Category Archives: Study

Hello! Hola! Bonjour!

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Hello! Hola! Bonjour!

Hello everyone, I am Aziza, your new Student Life Communications Intern at U of T, and I’ll be blogging here for the summer.

I know many of our readers are either undergrads or about to become undergrads, so brace yourself: I am a Graduate Student.

But wait, we are not so different!!

Don’t think of us as the Dursleys…

We get scared, uneasy about school, and hesitant about meeting others also. I was so nervous prior to starting at OISE (U of T’s Faculty of Education) because I had not been in school for – *gulp* - six years.

So, like some of you, this is my first year at U of T, and I’ve had to do a lot of investigative work to find my niche on campus as well. In between juggling mounds of paper writing, late nights and early mornings, coursework, meeting new people, and learning so many (so many!) new things, this year has been a ride.

In my previous, non-student life, I taught English in Spain for two years, learned how to Salsa dance, finally got around to cooking decent meals, and lived out my undergraduate days in Montreal.

While my studies are pretty much limited to OISE, this year has opened up my world in many different ways. I have learned that participation in class is always welcome – even if I make a mistake now and then. And that yes, I do need to eat while writing a 20-pager. And that if I want to produce my best work, well, I have to take care of me first! And finally, on the darkest of days, when I question why I am here and what all this is for, that a smile can go a long way.

I look forward to working with the Student Life Community Crew this summer, and to hearing all of your valiant voices as you conquer your visions for your future (or simply conquer you next exam) – He-Man and She-Ra style.

Best of luck to you all as you wrap up your respective school years. Check back with us, share your stories and let us keep you up-to-date as you move into summer!

Till soon,

Aziza

LSAT Prep Classes: Things to Consider

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Fingers crossed, I hope to write the LSAT this June. Sarah gave some great advice on getting started and what to consider when preparing. She also mentioned prep courses, an option that many students take, especially if they feel like they need the extra boost of self control in a classroom environment. Prep classes are something I’m currently looking into and it’s a pretty complicated process. There are tons of things you need to consider. Not only are they expensive, they also require a lot of time. I’ve been looking into this for the last few weeks and thought I’d share what I’ve found.

Time: How much time do you have to dedicate for preparing for the LSAT? Considering the content and depth of the exam, it’s not something you can prepare for the night before. If you’re writing in June, it’s usually advised that you spend all of May preparing on a daily basis. Also, to start earlier would definitely help if you wanted to work or take summer school, but again it’s a huge thing to take on so investing a great deal of your time should be thought about. With time comes the number of hours, which prep courses vary from a hundred hours (class everyday) to thirty hours (class three times a week). Most of the prep advice I’ve gotten is that the bulk of it is doing practice past tests and really looking how you approach questions or why you got a question wrong. This of course requires a lot of self-work, so a hundred-hour course may not be the best bet here. Many companies offer “crash courses” that you can take over a weekend as an introductory.

Also, some companies offer (for a price) smaller group learning. Before you put down a downpayment, try to find out how big your class size will be. When there’s an offer for a smaller group, I can’t help but wonder how big the class size for the regular course will be. If you find it hard to concentrate with a group of 30+ definitely inquire about class sizes. It’s your money, time and score so don’t be shy to ask a few questions.

Think of LSAT prep as a job. Personally, anything over 40 hours of course hours a week would be too much for me (legitimately the hours you’d work full-time) and I’d want my own study hours as well. Additionally, many have explained feeling additional pressures after taking courses five-seven days a week full-time. It’s not just a lot of money but it’s a lot of time that’s being invested, and the less pressure and over complications you can have before writing a big test like the LSAT (I imagine) the better!

Material: Each prep company provides you with a number of material, everything from homework booklets, their own strategies and guides and even online material. The LSAT sounds pretty scary (and complicated for a test that has only a few sections!) so prep courses can be a great way to begin navigating. A lot of online material (such as instructional videos) can also be helpful if you find yourself stuck after class. You can also find a lot of free instructional videos offered online. Remember though, this is a pencil and paper exam, so get as comfortable as you can practising this way. Watching twenty videos will not have you as prepared as practising twenty games.

