A Living Learning Community (LLC) is a group of first-year students from the same program or faculty who live together in the same residence.
Any incoming first-year student can request to live in their program’s LLC once accepted to Waterloo. For Honours Arts and Business students (ARBUS), that could mean living in Ron Eydt Village (REV): a set of traditional style residences with 500 double rooms, a central cafeteria and community centre. But the layout of rooms and location of the caf are not what’s important about living in the Arts and Business Living Learning Community. Not even close.
Built-in support
LLCs cluster students by faculty and by program. On a floor of 54 first-year students, ARBUS students are guaranteed to have 8-16 peers who are in the same program. Being surrounded by peers and being able to quickly make connections and friendships makes a big difference for a student’s overall experience and success.
The other people in your cluster really understand you and get what you’re going through,” notes Krystal Kowalski, former Housing Coordinator for the Arts and Business Living Learning community. “LLC students have a ready-made network of people to study with, go to class with, work on assignments. It’s a support system built into your residence experience.
The best part about living in LLC is having roommates and floor-mates that are in your program — it can be super helpful at times.
Peer Leaders
Each cluster is assigned a Peer Leader: an upper-year ARBUS student who understands the program, university life, and where to go for help. A Peer Leader may take students on a campus tour. Or organize a workshop for a difficult economic assignment or arrange an informal professor/student pizza-and-time-management talk, so students can get to know their instructor better as they learn skills that help them succeed at university.
“You get bombarded with a lot of things when you start university. Having someone you can rely on who’s been around for a few years already is a real asset,” notes Peer Leader Anne Marie. “I think Peer Leaders act like a one-stop guide to help students in their academics, but also with connections to other people and resources.”
Balancing study and life
Peer Leaders don’t stop at school-related support. They help ARBUS students find social outlets — like volunteer opportunities, clubs or intramural sports — in order to have a balanced, healthy lifestyle. They connect ARBUS co-op students to résumé writing or interviewing workshops. And they’ll even help their cluster gain new skills like cooking. (Seriously, it’s a super-valuable skill — especially when you’re hungry!)
Becoming a Peer Leader
An ARBUS student can become a Living Learning Community Peer Leader as early as second year. For many students, it provides an opportunity to build leadership, teamwork, and communication skills. Plus it can be a lot of fun! Many students maintain strong friendships with their first-year peer leader even after they complete their studies at Waterloo.
Choose ARBUS LLC
Living in the ARBUS LLC is a great way to make the transition from high school to university. It’s an awesome way to meet people and make friendships that will last your whole life. It’s an experience that will help you navigate and be successful in your studies. And in your second year, you might decide to help other students and become a Peer Leader!
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