More than 200 international students arrive at Queen's for winter term
January 2, 2014
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By Wanda Praamsma, Communications Offier
Students enjoy lunch with Principal Woolf at the QUIC offices.More than 200 exchange and international students are arriving on Queen’s campus this week and to ease the transition to a new school and country, the Queen’s University International Centre (QUIC) is hosting several days of orientation activities.
“We’re working with various partners across campus to ensure a safe and helpful welcome for these students,” says Justin Kerr, International Student Advisor, QUIC. “We want to provide a unified experience right from the beginning and see that all students are well-served and have all their needs met.”
Activities begin Thursday, Jan. 2 with a walking tour of campus, a tour of the Athletics and Recreation Centre (ARC) and a session on adjusting to the Canadian winter. These sessions are open to both undergraduate and graduate students.
The full undergraduate student orientation will be held Friday, Jan. 3, while the international graduate student orientation will take place on Friday, Jan. 10. A range of activities and support services will be available, from obtaining student cards and health insurance to presentations from Student Academic Success Services and Health, Counselling and Disability Services.
All students can participate in several social activities over the weekend before classes begin. The evening of Friday, Jan. 3, QUIC will host a movie night and on Saturday, students are invited on a field trip to the Little Cataraqui Creek Conservation Area, for an afternoon of walking the forest trails, cross-country skiing and snow-shoeing. On Sunday, Jan. 5, students will have the opportunity to connect with others while sharing a meal of vegetarian chili in the International Centre.
Queen’s students come from more than 90 countries around the world, as well as from across Canada. Undergraduate international students make up about 5% of the full-time student population, while international graduate students account for 19% of the student body.