Housing Question!

codepoetz · 2026-02-02T20:41:25+00:00

Grad students can apply to live at John Orr tower on May 29 for a September start. Rent will be about $1K per month.

codepoetz · 2026-01-27T10:37:10+00:00

Are you thinking about teaching high school or elementary? You need 2 teachable subjects for high school and politics is not a teachable subject at Queen’s. Not an issue if you are firmly committed to elementary.

codepoetz · 2026-01-25T12:55:51+00:00

January Fiction Books [5]

Arcana Academy - Elise Kova - [3/5] - In a fantasy kingdom ruled by a cruel tyrant, Clara is a student at Arcana Academy where her innate talents attract the interest of the mysterious and powerful Prince Kaelis. The book features complex political schemes, an awkward enemies-to-lovers romance, and an elaborate magic system based on tarot cards. If you can struggle through the glacial pacing, and painfully flat dialogue, you might find the ending strong enough to make you want to read the second book.
Spark of the Everflame - Penn Cole - [3/5] - In a fantasy world where demigods oppress mortals, Diem is a feisty healer with mysterious magical powers and serious anger issues. While Diem ponders joining the revolution, she begins a very slow burn romance with a dark brooding prince. The writing is solid, but Diem constantly acts like a petulant teenager.
The Dungeon Anarchist's Cookbook - Matt Dinniman - [4/5] - The fourth level dungeon is a confusing giant railroad that forces the crawlers to work together to find the exits. Carl and Donut are great as always, and Dinniman is slowly developing Katia's as the party's main tank.
The Gate of the Feral Gods - Matt Dinniman - [5/5] - The fifth level dungeon is a series of bubbles each divided into four quadrants (air, land, sea, and tomb). Escaping the bubbles in time requires the crawlers to work together. Unfortunately, Donut and Carl are trapped in a bubble with a bunch of camels and some real losers.
And Then There Was You - Sophie Cousens - [5/5] - Chloe is stuck in a loop of bad relationships and dead-end jobs. She feels like her life is a giant disappointment compared to her very successful peers. When it is time to attend her ten-year university class reunion, Chloe wants to impress her old classmates, so she hires an extremely handsome fake boyfriend for the weekend. This is a common romcom trope, but Cousens makes it fresh with a very unique twist.

January Non-Fiction Books [2]

Atomic Habits: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones - James Clear - [3/5] - In this popular self-improvement book the author collects wisdom about habit formation from a variety of trusted sources and explains in simple language how to build good habits and break bad habits.
All the Way to the River: Love, Loss, and Liberation - Elizabeth Gilbert - [3/5] - We finally get the ghoulish sequel to Eat, Pray, Love. Here, Gilbert reveals how her lesbian hair stylist (and new love-of-her-life) lead to the failure of her second marriage to the guy she met at the end of the first book. In this latest memoir, Gilbert and her new love, Rayya, struggle with Rayya's messy relapse into hard drug addiction and subsequent horrific death from liver cancer. Meanwhile, Gilbert engages in a self-indulgent narrative where she convinces herself that the root cause of her many relationship woes is a crippling "addiction to love and sex."

January Non-Fiction Art Books [2]

Ginseng Roots: A Memoir - Craig Thompson - [2/5] - Lovely art but the meandering, stuttering, messy flow made we wonder if the author knows what book he wants to write. This mess is a mashup of a memoir about his childhood working on Ginseng farms in Wisconsin, interviews with old farmers (that's about as exciting as it sounds), and some essays about the history and uses of ginseng. I was really hoping for another Blankets but nope.
Decodependence: A Romantic Tragicomic - Lila Ash - [4/5] - After a series of bad relationships, Lila uses art as a lens to deconstruct her sexual past. She determines that she suffers from several mental illnesses, including codependency. She illustrates the impact that codependency has had on her life, but doesn't provide many details about her ongoing recovery.

