Tag Archives: studying

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

Read all the things… or not

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Ah, that precious time off that I (and no doubt many of you!) have been looking forward to all term is finally here: Reading week!!

Now I know that for most of us, the fate of our reading week depends on our midterm schedule and assignment deadlines. Last year I had three tests in a row right after the break, so I was all like:

Needless to say, between studying and volunteering for Alternative Reading Week, I had very little time to get out to any events happening on campus or check out the city surrounding it. A real shame! But I’m happy to report that I lucked out this year and will definitely be taking advantage of some free days to get active and have fun. Yep, this year my attitude towards Reading Week is more like…

Ha-ha. So if you feel the same way, or you need some study break ideas to get you through the inevitable reading that awaits you, then check out some of the ideas and events I’ve listed below!

Explore the gym in res
With many students gone for the break, if you are sticking around then now’s a great time to scope out the gym at your residence, if it’s got one! I know for sure that Trinity, Chestnut, and Innis have exercise rooms that their students may use. You can sneak in a workout during a long day of studying, since you won’t even have to leave the building!

Skate at Nathan Phillips Square
This is a popular spot not far from campus, at Queen and Bay. It’s been on my to-do list since last year and I STILL have not made it out…but maybe I’ll finally have a chance to check it out with a friend.

Recharge at Harvest Noon or Hart House
The cute little café will be closed during the week, but they will be hosting some special
food workshops in the evenings! I’m talking about chocolate and coffee, bread-baking, and an interesting sensory awareness dinner. There’s also a Community Kitchen
dinner at Hart House that sounds like it will be delicious!

Hike around High Park
One of my favourite places off campus…it’s close for me and I have been walking/running through the trails here many times.  It’s super easy to get to from downtown – literally right across the street from High Park Subway Station.

Of course, don’t forget that the Athletic Centre will still be open every day except Family Day. Hart House will be open all week too! And if you’re free tonight, come watch the Blues Basketball team take on Ryerson as both Varsity an intramural athletes highlight the Athlete Ally initiative that has been taking place all week!

Hope you all have a fun week!!

-Lesia

 

Fake it ’till Ya Make It

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This is how I feel about my classes starting today.

Welcome back to mayhem. For me, the winter break has been one of rest and relaxation, balanced with an above average daily intake of food. While my mind is somewhat ready to get back to classes, my body is not exactly co-operating. There may be some kind of sub-conscious biological operation at work.

In the next few weeks I will need to muster some motivation to get my body to class. I would much rather be feasting and napping…the combined content of my winter break. Instead of looking for cheap texts online, I find that I have inadvertently  typed in the address for discounted Caribbean travel. I’m dreaming of escape and I haven’t even attended my first class of the term.

So what’s a vitamin D starved student to do? Well I could take to daily tanning sessions. I could spend my reserved text book fund on a cheap cruise to Roatan. I could take a nap instead of going to class tonight. I know I won’t actually do any of these things. I’m far too predictable for that, but I can do some things to get my head and my body back in the school game.

I have found that the ritual of clearing out last terms binders can be inspirational (sorry if you take e-notes this exercise looses some of its tactile satisfaction). I enjoy dumping binders of old notes into old boxes. It’s liberating and as soon as they’re empty and have been refilled with gleaming white rule, I get the urge to write on the pristine pages. This urge is comparable with the need to walk on a lawn of freshly fallen snow. If anything newly emptied binders make me want to take extensive notes.

This is also the time of year that I like to empty out my backpack, particularly the little pockets that I can barely get my hand in. I always end up finding school supplies, that over the course of last term, I had completely forgot purchasing. Just today I found one of those white out pens and a pack of paper band-aids. If you’re lucky you might also find some lost TTC tokens, a few twoonies, or twelve packs of gum.

I’m not saying that these little rituals will get you to class this week, but they might ignite that back-to-school feeling. You know the one, you used to get it when you were ten and you got your new lunch pail and trapper keeper. As much as you and I might be less than eager to resume classes, you have to admit that having all your school gear in order helps to ease the pain. You wouldn’t feel very motivated to go for a 5K run in jeans and a leather jacket, but if you have all the proper running attire you could at least fake it for a couple of blocks.

Whatever gets my over-stuffed body back into that uncomfortable lecture hall seat is good enough for me. Even if I’m faking it for the first few days…if you pretend for long enough, it becomes your reality.

I wish you all a painless first week back!

-Lori

 

 

 

 

I’ve found my escape. What’s yours?

