WHAT I WISH I KNEW

A compilation of advice from upper year students toincoming first-year math students.

“As you move into a new venture, may luck and success alwaysbe with you! Hope you learn from our experience”.

0Copyright ©2016

Contents

1 ACADEMICS 31.1 Take the front seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.2 Textbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.3 Math 135/136 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.4 CS 115/135/145 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.5 Programming Assignments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31.6 Tutoring Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.7 Office Hours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.8 Are you scared? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.9 You will survive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.10 Work ethic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.11 Multitasking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.12 Places to Study on Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.13 Exambank . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.14 Grades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.15 Fail or Withdraw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51.16 Workload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61.17 Explore personal interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 CO-OP AND CAREER 62.1 Employer Information Session . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.2 First Co-op . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.3 Job Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62.4 Student Advisers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

3 LIFE 73.1 Say Hello . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.2 Make friends . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.3 Get involved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.4 Balance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73.5 Take a Break . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.6 Clubs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.7 Are you sleeping enough? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.8 Phone Home!! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.9 Parties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83.10 Be Yourself . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

4 GETTING HELP 94.1 Safety and Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94.2 Mental Health . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94.3 Facebook Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94.4 Ride Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94.5 Navigation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

5 WATERLOO 105.1 WatCard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105.2 Fitness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105.3 Living Off-Campus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105.4 Finance/Tuition Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105.5 Part-time Jobs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

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5.6 Food . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115.7 St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115.8 Oktoberfest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

6 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS 126.1 Just arrived to Canada? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126.2 Three magic words! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126.3 Word Choice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126.4 Driver’s License . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126.5 Social Insurance Number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126.6 SIM Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126.7 Banking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136.8 Weather . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136.9 Winter Gear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136.10 Canada and Taxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136.11 Tipping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

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1 ACADEMICS

1.1 Take the front seat

Don’t feel overwhelmed when you walk in the first day of classes. Don’t feel that you have 100eyes staring at you. Remember, it’s the first time for everyone. Nobody is judging you. Go get aseat in the front. Challenge yourself. It starts from here.

1.2 Textbooks

Don’t rush into buying brand-new, pricey textbooks for every class. Wait for the first lectureas the professor almost always mentions whether or not you will require the textbook for theircourse. If you do require a textbook and you prefer a hard copy, check out FEDS Used Booksin SLC or the UW Textbook Exchange Facebook group; you are likely to find what you need.Sometimes a textbook can be optional and you might find an online version.

1.3 Math 135/136

Do not believe everything you hear. Do not believe when people say linear algebra is hard. Here’show you do well in this course. Go to classes. Do the assignments with your friends, but makesure to understand all the concepts. Theorems, proofs, and lemmas should be on the tips of yourfingers. The best strategy for this course is to read the course book (it’s excellent). Practicethe end-of-chapter problems, do the assignment for that chapter, read the examples in the book,re-solve these examples, and learn the theorems. You will be great. Just believe in yourself andwork hard.

1.4 CS 115/135/145

Whether or not you are a Computer Science Major, as a first year Math Student you have to takeeither CS 115/135/145. It’s a first-year functional programming course. Don’t worry if you havenever ever done programming before. The course is designed for beginner programmers. If youwant to do well, do the assignments on your own. The assignments take time. If you think thatstarting a day before the deadline will be enough to finish the assignment, you’re wrong. They areworth 20% of your final grade and it really matters. Don’t skip classes even if you have previousprogramming experience. Take notes and practice stepping through problems. Take excellentadvantage of the teaching assistants and office hours. It’s worth it!

1.5 Programming Assignments

Start programming assignments early! They take longer to complete than you think. You mighthear other students talk about how easy an assignment is, or how little time it took them. Don’tbuy into this talk. They may be trying to impress. Or they may simply have selective amnesiaabout how long the assignment actually took. Start early and make steady progress. If youprocrastinate and wait until the last minute, you run the risk of not having a running programto submit by the due date.

