Embarking on the journey of living off-campus while attending university is an exciting transition that offers a mix of independence, responsibility, and the opportunity to delve into the local community.

I spent four years at Queen’s as an undergraduate student, so when I was navigating the transition to graduate school, I felt confident that I knew enough about Queen’s, the Kingston housing market, and my personal living preferences and that the transition to off-campus living as a graduate student would be seamless. I ended up living in a six-person house this year (the first year of my MA), and I had lived in big student houses with 6 people in previous years in my undergrad.

Queen’s University wasn’t always my top university of choice, nor was the program that I’m currently in. I got accepted to all 5 of the Canadian universities that I applied to with my applications ranging from Waterloo’s Biomedical Engineering Program to Western’s Medical Science program and Life Sciences at McMaster.

1. Plan Your Meals

Tip #1: Start Looking Early

“Everything will work out” are the four words that I wish I could give to my past self when I first began my post-secondary education at Queen’s. 

When I came to Queen’s University, the housing process seemed to work out okay! I decided to move in with a few girls I knew from high school which was a big help (especially during COVID-19 when I wasn’t really meeting new people). I thought this would be a great opportunity as I already knew them so well, that we were on the same page and would get along! Over time, we only grew closer as friends and were able to succeed in being on the same page for a lease and house.

Welcome back Queen’s University students!

Moving into your off-campus property this fall and getting your school year started is an exciting time. With so much going on, it can be easy to forget the best practices to protect yourself and ensure a smooth move in. So what do you need to do?

I went to a rural high school, and I had never heard of Queen’s until September of Grade 12. My dad and I went on six campus tours within five days, and I fell in love with the Queen’s campus. The fact that it’s entirely self-contained, walkable, and easy to navigate was reassuring — I didn’t want to commute around a city to get to class.

Navigating living off-campus was daunting at first, even without factoring in moving countries and the height of the pandemic. Moving from the comforts of my 4 walls at Watts and over-reliance on TAMs left me with a lot of questions: Who would I live with? Where would we stay? What even is the average rent in a place like Kingston?