One important thing to look out for here is to make sure you get as many real LSAT questions (instead of questions similar to the LSAT) as possible. This is especially important to consider, it can be dangerous to practice with questions that have never existed for the LSAT, and potentially cause panic with the real exams, which do change from year to year with difficulty.

Like I mentioned above, a lot of the advice I’ve received involves focusing on how and where you may have went wrong on a question, understanding why you may have missed the answer and correcting it. This process becomes completely void if it’s not with a real LSAT question.

Also, when considering which company to go with, look for how many proctored test sessions they offer. A huge part of my decision in going with a prep course is because I want to encounter as many of these practice LSAT taking scenarios as possible, one with a room full of people versus alone in the library or my room. These practice scenarios can help with test day anxiety and really change how comfortable you feel, especially if it’s your first time writing.

The Company: How do you decide what to go with? The price? The reviews, your friends, the forums? There’s no way easy way to decide. But, one important tip I’ve picked up: the course may not matter as much as your instructor will! Does your very reliable friend have the name of her awesome instructor from ______ who helped her? Get it! In many situations, the company may be fine but you may not find your instructor as exciting as you expected. If possible, see if you can get information about the instructor who will be teaching your course. Also, make sure your instructor has officially scored an impressive score on the actual LSAT. Many companies may hire folks who have “scored” within the 95th percentile on a practice test. Ideally, you want someone who had actually wrote the LSAT (and someone who will understand all the nerves and panic that accompanies that).

Cost: They do cost a lot. There are always discounts available which you can find through different groups at UofT who are affiliated with particular companies. If you can’t find any, contact the company as soon as possible and ask about possible deals and discounts.  UofT offers free prep lessons if you qualify for the Canada Student Grant for Persons from Low Income Families.

Ultimately, everyone learns at a different pace and be sure to choose what you feel the most comfortable with. Best of luck!

LSAT prep course takers of the past, leave your tips below!

-Vahini

The Best of Life @ U of T (according to me)

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Well I’m sad to say that this will be my last post for the Life @ U of T blog. What a crazily-awesome year it was and I honestly have no idea where the last 25 weeks went. I’ve had a blast being your Faculty of Arts & Science Student Blogger and I hope you guys got as much enjoyment in reading my posts as I had in writing them.

For my last post I want to do a “Best Of” the blog over the past year — featuring a favourite post of mine from each of our lovely bloggers. If you have never read Life @ U of T before these posts are a great way to start!

Abdullah — “oppression, equity and politics” — In this post Abdullah tackles the sensitive subject of equity — or lack thereof — that sometimes has a tendency to surface in the student sphere. While we can all be proud to claim that U of T is a highly diverse and multicultural school, we also have to be cognizant of the fact that sometimes situations of inequity arise and Abdullah does an excellent job in addressing an instance in which he experienced it firsthand.

Ishita — “The Art of Forgiving Yourself” — In this post Ishita discusses the pressures many students experience — especially in their first year — to do well at the U of T and the feelings of failure many of us inevitably face when we fall short of the goals we have established for ourselves. Ishita reminds us that mistakes and missteps will happen and that’s OK, so long as we learn from our experience and leverage it for the better.

Lesia — “Hey U of T, it’s time to get moving!” — As the Physical Activity Blogger I find all of Lesia’s posts highly important and relevant to me personally (as someone who tends to neglect the gym…and every other form of physical activity). The tendency to simply hunker down at your desk and neglect exercise, indulging in less-than-optimal eating habits as a coercive mechanism to get you through your readings or that big assignment is very strong for many of us. Lesia reminds us of the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle and many of her posts feature the free services and activities available to students in pursuit of it.

Lori — “Raise your hand!” — In this post Lori discusses strategies you can use to try and make yourself a bit more engaged in class discussions — in an attempt to get those ever-tricky participation marks. Her advice is highly relevant, especially for upper-year seminar courses where large chunks of your grade require you to do something many of us dread: public speaking.

Sarah — “Post-Grad Blues” — In this post Sarah does an exceptional job encapsulating how many of our fellow graduating students may be currently feeling. Come May 1, many graduating students will be — for the first time in their lives — completely without the life-structuring mechanism school provides. In addition to this, many students may also feel torn about what exactly the want to do post-undergrad, with different forces pulling them in different directions.

