Dear Reader,
It’s that time of year: grad school admissions season! It’s equal parts exciting and terrifying. There’s a lot to consider, especially if you applied to faraway places like I did. Thinking about moving to a new place has me thinking about what it would be like for people to move to Kingston from one of those faraway places. What’s the insider scoop? Well, I’ve lived here for almost 24 years, so I would need more than a single post to cover all the things about Kingston and Queen’s University. So let’s focus on one topic: finances.
This year has been rough for me financially. Graduate studies is beyond rewarding, but money is not something that is easily thrown around. If you have received funding packages with your offers of admissions, you know that their size and nature can deeply influence your decision. If Queen’s is the place for you but you know finances will be a challenge, I want to share with you a few ways that I’m getting by. Unfortunately, I do not have all the answers, but hopefully these options will help, even just a little.
First, you need to know about Student Wellness Services student-led initiative “mason jar meals” and “fresh food boxes” (registration required). Every month, Student Wellness Services offers a free major jar meal to students. The meal comes with all the required ingredients and instructions to make yourself a healthy soup or stew. The fresh food boxes are also once a month and cost $5-$10. They contain enough ingredients to make approximately four servings. I highly recommend using this service to support your healthy eating habits while also avoiding a massive grocery bill.
Next, we have Kingston thrift stores. Let me just say that Kingston’s thrift scene is on point. They know what’s up, and they have incredible selections. Downtown (near Queen’s) has a wide variety, but two in particular that come to mind are YGK Thrift and Montreal St. Collective: Thrift, Vintage & Antiques. If you don’t mind a bus ride, there is also Value Village and Talize, both of which are larger stores with a lot of stock. My last trip to Talize yielded two sweater dresses, a regular sweater, a pair of jeans, and a blouse for approximately $60. The original price on one of the dresses alone was $50. I have gotten coats, shoes, shorts, and everything in between at Kingston thrift stores. Many items—like my dress—still have original price tags on them and have clearly never been worn. That was my only clothing shopping trip of the year, and I likely saved well over $100. Do your bank account (and the environment) a big favour and head over to one of these stores the next time you need an article of clothing.
Obviously, you need to take advantage of the free resources at Student Academic Success Services (SASS) too! Getting support from your supervisor is essential to success during thesis writing, final papers in grad courses, and dissertation writing, but supervisors are busy people and they might not have extra hours in the week to go provide additional writing support. There are lots of ads on campus bulletin boards for paid writing help, but SASS offers it for free. On top of free one-on-one Professional Writing Consultant appointments, SASS offers free workshops. I have personally attended one of the team’s “Grad Skills Workshops,” and it greatly influenced my approach to writing. Workshops are run by professional staff, and there’s plenty of opportunity to ask clarifying questions. Instead of paying for writing support, try the writing resources at SASS first.
While the above options help save money, this option might help you get additional funding. Always keep a watchful eye on awards, scholarships, and bursaries that require applications. Queen’s Registrar and Financial Aid Services have a variety of general and discipline-specific awards to which you can apply. Each application has its own deadline, so be sure to submit your application in a timely fashion. You will also receive long emails throughout the year from various Queen’s organizations. I have won a handful of awards that I learned about in these emails, so always set time aside to at least skim them.
The same goes for PSAC 901 bursaries. PSAC 901 is the graduate student union at Queen’s, and they offer a number of bursaries to graduate students. Each month they also host Stewards Council Meetings where a free dinner is provided to all members. If you want to learn more about your union, build community, and have a free bite to eat, this is a great event for you.
This list is certainly not exhaustive, but I hope that it’s at least a start for you. I have used all these services and attended all these events/locations, and I can say that each has supported me financially to some degree. Amid the challenging financial environment in which we have found ourselves, every dollar counts. Queen’s and the Kingston community offer tons of support, so get out there and use their resources and services!
Until next time,
April