Blog Posts

How to Deep Clean Your Student Living Space

Although you clean your student apartment on a regular basis (or you should!), you also need to do the occasional deep clean. Set aside time for a thorough cleaning when you do the following. 1. Declutter Your Bedroom It’s easy to accumulate a large amount of stuff when you’re at university. Unless you declutter often, you’ll start creating an unmanageable mess. Sort through everything in your bedroom — throw out what you no longer need and create a system to organize the things you do need. For instance, you may need to file your papers, store your belongings in boxes in your closet, and create caddies for your cleaning supplies. 2. Dust Over time, dust builds up on surfaces throughout your apartment, including your desk, bookshelves, and coffee table. You can remove dust easily with a damp cloth — this will trap it instead of sending the dust somewhere else in your living space. 3. Vacuum After you’ve finished dusting, vacuum the floor to remove any dust that’s landed there. In addition, vacuum places you tend to neglect, such as the bottom of your closet, under your furniture, and the ceiling. 4. Wash the Windows Windows start looking grimy after a while. Dirt builds up on the outside, whereas smudges of fingerprints accumulate on the inside. Use a glass cleaner to wash your windows as well as your mirrors. 5. Wipe Down Appliances Occasional spills are normal, but if you don’t notice them (or fail to clean them up), you’ll soon have a sticky mess. Some appliances to focus on during your deep clean include the refrigerator, microwave, stove top, and coffee maker. 6. Disinfect Surfaces There are spots in your apartment you touch all the time without thinking about it, such as the light switches and doorknobs. It’s important to disinfect these periodically to maintain good hygiene in your home. 7. Clean Trash Cans Garbage has a tendency to leak. If you notice odors in your kitchen, give your trash can a wash during your deep clean. 8. Do a Load of Laundry or Two Search for things in your apartment that don’t normally make it to the laundry but you likely need to wash. This could include hand towels, your shower curtain, bath mats , the covers from throw pillows, and rugs. 9. Empty the Pantry Remove all the food products from the cupboards in your kitchen to clean the shelves beneath. Use the chance to check if you have any expired products you should throw out. No amount of deep cleaning will make a crummy apartment shine. The solution is to move into modern off-campus housing. Ottawa students can find a new home at 1Eleven. You can choose between a bachelor apartment and a shared suite for two or four students. Whatever you pick, your apartment will be fully furnished and will have a full kitchen and living room in addition to your bedroom. There are also laundry facilities on site to make cleaning that much easier. Book a video tour to see our housing for yourse lf.

A Guide to Early Decision vs. Early Action for Admissions

Applying for university can be confusing. There are deadlines to meet and new terminology to learn, such as “early decision” and “early action.” What do these two terms mean and how do they differ? What Is Early Decision? If a particular university is your top choice and you know you want to go there above all others, you may like to go for early decision. This means that if you receive an offer from the school, you agree to accept it. You’ll need to send your application before the typical deadline to apply for university. The benefit of this is you’ll finish the application process sooner — students usually hear back from schools around a month after they submit their applications. What Is Early Action? Like with an early decision , early action means sending your application before the typical deadline. Again, you’ll receive a response sooner. The difference is any offer you receive will be unbinding — in other words, you’re under no obligation to accept. If you decide to accept, the application process is over. However, you can continue applying to other schools if you’re still unsure about where you want to go or if you want to see if you can receive a better offer. Which Is Right for You? Since universities give priority to students who use early decision and early action , either could increase your chances of receiving an offer from a school. Early decision could be the right choice for you if you have a dream school in mind, whereas early action may be useful if you’re still unsure. For instance, if you need more time to assess your financial aid options, early decision may be unsuitable. Application Deadlines You need to start thinking about early decision and early action as soon as possible because the deadlines for applying tend to be in the fall. It’s common for the first deadline to be November 1 and the second to be November 15, although some universities have deadlines of December 1 or even as late as January 15. Check the schools you’re interested in applying to and write the dates on your calendar. Dealing with a Rejection It can be hard to deal with a rejection from a school, particularly if it’s after an early decision application for your dream university. It’s important to note, though, that schools often won’t deny your application outright but defer it. This means the university will consider your application later with those from the regular applicant pool. Once you do receive an offer from the school you want to attend, you can start making other arrangements. One important thing to do is to start searching for furnished apartments. Ottawa students should look no further than 1Eleven. We have apartments with one to four bedrooms to suit your preferences and budget, all of which come equipped with modern amenities. Plus, if you decide to share an apartment, we can even match you with roommates — you’ll receive a lease for just your bedroom. Apply now to live t he ultimate student experience.

