University Insider: St. Thomas University

The 411

Best place to live:

Downtown!

Best place to study:

Coffee & Friends downtown is a personal favourite, but when studying in a group, the top floor of Sir James Dunn Hall

Best campus events:

Shinerama! In first year, you go for the day to different locations around town and raise money for cystic fibrosis with a BBQ, car wash or

other fundraising activities

Weirdest tradition:

Either the Welcome Week Cheer-Off or the way the entire school breaks out into a chant when someone says, ‘Hey, STU, what’s two plus two?’

Best campus food:

The Wabanaki Student Centre lunches. Every Wednesday, I go to the lounge and get a free home-cooked meal.

Best pizza:

Jack’s Pizza and Donair, especially their garlic fingers. (It’s a Maritime thing.)

Best place for a fancy meal:

MoCo Downtown: delicious Italian food, cocktails and mouth-watering desserts

Best giveaway:

The off-campus representatives for the student union started a 12 days of giveaway during the holidays this year, and it made me excited every day!

Best hangover breakfast:

The cinnamon rolls from Mill Town Roasters are to die for!

Best place for a nap:

Fourth floor lounge of Brian Mulroney Hall

Best weekend activity:

Thrift shopping!

The thing that surprised me most about the school:
I didn’t expect the number
of community connections the school helped me to achieve. It’s a small school full of big opportunities.

Why did you choose St. Thomas?

I remember standing in my high school’s gymnasium during the university fair looking around at all the booths and different banners. I felt excited, but I still wasn’t sure which university I wanted to attend. I walked up to a green and gold booth with a smiling woman holding a pile of guidebooks. I flipped through the book and saw that they had a journalism program. I knew at that moment that I’d be spending the next four years in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Describe some of your best experiences so far.

In my first and second year at STU, I took advantage of the annual New York trip. It was inexpensive. I spent a few days in NYC, got to know the other people on the trip and saw multiple Broadway shows. In my first year, I was also in the musical theatre program. We performed Newsies that year, and it was amazing to take my love for theatre into university. Another one of my best experiences at STU was working in the CBC building. A bunch of like-minded journalism students spending their days huddled over computers editing videos for hours straight is something that I really miss now that COVID-19 has everyone working from home.

Are you involved in extracurricular activities?

I got involved with The Aquinian, the newspaper at STU, in the first week of my first year. I wrote every week from then on, and now I’m the news editor and couldn’t be happier. Now I get to see first-year students writing for us and remember what it was like to find that sense of community where everyone cared about the same thing.

What do you think of the professors?

One of the perks of going to a small university is approachable professors. I was always told in high school that university professors see students as numbers. But at STU that’s not the case. I’ve called professors crying; I’ve had professors print off guide- books for me because they remembered I was interested in the topic; I’ve had professors reach out and tell me that they’re here for me. That’s the real impact of a small university—connections.

How do you find the school’s administration?

Because STU is so small, it’s extremely easy to get into the courses you want or need, and I’ve never had any issues with that. In first year, I also needed an accommodation for my disability, and I was easily given that accommodation through Accessibility Services, which was respected by the professors.

What is life like in Fredericton?

There are lots of coffee shops, which means lots of study spots, plus small bars perfect for a night out with friends and plenty of small businesses.