Academics are important, but to get the most from your university experience, look beyond the classroom.
Capture the Flag: Students in the BASE and EFAS programs participate in a Capture the Flag sporting event on Columbia Ice Field.
Sedra Design Centre: Engineering IBASE students at the Faculty of Engineering tour led by Daniel and Sarb, two Student Ambassadors in the Faculty of Engineering.
Random Act of Kindness Day volunteering team: The BASE student volunteers and their Student Experience Coordinator after a successful day volunteering for Random Act of Kindness Day.
LEGO Robotics challenge: Engineering BASE students participate in an interactive FIRST LEGO Robotics exercise as part of their Academic Skills course.
iBASE students visit a Hybrid Car Team: Engineering iBASE students visit one of the hybrid car teams in the Sedra Design Centre on campus.
Velocity Garage: Engineering iBASE students take a tour of the Velocity Garage and Foundry entrepreneurship hubs in downtown Kitchener.
Student Leadership Program workshop: Engineering iBASE students participate in a Student Leadership Program workshop.
International Fair: Student volunteers participate in an International Fair in the Student Life Centre. One team of volunteers taught students how to write their name in Mandarin.
Volunteering on campus: Students in the BASE program have many opportunities to volunteer in their campus community, including with student open house events.
Faculty of Science tour: Students take a Faculty of Science tour and experience the Earth Sciences Museum on campus.
Volunteer Event: BASE students prepare for a volunteer event by painting a paper banner that will be used to promote their activities.
Living in Renison Residence: BASE students have the opportunity to live on campus and be part of the BASE Living-Learning Community available at Renison Residence. In the Living-Learning Community, students access support of an LLC Peer Leader who can support them with their adjustment to life in Canada, studying at the University of Waterloo, and building their language skills.
Attend bus trip events! Our Peer Leaders host bus trips to many popular destinations in Southwestern Ontario, including Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Canada's Wonderland. These events are a great way to experience life in Canada and make new friends.
Access labs and cool places at Waterloo: In the BASE program, we will help you get a taste of what it's like to study in your degree program with many assignments, projects, and coursework that is related to your program.
Paid leadership positions are available! Once you graduate from the BASE program, you will also have many awesome opportunities to apply for peer leader jobs to help support future English language learners in the BASE or iBASE program. Each year, many of the Peer Leaders hired for a part-time student leadership job are BASE graduates.
In BASE, Peer Leaders organize activities to help you practice your language skills and meet new friends. Peer Leaders will help you to get involved with campus and volunteer activities so you can develop a strong résumé, which is especially important if you are entering a co-op program.
You will be able to attend many on-campus events with your Peer Leaders, including:
- Faculty tours, led by Student Ambassadors in your faculty
- Meet and Greet sessions, where you can meet upper-year students in your faculty
- Student Leadership Program workshops to build your leadership and communication skills
- Waterloo Undergraduate Student Association events including Clubs Day, Cultural Caravan, Welcome Week activities, and more
Your Peer Leaders, Student Experience Manager, and your Student Experience Coordinator will also help connect you to ways to get involved on campus.
- Campus clubs are a fun way to get to know students based on an interest you have. There are more than 200 clubs on campus!
- Take workshops on study and research skills, mindful eating, career exploration, student leadership, and entrepreneurship.
- Practice English in social settings, such as the Renison English Conversation Partner program.
- Campus Recreation programs can help you stay healthy and include fitness classes, personal training, and intramural sports.
In BASE, you can also join many of the volunteer teams in the Renison English Language Institute to plan events and activities, practice your leadership skills, build experience for your resume, and meet other Waterloo students.
In the past, BASE Reps organized fun and interactive activities about stress management during midterms, cultural activities for Waterloo's International Fair, sustainability awareness activities in partnership with eco initiatives on campus, and more. Students who participate in the BASE Rep volunteer team earn a letter of recognition for their volunteer involvement.