Shak — “TTC? Why man why????” — In this post Shak discusses (or perhaps rants would be a more optimal phrase) about the one transportation service we all love to hate: the TTC. As a commuter myself, I found Shak’s post highly relatable and funny — well worth a read for all those who have, at one point or another, felt slighted by the Toronto Transit Commission.

Vahini — “College Governance 101” — Vahini offers a great introduction to all the various student councils that govern each of U of T’s disparate colleges. In a school as large as U of T, it’s important to know what governing structures are relevant for you! This post is actually part one in a three-part series and her posts about Councils and Unions and Student Societies are worth checking out as well!

Vivian — “The Breakfast Club” — In this post Vivian discusses all the benefits of having a healthy breakfast before going about your day. As someone who tends to neglect this important meal, I found the post very insightful. We are all told how breakfast is ‘the most important meal of the day’ and Vivian demonstrates this!

Of all the posts I’ve written this year I would have to say that my post “Surviving the Winter: Tips for Commuters” is one of my favourites as commuting to school in the winter can be a tedious and downright awful experience for many of us — especially when you consider the fact that winter in Toronto last from November to April (apparently).

I hope you have all found value in reading this blog — I know I have — and if this is your first time on the site be sure to check out all the posts I mentioned above! I’d like to thank the Faculty of Arts & Science for giving me the opportunity to write for all of you as well as the Office of Student Life and the entire Student Life Community Crew for being such a wonderful and awesome group of people!

- Matteo

oh the places you’ll go.

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“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who’ll decide where to go…” – Oh The Places You’ll Go, by Dr. Seuss.

Surprisingly, that quote and that video are related. Unfortunately, it has nothing to do with a grand conspiracy involving John Lennon, Dr. Seuss and an impostor who acted as Paul McCartney after the real Paul died.  It has to do with my days in elementary school. One grade, I forget when, my teacher opened up class by reading the Seuss book. And then later, we celebrated the retirement of a Beatles-crazy teacher by singing “Hello, Goodbye” in an assembly fit for Sergeant Pepper himself. One event marked the beginning of something, the other was part of a fitting end to a career. Here was the beginning and now, my friends, this marks the end of our blogging journey together.

When I started blogging this year, I had just finished my first year and now all of a sudden, I’m heading into my third year. I’m sure many of you are asking the same question. “Oh my! I’m graduating!” “I’m going into second year!” “I’m going into my LAST year! OMG.” “OMG YAY UNIVERSITY HERE I COME.” Chances are you are saying one of those things right now. I’d like to think that I’ve grown over this past year, and chances are I have — but it’s gone by so quickly, that it’s really hard to tell. This year, I had the chance to do so many things, from joining ASSU to stuffing myself at a barbeque to engaging in weekly religious discussions about life, to volunteering at a soup kitchen. And I discovered Diabolos and took out a book from stacks for the first time! I realized that we all fill the void in each other’s lives with our stories, that we shouldn’t necessarily define ourselves by our prospective careers and that we should carry out our discussions in an atmosphere of respect. I hope you had just as a good time reading about my journey this year as I did living it.

So here we are. No matter what stage you are at in your university career, we will still all be going somewhere. Either you will be stepping on this campus for the first time come September and remark that everything looks like Hogwarts.

Or you’ll strut across the stage at Convocation Hall in June making 35325235235 hours spent in Robarts worth it.

Or maybe you’re like me, at the middle of your university career. Wondering whats next.

And well, in my case, I don’t know whats next. But I know that opportunities are lurking around each corner on this campus, and it is up to me to go and seek them out. Up to me to ultimately get the university experience I want both inside and outside the classroom. You may be wondering whether you are doing things right, or whether you are involved enough, or whether you are too anti-social, or if you should change majors because you aren’t interested in the material. These are questions we all have to deal with during our undergraduate career. But, despite being unsure of the future, I do know what I have learned.