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I love keeping myself busy with things I love doing, but sometimes living the 100-mile-an-hour student life takes its toll. I have this tendency to over-analyze and worry WAY too much about everything… so when there’s a whole bunch of things going on all at once, I inevitably start feeling strained. But I know that there is one thing I can turn to in order to release any negative energy. I’ve discovered an outlet through which I can burn away my stress, clear my thoughts, and just put life on hold for a while.

Ever since I took up cross-country running in my first year of high school, I’ve kept at it. It’s been two years since I’ve actually raced, but it was never really about that for me. I didn’t care about winning or being the fastest. Over the years, running has become my escape from the stresses of everyday life. On days when it feels like nothing is going my way, I’ll go for a run. When I’m angry, frustrated, or completely distraught about something, I’ll take my mind off of it by running. And when I’ve re-read the same sentence five times and the computer screen starts to get blurry, well, there’s not much left for me to do but lace up and hit the road.

I’ve come realize that it’s MOST important to make time for an “escape” when I’m so busy/stressed that I feel like I don’t have time for it. I had FIVE exams in FOUR days last week, so leading up to that my life was a blur of eating, sleeping, and studying like mad. But I also made sure to fit running into the picture, especially since it has been so mild out lately. Even if I only got outside for a bit, I always came back feeling refreshed, re-energized, and glad that I took the time out of my busy day for it.

As exams wrap up and the holidays approach, the whirlwind of festivities can be stressful too. So I encourage you to find an activity that makes you feel alive and can help you get through a bad day. It doesn’t have to be running. Maybe you are heading back home to snowy mountains, and can’t wait to hit the slopes. Or perhaps simply heading outside for a walk to see the Christmas lights lets you clear your mind. Yoga, Zumba, the elliptical – it doesn’t matter what it is. The important thing is to find something that gets your body moving, something to fall back on whenever you need to get away from all the stress and worries of the day.

If you’re looking for more ideas, then check out the MoveU crew’s awesome tips! Already got a favourite sport that you turn to as your escape? Planning a fun activity for the holidays? I’d love to hear about it!

-Lesia

 

Tech Trouble: Error Messages, Computer Crashes, and Corrupted Files

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I had an assignment due last Friday that reminded me how horrible I am at solving tech troubles. My Word file wouldn’t open, my USB key wouldn’t mount, and my printer ran out of ink. I spent the night moving between my laptop and desktop computers, rewriting portions of my essay. By the time I completed, printed, and stapled my assignment, my hair was in disarray and my attitude was sour.

Let me just say that I don’t consider myself a particularly tech-savvy individual. I can do the basics, of course. E-mail, MS Office, and surfing the net aren’t an issue!  But I’m not very good at dealing with anything out of the ordinary. Unfortunately, that includes error messages, computer crashes, and corrupted files. And lately, I’ve been experiencing a lot more of all that than I would like.

I always seem to fight my battles with technology when I’m short on energy, patience and time. And while I’m sure that poor time management skills contribute to half of my technical woes, I’m convinced that computer trouble is an inevitable and undesirable part of our incredibly high-tech society. That being said, I figured I’d share a few tips to prevent tech troubles from rearing their ugly head.

ALWAYS unplug your USB key safely. You may have realized that most computers are constantly warning you about disconnecting flash drives without ejecting. While those reminders can be unbelievably annoying, they are in place for your own benefit! Yanking out a drive while your computer is performing complicated actions in the background could easily corrupt your files (trust me, I know). There’s no reason not to eject your drives, and doing so will keep your data uber-safe.

Use online storage (as well as a USB key) to back-up your files. Many students use USB keys to store and backup their personal files. The problem is that USB keys (and the files on them!) can be lost, damaged, or corrupted.  A great alternative to a USB drive is using online storage services to backup and share your files, photos, and music. You can even get some of these services, like Dropbox, for free so there’s absolutely nothing to lose!

Turn off your computer at night.  I’m extremely guilty of leaving my computer turned on throughout the night. But shutting it down has more advantages than leaving it on. Doing so will save energy costs, for one. On top of that, it’ll ensure that your computer systems aren’t unnecessarily overworked. And that’s good news for you and your files!

Use a reliable anti-virus program. Unfortunately, just because you don’t open suspicious attachments on your email messages doesn’t mean that your computer is fully immune to virus infections. To protect your data, install and update a dependable anti-virus and Firewall program (http://antivirus.utoronto.ca/). Doing so will prevent access to harmful websites and wave hackers off your computer, protecting your data from corruption.

Upgrade your systems! Following up on system updates is stress free, automatic, and completely free.