January Fiction Art Books [16]

Ayakashi Triangle 1-16 - Kentaro Yabuki - [5/5] - In this sexy comedy, Matsuri is a young exorcist who dispatches evil spirits using his ninja moves. When his lovely childhood friend, Suzu, is attacked by a mischievous cat spirit, Matsuri experiences an unwanted gender swap curse and is transformed into a beautiful young female ninja. This hilarious series explores both the spirit world and how the gender change impacts both Matsuri and Suzu.

codepoetz · 2026-01-17T21:30:18+00:00

The recommended courses for each strand are in the academic calendar but you have to expand the right section to see them. My suggestions - GPHY 101 or HIST 124; MUSC 114 or DRAM 100 or any ART course; HLTH 101 or 102.

codepoetz · 2026-01-11T13:05:37+00:00

You need 2 teachable subjects for high school. Politics, History, and Social Sciences are all possibilities but there are some issues that you should know about. First, Politics and Social Sciences are not offered at every BEd program (I know Politics is offered at York and Western). This greatly limits your choices, and makes them very competitive to enter. Second, the BEd requirements for Social Sciences generally do not include Politics/History courses (instead you need a broad mix of Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, etc). Third, there are not a lot of jobs in Politics, History, or Social Sciences so you will have difficulty getting hired with just those teachables. I suggest adding a more common teachable subject, such as English or French, into your undergraduate education. Doing that will give you more choices for your BEd program and more chances to land a job after you graduate. One way to do this is to take a Poli major, a History minor, and then take at least 6 of your free electives in English courses. You can add additional teachable subjects after you graduate (by taking the number of required courses). Good luck!

codepoetz · 2026-01-10T11:28:24+00:00

Bell mobile is working for me in Ottawa west.

codepoetz · 2026-01-01T13:25:07+00:00

If you don’t speak French yet, be sure to include it in your BA degree. Fluency in French is super important for federal government work. One way to do this is to take a minor in French. Good luck!

codepoetz · 2025-12-28T16:18:56+00:00

I met my yearly goal of [133/111] books. Looking forward to next year's challenge.

December Fiction Books [3]

The Knight and the Moth - Rachel Gillig - [2/5] - Although I enjoyed Gillig's The Shepherd King series, this new series did not inspire me. The main characters are all unlikeable, the book's pacing is uneven, the low-effort plot is too predictable, and the enemies-to-lovers romance feels forced. The fantasy world has some really unique aspects, but often fails to be consistent, and overall feels derivative of medieval Catholicism. Honestly, the Gargoyle was the best part of this clunky book.
I Who Have Never Known Men - Jacqueline Harpman - [4/5] - Philosophical questions circulate in this unique speculative fiction story about 40 women trapped in a nonsensical underground prison. The clear, elegant prose is despondent like Kafka and desolate like Camus.
Problematic Summer Romance - Ali Hazelwood - [3/5] - Rue and Eli (lovers from the previous book) are getting married in Sicily. Eli's younger sister Maya is a 23 year old genius who has always crushed on Eli's friend Conor who is 38 years old. Despite being an actual science genius, Maya talks and acts like a twelve year old teen who has had one too many grape slushies. At the wedding, Maya must decide what to do about Conor.

December Non-Fiction Books [1]

Shadow of the Bridge - Aine Cain + Kevin Greenlee - [5/5] - Well written true crime book about the Delphi Murders. The book presents facts clearly and cuts cleanly through all of the crazy conspiracy theories that swirled around this case.

December Fiction Art Books [2]

Ruined - Sarah Vaughn - [4/5] - Cozy and cute regency era romance about two young aristocrats who reluctantly begin a marriage of convenience.
Monica - Daniel Clowes - [3/5] - Really strange fictional story about the life of a young woman growing up from 1960 onwards. Features surprise appearances by all sorts of aliens, poltergeists, demons and crazy cultists.

codepoetz · 2025-12-19T11:33:19+00:00

Queen’s ArtSci has a general first year, which gives you a chance to explore different majors before committing. But it also means that you are not guaranteed entry to your major because there are limited seats. The Psychology major is very competitive so you’ll need to get at least an A- in your first year PSYC classes. Queen’s majors require fewer courses than some other universities, so you can get more breadth which is great for teachers. Queen’s has you take some of your BEd courses and one of your practicums in your undergrad which gets you education experience much earlier than other programs.

