Activities outside class

Academics are important, but to get the most from your university experience, look beyond the classroom.

Halloween

Every year at Halloween, students participate in Renison's very popular Pumpkin Carving Competition.

Outdoor event

iBASE students helped to organize a fun outdoor social event in Renison's grass courtyard during a warm summer day.

Students play Capture the Flag

Capture the Flag: Students in the BASE and EFAS programs participate in a Capture the Flag sporting event on Columbia Ice Field.

Engineering iBASE students in the Sedra Design Centre

Sedra Design Centre: Engineering IBASE students at the Faculty of Engineering tour led by Daniel and Sarb, two Student Ambassadors in the Faculty of Engineering.

Random Act of Kindness Day volunteering team

Random Act of Kindness Day volunteering team: The BASE student volunteers and their Student Experience Coordinator after a successful day volunteering for Random Act of Kindness Day.

Students participating in a LEGO Robotics challenge

LEGO Robotics challenge: Engineering BASE students participate in an interactive FIRST LEGO Robotics exercise as part of their Academic Skills course.

Hybrid car team

iBASE students visit a Hybrid Car Team: Engineering iBASE students visit one of the hybrid car teams in the Sedra Design Centre on campus.

BASE Rep Volunteers

International Fair: Student volunteers participate in an International Fair in the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Centre. One team of volunteers taught students how to write their name in Mandarin.

Students volunteering at Open House Event

Volunteering on campus: Students in the BASE program have many opportunities to volunteer in their campus community, including with student open house events.

BASE students in Renison Residence

Living in Renison Residence: BASE students have the opportunity to live on campus and be part of the BASE Living-Learning Community available at Renison Residence. In the Living-Learning Community, students access support of an LLC Peer Leader who can support them with their adjustment to life in Canada, studying at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, and building their language skills.

BASE students at Niagara Falls

Attend bus trip events! Our Peer Leaders host bus trips to many popular destinations in Southwestern Ontario, including Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Canada's Wonderland. These events are a great way to experience life in Canada and make new friends.

BASE Science students in a lab

Access labs and cool places at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ: In the BASE program, we will help you get a taste of what it's like to study in your degree program with many assignments, projects, and coursework that is related to your program.

Peer Leaders together

Paid leadership positions are available! Once you graduate from the BASE program, you will also have many awesome opportunities to apply for peer leader jobs to help support future English language learners in the BASE or iBASE program. Each year, many of the Peer Leaders hired for a part-time student leadership job are BASE graduates.

Niagara Falls

BASE students had an exciting time checking out Niagara Falls!

Halloween
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Every year at Halloween, students participate in Renison's very popular Pumpkin Carving Competition.
Outdoor event
2 / 14
iBASE students helped to organize a fun outdoor social event in Renison's grass courtyard during a warm summer day.
Students play Capture the Flag
3 / 14
Capture the Flag: Students in the BASE and EFAS programs participate in a Capture the Flag sporting event on Columbia Ice Field.
Engineering iBASE students in the Sedra Design Centre
4 / 14
Sedra Design Centre: Engineering IBASE students at the Faculty of Engineering tour led by Daniel and Sarb, two Student Ambassadors in the Faculty of Engineering.
Random Act of Kindness Day volunteering team
5 / 14
Random Act of Kindness Day volunteering team: The BASE student volunteers and their Student Experience Coordinator after a successful day volunteering for Random Act of Kindness Day.
Students participating in a LEGO Robotics challenge
6 / 14
LEGO Robotics challenge: Engineering BASE students participate in an interactive FIRST LEGO Robotics exercise as part of their Academic Skills course.
Hybrid car team
7 / 14
iBASE students visit a Hybrid Car Team: Engineering iBASE students visit one of the hybrid car teams in the Sedra Design Centre on campus.
BASE Rep Volunteers
8 / 14
International Fair: Student volunteers participate in an International Fair in the À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ Centre. One team of volunteers taught students how to write their name in Mandarin.
Students volunteering at Open House Event
9 / 14
Volunteering on campus: Students in the BASE program have many opportunities to volunteer in their campus community, including with student open house events.
BASE students in Renison Residence
10 / 14
Living in Renison Residence: BASE students have the opportunity to live on campus and be part of the BASE Living-Learning Community available at Renison Residence. In the Living-Learning Community, students access support of an LLC Peer Leader who can support them with their adjustment to life in Canada, studying at the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, and building their language skills.
BASE students at Niagara Falls
11 / 14
Attend bus trip events! Our Peer Leaders host bus trips to many popular destinations in Southwestern Ontario, including Niagara Falls, Toronto, and Canada's Wonderland. These events are a great way to experience life in Canada and make new friends.
BASE Science students in a lab
12 / 14
Access labs and cool places at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ: In the BASE program, we will help you get a taste of what it's like to study in your degree program with many assignments, projects, and coursework that is related to your program.
Peer Leaders together
13 / 14
Paid leadership positions are available! Once you graduate from the BASE program, you will also have many awesome opportunities to apply for peer leader jobs to help support future English language learners in the BASE or iBASE program. Each year, many of the Peer Leaders hired for a part-time student leadership job are BASE graduates.
Niagara Falls
14 / 14
BASE students had an exciting time checking out Niagara Falls!

