The experience of living on campus is arguably the most exciting part of life at Bishop’s University. If you’re reading this as a prospective student, it’s likely that you found interest in Bishop’s because of what you’ve heard about campus life here. And it’s true that this school goes through a great deal of effort to market itself as being “student experience focused,” having an accessible campus and frequently hosting all sorts of social events throughout the semester. Follow me around for a quick residence life tour and get a glimpse into what it’s like to live on campus.
Living in Paterson Hall
My building, Paterson Hall is located at the southernmost part of campus. I chose Paterson because of its ‘apartment style’ layout. I really appreciate the extra space. Being on the other end of campus from classes, however, I would recommend that you make sure to dress warm during the winter semester if you choose to live here. It can be a long walk!
Fuel your days at Dewies
Of course, you probably aren’t going to make this walk without stopping for food on the way. Dewhurst Dining Hall or just “Dewies” for short is what you’ll be surviving on if you choose to live here on residence. I know my use of the word ‘surviving’ here might not be terribly confidence-inspiring, but I promise you that stopping at Dewies will become one of your favourite parts of the day. And not purely for the food, the dining hall is (understandably) a major social center on campus. You may find yourself befriending people here entirely because your lunch schedules line up together.
Also, make sure to identify which coffee machine serves decaf and which one doesn’t. They aren’t always labelled properly and choosing incorrectly is a mistake that always happens when caffeine is critically needed.
Hang out in Hodder Hall
After a long day of contemplating whether or not you’ve had too much or too little caffeine, you’re probably wondering where else on campus you can spend your precious time. Whether it’s spent studying or just pretending to study often depends on the aforementioned caffeine issue.
A favourite spot of mine is the Hodder building, particularly because the building’s common room layout encourages social interactions rather than hushed studying. Hodder does however have a set of rooms specifically designed for studying.
Adjacent to these study rooms is the pool room, made for exactly that. The pool room is located directly next to the main entrance of the building, making it simple to find and pick up a game whenever the need calls. It also has a large window that faces school security, but that’s less important and probably doesn’t serve any function whatsoever.
The Sports Plex
If until now you assumed that I was talking about a swimming pool then fret not! The sports complex on campus has a full Olympic-size swimming pool.
The complex is also notable (to me at least) for having a Tim Horton’s that accepts meal-plan credit. And I’d like to mention to any Americans reading this that Canadian fast food is SO MUCH BETTER than what we have back home. Should that be the reason you decide to come to Bishop’s? Hey, I’m not one to judge.