I’m sure we’ve all had computer or printer problems at some point in our academic careers. If you have any tips on preventing data loss, please share them! I can use all the help I can get!

Till next time,

Ishita

Let’s Catch Some ZZZZzzzzzzz’s

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How many times has this happened to you? You’re spending an evening enjoying time with friends, surfing the Internet, or catching up on missed work. You tell yourself that you’ll watch one more episode of your favorite show or that you’ll cover one more chapter for that test on Friday, and the next thing you know, it’s 2 in the morning and you haven’t gotten into bed.

UofT doesn’t always make it easy to get the recommended 7-9 hours of sleep that we require. While you’re scrambling to meet the demands of your life, cutting back on sleep often seems like the only answer. Who can afford to waste hours a day sleeping? The truth is, you can’t afford not to.

As I’m sure we’ve all heard at some point or other, sleep is essential for our health and well-being. Even minimal amounts of sleep loss affect our mood, energy, and ability to handle stress. While it’s important to meet the deadlines that loom ominously in the near future, it’s essential to realize that missing sleep to do so is often counter-productive. As exam season approaches, be sure to remind yourself that the following “facts” about sleep are actually only myths:

Myths About Sleep (According to the American Psychological Association)

Myth 1: Getting 1 hour less sleep per night won’t affect your daytime functioning.

Low levels of sleep can affect our ability to think and respond to situations effectively, can compromise our cardiovascular health and immune system, and can reduce our working memory resources. I guess those extra minutes browsing 9gag aren’t always worth it! 

Myth 2: Your body will adjust quickly to different sleep schedules.

Resetting our biological clock takes work! It can take our body weeks to adjust to small deviations in our sleeping pattern. In fact, by the time our body has fully adjusted to a change in our sleep schedule, we’ll probably change our sleep schedule again! 

Myth 3: Extra sleep at night will cure you of daytime fatigue.

Quality, not quantity! If you’re sleeping 8-9 hours every night but feel restless and tired during the day, there’s a good chance that the quality of sleep you’re getting is poor. It’s important to spend enough time in the different stages of sleep, particularly REM sleep, as demonstrated above. Like our professors, our bodies do not respond well to poor quality!

So, is there anything we can do to feel well-rested? Of course we can (or we can at least attempt to)! Follow these simple tips, recommended by the American National Sleep Foundation, and your body will be happier than it’s ever been before:

Tip 1: Aim for at least 7 hours per night. Although some of us need more sleep than others, 7 hours is a minimum. Consistency is key!

Tip 2: Try not to accumulate sleep debt! If you lose sleep, make it up in 1-2 hour installments over the week. The amount of sleep you need and the amount of sleep you get should balance!

Tip 3: Make sleep a priority! Schedule time for sleep! Sound silly? You schedule time for work and play because they are important to you. It’s important to put sleep at the top of your to-do list too! Improve the quality of your sleep by reading a book before bedtime, cutting back on caffeine, and exercising. You’ll be happier and healthier.

For more information on sleep, visit http://healthandwellness.utoronto.ca/pdfs/BetterHealth-A.htm

Till next week,

Ishita

P.S. How ironic is it that I wrote this post at 3 AM in the morning? I promise I’ll follow my own advice from now on!

Let them eat cake!

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This week I met with a professor about nothing. It was like a Seinfeld episode, entitled “office hours”. The great thing about Seinfeld is that even though it was the show about nothing, something always happened.

I feel the same way about meeting with my professors. Even if I don’t have a topic for a paper, I’ll go meet with them to discuss any random ideas that might be floating around in my head. If you try to meet with your profs before you start a paper, then give yourself a hand!

Amazingly, I always leave these meetings with great essay topics, new insights into reading I didn’t understand, and most importantly I always leave with a more comprehensive understanding of who these professors are and what they want.

I really don’t like reading books or journal articles that focus on topics that are of no interest to me. I can imagine that as my various profs sit at home with a mountain of essays to grade that they are praying to the academic demigod’s to make these papers interesting.

Meeting with your prof gives you some understanding of what they find interesting. A friend of mine told me that her prof had recommended an essay topic to her, but she thought it would seem weak minded if she wrote a paper on a topic he had recommended.

My response: “What is wrong with you? Are you a masochist?”

I have been in this situation on multiple occasions and the best marks I have ever received on papers have been the ones that were written on topics that came out of conversations with profs.

Think about it…If I told you that I would like cake and you brought me a pie, I would eat the eat a piece of pie, because you gave it to me, but the whole time I was eating it I would most likely be wondering why you brought me a pie, when I told you I liked cake.

