For many students, student life plays an important role in selecting a college or university. Student life includes residence and housing, athletics, and students with special needs.

Most school websites contain this information, if the link is not visible on the homepage, it may be located in the prospective students section. In addition to checking out websites, you may wish to visit a school or ask any current students you might know about the school.

• The www.ontariocolleges.ca lists information on college open houses and campus tours under the heading Open Houses and who to contact to set up a visit.
  
• e-INFO lists information on university open houses and campus tours under the heading Campus Visits.

Residence and Housing

• The www.ontariocolleges.ca has a summary of residence information for all of the Ontario Colleges in the Campus Locations, Student Population and Residence Information section. Most college websites have a section on the residence and off-campus housing options that are available at their college.
  
  
• The Ontario Universities' Application Centre (OUAC) eINFO website has a summary of basic residence information (price, meal plans) for each of the universities in Ontario. Click on the >>> icon to the right of the title Housing & Residence to reach the residence and housing page for the university.
  

Athletics

• The Ontario Colleges Athletic Association maintains a site that describes the opportunities for intercollegiate sports at all of the Ontario Colleges.
  
• The Ontario University Athletics website allows you to explore the opportunities for intercollegiate sports at all of the Ontario Universities. Athletic financial awards are now available for many sports at all Ontario Universities.

Students with Special Needs

Most colleges and universities offer support for students with

• visual impairment
• hearing impairment
• mobility impairment
• learning disabilities
• psychiatric disabilities
• other non-visible disabilities (e.g. chronic medical conditions)

It may be possible for you to get similar accommodations in college or university.
You may want to contact your Special Education Teacher for a copy of your Individual Education Plan (IEP).

Do not send your IEP to OCAS or OUAC. Wait until a college has contacted you and confirmed that they have received your application, then make a photocopy of the IEP, write your OCAS or OUAC number on the IEP, and send it to the special needs office at the college.

The College Committee on Disability Issues (CCDI) promotes and provides quality leadership in the development and delivery of support services to students with disabilities. The CCDI maintains a list of disability service links for each of the Ontario Colleges.

The Inter-University Disability Issues Association (IDIA), is an association of disability service providers from Universities throughout Ontario. IDIA maintains a list of disability service links for each of the Ontario Universities.

Other Links

• Campusaccess.com has a website with Tips for Surviving at University - The Student Life section of this site (link in the panel at the left of the page) contains practical information on getting ready for university and advice on how to survive your first year at university.
  
• The University Matters website is a transition guide for students entering first year university.
  
• You should also visit the Guidance Services section on Financing Your Education.