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1.6 Tutoring Services

If you are feeling completely lost in those lectures, don’t worry - that’s why you have access totutoring services. Remember to check out the tutoring services offered by the university beforeyou go off campus for help. University tutoring is always legitimate and can help you more,because it’s either offered by teaching assistants or experienced people who have already takenthese courses. They know what they teach. In first year, if you are living in residence, there istutoring offered for most of the first- year courses in MKV, V1 and REV in the evenings andweekends. The schedule is here:

https://uwaterloo.ca/housing/sites/ca.housing/files/uploads/files/f16_drop-in_tutoring_

poster.pdf

Outside of residence, you can connect to a private tutor here:

https://uwaterloo.ca/student-success/tutor-connect

1.7 Office Hours

If you don’t understand something, go to office hours, the prof can almost certainly teach it toyou faster than you can teach yourself. I showed up to office hours once and no one else was there,so I got what was effectively private tutoring with a professor for an hour. That was a prettysweet deal.

1.8 Are you scared?

Don’t be intimidated. There’s going to be at least one of ‘those students’ in each class who thinksthey are the smartest person to ever grace your classroom. Ignore them. They aren’t as smart asthey tell you (or anyone else who will listen). Hard work trumps natural ability. There will alwaysbe a smarter student, but achieving your personal best and persevering will make you stand outin the end.

1.9 You will survive

You are probably used to being at the top of your class in high school. But not all Math firstyears will be at the top of their class at Waterloo. Half of the students will have marks that arebelow average! If you fail an assignment or exam or class, don’t let the experience define you. Itdoesn’t mean that you are a weak student. It more likely means that you are not studying smartor hard enough. Start assignments early. Get into the habit of studying throughout the term,rather than cramming for an entire course at the end of the term.

1.10 Work ethic

If you did not have to study much in high school, then you will need to acquire new study habitsin university in order to succeed. This might not hit you in 1A, or even in 1B. But eventually,you will hit courses that cover topics that you’ve never seen before, will proceed faster than you’dlike, and will ask you to understand course content more deeply than in high school. Don’t panic.You can do the work! But you will need to adopt better study habits.

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On the other side of the spectrum, if in high school you were always able to hand in your verybest work, there will likely come a time when there are simply too many assignments that aretoo difficult and time-consuming for you to be able to complete them all to your usual level ofperfection. Just do the best that you can, and focus your efforts on the courses and assignmentsthat need the most attention. You are not alone. Everyone else in the class is in the same boatand has to make the same trade-offs between assignments.

1.11 Multitasking

If you want to be more productive while studying, turn off your electronics and stay away fromsocial media. I used to think that I could study and keep up with calls/email/texts/posts at thesame time. In fact, I thought I was being more productive, by making progress on email andtexts while waiting for insights into a problem that I was trying to solve. But really, I was justprocrastinating. And the quality of my work was taking a hit. You will get more done if youblock out large chunks of time for studying, and focus only on studying, one course at a time.Uni-tasking is hard in the beginning if you are used to studying while multitasking. But learningto uni-task is worth it in the long run. If you are blocked on a problem, then stand up and walkaround; change the lighting in your study area; or move to a new study location.

1.12 Places to Study on Campus

If you are someone who does not like to study in your own room, here are some great places toexplore: V1 Great Hall, REV Study Rooms, MKV multipurpose room, Davis Centre Library, MCComfy Lounge, Dana Porter Library, MC Coffee Shop, MC tutorial centre, M3 study room, SLCgreat hall. You can always pre-book group study rooms in the libraries.

1.13 Exambank

The best way to study for Math exams is to practice writing old exams. The Math Societymaintains an ExamBank of past exams from UW courses. There are exams from courses acrosscampus, but most of the exams in the Bank are from Math Faculty courses. Take a look. Thereare midterm exams in the Bank as well. http://mathsoc.uwaterloo.ca/ExamBank

1.14 Grades

Though you might find people telling you that your grades won’t matter much while applyingfor jobs if you have relevant side projects, they actually do matter when applying for your firstco-op job. NEVER EVER procrastinate on completing your assignments or choose to not submitthem, for the sake of a side project. It can be detrimental in the long run. Don’t compromise ongrades.

1.15 Fail or Withdraw

There might come a time when you are not able to keep up with a course and you wonder ifyou should continue to try even though you really think you might not pass in the end. In thiscase, talk to your advisers and senior students about your options and what looks better on your

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transcript: failed or withdrawn? It’s a very abstract question, and nobody can answer it for you.You can explain away either decision in a job interview, so make the best decision you can withthe information that you have. Remember that whatever you do, you will have to redo the course.Keep in mind your major plan might have restrictions related to failed courses.

