Name: Kirsty Beaton
School: Concordia University
Program, Year: Computer Science, 3rd year
What was the deciding factor that made you choose this school? I wanted to live in Montreal! Plus, Concordia has a great reputation, particularly for my program.
What do you love most about your school? The laid-back, unpretentious, friendly atmosphere.
Are you involved in any extracurricular activities? I’m a member of the Concordia Ski and Snowboard Club (which gets you great deals on skiing and snowboarding trips in the winter time; I highly recommend it) and I have a friend who will be starting a Beer Brewing Club this fall which I am very excited about!
What’s your best advice on how to meet new friends? Don’t be shy! People here are so friendly. You will realise very quickly that most people here are excited to meet new people, so don’t be afraid to approach others.
Where’s your favourite place for:
A cheap dinner: Eduardo’s (404 Avenue Duluth Est) on Duluth & St. Denis. It has great Italian food for a reasonable price, and lets you bring your own wine!
Lunch: Burritoville (2205 Bishop Ave), right by Concordia. Or Aux Vives, (4631 boul St-Laurent) which is a vegetarian restaurant in the plateau, on upper St. Laurent.
Coffee: Myriade, (1432 Rue Mackay) on Mackay, or The Croissanterie. It is about 4 blocks east of Concordia, on St Catherine. A great place to study.
What bars do you frequent the most? Mainly places on St. Laurent – Bifteck (3702 Boulevard St-Laurent) is great for cheap drinks and playing pool, Casa del Popolo (4873 Boulevard St-Laurent) has great live music. Also, Reservoir (9 Duluth Est) on Duluth has a really nice atmosphere, and they brew their own beer. As for places nearer Concordia? I just love Grumpy’s (1242 rue Bishop) on Bishop.
Where do you go if you wanna dance? I always seem to end up at Korova, (3908 Boulevard St-Laurent) on St Laurent. It doesn’t charge cover and is always fun.
Any party nights we should know about?Hmm. If you like old-time folk music, Grumpy’s has a night for that on Thursdays. I’m also a fan of hip hop night at Korova, though I can never remember if it’s on Friday or Saturday…
Do you have a favourite clothing store? If you have a chance to go up to the Mile End and walk along St. Viateur, in between Parc and St Laurent, there’s some great used clothing shops there.
Where’s your favourite place to study? When I want to people-watch? Parc Jean-Mance. When I actually want to get work done? The library, unfortunately…
Do you have a hairdresser / salon you’d recommend? Coupe Bizarre! (3770 Boulevard St-Laurent) It’s awesomely quirky.
What has been your favourite class thus far? Well, I’m a self-proclaimed dork. COMP 249, Programming Methodology.
What class are you looking forward to most this year? Haha, once again… dorky. COMP 346, Operating Systems.
What’s your best piece of first-year advice? Have fun, but watch out! There’s so many fun things to do in this city ALL THE TIME that it’s easy to let your studies slide a bit.
What did you learn the hard way? Exactly that… First term I had a bit too much fun and found myself really scrambling by exam time.
Any misconceptions you want to clear up about your school? I’m not really aware of any stereotypes, haha. I guess I’ve heard people can be pretentious here? I have yet to come across that though. Everyone’s so down-to-earth.
Before you graduate, you are going to make sure you: Go to Quebec City for the weekend. I’m originally from British Columbia so this eastern territory is vast and unknown to me!
What do you love most about your university town/city? The laid-back, happy energy that is everywhere. And the fact that it is totally bike-friendly.
Best memory so far? Going to see one of the best shows I’ve witnessed: Die Antwoord.
Got any weird /specific tip that would only apply to your school? Go to People’s Potato! (1455 de Maisonneuve west, 7th floor)
Anything else you want to share with first year students? Even if you live downtown, don’t be afraid to venture out to the plateau, or Mile End or Atwater. There are some really funky places you’ll miss if you always stay near the school!