Category Archives: Features

Summer may seem far, but it is never too…

Summer may seem far, but it is never too early to start searching for summer employment. UBC Career Services is an excellent online and in-person resource. You can search for jobs online or book a free appointment to get resume/cover letter writing advice as well as participate in mock interviews to get feedback and free yourselves of those interview nerves. Many workshops are offered to sharpen your career development skills as well. These opportunities are rare outside of university, so be sure to seize this opportunity while you’re still a student!

If you are planning on taking courses this summer, you may want to consider a Work Study job to earn some money while studying. For jobs off campus, check out Canada’s Job Bank, Charity Village, or the Public Services of Canada for jobs in the federal public service.

March Madness

Welcome back to school! After 2 weeks off it’s time to get back into school mode… not always the easiest thing to do. We are now breaking into the month of papers, assignments and midterms – are you ready? If not, there is no need to fret just yet. Check out the Writing Centre for some free tutorials and advice on writing skills. Attend a Math tutorial session or a Econ, Physics or Chem session provided free of charge by AMS Tutoring.

March is a stressful month for most students, but seeking out academic help can alleviate that anxiety. If you find that the stress of deadlines or a poor midterm is negatively affecting your ability to study or attend class, UBC offers excellent personal counseling that can assist with your educational concerns.

Welcome World!

Reading Week is a time to read, and a time to rest. If you’ve fallen behind on reading, writing or midterm prep, take some time to catch up. It only takes an hour or two of studying each day –better than cramming the night before, right?

You also don’t have to wake up early for class! Get more sleep. Or, limber up those muscles and head to the mountains for some fun in the snow! Check out the Health 101 Guide and learn more about balance and healthy living.

With all of this rest and reading take time to enjoy the great events going on for the Winter Olympics. This is a great time to see the world and experience different parts of the world from the comfort of our own backyard. Check out this Tourism Vancouver page for a list of some of the free events that are open to the public! Some of these include the events at the LiveCity sites in Vancouver, or the Ozone at Richmond.

Midterm Madness

Olympic Break is coming up soon and in all of the excitement it might be hard to remember that you’re a student sometimes! This year’s Reading Week goes from Feb. 15-28, so mark your calendars.

But it’s still February which means that midterms have started or around the corner for most of us. To get ahead in preparing for them, take a look at our exam toolkit for tips on how to prepare and study. Also, if you would like for face-to-face tutoring or learning support, check out the tutoring services available in the Chapman Learning Commons. There’s a little something for everyone, from AMS Tutoring, UBC Writing Centre and Research Clinics and even Peer Academic Coaches.

To get a jumpstart on your assignments for the rest of the term use the Assignment Calculator to help you create a detailed plan for those writing assignments and keep you on track with email reminders.

In the midst of all this though, take some time out to relax and enjoy the great events going on for the Olympic. Check out this Tourism Vancouver page for a list of some of the free events that are open to the public!

The Quickening Pace

The Arts Career Expo is a great chance for arts students to explore potential careers and meet UBC Arts Alumni.

UBC Career Services is a useful resource for students from all faculties at UBC. Find out what you can do with your major. Take action, go to career fairs, meet UBC Alumni, learn how to network. Take some time and develop a good resume, and perhaps an e-portfolio The UBC Events Calendar has useful information about these events, and others.

One of the most common new year’s resolutions is to live a healthy lifestyle. Check out the UBC Wellness Guide and keep on track with a healthier lifestyle this term! UBC Rec has free classes early in the term, if you wish to try out a new class or sport. The registration date for intramural leagues are also rapidly approaching. If you live in residence, there are also residence sport leagues and activities picking up for the second term. Speaking of residence, if you wish to live in the UBC Housing the next year, the lottery application is due by the end of the month!

LEAP into the New Year!

Second term is a bit of a fresh slate. For many students, it involves new classes and new professors. But whether you have new classes or are continuing year long ones, it is important to reflect on the first term before moving into the second term.

Take some time and schedule viewing some exams. For most if not all courses, students have the right to look over their exams, but you sometimes need to take the initiative by scheduling an appointment with your professor.

Reviewing exams is an excellent want to learn how to write better exams, by seeing what worked and what didn’t work on your first term exams. Go in with a plan, take in the LEAP post exam reflection sheet to help you stay on track. Don’t just look at exams you didn’t do well on. Sometimes reviewing an exam you did well on will help you identify what worked for you on the exam, and in preparation for that particular exam. And it feels good to review a good exam!

If you are thinking about going on exchange next year, make sure to check out the UBC Go Global website. The application deadline is rapidly approaching!

A great opportunity to get involved this month is the Student Leadership Conference (SLC) . The SLC is the largest leadership event at UBC, and the 2009 conference drew an estimated 1100 students. Register now!

Good Luck on Exams!!

Tomorrow marks the official beginning of exam period – are you ready?! I remember a professor I had who once mentioned the type of people who really enjoy writing exams and I am definitely one of them. I love the adrenaline rush, the anticipation, and that satisfaction of walking out of the exam room. Of course it really only feels good if I know I’ve studied and I’m feeling prepared.

The take home message is to prepare yourself and you will be fine! Practice on past exams, take a look at any review materials or questions your prof or T.A. have given you, and try your best not to cram. Study hard, but allow yourself to take breaks. My personal exam ritual is to make sure to get plenty of sleep the night before, and eat a banana before going into the exam room. To make sure that you’re on top of your game, commuter students can also stay a night or two at the Commuter Student Hostel to make sure you get the sleep you need. If you get desperate, you can share in my ritual and perhaps it will bring you some inspiration.

The Finish Line

Well here we are, only 2 weeks away from the last day of classes. That’s right folks, 14 days left until term one officially ends. Although it’s definitely a cause for celebration, it’s also a reminder that final exams are just around the corner so make sure to check up on your final exam schedules for any date or room changes.

We all know that preparing for exams is not on anyone’s favourite thing to do list but there are some things you can do to make sure that your making the most of your study time . First of all, start studying, or if you are a procrastinator, take a look at our procrastination toolkit to help boost your concentration skills. Follow-up with the Exam Preparation Toolkit and you’ll already be off to a great start.

If you think that you might need some extra help in certain areas check out the free AMS Drop-In Tutoring sessions if they are available for your subjects. The Chapman Learning Commons also has more tutoring and academic coaching services available as well.

Although January might seem really far away, it’ll come up in no time and start 2010 off right by attending the Student Leadership Conference. Registration will be opening soon. Finally give yourself a well-deserved pat on the back for finishing another term at UBC!

Sleepy November!

Can you believe its November already? Daylight savings has come and gone I’m sure you all enjoyed the extra hour of sleep – we know we did here at LEAP. But the return of the rainy season also means getting back those midterms and assignments. So in addition to catching up on precious sleep, November is also a time to reflect on the term so far.

Although you might be tempted to file them away in a dusty corner of your room, use our post-exam reflection sheet to help figure what you did well and where you can improve on for next time. It’s a great exercise to go through before final exams in December. To get a jumpstart on your assignments for the rest of the term use the Assignment Calculator to help you create a detailed plan for those writing assignments and keep you on track with email reminders.

Don’t worry though, November is not all about the doom and gloom of rain and assignments. You can get out have fun raising money for BC Children’s Hospital by joining UBC REC’s Lace Up For the Kids (and ice skating at UBC’s Olympic Venue – the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Complex).

Try Something New….for Free

Uploaded to Flickr on April 15, 2009 by CanadaGood Enjoying the last few weeks of summer can be hard when tuition fees are looming just around the corner. But there are still plenty of things to try out that won’t make a dent in your wallet. For those of