At U of T, there are a lot of opportunities waiting for you. This is the most accessible research university in the country, top notch professors and wide variety of courses await you. Our campus is steeped in history and breathtaking architecture. You can have coffee in the JCR, study Drosophila at the Earth Sciences Centre and have some Zumba fun at Hart House all in one day. Now, life at U of T, I admit, isn’t always a paradise. It’s hard and I’m struggling to adapt as well, still in my second year. What I’ve learned is, we should be confident in our own abilities and not fret over the accomplishments of others. This is our undergraduate career and we should take it at our own pace. Do what you can handle, there’s no need to experience all of U of T. We all have different niches on campus after all. But don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone once in a while to try something new.

And if you ever feel stressed sometimes, like I do, stop and take a breather. Focus on the little things. Your coffee from Diabolos, small concepts in your lectures, the beauty of the downtown campus on a spring day. In the hustle and bustle of student life, sometimes its just helpful to stop and take note of our surroundings.

It’s been fun blogging for you, U of T. Go out and do big things. I’ll see you later.

- Abdullah

Rage Against the Machine

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Ripley being awesome!

 

Do you remember that scene in Aliens when Ripley climbed into that robotic armor and kicked serious butt? I do. For her, the technology made her stronger. It allowed her to extend her reach, it increased her strength, and let’s be honest it looked pretty cool!

Last week, I spent a few hours with a machine. The machine I communed with, like Ripley’s, armor extended my reach, in an intellectual context it made me more powerful, but unfortunately it didn’t make me look super cool. Ripley had armor, I had a microfiche viewer.

It’s cool too. Right?

So let me break it down for you. You might be wondering how I would ever be able to compare these two pieces of technology.

1. Extending my reach: Just like Ripley’s armor the microfiche extends my reach. How you ask? Why it extends my reach back into history of course! In the two hours I spent in front of this machine, I was able to scan through of weekly newspapers published in Toronto from 1917-1919.

2. Increased power: Do I need to remind you all that Knowledge is power? I didn’t think so. The microfiche didn’t increase the strength of my punch, but it did increase my knowledge. For example, I learned that most front pages in 1917 were devoted to the discussion of conscription. Behold my power!!

3. Cool looking: Admittedly, the microfiche lacks the inherent coolness that Ripley’s armor possessed. However, the microfiche is not without it’s own unique beauty. Notice in the image above that the microfiche has a nostalgic quality that reminds me of the classic lines of an Atari system or my old commodore 64. It’s the same phenomenon that makes people eat at Fifty’s diners. Old stuff is cool.

So that’s my argument. The microfiche might be a relic of the past, but it has its own advantages. It the loudest thing permitted in the library. If you’ve never used a microfiche, try one and you’ll understand what I’m talking about. If you were ever to make that much noise doing anything else in the library, you’d surely get kicked out. But when you’re using the microfiche you can be loud vicariously through the machine. Just wait till you have to rewind the reel. It really sounds like a small helicopter is landing in the library! Literally, everyone will be looking at you with annoyed glares as they try to read or study.

It’s really great fun.

I encourage you, before you graduate, try a microfiche machine. Microfiche is the only way to view a large category of historic documents that have yet to be digitized. If you have patience, it’s a great underused resource for researching at the University.

-Lori

Up All Night: Essay Cramming by the Hour

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I managed to escape the curse of the all nighter until my third year (unless the Royal Wedding counted). It hasn’t been easy, and it’s definitely been a curse, but I’ve learned that there seems to be a riveting hourly breakdown that follows in what all nighters for the average student looks like. A window into what essay cramming in one night is like. Warning: the following will feel all too familiar, unpleasant, and may bring back some painful reminders. 

7pm: Fresh out of dinner with coffee(ssssss) in hand, and (half) your research done, it’s go time!

7:30pm: JSTOR spree! If only there weren’t so many pdfs setting up camp on your desktop…maybe you should have started sooner.

8:00pm: Your friend decides to come join you aka someone to watch your things while you momentarily leave the room every hour to regain sanity

9pm: Outline is done, now for a Facebook break!

9:45pm: Your friend decides to leave…weakling…

…You shoot a disapproving look as you resume you tweeting about the trials and tribulations of being a student.

Midnight: Bring out your coffee machine, time to start draft #1.

2am: Wait…your thesis..WHERE DID THE THESIS GO? What is my thesis?

2:30am: Draft #2 begins….scour wait-lists for possible writing centre appointment. Will accept anything up to an hour before deadline at 10am.

