I’ve always loved getting involved with sports and activities and engaging in unique experiences.
When I visited Waterloo and learned about Recreation and Leisure Studies (REC), I realized I could turn my passions into a career. Approximately one-third of our lives are spent on recreation and leisure (the other two-thirds? Working and sleeping!). Want to know if you might be a RECer, too?
How to know if you belong in Recreation and Leisure Studies
1. You love being part of a community
Do you like to surround yourself with others? Do you enjoy activities that let you work with a group or work together to create something bigger? Team work makes the dream work! In REC at Waterloo we pride ourselves on our tight-knit community between professors, staff, and students!
2. You have a passion for recreation
Do you have an activity or a hobby that you’re passionate about? I mean, something that you enjoy so much that it’s in your thoughts even when you’re not participating in it? Imagine turning that passion into your career.
Vincent, a Recreation and Sport Business grad, took his passion for the thrill of white water rafting and transformed it into his dream job.
3. You like unique experiences
Are you adventurous? Do you love trying new things?
Our REC programs are very flexible, giving you the opportunity to pursue international exchange opportunities!
4. You’re a people person
Team sports. Concerts. Travel tours. Sipping on a latte at a café with friends. What do these thing have in common? People.
If you like to collaborate or connect with others, this is the place for you. Hands-on assignments, group projects, and experiences outside the classroom will prepare you for a career working with others.
In first year, you’ll take a course called REC:120 Program Management and Evaluation — which includes an overnight retreat. The retreat features an opportunity to evaluate recreation programming, but it also helps you get to know your classmates so that you start off your time at Waterloo with some unreal memories.
5. You’re considerate of others around you
If you’re passionate about ensuring others around you have fun and good experiences, REC at Waterloo is a great fit for you. We’re all about making meaningful experiences happen and delivering some of the best customer service out there.
In the Faculty of Health, we know that our health and well-being on the surface is just the tip of the iceberg. Therapeutic Recreation (TR) addresses what is under the water too. We consider not only physical domains of well-being, but also social, emotional, spiritual and cognitive, too. In TR, you’ll learn how to enhance health and well-being through recreation to maximize quality of life for everyone, including people with varying needs and abilities. Learn how TR grad, Rachael found her passion in helping others.
Discover if Recreation and Sport Business is right for you.
6. You want to share the world
Are you open to new ideas? Do you like to think outside the box? In REC at Waterloo we know that recreation and leisure services, interests, and programs have no limitations. Recreation and leisure programming is global, and can take many different forms.
Do you travel or know someone who does? It’s likely that you do since tourism is one of the world’s largest industries. In our Tourism Minor, students learn about delivering tourism experiences and events from start to finish.
7. You’re looking for a flexible program
Are you super interested in recreation but have a passion for languages? Maybe you’re really into sport business but curious about tourism as well? Make your degree your own masterpiece!
With help from your academic advisor, the REC programs at Waterloo offer flexibility with many opportunities to add a minor or an option to your degree.
