Student experience

We want you to have an exceptional student experience during your English language studies. Our Student Experience and Housing team are available to help you...

Experience life in Canada

Students at Niagara Falls

Join us on many cultural excursions to popular destinations in southwestern Ontario including Toronto and Niagara Falls. Learn about Canada's unique history by visiting on-campus educational centres and community museums. As part of Waterloo Region, we are also excited to introduce you to our area's entrepreneurial community. Join us on exciting visits to meet with student design teams at Waterloo, visit start-up company offices, explore entrepreneurship hubs and incubators, and see why Waterloo is considered Canada's Silicon Valley!

Practice your social skills

Students volunteering

We want to help you build your confidence in using your English. The best way to improve your English is to use your English! Our popular summer bonfire parties, Speed Friending socials, carnival nights, meet and greet events, and conversation lunches are awesome ways to build your skills -- and have fun!

Be a successful student

Students studying

Whether your goal is to just to improve your conversational English to pursue undergraduate or graduate studies at a Canadian university, we are here to help you reach your goals! One-on-one meet-ups, regular mandatory check-in meetings, and easy access to peer leaders and Student Experience staff can help you with improving your study strategies, adjust to studies in a North American university environment, and build your learning skills.  We are also here to help you adjust to life in Canada and navigate life at Canada's most innovative university.

Build your leadership skills

Students win the leadership trophy

We love organizing opportunities to help you volunteer in Canada, improve your English, while developing your leadership skills. Our student councils and newswriting volunteer teams are great ways to make new friends while also getting involved in our campus and local communities. Our students regularly volunteer at events like UWaterloo's International Fairs, food drives for charity, Canada Day celebrations, and more! 

Have fun and make memories

Students at Renison

We love having fun with our students! Every month, we organize countless bus trips to fun destinations including sports parks, trampoline parks, Canada's Wonderland, bowling, zip lining, maple syrup farms, pumpkin patches, snow tubing, laser tag -- we do it all! 

Travelling out-of-town? Let us know!

Travelling during your ELI studies can be a great way to see new places and experience new things! When you go out-of-town, it is a good idea to let others know your travel plans in case anything unexpected happens. That’s why we recommend you complete our Out-of-Town Travel Notification Form if you plan on travelling outside the Kitchener-Waterloo area for two or more days. Notifying Renison of your travel plans helps us know where you are and how to contact you in the event of an emergency. If you have questions about completing the Travel Notification Form, please contact us and we will be happy to help!

Remote video URL

What's our student experience like? Enjoy our video sharing what it's like to study at the Renison English Language Institute. 

Do you have questions about your student experience?

We welcome you to contact our Student Experience and Housing team!

Jen Burton

Jen Burton
Manager, Housing
jburton@uwaterloo.ca

A.J. Dixon
Student Advisor
aj.dixon@uwaterloo.ca

Allison Marlowe

Allison Marlowe
Student Experience Coordinator
asmarlowe@uwaterloo.ca

circular image of laura

Laura Mutton
Administrative Assistant
lmutton@uwaterloo.ca 

Ryan Connell

Ryan Connell

Assistant Director, Student Experience & Housing
ryan.connell@uwaterloo.ca

Stefany Kraft

Stefany Kraft
Student Experience Coordinator
s2kraft@uwaterloo.ca

Scott McLeod

Rev. Scott McLeod
Chaplain
scott.mcleod@uwaterloo.ca

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