I would probably assume one of three things:

1. You were not listening to me.

2. You do not care that I like cake; you like pie, so I in turn must also like pie.

3. You are just trying to aggravate me.

If this is the mindset that your prof has while marking your paper, there’s a good chance you’re not going to get the mark you were hoping for.

I’m currently writing an essay, the topic of which I find confusing, but my prof recommended that I write on the topic…so even though this essay is causing me great mental pain, at least I know that the reader will be engaged and actually care about the topic of the paper.

In the end, I have to remember that although I am here to learn, I am also here to graduate with a GPA that reflects the amount of effort I have put into this endeavour. If ceding an essay topic to the preference of an evaluator will get me to this point, then I’ll eat cake every day of the week!

-Lori

Minding Our Minds

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My first year at UofT was rough. It was my first time away from home. I was truly independent and on my own. I remember thinking the freedom would be liberating.  But it wasn’t.  Not for me, anyways.  Adjusting to university life took me longer than I had expected. The large class sizes, the intimidating professors, the competitive environment.  I was mentally and emotionally exhausted when the year came to a close.  The pressure completely consumed me and I remember feeling broken.

I did a bit of soul-searching during the summer between my first and second year.  I remember asking myself some tough questions.  Was UofT for me?  Was any university for me?  Was I smart enough?  Would I make it?  I was scared, terrified actually, to reach out to someone.  Wouldn’t that make me weak?  Everyone else seemed to be coping just fine.  Why was I the only one who was struggling?

It took me a while, but I did finally ask for guidance.  I approached friends, family, and my college registrar to address the academic and personal issues that I was fighting against.  The sense of relief was overwhelming and it helped me get my life back on the right track. Looking back, I’ve realized that I would have been happier in first year had I admitted to myself and others that I was mentally drained.

Why do we find it difficult or embarrassing to address mental pressures? Society promotes physical health.  Yet, topics of mental health and emotional stability seem to have an aura of prejudice and intolerance around them.  I suppose we are all afraid of being “crazy.”  Interestingly enough, however, we are more likely to experience mental illness than physical illness during our lifetimes.

On Friday, I attended a conference at Victoria College titled “Minding Our Minds: Mental Health in University.”  The conference began with two panel discussions, titled “The Crisis of Mental Illness on Campus – Why Diagnoses are on the Rise” and “University Programmes and Best Practice in Preventative and Responsive Models.”  The talks addressed numerous mental illnesses, including depression, a disorder common amongst university and college students.

A closing address was delivered by Dr. David Goldbloom, a Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto and the Chair of the Canadian Mental Health Association. Dr. Goldman spoke on the stigma and discrimination surrounding the topic of mental health, suggesting that it is an unnecessary obstacle for patients suffering from mental diseases and disorders.

The talks made me think about the way we view and project mental struggles or illness.  I’ve come to realize that mental distress can be just as torturous as physical pain, if not more so.  And contrary to what some believe, “get over it” is not very helpful advice. If you feel stressed or overwhelmed, don’t hesitate to ask for help.  Your friends, family, college registrar, and Counselling and Psychological Services (http://www.caps.utoronto.ca/main.htm) at UofT will be able to pull you out of a dreadful situation and give you new perspective. And we can all use that from time to time.

Asking for help won’t make you “crazy” or “weak.”  It’ll probably make you saner and stronger than you’ve ever been.

Till next time,

Ishita

All about Me and You and Learning

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Hi there, I’m Lori. You might remember me as a past blogger for student life, but I have moved on to new experiences and I am now blogging for C.T.S.I., The Center for Support and Teaching Innovation!

This year I’ll be inviting you along with me to my classes (especially my 9am ones) and to the library and to any other place on campus
that is part of how I learn at U of T. I am of course speaking figuratively; you can’t really come to class with me…

So me in a nut shell: I am carrying a 5.5FCE course load this year, I have two part time jobs, I have two kids, I have a husband, I have a cat, and I have a 50lb backpack full of used textbooks that I am trying to sell.

This is my cat Albert...he's cheeky!

My mandate is to share with you my fellow undergrads what my learning experience is all about. What helps and what hinders me, what excites me to learn and what incites uncontrollable mid-lecture pandiculation. (That’s a big yawn accompanied by an uncontrollable urge to strech…see we’re already learning together!!)

Pandiculation aka the old yawn and stretch! Obviously not me, but you get the point.

It’s my hope that through this dialogue we will find some common ground in what we think learning means at U of T. If you’re in your first year, your classes are most likely huge and intimidating. I’m in my third year now, but I still remember the vertigo I experienced the first time I attempted to take lecture notes on the upper balcony at Con Hall. I also remember my giddy reaction to the smaller class sizes of my second year.

