The Promised Land Project

Chris Meston

During a tour of Huron, 2nd year MOS student Chris Meston was drawn to the attractive campus and historical buildings. Alongside the aesthetic appeal was the community feeling Chris encountered, as well. “I wanted a more intimate relationship with professors and the people I went to school with rather than sitting in an 800 person lecture,” he says. “There’s a lot more room for student engagement in a 40 person lecture.”

Once Chris made the cross-country journey from his hometown of Calgary he found that living on campus facilitated meeting new friends, ensuring a smooth transition in an institution that was easily navigable. “Huron has lots of benefits,” this Albertan says. “Living on the Huron campus, you can just go through the buildings to your classes. With the smaller residences, you get to know almost everybody in your residence; there really isn’t a gap of people you don’t know.”

The community Chris encountered in residence extended to the classroom, as well. He observes that in “the first term of my first year, every one of my professors knew my name and it was really easy to go to their office hours because you had that built-in relationship with them.” Living with many classmates in residence has its advantages, as well. “You build connections with your class mates, so you share notes and go over lectures. It’s just a great way to learn and review what you learned in previous classes.”

Actively involved in several diverse clubs including the Investment Club, the Economics Club, the German Club and the Photography Club, Chris has found that taking of advantage of extracurriculars is a great way to take advantage of Western University’s resources. It’s this balance between a small community and a large community that has become increasingly appealing to this MOS student. “You get to have the Huron communal feel, but you still get all of the extracurriculars at main campus, so you get the broad spectrum of what you want to do.”

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"I wanted a more intimate relationship with professors and classmates. There's a lot more room for student engagement in a 40 person lecture."

Chris Meston, 2nd year.
MOS,
Strathcona Tweedsmuir Secondary School,
Calgary, Alberta.