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How to get involved on campus

January 9, 2025

Getting involved is a rewarding experience that can further enhance your university experience and foster personal growth. There are various ways students can get involved on campus. Here are some ways that you can!

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Attend campus events

Ontario Tech holds various events run by students and faculty that can cater to your interests. Whether that’s a subject, personal hobby, fun activities, etc. Campus events allow students to meet their peers, network, and introduce themselves to their professors. 

The best time for students to take advantage of campus events is the first month of the school year. Typically, the Ontario Tech Student Union (OTSU) runs O-week. They hold various exciting events during the first weeks of school before the semester gets hectic! 

Check out the university’s Student Life Portal for more upcoming events. Here, you can sign up for events and workshops to be in the loop.

Join clubs

Joining clubs is a great start to getting involved on campus. The OTSU provides students with services to join student-led clubs where they can pursue academic, charitable, cultural, and unique interests. By accessing their website here, you can search for the current clubs! 

However, if you can’t find a club you're looking for, you can start your own! If you’re interested in connecting with peers about a topic you’re passionate about, you can apply to create one. 

Join an intramural sports team. 

The Ontario Tech Ridgebacks hold both recreational and competitive intramural sports for students. In recreational intramurals, students can just participate in different sports for fun. However, for competitive intramurals, students who have varsity experience are recommended to play at this level. 

Their intramural program offers a variety of sports, including basketball, badminton, cricket, ice hockey, floor hockey, pickleball, soccer, and volleyball. For more information on registering for this, check out their website here

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Start volunteering

Ontario Tech provides many leadership opportunities for students. The Ambassador program is a great initiative for students interested in becoming leaders who want to impact our campus positively. As an Ambassador, you’ll get access to workshops that promote personal and professional development. 

Other leadership opportunities you can pursue throughout the year include the Peer Leader program, Sustainability Champion, International Student Leader, Equity Advocate, and more. 

What’s great about joining these initiatives is that you can potentially win awards and be recognized if you demonstrate exemplary leadership on campus. These experiences are overall great to add to your student experience record and showcase your leadership skills on your resume!

Check out the website if you want to volunteer in these programs.

Get a campus job

Ontario Tech offers paid opportunities for students to work during the year. These positions can help you strengthen your resume and leadership skills. If there is a course that you have performed well in, you can become a Peer Educator. In this role, you help provide academic support to students. You can get assigned various tasks depending on the program's specific needs. If you’re interested in this position, visit the website here

The University Work Program is an on-campus employment program for full-time undergraduate students that allows students to gain career experience. This is available for domestic and international students during the summer, fall, and winter terms. For more information on how to apply, click here

Do research 

 The undergraduate research awards are a summer initiative where students do full-term research under a professor at Ontario Tech. The benefit of being in this program is that students gain research experience while getting paid. For more information on how to apply for the research awards program, check out this website. You can always contact a professor whose research interests you and ask for volunteer opportunities in their labs.

Be sure to seek out opportunities for yourself that will benefit your personal interests and your academic career. Good luck!

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