Carmin 0:04 Welcome to the New Student Essentials video series. I'm Carmin, I use she/her pronouns and I'm an Indigenous Master's Social Work student. Rodel 0:11 And I'm Rodel. I use he/him pronouns. I was born and raised on the island and I'm here studying theatre. Carmin 0:17 In this video, we're coming to you with a few financial tips and tricks we wish we'd known coming into our first year at UVic. Rodel 0:24 Life as a student is expensive. Remember, the choices you make will have an impact on your living costs. Managing them is a very real thing, but there are strategies to help you out. Carmin 0:35 We're going to cover different funding opportunities for students where to go when you need some support, and some ways to build your community and save you money. Rodel 0:43 That's our aim. Are you ready, Carmin? Carmin 0:46 I was born ready. Rodel 0:48 First things first. What are we paying for with our tuition? Carmin 0:52 Should we do a mini tuition breakdown? Rodel 0:55 Let's do it. Carmin 0:56 You can get a full personalized tuition breakdown by using the tuition fees calculator online, it goes more in depth than what we're going to cover. Rodel 1:04 For each term your fees include a few different things. The first is your tuition cost. This will vary depending on your course load and program, and important to note for your budget: it does not include things like books or school supplies. Carmin 1:17 The additional part of your fees other than the tuition is what we're going to talk about next. These are your student fees. This does include services like your bus pass. Rodel 1:26 Parking on campus is expensive. So if you're able to bus, I'd recommend it. Carmin 1:32 You heard it here first, Rodel knows what's up. Rodel 1:36 Another part of your student fees goes to your students society. The Undergraduate Students Society is called the UVSS UVic Student Society and the graduate student society is called the GSS. They are your elected student representatives and they also run different events, organizations and supports on campus. Carmin 1:53 They're also the ones who organize your extended health and dental plan for the school year. This is included in your student fees, so make sure to check your student societies' website for the specific details of the plan and opt-out deadlines. Rodel 2:05 In BC we have two different insurance plans. Your basic insurance called BC medical services plan or MSP covers medically necessary services like hospital visits, doctor visits, medical imaging, and other things. Anything beyond this will need to be covered by an extended health insurance plan. Carmin 2:24 If you're a student coming from another Canadian province or country outside Canada, you will need to apply for BC MSP. International students, you will be enrolled in mandatory temporary medical insurance while you apply. If you have any questions you can contact the International Centre for Students. Rodel 2:44 Make sure you use your extended benefits! Along with benefits like dental and vision care, you’re eligible to use services like physiotherapy, massage therapy, psychologist visits, prescription drug coverage, and more. Carmin 2:57 Exactly. Should we talk about UVic athletics fees? Rodel 3:01 What's included in those? Carmin 3:03 Lots! You get free tickets to regular season Vikes varsity home games, access to drop in sports and racquet sports like pickleball, squash, badminton and more. Let's talk a little more about the different financial supports available through your student society. Rodel 3:19 The UVSS Food Bank and free store has fresh food and bulk food items, as well as school supplies, household items, menstrual products and safer sex supplies. Carmin 3:30 Any student can go once a week all year round. Rodel 3:33 One more thing. Keep an eye on the student society event calendars because they run awesome events and a lot of them offer free meals pretty regularly. Carmin 3:43 Another way to save a little money on campus is to load money onto your ONECard, which is your UVic student card, and use it when you're buying food or drinks at the UVic Food Services eateries. Using it saves you 5 percent. There are a few $5 and $7 value meals so check out the Food Services website. If you're living in residence, make sure to check your meal plan daily limits to budget for your meals. Rodel 4:07 And at the Grad House Restaurant you also get $1 off the food if you're a grad student -- Carmin 4:12 Like me! Undergraduates are welcome too-- Rodel 4:17 They have the cheapest food on campus. Carmin 4:24 There are also other stores in Victoria with students specific deals when you show your ONECard. From grocery stores to fitness studios, there's a lot. You can find a full list on the UVic ONECard website. Rodel 4:36 Use your ONECard wherever you can and