How to Keep in Touch with University Friends Over Break

During the semester, you see your university friends almost every day. They are the people you’re closest to, who you spend the most time with, and who can relate to both your struggles and your achievements better than anyone else. For this reason, it can be difficult to adjust being away from them for an extended period of time during breaks between semesters. However, there’s no reason you can’t stay in touch, even if there’s a large physical distance between you. There are several activities you can try to stay in touch with just a few people or even a large group. 1. Regular Video Chats Pick a time when you’re all available each week to check in over video chat. This is a great opportunity to share stories about what you’ve been doing, whether that’s reconnecting with hometown friends and family, traveling, or working a part-time job or internship. 2. Watch the Same TV Series If it proves too difficult to organize a video chat, it may be easier to stay in touch over text messages. To keep the conversation flowing, you could all watch the same TV series and agree to watch a certain number of episodes each week. You can then check in to discuss your thoughts about the show. 3. Go Camping If you’d like to meet up with friends over your break, a low-cost option is a camping trip. Use the opportunity to visit somewhere completely new for all of you, return to somewhere you loved going as a kid, or explore the surroundings near where one of your friends lives. The great thing about camping is it can last anywhere from a few days to a couple weeks — depending on how comfortable you feel living outdoors. Try to choose an area of natural beauty, such as waterfalls, lakes, or mountains, to make the trip extra special. 4. Find Concerts to Attend Another way to meet up with friends over a break is to go to a concert — or even a couple concerts. Research options before the school break to buy tickets and make arrangements in advance. If you have friends who live in a big city where concerts are taking place, you may be able to stay with them, which will save you spending on accommodation. Plus, if you stay an extra day or two, your friend will be able to show you around. When you return to university after the break, make it easier to spend time with your friends by moving into an apartment where it’s possible to entertain guests. You’ll find Ottawa student housing that meets all your needs at 1Eleven. Located just a short distance from campus, it will be extra convenient for your friends to drop by . You can have your own room in a two- or four-bedroom suite or a bachelor apartment to yourself. All the floor plans are spacious and fully furnished with modern fittings. Plus, you’ll have access to some great community amenities, including a fitness centre and games room. Apply now to secure the type of suite you want.

How to Make an Instagram Scrapbook to Highlight College Memories

One of the latest trends on Instagram is creating photos that look like a retro scrapbook for a carousel. The great thing about this is it’s easy to achieve great results and create a scrapbook that reflects your personality. Whereas you could use virtually any type of photos, this idea is particularly ideal for having all your favourite college memories in one place. Step 1: Put Your Favourite Photos in an Album Start looking through the photos on your phone to find all the best pictures you’ve taken during your time at college. Keep them in one place by storing them in their own album. On an iPhone, you can take this one step further by making cutouts of people in some of the photos and saving these to your camera roll. Step 2: Create a Template To turn your photos into a scrapbook, use a graphic design app. From the start, you’ll need to decide how many Instagram pictures you want to create to set the template to the appropriate size . Since Instagram posts are 1080 pixels by 1080 pixels, multiply the width by the number of pictures you want — for instance, for three pictures, your scrapbook needs to be 3240 pixels by 1080 pixels. Step 3: Make the Background Choose square photos of scenery for your background. If you don’t have enough to fill up the template, search online for some that fit your theme or even head out to take some more. For example, you could include photos of campus, your student housing, or spots around town. If the foreground will be particularly busy, you may even like to make the background a solid colour or a gradient, perhaps using the colour palette of your college. Step 4: Layer Your Other Photos on Top Now comes the fun part: adding all the photos of your friends and adventures on top of the background. Experiment with different angles, cut photos in various ways , and do some basic editing to make the right colours pop. Step 5: Add Extra Features To make your picture feel like an old-school scrapbook rather than a regular collage, add fun elements like stickers, text in cursive, and three-dimensional objects. Most graphic design apps have these elements built in. For a seamless look in your Instagram carousel, consider putting the same border around a few photos, perhaps to highlight your absolute favourites . Step 6: Divide Your Scrapbook into Individual Photos To upload your scrapbook to Instagram, you’ll need to cut the picture into separate photos. Your graphic design app or an online tool will allow you to cut the picture into equal widths to create the number of images you want. To make more scrapbook pictures of your time at college, you’ll need to keep making great memories. Many of the best experiences at college will likely happen in student living. Ottawa has the perfect housing for students at 1Eleven. You can meet other students and hang out with friends in places like the games room, fitness center, study lounge, communal kitchen, and, of course, your fully-furnished apartment. Check out all the amenities by booking a video tour.

