About the Barrie Residence

Georgian College’s Barrie campus residence opened its doors in September 2002 to provide not only accommodations, but an environment where students can make friends, get involved, grow and develop as a whole person.  Please take some time to explore our website and discover for yourself why the Georgian College residence is the preferred home of Georgian College students.

General info

The residence houses 525 students in primarily 2-bedroom suites in an 8 story building overlooking the campus to the west and Little Lake to the north.  The suites in the residence accommodate two students (except the four 3-bedroom suites) with each student having their own private bedroom.  All of the doors in the residence, including the bedrooms, are controlled by electronic key card access to assist in the safety and security of our residents.

Why Should I Live on-Campus

Next to deciding what academic program you want to study, the most important decision you can make is where you will live while attending Georgian.  We believe that for most students living in residence is the best option for a number of reasons, some of which are listed below:

• A ready-made support network of professional and student staff
• Students like you who are experiencing life at college for the first time
• Opportunities to make life-long friendships with many new people from across Ontario, Canada and the world
• Close proximity to classes and our many campus services
• The chance to gain leadership experience through employment, volunteer activities, clubs, athletics, arts, music, theatre, student government and other organized activities within the Residence
• Accommodation, telephone service, televisions with satellite service in every bedroom, GConnect (internet service), utilities, maintenance, increased security features, and staff dedicated to providing a positive residence experience all included in your residence fee.
• Access to individual and group study space, eight large lounge areas, and laundry and kitchen facilities for larger groups
• Commitment to only 8 months in residence fees, not 12 months like many off-campus leases
• Security features, including security card access, lockable bedrooms, controlled access to the building, security cameras and 16 live-in staff members

Whether you decide to live on-campus in the College owned and operated residence or off-campus you need to make an informed decision.  To help you make an informed decision we have created a brochure titled Living On-Campus vs. Living Off-Campus: Which is Right for Me? that is available in the Important Documents section of our website.

What’s Included

Your residence fees provide you with a comprehensive accommodation package so you don’t have to worry about all the “extras” like you do when living off-campus so you can focus your energies on your studies. When you live in residence, your fees cover your accommodation costs, your internet, your local phone service, all utilities, furnishings, appliances, etc.  The only other costs would be if you required parking or you wanted to purchase a meal plan.

Roommates

Although all students in residence have a private bedroom, you do share the common area of your suite (bathroom & kitchenette) with one other person (2 others in 3 bedroom units). If you know someone else who will be living in residence and the two of you would like to room together we can usually accommodate your request. At the time of application, you simply need to select the other individual during the application process. The other student will be notified that you have requested him/her as your roommate and s/he can either accept this request or reject the request.  If you both agree to be roommates (and you are both offered a space in residence) then our residence application software will pair the two of you as roommates. If you don’t know anyone else, or you would rather not be paired with a friend (often a very wise decision!), we can match you up with another student who has applied for residence. During the application process, you will be asked a number of questions about yourself, such as whether you smoke, are you an early or late riser, etc.  We use these profile questions to help match students who have similar characteristics so it is imperative that you answer these questions honestly.

Mom/Dad, if you are reading this, it means that you aren’t supposed to fill out your son or daughter’s application.  Although I am sure that your son or daughter doesn’t smoke, doesn’t drink, goes to bed early, gets up early, makes their bed every morning and cleans their bathroom at least weekly, let your son or daughter answer the questions.  I am sure they will answer the questions the same way you would even if you aren’t looking over their shoulder as they do so….

Facilities

The residence is an 8 story building with 24 hour controlled access. The residence is comprised of primarily 2-bedroom suites, where each student has a private bedroom.  Each suite has a kitchenette which contains a full size refrigerator, a microwave/convection oven, kitchen cupboards, kitchen sink, and kitchen table with 2 chairs (3 in a 3-bdroom suite). The suite also contains a 3-piece bathroom with a shower unit. The suite has individual controls for the heat/air conditioning. Each bedroom in the suite is accessed via an electronic key card that will work on the main suite door and the individual’s private bedroom door, but not on the roommate’s bedroom door.  Each bedroom is equipped with the following:

• A double bed with extra-long mattress (queen size sheets are a little wide, but work well)
  • the bed has two drawers underneath for more storage
• A large desk with a chair
• A dresser with three drawers
• A telephone with local phone service (long distance with a calling card)
• A television with satellite service
• A network jack for access to the Internet
• A rolling pedestal with two drawers
• A desk lamp
• A closet with shelf space

Located on every floor of the residence is a large common lounge with a television and couches for the students of that floor to use. Located on the first floor of the residence is a common kitchen, coin-operated laundry facilities and a study lounge.  Behind the residence we have two beach volleyball courts and a SportCourt which can be used for a variety of sports such as ball hockey, rollerblade hockey, basketball, etc.

Photos/Floor Plans