment with two or four roommates. Apply now to take advantage of our early bird pricing.

A Guide to Cleaning Your Student Living Space

No matter how busy you are, you do need to keep your living space at university clean. This will be good for your mental and physical health, prevent arguments with roommates, and mean you’re always able to find what you’re looking for. Here are some tips to maintain a tidy space. 1. Clean Before You Move In Before you start unpacking, disinfect surfaces, door handles, and light switches. Clean the floors, and spray the room with your favourite air freshener to make your new home smell welcoming. 2. Keep Clutter Under Control Assign every one of your possessions a place in your apartment. When clutter starts building up, put items back where they belong. 3. Do Basic Cleaning Tasks Daily and Weekly You’ll find it much easier to keep your apartment clean if you do certain tasks every day. This should include making your bed, washing dishes, and generally tidying up. On a weekly basis, throw out expired food, do your laundry, and sort out any papers you’ve accumulated from your classes. All these activities only take a few minutes and will save you from needing to dedicate a large amount of time to cleaning in the future. 4. Create a Cleaning Schedule Share cleaning tasks for common areas among roommates by writing down what each of you needs to do and putting it into a schedule. Being able to hold someone accountable should ensure that all the cleaning gets done and you avoid disputes. Make sure you include vacuuming or sweeping and mopping, taking out the trash, dusting, and washing the windows. 5. Organize a Thorough Clean at the End of Each Semester The best time for a deep clean is at the end of each semester. If you’re going to your parents’ home for the break, this will mean you return to a clean apartment that puts you in the right frame of mind at the beginning of the new semester. Even if you’ll be staying in your apartment, it’s a good idea to organize a thorough clean . You can coordinate with your roommates to turn it into a regular event. Use the chance to clean all the appliances, including the fridge, oven, cooktop, microwave, and coffee maker. After you’ve emptied the trash, wash the cans. It’s also worth moving furniture to vacuum underneath. In your own room, you may like to completely empty your closet to vacuum the floor. It’s easier to keep your home clean when you at least have your own bedroom. This means moving out of on-campus housing and into student apartments. Oshawa students can rent a flat or townhouse suite at Foundry Simcoe. You’ll have an ensuite bathroom and you’ll only share the living room and kitchen with two or four other students. Plus, monthly housing is available to reduce the amount of cleaning you need to do yourself. Sign up now to take advantage of the lowest rate of the year.