4am: Still on draft #2. Time for a 20 minute nap.

6am: THIRD DRAFT IS DONE. Three is all you need…right?

6:45am: The sun is coming up. How long has it been?

7am: Coffee bean supply becomes non existent.

8:00am: Citation time!

8:15am: Whaaa? WHY is Purdue Owl down? NO! NOT NOW! OF ALL THE TIMES.

9:30am: 30 minute nap before class.

10:00am: SUBMIT10:10am: Crawl back into bed, tell yourself you’ll never do this again.

-Vahini

Life, leisure and graduation

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When it came to writing this week’s post, I must admit I had difficulty determining what exactly I was going to write about. As the semester draws to a close, “life at U of T” is more or less winding down as classes end, students begin hunkering down in Robarts for hours on end and campus organizations begin making preparations for next year’s activities. I am myself writing this post in-between working on two major assignments, with my calender rife with red ‘ASSIGNMENT ‘X‘ DUE TODAY’ ink — I don’t expect I’ll be getting much sleep over the next three weeks.

I ended up deciding to write about fun. More specifically the anticipation of fun to be had in the future — once we all can finally close our course books and breathe the fresh air that is the freedom of leisure time.

That is ultimately what we are all striving for, right? The opportunity to lounge comfortably. All of our hard work, all of our efforts, sleepless nights, stresses, tears, anger, frustrations, can be grounded in our desire to pursue something for its own sake because we wish to pursue it. This is true in the immediate context as well as in life generally.

For many, the summer months encapsulate this idea. From May to August students everywhere relish in not having to commit themselves to coursework, stress over exams, or write assignments. They can more or less do what they want when they want and put their “academic” or “professional” life on hold for a few months. This situation is somewhat less true, however, for graduating students like myself as we must supplement this time we feel we should be devoting to leisure — something we have in all likelihood done for as long as we can remember — with figuring out the rest of our lives. Perhaps this contributes to some of the fears that many graduating students currently hold. (For a great post on this topic you should read Sarah’s ‘Post-Grad Blues‘.) Feeling not only fearful of the unknown — or “what comes next”  — in addition fearing that whatever does come next necessarily lessens the amount of ’”free” time we have available to us. I’ve said it before; growing up sucks.

And yet, despite how sucky it may be, we have to intelligibly keep our wits about us. While we have to be mindful of what our lives will look like post-June 2013, we cannot let it occupy our every waking moment. The idea that “free” time exists is misplaced; there is no such thing. All time is precious and all time should be spent in pursuit of whatever makes you happy. This isn’t to say that hardships and roadblocks won’t emerge along the way in pursuit of your happiness — again, growing up sucks — but such things are more or less inevitable and are a part of the vigor of life that makes living so interesting in the first place.

To the graduating students out there who may be feeling lost, confused, hopeless, or useless: Be confident in the skills and abilities you have gained through your time at  U of T and seek to succeed in life, whatever it throws at you. You are smart, you are resourceful, and view an unclear future not with fear and disdain but with opportunity — an opportunity for you to leave your mark, pursue leisure, and be happy.

Life is, after all, what you make it.

- Matteo

Stone Cold Extensions…

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Alas my friends I have fallen ill with the dreaded March head cold. There could be no worse time of the year to contract this virulent pestilence that renders my brain nothing more than a cloudy, congested dome of confusion.

It happened Saturday morning. As soon as I woke up I knew I was infected. My head hurt, my nostrils were clogged, and that little tickle in my throat that I had been ignoring all week had transformed from a tickle into more of a sandpaper on raw skin kind of thing.

Am I whining?

Yes.

However, there’s a point to my whining. With three papers due in the next four days and an illness, I was inspired to write about extensions. No not hair extensions. Paper or assignment extensions.

I am in my fourth year here at U of T and before this week I had never asked for an extension. You might ask why. Most of my friends get extensions regularly. The reason I’ve never asked for one is that the whole process makes me nervous.

First you need to email or meet with your Prof. and request the extension. Usually you’d provide them with some justification for the extension ie. My computer was stolen, My dog died. Yet, most likely the conversation would be about how you need an extension because you have two other papers due the same week or a midterm on the same day. Worst case scenario you tell your Prof that you started too late and simply can’t finish it on time.