Ultimate Summer Bucket List

No matter how you’ll be spending your summer, you need to make some time for both fun and productive activities. Creating a bucket list will ensure your break is extra fulfilling. If you’re stuck for ideas, add some of the following to your list — they’re all great for university students. 1. Visit an Old Friend Catch up with a friend you haven’t seen for a while, perhaps someone from high school. You could stay at your friend’s place for a couple days and then ask your friend to stay with you in return. With this approach, you’ll both get to see where the other has been living. 2. Take a Road Trip One of the most exciting ways to spend your summer is to take a road trip for a few days. Recruit a few friends to join you — this will not only make it more fun, but you’ll also be able to split expenses to make the trip more affordable. You could have a destination in mind or you could just start driving and see where you end up. 3. Go to a Music Festival There are always plenty of concerts and music festivals happening over the summer, many of them outdoors. Research if any of your favourite bands will be playing. 4. Go Camping An inexpensive trip idea is to go camping. All you need is a tent and sleeping bag, although it’s even better if you also bring the things you’ll need to make a campfire. 5. Spend Time by the Water Swimming and sunbathing have to be two of the top summer activities. Choose a beach, lake, or pool near you to spend a day by the water. 6. Organize the Perfect Staycation If you lack the funds or time to take a proper trip, you can always have a staycation. Go sightseeing in your own city to see places you’ve neglected to visit before now or come up with some relaxing activities to do at home. 7. Complete an Art Project Find a new idea to put your artistic skills into action. There’s no need to purchase a large amount of supplies — many crafts involve recycling things you already have. You could make something to decorate your student apartment or some gifts for friends and family members. When adding this to your summer bucket list, specify that you’ll not just start but also finish the project. 8. Learn a Language Dedicate some time every day to learning a language. You’ll be surprised how much you can pick up in just a couple months when you stay committed. 9. Improve Your Skills If languages are not your thing, focus on a skill that could be useful after you graduate. This is a great way to keep your mind active — which will make it easier to return to your studies in the fall. 10. Shadow a Professional Contact a few people who work in the field you’re interested in and ask if there’s a possibility to shadow them. You may find this helpful for figuring out what you’d like to do after you graduate. 11. Read Some Books Set a goal to finish a few books on your reading list. You could use the chance to read books that will prepare you for the upcoming semester, or you could give your brain a break and read purely for pleasure. Checking off items on your bucket list is much more enjoyable when you involve friends. It’s easier to do this if you stay in your university town over the summer. For a comfortable home base to return to after your adventures, your best option is to search for off-campus student housing. Ottawa has the student community at 1Eleven — it’s a great place to meet new people and make more friends. Plus, whenever you want to take a chill day, you can use the games room and fitness centre or just relax in your private bedroom. Apply now to secure your unit.

How to Get to Know Your Roommate Before You Even Move In

Many students have no idea who they’ll be living with until they arrive at their housing. However, you’ll be much more comfortable if you reach out to your roommate in advance. Then, by the time you move in, it will be more like meeting a friend than getting to know a stranger. Here are some easy ways to get in touch in advance. 1. Schedule a Video Chat The best way to get to know your roommate is to have a video call. If this seems intimidating, you can always text a bit first. However, it is worth having a video call at some point, since you’ll find it easier to have a real conversation and you’ll avoid any misunderstandings. Besides, it will be more comfortable when you meet in person if you’ve already seen each other’s faces and heard each other’s voices. Talking like this will also give you a better idea of how engaged your roommate is in the conversa tion — showing you whether you’re likely to become friends or just remain roommates. 2. Follow Each Other on Social Media Stay in touch over the summer by asking for your roommate’s social media handles. You can find out a lot about someone by checking what they post. In particular, you’ll gain a better idea of your roommate’s lifestyle and hobbies. Bear in mind, though, that social media is often not representative of the whole person. People post the most interesting aspects of their lives and what they want other people to know about them. Whereas this is useful for learning about what your roommate is like overall, you do miss out on a large amount of information if you just rely on social media. 3. Prepare for Living Together You may like to have another video call or drop each other messages throughout the summer to talk about your expectations for when you live together. For instance, you could talk about what each of you will be bringing to your housing to ensure you don’t double up on essentials. It’s also a good idea to start discussing expectations, such as about having guests over, splitting the costs for things like cleaning supplies and basic food items, and how you’ll divide up chores. It’s always best to avoid disagre ements entirely — and opening up channels of communication will go a long way to achieve this. In the worst case scenario, you’ll discover that you and your roommate are incompatible, which will give you time to request to live with someone else. However, this tends to be uncommon, since it’s possible to resolve most types of conflict. Moreover, first impressions don’t always do a person justice, and even if you don’t become immediate friends, it may be worth sticking it out to see if you can still live together comfortably. You’re much more likely to have a great experience living with a roommate when you at least have your own room. For uOttawa student housing, there’s 1Eleven. You can decide how many roommates you want — or even decide you’d prefer not to share at all! Whatever you choose, you’ll be able to meet other students throughout the building, including in the games room, fitness centre , and communal kitchen. Better still, your apartment will be within walking distance of campus. Book a video tour to see why you’ll l ove living here.