Tag: campus visit day

Inside CMU: The walk from Marpeck to the north side

If your plan is to come to CMU next year, there are lots of insider tips you may need to make the most of your experience. Tips like which are the best classes to take, or the best places to find a reasonable price on a textbook. It’s always helpful to know some of the smaller details about a university before you start attending, and CMU definitely has many small aspects that make it what it is. One of those is the much talked about walk from Marpeck Commons to North side of campus in the dead of winter.

Inside CMU: The Walk from Marpeck to the North Side by Jason Friesen

CMUers who were around before Marpeck Commons existed can appreciate that the bridge over Grant Avenue has cut the outside portion of the walk from South to North side in half. But even though Marpeck Commons is a few years old now, how to handle the outside walk to class and work is still a hot topic when the weather gets cold.

The walk is not terribly far, which makes it tempting at times to not go through the hassle of putting on a parka, mitts, and toque. But some days are cold enough that even the approximately 100-yard walk warrants all of your warmest attire. Yet it is still easy to convince yourself that if you take a brisk run across the path, it won’t be so bad.

Needless to say, the strategies of taking the short trek in the dead of winter are varied. Some choose to bundle up as much as possible. Others brave the elements in sweaters and jeans. Some have even been caught running across in flip-flops.

 

Inside CMU: The Walk from Marpeck to the North Side by Jason Friesen

So how should you as a future CMUer plan to cross the campus? Well, who better to learn from than current students? One student said they walk as quickly as possible, with their head down as if they are on a mission. Though it may come across as rude to the people you pass on the path, most are understanding. And the student did note that they do look up and smile at passers-by when they can.

Another student noted that comfort is key. Naturally, they bundle up with a hat, scarf, mittens, and jacket. They say that being bundled up like this allows them to look around at the people they pass to say hi, but that the cold weather still restricts that somewhat.

Though it may seem comical to think about such a trivial thing ahead of your university experience, the fact is that no matter what university you attend, there are going to be small experiences like this that make the university what it is. Transitioning from high school to university can be intimidating and nerve-racking, but knowing some of the ins and outs of the university you plan to attend can really make your first couple weeks of getting to know the place a lot less stressful.

CMU’s next Campus Visit Day is happening on Friday, February 2, 2018. Experience university life at CMU, and learn more of those insider tips along the way. 

Home sweet home: Why you need to visit CMU

If you’re looking for a post that tells you that I first encountered CMU on a campus visit day and fell in love at first sight, you’ve come to the wrong place. I grew up a 10 minute drive east of CMU, so to be honest, I can’t even recall the first time I laid eyes on CMU’s campus. Thanks to countless church picnics, sports camps, and the CMU CastleChristmas concerts that I attended on the campus as a child, I felt at home by the time I went to visit the campus as a prospective student, let alone my first day of school as a student.

So what about those of you who didn’t grow up within a stone’s throw of the castle? Or what about those of you who aren’t familiar with the campus? Well, no matter where you go to university, you’re going to want it to feel like home. So if CMU is on your list of potential school’s, it’s best to become familiar with it and make it start feeling like home.

It doesn’t matter if you’re planning to come to CMU for one year or five years; your university experience will be infinitely better if the school you go to feels like home.

That obviously pertains to residence students who spend all of their hours on campus. But that also includes commuter students too. Having commuted to CMU for four years, I can say from experience that you’ll still spend most of your waking hours at the school.

visit CMU the Library

But making a university a home has to do with more than just finding a place you like to be. You should also feel at home in the classroom and with what you are studying.

Part of that will come with getting used to university classes, but part of that comes with choosing a program that is fit for you. There’s no better way to find out about what programs are offered at a school and what they’re like than by going there and talking to the people who teach the courses, and the people who are taking the courses. At a small university like CMU, that’s no issue, and you’ll get a great sense for what the programs are all about.

But often it is the people you become close with that make a place feel like home.

AlexSo how are you supposed to know who you are going to be spending your time with before your university experience starts? Well, for the most part you won’t. But visiting a campus and making connections with the people who are there before you even get there will help you start to create that circle of people that will be around you when you start attending university. Or at the very least, they will be the people who will get you settled in to find that group of people that will help you create a home at your university.

So why visit CMU? Well, you’ll get shown the school, and the residence buildings. You’ll learn about the programs offered, and what might fit for you as a student. You’ll probably even get to sit in on a class. You’ll definitely meet staff and students along the way too. Those all seem like pretty good ways to start turning CMU from a university into a home.

Jason Friesen is our lead blogger, and is in his final year of a Communications and Media degree at CMU.

How a campus visit day changed my life

Choosing to go to university is one very big decision. Choosing which university is another. I like to tell people that I chose CMU because of the Great Hall and I’ve always wanted to go to Hogwarts. There is some truth to that, but the real story is a little less easy to explain in a single sentence.

Get to know your student ambassador: Laura Carr-Pries

My Name is Laura Carr-Pries and I’m a third year student at CMU studying Laura-Carr-Pries-2016Peace and Conflict Transformation Studies and Biblical Theological Studies. I grew up in Waterloo, Ontario, but I find it fascinating to see new places in the world. I caught the travel bug when I was a student in CMU’s Outtatown program and now look for any opportunity to explore a new city or go on another adventure.

I love listening to the stories of people, whether strangers or old friends, and letting them shape how I see the world. I enjoy spending time outdoors and spend a little too much time thinking about peace, justice, faith, and community, and how all these come together in my everyday life. This year, I’m looking forward to being involved with CMU’s student council, the academic challenges of new courses, and continuing to build relationships with those around me.

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