Having a conversation about any of these things with my Profs would give me serious anxiety. I mean why I would want my Prof. to know that I am horrible at time management, or worse that I finished all my other assignments before I even started to think about his.

Luckily, I only had to tell my Prof. that I was really sick and she happily gave me an extension. Even still I am left to wonder if she now thinks that I am a bad student for not being finished with the paper early, so that something like a cold wouldn’t get in the way of submitting the paper on time.

The other thing that makes me nervous about extensions is that I am convinced that late paper will automatically be graded more harshly. This might not be an issue if your class has 500 students, but in a seminar class with only 15 people, it’s pretty easy for the Prof to remember who was diligent and who was not.

I have no proof or basis to say this, it’s just a fear I have. I’m sue lots of Profs. grade papers equally regardless of whether they were submitted on time. I’m only saying that this aspect of extensions makes me very uncomfortable.

I actually found this great how to site on the web…How to ask for an extension! Take a look it’s very step by step and instructional.

I hope you all don’t get sick, but if you it might be the perfect opportunity to ask for an extension.

-Lori

Reflections on First Year at U of T

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Seeing as how the school year is rapidly coming to an end, I thought it might be apt to share the experiences had this year by one of the university’s newest members — a first year student. In pursuit of this I approached student life rising star Jelena Djuric (pictured below) to get her take on her first-year experience at Canada’s leading academic institution. My questions are in bold with Ms. Djuric’s response following subsequently.

I would like to thank Jelena for agreeing to being featured in this week’s post.

What classes did you take in your first year? Any in particular that you enjoyed? What Program of Study do you hope to pursue going forward?

This year I took five full-year courses, allowing me to have a more spread out workload. I took POL101 (Democracy, Dictatorship, War and Peace), HIS103 (Statecraft and Strategy: An Introduction to the History of International Relations), ECO105 (Introduction to Economics for Non-Majors), DTS200 (Diaspora and Transnational Studies), and a first year seminar titled “The Embarrassment of Scripture”. So far, my political science and history course have been most engaging. I intend to pursue an International Relations Specialist degree, or a double major in International Relations and Political Science. However, a Peace and Conflict Studies major/minor is still an option following second year.

What, in your opinion, was the hardest part about your first year as an undergrad? How did you cope? Would you offer any advice to incoming students who may face a similar issue?

As a residence student, I experienced many distractions on a daily basis. I dealt with this by being in the library and ensuring I was being productive while I was off residence. With the constant urge to socialize with new friends, I understand this may seem easier said than done. I would recommend incoming students facing a similar barrier to getting their work done to motivate their peers to do the same. That way, when productivity is achieved, everyone gets to reward themselves!

What extracurricular activities did you get involved with this year?

This year I had the pleasure of serving as an elected member-at-large on my college’s student council! Being on VUSAC (Victoria University Student Administrative Council) was definitely one of the most rewarding experiences I have had so far. It allowed me to form multiple relationships with many like minded students across campus. As a member-at-large I helped to organize UofT’s annual Winterfest, the Victoria College annual formal Highball, in addition to being a member of the Budget Steering Committee. Additionally, I had the opportunity to debate at Yale University and McGill University with the Hart House Debate Club. I am also a policy analyst for the G20 research group, analyzing the commitments made by G20 member states in the area of climate change.

What motivated you to get involved?

Before going in to university, I was already immensely passionate about governance, political debate and so on. I knew that in order to engage in these passions I could not solely rely on the ‘lecture experience’. I also knew that constantly doing readings and essays would not give me the best university experience. I knew I wanted to share my passions with students and I knew I could find that by getting involved at UofT.

Where did you first hear about the extracurricular activities you are currently involved with?

I heard about VUSAC during frosh week, and I knew I could positively contribute to the council. As for debate, I was already a member of my high school debate team. In terms of the G20 research group, I accidentally stumbled across it while reading John Ralston Saul’s book “The Collapse of Globalism and the Reinvention of the World”. For no particular reason, I looked up a footnote and realized he cited his information from the G20 research group based at the university. When I realized I too could contribute to the report, I immediately applied to be a policy analyst!