save. Carmin 4:39 There are also lots of broader student subscription prices and deals out there through companies like Spotify, Apple, Amazon, Samsung and others. Rodel 4:47 I think we've done a good job of breaking down the fees. But there are also ways to save money before you even get to campus. Carmin 4:56 Let's talk SAFA. Rodel 4:59 Yes! UVic has a department that's specifically dedicated to giving money out to students. It's called Student Awards and Financial Aid. On their website, you can find a full list of the scholarships and awards, bursaries, government and student loans and grants. Carmin 5:16 Hey Rodel, can we touch on these? Because when I came to UVic, I had no idea what was out there, let alone what I was eligible for. Rodel 5:22 For all of these, you will have to meet a minimum course requirements and application deadlines, so keep that in mind as we go through them. Carmin 5:29 I'll also add that as a graduate student, you will have different scholarship, fellowship and funding opportunities than what we're going to cover here. So make sure to check with your graduate advisor, supervisor and faculty of graduate studies. Rodel 5:42 All right. Here we go. Scholarships are given out based on grades and have a set application deadline. Carmin 5:49 An award is non-repayable money with different eligibility criteria such as academic achievement, financial need identity or experience, program of study, or varsity sport participation. Rodel 6:01 A bursary is non-repayable money for students with demonstrated financial need. Carmin 6:05 I've learned that although there are application deadlines for each of the winter and summer sessions, Student Awards and Financial Aid also gives out bursaries throughout the year. So you can still be eligible even if you miss a deadline. Rodel 6:18 Next up, government loans and grants. Both of these are available based on financial need if you're a Canadian citizen, or have permanent resident status. A grant is money that you're given from the government that you don't pay back as long as you maintain the required course load. Carmin 6:35 A loan is money that you need to pay back. Student loans are interest free while you're a full time student, but you will start paying them back once you graduate or take more than six months away from a full time study. Rodel 6:47 If you have general questions or want to know more about any of these programs, deadlines or eligibility requirements, Student Awards and Financial Aid has a really knowledgeable team who's available Monday to Friday in the Jamie Cassels Centre. Carmin 7:02 Sometimes getting additional support is necessary. It's okay to ask for help if you need it. Rodel 7:07 Absolutely. Next up, let's talk about what other money making opportunities exist at UVic. Carmin 7:13 Work Study is a program that provides part-time work for students in the winter session who have demonstrated financial need. There is an application process and deadline, you can find all the information on the Student Awards and Financial Aid website. Rodel 7:26 Also, if you're not eligible for work study, there are plenty of other on campus jobs. Work opportunities can be a great way to gain skills, earn money and meet new people. Carmin 7:37 You can work out of a business in the Student Union Building, or the UVic bookstore, in Residence, give campus tours and more. Once you finish your first year you can also take part in Co-op where you can gain work experience related to the what you're studying. Rodel 7:50 The Career Services and Learning in Motion sites have a full list of these different work opportunities. Carmin 7:56 For grad students looking for Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant work, connect with your grad adviser. If you’re an international student and interested in working during your studies, you can check out your options with an International Student Adviser. Rodel 8:09 Student life at UVic is about so much more than your classes and grades and there are so many ways to build community outside of your program. If you can make money while doing it? Even better! Carmin 8:24 Remember, there are lots of different supports on campus that can help you with the cost of living. There are also places to ask for help if you need it. Student Awards and Financial Aid is a great place to start or the Faculty of Graduate Studies for grad students. Rodel 8:37 Also, don't miss out on all the free events happening on campus. Fun can be free. Carmin 8:44 And with that, I think that's a wrap on this video. Rodel 8:46 Thanks for watching, and don't forget to check out the resources below for information on what we've shared. Carmin 8:52 And be sure to check out the rest of the New Student Essentials video series. Rodel 8:56 Good luck this year. We know you've got this.