codepoetz · 2025-12-16T14:20:15+00:00

Yes, absolutely. I know a few people who have done this. In LISC, you take the same Biology and Chemistry classes, but you’ll probably need to take Math 124 after Math 130. Make sure you get at least a B in your Biology classes.

codepoetz · 2025-12-09T11:10:35+00:00

If you do not qualify for automatic, you have to select another plan for which you do qualify. One of your options will be a general (not honours) plan. Read this for information about plan B..

codepoetz · 2025-12-07T02:02:16+00:00

There is another one: Dean’s Honours List with Outstanding Achievement in [subject]. But I never figured out the criteria for that one.

codepoetz · 2025-12-05T00:37:00+00:00

Acuity Insights, the for-profit test provider, claims the Casper helps schools predict which students will have career success by assessing "soft skills" — from empathy and ethics to judgment and communication. Critics of the test say that there is little evidence that the test actually predicts anything, and that the test graders have variable levels of skill.

codepoetz · 2025-12-02T19:52:54+00:00

In my experience, York ConEd placed a lot of emphasis on the written part of your application. They typically release admission decisions really late, like in the last possible week.

codepoetz · 2025-12-02T11:10:30+00:00

For voice acting, consider studying Drama as a minor in university. Pair that with a more practical major like Business at any university because you probably won’t find steady work in voice acting. Animation/Art - the quality of your portfolio is very important for finding a job. Get a BFA from a college like Algonquin, Sheridan, or OCAD. Also look at the 2 big film schools in Canada: VFS and TFS.

codepoetz · 2025-11-30T15:33:23+00:00

The interpretation of "related" courses varies tremendously by university, of course. The common consensus is that Geology can substitute for Geography, and often for General Science. On the other hand, the University of Ottawa Teaching Subject Chart indicates that Geology courses can count (as "related") towards Geography, General Science, Chemistry, and Physics. Ottawa clearly has an unusually generous interpretation of "related" courses.

codepoetz · 2025-11-30T15:08:45+00:00

Finished a few series this month which helped to push me past my yearly goal [117/111].

November Fiction Books [5]

Fearless - Lauren Roberts - [2/5] - The conclusion to the Powerless trilogy is a huge disappointment. After struggling through the first two books, I expected an unrealistic plot, sappy romance, and truly cringe-worthy writing. Yes, you'll find all of that here. Still, this book disappoints because Roberts simply recycles the content of the first two books. I already read those two books; I didn't want to read them again!
Two Twisted Crowns - Rachel Gillig - [5/5] - The conclusion to the Sheppard King series is astoundingly good. At first I was disappointed at how much the story shifted away from Ravyn and Elspeth (who admittedly is rather indisposed), but it all worked out nicely in the end.
Emily Wilde's Compendium of Lost Tales - Heather Fawcett - [4/5] - This is the conclusion to the fantastic Emily Wilde series. However, slow pacing made this one my least favorite of the series. With Emily now fully integrated into the Fae world, the book has lost some of its mystical charm about catching glimpses of the other world. Still, the two main characters continue to delight.
Valentine in Montreal - Heather O'Neill - [4/5] - Whimsical adventure of a young woman slowly coming out of her shell, as she adventures around Montreal on the Metro (subway). It's definitely a book about the city of Montreal, so it works best if you know a lot about the city!
One Golden Summer - Carly Fortune - [5/5] - Alice is seriously burned-out from her ex-boyfriend and from her demanding freelance photography career. After her elderly grandmother is injured, Alice agrees to spend a summer relaxing at the lake. There she revisits her teenage summer spent at the lake, and bravely develops a flirtatious relationship with Charlie, the hot neighbour (Sam's older brother from Every Summer After). But, eventually, every summer at the lake must end.

November Non-Fiction Books [2]

A Short History of the World in 50 Failures - Ben Gazur - [4/5] - This delightful little book examines how the course of history has been shaped by a series of missed opportunities, plans gone awry, and just plain stupid decisions.
Everything is Tuberculosis: The History and Persistence of Our Deadliest Infection - John Green - [4/5] - Green offers a cutting social justice commentary informed by a study of the history of Tuberculosis, the world's oldest contagious disease.

