Navigating Residence Life at Queen’s University
Congrats! You are (most likely) reading this article because you are going into your first year at Queen’s University! You made an incredible decision. You might be confused about the different residence styles, actual buildings, off-campus life, and meal plans. You may wonder: what is West Campus? What is the difference between a single room and a single plus room? Well look no further- this article will tell you all that you need to know regarding residence life at Queens.
How does the Process Work?
Residences at Queens are located on two campuses, Main Campus and West Campus. First year students are placed in residences in both of these locations by a lottery process. This means that, while you do get to rank your preferences, the actual residence building and room style that you receive is based on a lottery process. That being said, there are special situations where people can obtain a certain room style, with verification from a doctor or other professional.
The Room Styles
First of all, there are six types of residences. The types are single plus, single, double, loft double, triple, or quad room.
Single Plus: Bed in a single room, but there is an adjoining bathroom shared with one other room (roommate request not available), mixed gender floor and building.
Single Room: Bed in a single room, mixed gender floor and building. Bathroom will be shared with three to four people communally.
Double Room: Bed in a double room shared with one person, mixed gender building and floor (roommate request IS available). Bathrooms will be shared with three to four rooms communally.
**Note: If you put in a request to share a double room with someone, it’s likely that you will be given that option!
Loft Double Room: Bed in a very small double room where the beds are bunked or lofted, mixed gender building and floor. Bathrooms will be shared with three to four rooms communally.
**Note: There is a discounted price for the loft double room due to size and layout.
Triple Room: Bed in a triple room shared with two others, mixed gender building and floor (roommate request IS available). Bathrooms will be shared with three to four rooms communally.
Quad Room: Bed in a quad room shared with three others, mixed gender building and floor (roommate request IS available). Bathrooms will be shared with three to four rooms communally.
The Buildings
Queen’s University has 17 unique residence buildings. The oldest building, Ban Righ Hall, was built in 1925- while the newest buildings- Brant and Smith- were built in 2015. All of the buildings are on the main campus except for Jean Royce Hall, which is located on West Campus. Jean Royce hall is a 20-minute walk from the main campus, and bus services are available. While some students dread seeing that their residence choice shows up as Jean Royce Hall, others are enthusiastic to find that Jean Royce Hall has its own dining hall, gym and library.
Learn more about each building below! The links provide details and amenities for each residence.
Special Circumstances
There are special residence situations that are available to people looking for a specific experience. For example, Living Learning Communities (LLCs) are floors or clusters of rooms where students with similar interests and values live together and engage in creative, social, and educational programming related to the topic of their specific community. It’s a great way to meet like-minded friends, share goals or projects, etc. Another example are gender specific rooms and residences, for example Adelaide Hall, an all female residence located on Main Campus.
Read more about LLCs here:
https://residences.housing.queensu.ca/livinglearning-communities-and-theme-floors/
Overall, residence life at Queen’s is unique for every person, with each building providing its own perks and overall experience. However, all residence experiences share one thing in common: they are all guaranteed to contribute to an unforgettable first year at Queens.
