I remember my first semester at UFV. I recall how excited and bewildered I felt upon setting foot inside Building S, I can still connect with the feeling of realizing the vastness of the new horizon before me that I was yet to discover, and the eagerness I felt to unearth all the cool perks and create a mental list of curated go-to things. Looking back, I made plenty of discoveries that significantly improved my day-to-day as a student at this university. So, with the start of the Fall 2026 semester, I thought to share my personal top picks of things I now know that I wish I had discovered sooner. You might want to sit down for the first one on the list, it’s the pinnacle of what I consider hidden gems.
Starting with what I believe to be my most niche tip and my personal crown jewel: the Soup Card. You may find two daily soup options at the cafeteria, and you can buy a bowl for around four dollars. Personally, I love a good bowl of soup, so discovering new daily flavours of soup was already a game changer. The best part? If you walk up to the Triple O’s cashier at the cafeteria and ask for a Soup Card, you can receive a loyalty stamp card. Buy 10 soups, a stamp for each, and you get one free! On the topic of soups, I’m willing to bet you didn’t know that you can be a soup mage and see the soup future — all the upcoming daily flavours in a week with remarkable accuracy, laid out in front of your eyes. I did some digging on my own to find this one — thanks to the Soup Card I became aware that Dana Hospitality is responsible for the menu at the UFV cafeteria, and yes, they publish the menu weekly! This knowledge is now yours. Consider yourself a newly induced soup mage.
For my next pick, I’m spreading the word about a pristine, quiet, and aesthetic study lounge in Building D. The thing I love the most about this place is how new it feels in comparison to other spots within UFV and that, even with how aesthetic and well equipped this spot is, it’s rarely busy. My theory as to why this place isn’t more frequented is because it is on the top floor of Building D — a floor that I understand is already not often on the path of many students, coupled with needing to navigate a set of very unassuming hallways and classrooms to get there. If you haven’t seen this place already, I highly encourage you to check it out! I could be more specific about precisely where to find it, but I believe that allowing you to discover it for yourself will add more to the mysticism and charm of the place. I felt like a desert-dweller stumbling upon an oasis when I first found it, and I think it would be fun to see others experience the same.
Here’s another cool thing: there’s a Student Union Society (SUS) program called Early Eats that organizes free breakfasts every other Tuesday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. in the Evered Hall. This has to be the beefiest free meal I’ve seen offered to students on an average class weekday. I’m talking, scrambled egg, sausages, chicken nuggets (I’ll say it again: chicken nuggets) falafel bites, seasoned rice, toast, pancakes, tortillas, cheese slices, and I’m sure there is more. These are just off the top of my mind! It blows me away to remember how empty I used to find the Evered Hall when there was free food there. Don’t miss out on this one, seriously.
Last but not least, I’ll reveal what I consider to be the nicest restrooms in all of the UFV Abbotsford campus. Who doesn’t want a nice, private and clean restroom? These are located on Building D’s third floor. Yup, near the oasis I mentioned! I appreciate these ones being on the smaller side, which translates to more privacy, and despite them being small I believe they undoubtedly have the best design out of all restrooms on campus. Newly renovated, they feature stalls with doors that lock well and leave no gaps in between, circular mirrors with warm lighting that make you feel like a model while washing your hands, a push door that completely shuts off the outside noise, quiet and effective flushing, and great ventilation. Of course, I can only speak for the women’s restroom, but I can only imagine the men’s equivalent is on par.
Even if a bit random, these are with all honesty my top hidden and niche discoveries. Now, I bestow this cherished knowledge upon you.
