Welcome, or welcome back, to campus! By now, the first two weeks of the semester have already flown by, and you’ve probably been bombarded with a ton of information about clubs you can join, courses you need to focus on, socials you need to go to, or other commitments that are vying for your time or attention.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed already, take a moment to relax and breathe: having too much to do is an inevitability of being at any fast-paced and dynamic institution. However, it’s important to develop coping mechanisms and strategies to deal with the stress of university life.
The university offers a wide variety of resources to help you deal with any challenges you may face in your time here. In this article, we’ll tell you about the top 5 resources that you should take advantage of while at school; it will make your time here both fulfilling and manageable.
1. Counselling Services: Located in both Needles Hall, and the CPH First Year Office, Counselling Services are free and confidential. If you need professional guidance or support, counselling is your number one resource. You can book an appointment in person or through the phone (519-888-4567 ext 32655).
2. Health Services – Health Services is like your on-campus physician. You might have used them for a verification of illness form, but they also offer a wide variety of other services, including emergency walk-ins, flu vaccinations, sexual health or pregnancy concerns, and prescription renewals. Health Services also employs trained psychologists, who can help you with mental health concerns or disorders. You can book an appointment with health services in person or by phone (519-888-4096).
3. The AccessAbility Office -AccessAbility Services, formerly known as the Office for Persons with Disabilities, is a resource for students who would like formal assistance with managing their disabilities at the University of Waterloo. AccessAbility can assist in both physical disabilities, as well as mental disabilities such as clinically diagnosed depression or other mood disorders. AccessAbility can formally petition instructors for accommodation requests, from extensions on assignments or labs, to providing alternate final exam arrangements. AccessAbility can be found in Needles Hall, room 1132. Appointments can be booked in person or by phone (519-888-4567 ext. 35082).
4. Stress Management Workshops – One of the best way to reduce your stress is to develop additional coping mechanisms. Stress Management Workshops, run through Counselling Services, can teach you how to do just this. Counselling Services offers a variety of workshops, including: a Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program, which can help you develop coping strategies and increase focus and concentration; a Coping Skills 101 seminar series, which is commitment-free, but easy to attend; a procrastination workshop, which can help you deal with your unhealthy last-minute habits; and much more. To learn more about the stress management workshops, visit the Counselling Services website, at uwaterloo.ca/conselling-services
5. The Engineering Society – Engineering Society is an amazing resource, which offers fantastic services like the exam bank, cheap food from the CnD, a scholarship bank, a work term report bank, and much more. Recently, EngSoc has also started running a series of mental health awareness events, including Stand Up for Stigma campaigns, Puppies in Poets, and study skills workshops in collaboration with the SSO. The Engineering Society also has a plethora of dedicated and enthusiastic upper-year members who can point you in the right direction if you need guidance or advice. EngSoc is one of the best resources to go to if you don’t know where else to go; at the very least, the EngSoc Office (‘the Orifice’) has executives and staff who can point you in the right direction. The orifice is located in CPH, Room 1327.
Leave a Reply