Student Life

What will living in Residence post Covid-19 look like?

Life goes on, even during a pandemic, and it’s beginning to be time for students to start thinking about living in dorms in September and beyond. But with most of Canada hesitantly out of lockdown that doesn’t mean that everything is going to go back to normal.

So what will living in dorms look like after Covid-19?

Well, we don’t know.
Covid-19 is an ongoing situation and while in this article we’ll outline a few options and what vaguely to expect, as there is no sure way to know what will happen next with the virus, there are no concrete answers.

September 2020
The Fall term will be the most changed. Most universities have stated that they will have residences open but that they will only have single rooms open.

Single rooms mean that the pricing of the rooms will reflect this, so all prices will most likely be for the singular rooms as none of the doubles will be available.

As far as cafeterias go, they will most likely have a set limit of people available at a time and with a very strict amount of people who are able to sit together. Depending on the school, these rules will be different but most likely the number will be around 3-5 people in a group.

Preference for rooms will go to those who are the most in need for them. Examples would be: those who can only take classes in person or those who are unable to study if not on campus due to extenuating circumstances.

January 2021
The Winter term is a mystery right now for everyone, but mostly to those who plan to live in residences. We have no idea what the future will bring, so we can plan for the worst and hope for the best.
The Best:
A vaccine is widely distributed and quarantine is mostly lifted.
We can have 2 person rooms again and full cafeterias.
All classes will be back in person.
Frosh will happen!
The Worst:
We see a second wave of Covid-19 and quarantine must be extended longer.
We see single person rooms and perhaps even a smaller amount of single rooms.
All classes will either be cancelled or online.
Frosh will unfortunately not happen.
An Optimistic but Realistic Look:
We see a second wave of Covid-19 but we have a vaccine to help us fight it off.
We see the beginnings of 2 rooms and events opening up. But not fully.
Classes will slowly be moving more towards in person but with more attention paid to the amount of people in class and keep a good distance between students.
Frosh probably will happen! Just maybe not as conventionally as in other years.
Above anything else, please go read what your university is putting out about residency. While Dalhousie may let you transfer your room spot to the Winter term, U of Alberta may not let you and you will need to reapply. Each university is different and will have their own rules.