1.16 Workload

The workload varies a lot between programs. It could help you to live with other Math studentswho are likely to have a similar workload, rather than live with students who have a much lighterworkload and have a lot more free time for partying and other extra-curriculars.

1.17 Explore personal interests

University studies are not just about preparing for a career; they are also about learning whoyou are, and about your personal interests and aptitudes. Seek out courses that look intriguing.Take advantage of the breadth and variety of courses, both within and outside of your program.Once you graduate and have a full-time job, you will have fewer opportunities to dive deep intoan intellectual subject outside of your job.

2 CO-OP AND CAREER

2.1 Employer Information Session

Employer Information Sessions are a great way to see what kinds of jobs are out there, but alsoto get free lunches and dinners! So you get free food, free swag, free t-shirts, and it’s a great wayto network with employers. Bring your resumes with you, as you might be able to schedule aninterview with the employer.

2.2 First Co-op

Trying to land your first co-op position can be overwhelming. But it is not the end of the worldif you don’t get it. The first co-op position is hard to get, and a certain percentage of studentsdon’t get one. You don’t need to stress. If you stress and spend loads of time on your job search,you will struggle with your academics. No matter what, your studies come first and you need tounderstand that. Try to manage your time and try to prepare your resume entirely beforehand.Also, make full use of the Tatham Centre facilities. They are extremely helpful.

2.3 Job Mine

Although the online job portal, Job Mine, is a great place for you to apply for jobs, you shouldconsider also applying for jobs outside of Job Mine. Doing this helps to boost one’s chances ofgetting a job. But make sure you are well acquainted to the approval process for arranging yourown job. There are strict rules and regulations you must abide by. Further information can befound here:https://uwaterloo.ca/co-operative-education/get-hired/job-search-process-and-procedures/

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procedures-job-searches-jobmine-and-arranging-your-own-job#Arranging%20your%20own%

20job%20(external)

2.4 Student Advisers

As I look back, I can say that my biggest weakness was my interview skills to which I remainedoblivious and neglected seeking help. Up until the start of my job search, I thought that findingemployment would be easy. It was not long before I discovered what it meant to be unemployed;I was discouraged and began prioritizing everything but my job search. However, when I receivedan email from my student adviser, I regained confidence. She helped me to realize my strengthsand weaknesses, providing me with endless support and constructive feedback. All I can say aboutco-op is that finding employment is not easy - if it was not for my adviser, I probably wouldn’thave found employment. Stay connected to your student adviser.

3 LIFE

3.1 Say Hello

Make sure to go out, have fun and meet as many people as you can. There are many interestingpeople out there. Try to spend little time alone. Look for good company. Broaden your horizon.Remember, everyone is as scared as you are. It’s their first time too. So don’t be afraid to sayHello!

3.2 Make friends

If you are coming from a small Ontario town, don’t fear! In the Math faculty, at first I felt likeI was in the minority. I felt like I would never be able to find any friends with my culture orshared experiences and I would be forever behind in academic ability. However, I pushed myselfto meet new people through various clubs and eventually I found all the ways I can be helpedacademically. Everything has turned out great: I am now on the Dean’s Honor List and havea great group of friends. It doesn’t matter where you come from, you can definitely make yourhome at UW.

3.3 Get involved

Meet new people. Get out of your comfort zone. Get involved. There are so many resources andactivities which are there just for you waiting to be utilized. So go out, play fair and study hard!Most of all, have the time of your lives because this time will never come back!

3.4 Balance

One thing I wish I knew when starting university is that I’m not invincible. I thought I could studyfor hours and hours every day, only leave my room when I had to go to class or the library, anddismiss any semblance of a social life. Soon enough, I started to gain weight, become depressed,get bad grades, and lose the ambition I came to university with. The advice I give you is to never

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lose the balance between academic success and social success. Make use of the beautiful gym wehave, hang out with your friends every once in a while, and don’t lose your mind if you miss aclass or two. Even though you are a university student with a demanding schedule, you shouldremember that you are a human too.

3.5 Take a Break

You will have enough school work that you could spend all of your waking time working. Don’t.You will learn more efficiently and effectively if you give your subconscious a chance to absorbwhat you are learning. So, give your brain a break, and go exercise, join a club, or spend sometime with your friends.

