First-Year Students

Welcome to Queen’s! As a first-year student, you probably have questions about university-level academic expectations and academic writing. We offer many resources to support you in your first year, including

• Academics 101 covers the academic transition to university, from workload to exam prep (and everything in between).
• The First 6 Weeks offers quick tips on how to make the most of those influential first weeks at university.
• Our popular handouts help you write university essays and assignments; check out What Makes an “A” Paper, How to Develop a Thesis Statement, How to Avoid Plot Summary in an English Essay, and Conventions of Science Writing. See all of our available handouts here.

We also encourage all students, including first-years, to take advantage of our in-person services:

• workshops, including the popular ‘Making the Grade: The Transition from High School to University’
• appointments with a learning strategies advisor to design a customized plan for managing your academic goals and concerns
• course-specific, discipline-specific, and general writing workshops. The fall term workshop schedule will be posted here
• appointments with professional writing consultants. 50-minute and 25-minute appointments are available
• drop-in sessions with Peer Writing Assistants. These 25-minute consultations allow you to discuss writing issues with and ask questions of trained peers
• consultations with the ESL Program Coordinator, which focus on writing, speaking, listening, and reading skills.

You are always welcome to connect with us on social media and ask questions via Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, or email us with your concerns.