What’s your favourite thing you did this year outside of the classroom?

This year I signed up for two sessions that are a part of a Vic initiative titled “Ideas for the World”. Every week, students get together with a professor over lunch for 2 hours to discuss various, often controversial and thought provoking topics. In the fall, I was in “Environment and Economics”, and I am currently in “Culture and Conflict in the Media”. The unique part of this program, is there are no marks or assignments. You simply show up, watch a video, and have an intellectually stimulating discussion. This was a great way to voice my opinions on various issues without fear of getting a bad grade!

What was your favourite thing you did inside the classroom?

I believe my favourite thing has been the freedom to research a wide array of topics that are of interest to me. For example, I am currently in the process of researching the Serbian diaspora situated in North America in the post-communist order and the impact the breakup of Yugoslavia has had on the creation of the Serb identity. And this is for my diaspora and transnational studies class! It is very exciting to be able to delve in to a topic that deeply resonates with me.

What extracurricular activities do you hope to purse next year?

I plan to continue to pursue all the activities I am currently involved in. I am also hoping to get involved with the International Relations Society, or with the Association of Political Science Students.

Would you say your extracurricular experiences enhanced the quality of your first year at the University of Toronto?

Without a doubt! Getting involved at UofT has opened up many future opportunities for me.

Would you recommend first year students get involved in extracurricular activities?

YES! I understand going in to university from high school can be very daunting. However, getting involved will give you a sense of community that you may not necessarily find in the classroom or in residence. The campus seems a lot smaller when you see so many familiar faces!

First year students are not typically the students who are most inclined to get involved in extracurricular activities. Can the university do more in promoting the benefits of extracurricular involvement to first year students? What would you like to be seen done?

A lot of students seem to think getting involved means your GPA will suffer. This is definitely a misconception. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. I think the university should promote extra-curricular in a way that accurately shows students who get involved will not only reap social benefits, but their academic experience will accordingly be enhanced.

exam jammin’

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Hey U of T! Hope this week wasn’t too stressful for you. Remember, only a few more weeks until you get to dance your way out of the Exam Centre. Yes, it’s a dreadful paradox. Freedom is so close, but as it inches ever closer, so too does the impeding doom that is the E word or the thing that must not be named. Because every year it’s like this:

To prepare, you have a few options.

  1. Listen to R&B heartache songs at 3 AM and grieve with NeYo about the impending stress event. True, NeYo is probably singing about a girl — but you can pretend he’s “so sick of exams” instead of love songs.
  2. Go raid your nearest Metro and prepare the bunker. Your soups, your crackers, your nuts, your dried fruit and your coffee/tea. Also; make sure to get fresh fruit and veggie and store them in your bunker fridge – because otherwise you’ll get scurvy. And scurvy sucks.
  3. Organize your stuff. I did this today, I feel proud of myself.
  4. Go to Robarts. Don’t open a book or anything. Just sit there. Sit there for a while. Observe how many people look at you.
  5. Tell yourself that YOU ARE FIERCE.
  6. After studying very hard, head on down to the most fun place during exams .. Sidney Smith!
Wait what? You’re probably saying, they put those fancy banners on Sid Smith and now he thinks the place is the salt of the Earth. Full disclosure: I spend a lot of my time at Sid Smith, so after a while, you do come to appreciate the brutalist architecture. Somewhat. But no! I’m talking about Exam Jam!
Exam Jam is an event held jointed by ASSU and the Faculty of Arts and Science, as well with Hart House, MoveU, UeaT, the Faculty of Kinesology and Phys. Ed, Health and Wellness and the Academic Success Centre. It’s in its second year and is a day during exam period meant for distressing. We had it last semester and they are bringing it back for you on Monday April 8th.

 

Last time there were puppies, there was a BUTTON making machine (most fun of life I am telling you), there was free coffee and not just any coffee – SECOND CUP coffee. There were free snacks, yoga sessions, free massages, life sized Jenga, among other things. Exam Jam is a drop in event, so you can drop in when you feel tired of Robarts, or you can utilize the open study rooms located in Sidney Smith.

 

So, make sure to come on out to Exam Jam on April 8th to destress! The puppies will be waiting for you. :)