I have traversed this campus on multiple occasions, found nooks and crannies that I never knew existed, and discovered some amazing academic help on campus. I hope that over the course of the year I can help to fill in the gaps of your learning experience here at U of T.

As busy and stressful as the first few weeks of school always are I have already managed to learn a few really interesting things. For example I learnt how to quiet a room of unruly children by just standing stoically silent.  I should mention that I am working towards my B.Ed. I also learnt that even if you rehearse for two hours you can still have a mid-presentation brain freeze, wherein your brain decides that it will not be sending any word making signals to your mouth for a period of fifteen seconds, no matter how hard you may attempt to articulate said word!

What interesting things did you learn this week?

-Lori

Are you resolved? Or is your backbone bending?!

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Which describes you better? New Years Resolved or a Half-Hearted Hector!?

(Comic thanks to http://www.modernanalyst.com/)

What up fellow students? Welcome back to the grind! I hope you’ve slept well, celebrated much and enjoyed the holidays. It’s hard to believe 2011 slipped away so quietly, its absence filled by the rumoured “last year ever” and marked with lists of self-improvement goals from here to infinity.

I expect many of you have thought about, or perhaps written down, a list of resolutions to tackle in this fine year. I certainly have, although with a different spin. I’ve done a bit of research because I’m sick of not keeping my resolutions and then subsequently beating myself up for having the willpower of a slow-dumb zombie. I’ll take you through it step- by-step, highlight some issues and some strengths so that hopefully when you look at your list you can make some adjustments to improve results!

My original list:

1. Join a club to get fit and meet sweet people.

2. Be a better friend to my better friends.


My tips on making your own resolutions list:

Get specific: If you haven’t noticed already, I’ve got a more than ambiguous list. Basic goal-making advice suggests goals need to be SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely).

Keep your list short: I’m not trying to solve world hunger, get super-skinny, work two more jobs and give-up dairy (I would never give-up dairy) and all  while studying at U of T! There’s factual proof that trying to do too many things at once decreases your ability to do any of them well!

The trouble with having too many resolutions is that our brains, specifically the pre-frontal cortex area responsible for willpower, can’t handle it. An old example likens your brain to a bicep muscle, if you ask it to hold a million textbooks at once, it won’t be able to hack it and you’re bound to end up raining textbooks!

Good news is, if you do physical activity you can improve your willpower resiliency, so head to the Athletic Centre where you’ll be able to get your body in motion. Regular physical activity has time and again proven to improve academic performance, enhance concentration and will therefore help you keep your “promises-to-self.”

If getting in more physical activity is on your resolution list then you’ll be killing two birds with one stone! Another tidbit to remember is that old adage: everything in moderation. If you’re shooting for drastic physical changes don’t forget, Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither was your body (Thank you for such sage advice Tony Horton). Take baby steps to your success!

So how am I doing? On goal one, I’ve actually been sticking with it! Joining the triathalon club has proven to be a very SMART goal. I’ve got people to be accountable to, amazing coaches to help me get the most out of it and a really great group of people to do it with. I was initially pretty terrified of getting back into organized sport. The usual self-doubt appeared and my motivation wavered, but after my first practice I was sold!

I don’t mean to suggest it’s easy. My first session was a swim practice (in the gorgeous 50m pool at the Athletic Centre) and it included me wearing a full-piece swimsuit, brain- squeezing bathing cap and face-indenting goggles. It’s not easy walking into a brand new group of people in such a stunning outfit, but if I can do it, you can too! After the initial butterflies wore off I was in the water and keeping up with the group. Not only did I benefit from some excellent suggestions on my technique, but I also got a great workout in and made some new friends! No complaints here!

As for goal two, specifically, being a better friend and spending more time with friends,  I suggest you measure this by keeping track of hangouts on a sweet colourful calendar; I may just make them active hangouts to maximize resolution efficiency. I’ve made it attainable by not including everyone on Facebook and am realistic by scheduling other things like work, readings, eating and exercise. To achieve this goal in a timely manner, start now and keep it going!  If you’re looking for hang-out tips and like some tasty food with your physical activity and socializing, I suggest checking out Winter Warm-Up next Thursday.

I hope you’ve got your list out now and are making any necessary adjustments! What is on your list anyways? Do you have any exciting, active activities on campus planned for this semester?! If so I want to know!

TTFNB’s! (Ta ta for now babes!)

Laura