3.6 Clubs

Clubs help you meet upper-year students who have similar interests. If you want to play Poker,there is the Poker club. If you want to meet fellow Muslims, there is a Muslim Student’s Associ-ation that meets regularly. There are more than 200 university clubs, math clubs, or engineeringteams, many of which will present at the Campus Life Fair in the Student Life Centre. Look outfor dates and don’t miss out!

3.7 Are you sleeping enough?

Waterloo is a rigorous school. There might be days where you have an assignment due, a midtermto prepare for, and maybe an interview too. It’s not uncommon for some students to pull an all-nighter. There maybe some weeks where you sleep only four hours a night. You might meet somepeople who tell you that they study from 7PM - 2AM straight. I wouldn’t recommend this! It’snot healthy and it can cause stress that could lead to burnout. Be sure to take care of yourselfand your health as well as your academics.

3.8 Phone Home!!

Your family misses you more than you miss them. If you’re an only child, your family is goingto miss you even more. Each family is different and you’ll know how often you need to call homeafter the first month. Time-zone differences might be an excuse but you don’t really want to bethis shallow. Set a routine or specific time to call home. Figure it out. You are here because ofthem.

3.9 Parties

Don’t let this new freedom blind your profound judgment. There will be opportunities for casualhookups and one-night stands. Don’t let your standards slip just because you’re unprepared.Don’t get into this because of peer pressure or because you feel lonely. It’s important to alwaysuse protection. Health Services and The Women’s Centre located at the Student Life Centreprovides resources ranging from sexual health to dealing with sexual violence. See a doctorin Health Services for birth control precautions. You will be fine as long as you stick to yourstandards.

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3.10 Be Yourself

Be happy with who you are, not who you wish you were. Don’t compare yourself to others.Compare yourself to your best self, to who you could be.

4 GETTING HELP

4.1 Safety and Security

Nothing is more important than your security. Waterloo is a very safe place to be, but you shouldstill take precautions. Download the WatSafe app. It issues emergency notifications and hasfeatures that connect you to the Campus Police, Regional Police, or 911 with a single tap. Ifyou are walking home late at night, make sure you are with a group of friends. It’s never safeto walk alone late at night. I know you hear this a lot, but it’s true. Incidents (robberies, evenrapes) are rare, but they do happen. Take the off-campus or on-campus shuttles, which run until2 AM (https://uwaterloo.ca/police/shuttle-service). There is also a special Late-NightLoop city bus that runs along the mainline route until 2 AM.

4.2 Mental Health

Mental health is important and UW offers plenty of resources to help people deal with anxiety,depression, and mental health problems. It’s OKAY to ask for help. Everyone needs help once ina while.

4.3 Facebook Groups

There are Facebook groups for almost everything: clubs, courses, graduation classes, coop, career,resume critiques, rent, ride share and so on. You will always find help here.

4.4 Ride Services

If you traveling back and forth to Toronto, North York, London, Guelph, Markham, Scarborough,Pearson Airport, etc, buses can sometimes be inconvenient and Uber/taxis can be expensive.Fortunately, we have very cheap carpool rides. These Facebook Groups will help you to find aride to your destination.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/372772186164295/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/225049564330328/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/231943393631223/

4.5 Navigation

It can be hard to find your way around the maze of campus buildings. It’s fine to ask people fordirections, but if you are a little shy like me, here is how you can help yourself. Download theapp WATisRain (available from Android, Apple and Blackberry app Stores). The app will find

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an indoor path between two buildings, taking you through underground tunnels and over bridges.This is especially important during winter, when you want to stay indoors.

5 WATERLOO

5.1 WatCard

First and foremost, your WatCard is your official uWaterloo identification. Remember to carryyour WatCard with you while on campus. Your WatCard also allows you to ride GRT buses forfree around Kitchener/Waterloo. It’s not really free since it’s part of your student fees, but youget the point. Whereas a 2-hour pass from GRT costs $3.25. Your WatCard also serves as a UWlibrary card, gym pass, access to events and ID card to get student discounts. You can add fundsto your WatCard, as flex dollars, turning it into a debit card. You can use flex dollars for thefollowing services: uPrint, on-campus and off-campus purchases, laundry machines in residence,Waterloo taxi, vending machines, UW Food Plaza, pharmacy, parking, media.doc, InternationalNews Store, UW Book Store, Waterloo Store, and Campus Tech. All campus Food Services acceptWatCard (both Meal Plan and Flex Dollars).