Graduates from the BASE and iBASE programs share that a valuable part of their experience was from the friendships, community, and memories they have made while they studied in the BASE and iBASE programs. 

While you study English, you will have Peer Leaders who organize activities to help you practice your language skills and meet new friends. Peer Leaders will help you to get involved with campus and volunteer activities so you can develop a strong résumé, which is especially important if you are entering a co-op program.

Your BASE and iBASE classes taken place on campus at Renison University College. At Renison, you have access to a busy events calendar that features many great ways to build your communication skills, make friends, and feel prepared for university life. 

You will be able to attend many on-campus activities with your Peer Leaders:

  • Attend Faculty tours and meet and greet sessions, where you can meet upper-year students in your faculty
  • Join our English Language Institute Student Leadership Team to build professional volunteer experience in Canada that you can add to your resume for jobs
  • Be part of social events to improve your English and help you feel more confident, including Speed Friending, bonfire parties, carnivals, college dinners, video games parties, and more!
  • Explore southwestern Ontario by joining bus trips to popular destinations including Toronto, Niagara Falls, Canada's Wonderland, bowling, and trampoline parks. 

At Renison, you also have access to many great programs including: 

  • : register to be matched with a domestic student to practice your English with for an hour each week
  • : this is a safe space for students from equity-deserving communities can come together to connect with other like-minded students. Popular monthly events in this space include Chinese Student Hangouts, ABC (African, Black, Caribbean) Chill events, Queer & Cozy socials for gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender students, as well as wellness activities. 

At the University of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ, you also have many ways to get involved in your campus community: 

  •  are a fun way to get to know students based on an interest you have. There are more than 200 clubs on campus!
  • Take workshops on study and research skills, mindful eating, career exploration, student leadership, and entrepreneurship.
  • can help you stay healthy and include fitness classes, personal training, and intramural sports.

Access support

As a BASE or iBASE student, you benefit from a close-knit community of support. Renison's Student Experience and Housing team are available to meet with you for one-on-one meet-ups. These meetings are usually 30 minutes in length, but can be customized for a shorter or longer time if needed.

During a one-on-one meet-up, we can chat about anything related to your personal and academic success. Some of the most common subjects that students talk about during a meet-up include:

  • Study strategies, including textbook skim/scanning, notes reviews, test taking tips and dealing with test anxiety
  • Time management help and helping you organize all of your assignments, tests, study time—and find time to attend events also!
  • Questions about life at À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ and being a successful student
  • Support with adjusting to life in Canada and the city of À¶Ý®ÊÓƵ
  • Thriving while living in a student residence, and tips for how to make the most of your residence experience
  • Conversations about mental health wellness and how to build healthy strategies into your day-to-day schedule.
  • English practice! Just meet with us and practice your conversational English. We can talk about anything you like!