7 awesome things about spring term in Waterloo

If you’re one of the many students taking advantage of UW’s generous course offerings during the summer months, you might not be jamming to Alice Cooper’s School’s Out. While other students slave away at summer jobs and sneak off to the beach on long weekends, the typical UW student spends their free time studying for midterms and using three-day vacations to marathon through final papers. It’s not the most glamorous student lifestyle, but who says school in the summer had to be boring? Here are a few of my favourite things I learned about spring term at UW:

1. Glorious Canadian Summer
Once May shines some promising sun, it’s time for Canadians to take those winter tires off and show some pasty skin. If you found walking to class in a polar vortex motivationally taxing, then 20 degree weather makes your commute a little more bearable, right? Alright, being cooped up in a lecture hall scribbling notes and drawing diagrams while the weather is absolutely gorgeous is not-so nice, but you can’t deny how a little bit of sunshine can put some spring back into your student cross-campus shuffle.

2. Goslings!
Yes, on-campus wildlife can get a little hostile, but nothing de-stresses like adorable baby animals and the product of nesting season at UW is no exception. Admire from afar, friends, because moms and dads are overprotective (as we all know). Get your pictures while you can because once goslings hit their awkward teenaged malting phase, it becomes not-so cute when feathers make their way through the gentle winds and into your unsuspecting mouths.

3. Bomber Patio
Yes! Bomber does, in fact, have a patio and it is truly enjoyable during the spring term. Nothing says relaxation like a few mini-pitchers, some classmates, and pub food. I remember many Thursdays spent on the patio with my trivia pals just soaking up the sun and totally ignoring my assigned readings.

Bomber Wednesday also becomes 10 times more fun (if that was even possible) with their added tiki bar on the patio. No more congested lines and pushy patrons, just mosey on out to the patio and enjoy your whiskey sour under the stars.

4. All of the possibilities for study space
It’s hard to motivate yourself to study when the weather is so nice, so why not take your study session outdoors? Find an inspiring backdrop for your presentation practice. Enjoy your classical rhetoric readings under the comforting shade of a campus tree. Skip the studying all together and sunbathe between classes! Put that never-been-opened textbook to good use as a makeshift sleep mask and catnap until you feel ready to embrace the day. The choices are endless.

5. Canada Day at Columbia Lake
The University of Waterloo hosts Canada Day celebrations every year at Columbia Lake. With free live entertainment and fireworks at dusk, it’s a local and close-to-campus activity yourself and all of your roomies can enjoy. Hey, you can even volunteer and get a free t-shirt and food if you’re looking for something to do for Canada’s birthday.

6. Festivals
Summer is the season of festivals and you don’t have to travel outside of KW to experience festival culture. Ever After hosts some of EDM’s most popular DJs, including Skrillex and RL Grime. Head on over to Bingeman’s for flower crowns and glow wands.

If electronic music isn’t your jam, Jazz Fest is another music festival that makes a stop in KW each year. Maybe music isn’t your thing at all! Ribfest in Victoria Park caters to all meat lovers and is a great way to sample great BBQ treats from local grillers.

7. Influence your way to a less stressful term
Summer fever is infectious. There’s something about warmer weather and longer days that brings out the best in people. I found that even profs are a bit more laidback and understanding. Not that everyone is a grump during the winter months, but go ahead. Ask for that extension. Negotiate that grade. The outcome might surprise you.

There are my highlights of summer at UW! What did I miss? What are some of your favourite parts of summer in KW? Let us know how to make the most out of the dog days of summer.