5.2 Fitness

UWaterloo has a shortage of fitness facilities. The Physical Activities Complex (PAC) will undergoa major expansion, which will (hopefully) open in Fall 2018. In the meantime, the gyms on campuscan be crowded. If you want to beat the crowds, your best bet is to go early in the morning whenthe gyms open, late at night before they close, and sometimes during lunch (though then youmight be competing with staff members on their lunch break). Access to the gyms is free (iscovered by student fees). For $50/term, you can buy a shoe tag, which will allow you to dropinto any of a variety of fitness classes. Off-campus, your best bet is Goodlife, which has a hugefacility on Weber street. When you go on co-op, you can freeze your membership, or transfer yourmembership to another Goodlife club.

5.3 Living Off-Campus

You would think that moving off campus and looking for housing would be another stress. ButWaterloo is a student town and there is a glut of rental accommodation. Because of co-op, thereis always someone who is subletting their apartment. Facebook Groups are great way of findingavailable rental units.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/WaterlooSublet/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/110354088989367/

5.4 Finance/Tuition Management

Free money! If you are wondering how you are going to cover all of your university costs, checkout the list of Waterloo scholarships, bursaries, and awards. Bursaries are typically available onlyto Canadian citizens and residents and are awarded based primarily on financial need:

https://uwaterloo.ca/find-out-more/financing/bursaries

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Math co-op students often do not qualify for bursaries once they start getting paid co-op place-ments. Scholarships and awards are typically available to all students, including internationalstudents, and are based primarily on outstanding academics or service to the university. There isan awards database that can help you find awards that are applicable to you:

https://uwaterloo.ca/student-awards-financial-aid/awards/database

5.5 Part-time Jobs

Are you looking for a part-time job to manage your budget better? Check out leads.uwaterloo.ca. All the available part-time jobs on campus are listed here. You can apply on the website.Another source is the International Work-Study Student Program. It offers numerous part-timejobs to students who declare the financial need. For more details, check out:

https://uwaterloo.ca/find-out-more/admitted/helpful-tips

If you are applying for jobs on Kijiji, read the terms and conditions carefully. There have beendrug scams in the past. Make sure you are doing legit work and don’t get trapped in a scam.Don’t provide personal details in resumes that you upload to these websites.

5.6 Food

Most cafeterias in the SLC and DC close by 6PM; so does the REV caf. The V1 caf, on the otherhand, is open until 12:30 AM which is awesome. If you’re ever hungry past midnight, there’salways the International News Store near Tim Hortons in SLC, where you can find pre-packagedmeals from Aunty’s Kitchen and plenty of other sandwiches and wraps. The International NewsStore is open 24/7 and they sell great cookies and muffins too. Campus Pizza is open till 4AMand they deliver anywhere on campus and around town. Off campus, the UW Plaza is a greatsource for cheap meals of various kinds.

5.7 St. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market

As a first-year student, you are most likely living in residence and have a meal plan. But you arearriving at the height of the harvest season, and Waterloo (St. Jacob’s, really) is a major farmer’smarket destination. If you like fresh fruit and veggies, or simply like a good bazaar, check out theSt. Jacob’s Farmer’s Market

http://www.stjacobs.com/Farmers-Market-General-Information.htm

There are many more vendors in September than later in the year, so go before Thanksgiving.Plan to eat breakfast or lunch there. Prices are better if you go later in the day, but selection isworse. Be sure to try the apple fritters!

5.8 Oktoberfest

Kitchener/Waterloo is said to have THE largest Oktoberfest outside of Munich. Seriously. It runsfor 9 straight days, in 17 locations (called Festhallen). Yes, attendees really wear lederhosen anddirndls, but it’s not required. You’ll need to buy tickets in advance if you want to get into one ofthe more traditional clubs (Concordia Club, Alpine Club, Schwaben Club, Transylvania Haus),and you need to buy them soon. They sell out quickly.