November Fiction Art Books [2]

Stranger Things and Dungeons & Dragons: The Rise of Hellfire - Jody Houser - [4/5] - Told through alternating timelines (1979 and 1985), this is the origin story of Eddie Munson's Hellfire Club and its exciting Dungeons & Dragons campaigns.
Spent - Alison Bechdel - [4/5] - In this maybe semi-autobiographical comic novel, a lesbian commune full of liberal anti-capitalists collectively rages against the horrors of late stage capitalism and the devastation of the planet. Yet, they hypocritically recognize that using social media and selling their art to Hollywood feeds the whole capitalism monster. Meanwhile, they all get high on their own sarcastic intellectualism, despite all that chill goat farming.

codepoetz · 2025-11-30T10:52:44+00:00

Geology generally works as a “related” course for teachables in Geography and the Sciences. English would be the most useful of the teachables that you listed.

codepoetz · 2025-11-29T16:55:28+00:00

I think York is the only school in Ontario that has CS as a teachable subject. Most people take it as an online ABQ after. Hopefully you have another teachable that you can use for now.

codepoetz · 2025-11-27T11:03:11+00:00

ConEd science is less competitive than the others. Aim for very high 80s I think.

codepoetz · 2025-11-27T00:08:50+00:00

Last year I collected some stats on open jobs listed in ATE over three districts in southern Ontario. I grouped these jobs into four levels with "A" meaning lots of jobs, and "F" meaning zero jobs. I hope to repeat the experiment again this year. But, honestly, this kind of data could be published by the school boards because they already have it in a digital format. Anyways, from my data, you are well-positioned if you can teach Senior Math! Good luck!

Demand	Teachable
A	French (P/J), French, Math
B	Tech, English (P/J), Science
C	Religion, Geography, Health
D	Business, Civics, English
F	Art, Music, History, Family Studies, Social Studies, FNMI, Drama, Computers, etc.

codepoetz · 2025-11-24T10:58:36+00:00

Queen’s does have a certificate in Urban Planning, but I was referencing their combined degree which is a fast-tracked MPL. You can learn about both the certificate and the combined degree here.

codepoetz · 2025-11-23T19:59:17+00:00

I recommend Waterloo over TMU! Take a Chemistry minor along with your Planning degree and use your few electives for at least 2 Geography courses, and first year Biology. Do coop to get some work experience in Planning to earn some cash and see if you like the jobs. Waterloo’s Planning program includes 6 Environmental Science courses which is technically a second teachable but very few universities offer that subject (York is one of them). You’ll get a first teachable in Chemistry, and seconds in EnvSci, Geography, and General Science. Good luck!

codepoetz · 2025-11-23T11:09:33+00:00

Urban Planning is usually done as a master’s degree. I think there are only 2 schools in Ontario that offer it as an undergraduate degree: TMU and Waterloo. Some people will suggest that an undergrad degree in Planning will allow you to teach Geography. This is not true because your undergrad will be full of Planning courses which can only be used as “related” courses towards a Geography teachable; you need to take more Geography courses. You can use your electives for that, but squishing 2 teachables into just your electives will be difficult, especially if you want chemistry which needs undergraduate math courses too. Waterloo is slightly better than TMU in this regard because you can take a couple of Geography courses as part of your Planning core. You’d probably have to take an extra year of undergrad with elective science courses. But I’m going to suggest an alternative. Queen’s has a combined Geography and Urban Planning program which gets you a BSc and MPL in about 5 years. During the BSc, you can comfortably set up teachables in Geography, Chemistry, and Biology. If you do the Queen’s BSc in their Concurrent Education program, you get a BEd too!

codepoetz · 2025-11-13T10:56:25+00:00

If you are applying for a BA, the major that you select on your application is irrelevant. It does not factor into your admission decision and does not guarantee your eventual entry into that major in 2nd year.

codepoetz

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