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Maclean's 2009 Guide to Canadian Universities |
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Blog by Elizabeth Kellett
Posted July 9th, 2009
My link to Queen’s University is rooted in my experiences there as I am entering my fourth year in the fall and have lived both on and off of campus in Kingston. I took an interest in the Maclean’s 2009 Guide to Canadian Universities since I knew that Queen’s pulled out of the survey a few years ago, and it’s always interesting to see what is said about my school. I became quickly frustrated by the culture that Maclean’s painted for Queen’s – a culture that was clearly only absorbed in drinking. The top of the What’s Not [Hot] list was Homecoming being cancelled due to “raucous street parties in the past”. While this may be true, more aggravating still was the idea that nearly everything that was interesting off campus revolved around alcohol, including the bar that closes and is renamed every year due to its illegal allowance of underage students. How appropriate is it for a magazine that is trying to attract first year students to focus solely on drinking?
Instead of highlighting on things like Kingston being one of the cities with the most restaurants per capita in Canada, exploring Wolfe Island with floormates, and discovering the amazing bakery there, it focused almost wholly on where to get good drinks and a bar that is “popular with first years”. Why not concentrate on the ability to play sports or study next to Lake Ontario when the weather is nice, and then going to a patio to enjoy the sunshine and a drink or two. There are so many more things to do in Kingston, and even at the bars. The Grizzly Grill is a restaurant, bar, and great place to watch sports and play billiards. Lone Star Grill has a patio to enjoy the sun and grab some grub, they also have the best margaritas in town. Princess Street has amazing cafes, many unique, Kingston-owned businesses for shopping, and bars. There are parks just off campus where people play sports all year round with new friends, and there are many opportunities to enjoy getting to know a city that is so much more than just a wet party town.
For students thinking about going to university, this is not a plea to go to Queen’s – go where you feel comfortable, but go visit the campus, instead of putting your decision in the hands of a magazine article.
Posted July 9th, 2009
My link to Queen’s University is rooted in my experiences there as I am entering my fourth year in the fall and have lived both on and off of campus in Kingston. I took an interest in the Maclean’s 2009 Guide to Canadian Universities since I knew that Queen’s pulled out of the survey a few years ago, and it’s always interesting to see what is said about my school. I became quickly frustrated by the culture that Maclean’s painted for Queen’s – a culture that was clearly only absorbed in drinking. The top of the What’s Not [Hot] list was Homecoming being cancelled due to “raucous street parties in the past”. While this may be true, more aggravating still was the idea that nearly everything that was interesting off campus revolved around alcohol, including the bar that closes and is renamed every year due to its illegal allowance of underage students. How appropriate is it for a magazine that is trying to attract first year students to focus solely on drinking?
Instead of highlighting on things like Kingston being one of the cities with the most restaurants per capita in Canada, exploring Wolfe Island with floormates, and discovering the amazing bakery there, it focused almost wholly on where to get good drinks and a bar that is “popular with first years”. Why not concentrate on the ability to play sports or study next to Lake Ontario when the weather is nice, and then going to a patio to enjoy the sunshine and a drink or two. There are so many more things to do in Kingston, and even at the bars. The Grizzly Grill is a restaurant, bar, and great place to watch sports and play billiards. Lone Star Grill has a patio to enjoy the sun and grab some grub, they also have the best margaritas in town. Princess Street has amazing cafes, many unique, Kingston-owned businesses for shopping, and bars. There are parks just off campus where people play sports all year round with new friends, and there are many opportunities to enjoy getting to know a city that is so much more than just a wet party town.
For students thinking about going to university, this is not a plea to go to Queen’s – go where you feel comfortable, but go visit the campus, instead of putting your decision in the hands of a magazine article.
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