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6 INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

6.1 Just arrived to Canada?

Make a few copies of your passport/study permit and maybe a dozen passport-size photos. Younever know when they might be handy. If you’re planning to arrive a few days before InternationalOrientation or O-Week (Orientation Week), you might want to stay at the Hotel Laurier where asingle room costs about $53 a night. Comfort Inn is great too, where double rooms cost between$100-$150 for a night. They’re both not too far from UW.

6.2 Three magic words!

Try making these three words - please, thank you, and sorry part of your daily vocabulary. There’sa joke that if you bump into a person in Canada, the first thing they’ll say is, I’m sorry. Trybeing as polite as possible. This politeness extends to driving on the road. Canadians tend togive right of way while driving.

6.3 Word Choice

Certain words have completely different meanings in Asia and America. For example, rubber isa synonym for an eraser in Asia, whereas in America, rubber typically means condoms. The firstweek into the term, I asked the person seated next to me during math class if she had a rubberwhich I could use and needless to say, her reply was, During math class? Seriously?.

6.4 Driver’s License

Start early, if you plan to get your driver’s license. It will take a while. This will become youreveryday official government ID, rather than your passport. You don’t always want to carry yourpassport, especially to clubs and parties. So get it ASAP. There are three steps to obtain anOntario’s driver’s license: G1, G2, G, in that order. You can only get your G2 a year after gettingyour G1. Therefore start the process in first year.

6.5 Social Insurance Number

SIN stands for Social Insurance Number. It’s a nine-digit ID that one requires if one wishes towork in Canada. Most international co-op students aren’t aware of this and end up obtaining itlater in the term. You can apply for a SIN from any Services Canada branch. DO NOT shareyour SIN with anyone.

6.6 SIM Card

Get a SIM card. A quick internet search will give you a list of carriers and different plans. Asmall note about mobile carriers: there are numerous plans to choose from and the choice canbe confusing at times. Most carriers offer free unlimited texting and talk time from 5PM -7AM.Data is a lot more expensive - 1GB of data could cost you anywhere between $5 - $10, dependingon your plan. You could also get a phone on contract, but keep in mind that you need to be at

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least 18 years of age to enter a contract. I assume that a lot of international students aren’t 18when they arrive in September.

6.7 Banking

Having trouble choosing a bank? There are a number of banks here: CIBC, TD, Scotiabank,RBC, BMO. Before you open an account at any of these banks, make sure you read about all thestudent benefits/perks/limits related to each account type. There is a CIBC branch on campus,with numerous CIBC ATMs. It is the most convenient.

6.8 Weather

You will need appropriate clothing for the varied weather conditions of the Canadian climate. InCanada, temperature measurements are expressed in degrees Celsius (◦C). In the fall (September- December), it is usually warm at the beginning of September but becomes colder in the latermonths. The temperature gradually drops from 20 ◦C to 0 ◦C. Pants, sweaters, and a light-weightwaterproof coat are advisable. In winter (December - March) temperatures can range from 0◦C to -40 ◦C. It is essential to have appropriate clothing for this season, including a warm coat,gloves, a hat, scarf, and waterproof boots. Parkha and Canadian Goose coats are advisable butpricey. As they say, There is no such thing as bad weather; only good clothing.

6.9 Winter Gear

If you are an international student from a warm-winter climate, don’t buy winter clothing untilyou get to Canada. You will be too limited in choice, material type, and prices. A hoodie shouldbe sufficient when you arrive in September. You could certainly wait a few weeks into the termto buy a fall jacket.

6.10 Canada and Taxes

Don’t be shocked when you see sales taxes, short for Harmonized Sales Tax (HST). In Ontario,HST is 13%. This means that you pay additional 13% as taxes for most things you buy. If youare buying a t-shirt for $10, it’s effectively going to cost you $11.30. If you have your eyes on thenew iphone, which is $1000, it’s actually going to cost you $1130.

6.11 Tipping

In Asia, a lot of restaurants include a 12.5% service charge in the bill. But in America, thingswork differently. Most waiters/waitresses earn below minimum wage and make a living out oftips. You should tip around 18%. A number of international students from Asia aren’t aware ofthis and they learn it the hard way when a waiter asks them why they haven’t tipped or whythey haven’t tipped enough, as low tips or no tip is synonymous with poor food/service or both.One may be forced to explain. Save the embarrassment.

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