Get a real insulated coat, warm gloves, boots with grip, and layers you can remove indoors. Check transit before leaving, keep your phone charged, and buy gear before the first storm.
Saskatchewan · Canada
Questions you might not want to ask out loud.
Practical starting points for university life. Rules and services change, so confirm high-stakes details with the relevant public office or your university.
Saskatchewan
Check whether your student fees include a transit pass, U-Pass, or campus shuttle. Learn the routes you use most, leave extra time in winter, and check your local transit service before heading out.
Compare nearby supermarkets with discount grocers, campus food supports, and culturally specific stores. Plan one larger trip, share rides when possible, and ask your students' union about emergency food support.
Limit time outside, cover exposed skin, use warming spaces, and do not rely on a short walk staying short. Follow Environment Canada alerts and call 911 if someone shows signs of severe hypothermia or frostbite.
Campus
Email the professor or TA, ask what to prioritize, and book tutoring or academic advising. Do not disappear. A short honest message early usually helps more than a perfect apology later.
Office hours are scheduled time for questions, clarification, or feedback. Bring the course name and one or two specific questions. You do not need to be failing to go.
Contact your school's accessibility office as early as you can. Documentation and timelines vary, so ask what is needed and how accommodations are shared with instructors.
Track admission, housing, registration, scholarships, budget, health coverage, winter prep, professor check-ins, community involvement, resume updates, and one personal wellbeing goal.
Belonging
Check your students' union club directory, campus cultural groups, local African and Caribbean organizations, faith communities, and student-led events. If the first space is not your space, keep looking. Community can take time to find.
Pick repeated spaces over one-off events: a club, study group, gym time, faith gathering, volunteer shift, or cultural event. Familiar faces become friends faster than perfect introductions.
Write down what happened, save relevant messages, and tell someone you trust. Your students' union, equity office, ombudsperson, or campus security can explain reporting and support options. Choose the route that feels safest for you.
Yes. Use the story form on the Stories page. Submissions are reviewed before publication, and we will never publish your email address.
Money & work
It depends on finances, course load, and health. If possible, start lighter, then increase hours once you understand your reading, lab, and assignment rhythm.
Check your university awards portal, faculty notices, community organizations, employers, and local foundations. Track deadlines and reuse a strong base application without sending generic answers.
A Social Insurance Number is used for work and certain government programs. Apply only through official Government of Canada channels and do not carry the paper confirmation around with you.
Rules depend on your study permit and can change. Check current Government of Canada guidance and confirm with your university's international student office before accepting work.
Housing
Confirm the rent, utilities, deposit, move-in date, included furniture, guest rules, repairs, and how notice works. Read the whole agreement and keep a copy. Saskatchewan tenancy rules apply off campus.
Be cautious with prices that feel unreal, pressure to pay immediately, or landlords who will not show the unit. Verify the address and identity, use traceable payments, and never send sensitive documents without knowing who receives them.
Talk about rent, groceries, cleaning, noise, guests, shared items, study schedules, and how to raise problems. Put the basics in writing while everyone is calm.
Start with your lease and written communication. Your university housing office or students' union may help you understand options, and Saskatchewan's Office of Residential Tenancies provides official information.
Health & Canada
Keep admission letters, student ID details, government ID, study permit if applicable, health information, lease, banking documents, tax slips, scholarship letters, and emergency contacts in a secure place.
Coverage differs by school and student status. Check what your student plan and Saskatchewan health coverage include before paying for care, prescriptions, dental work, or counselling.
Talk to someone early: a trusted friend, residence staff, student support office, counsellor, or faith leader. For urgent danger call 911; for suicide crisis support in Canada call or text 988.
Use official Government of Canada pages or a regulated immigration professional. Campus international offices can help explain school processes, but important decisions should be checked against current official guidance.