Hi! As much as I’d love to have some photos of good times on Imagine day to share, I seem to have failed at remembering to pack a camera. However, today’s festivities reminded me how confusing the UBC campus was to me this time last year, so I’ve decided to share a few things that could’ve saved my terrified and directionally-challenged first-year butt hours of confusion had I been told them this time last year.
It doesn’t matter how dorky you think you look, you need a map.
Yes, people might notice that you look lost when you’re holding a map. You know who looks even more lost? A lost person. Choose which one you want to be.
Here is UBC’s map. Fortunately, UBC has updated it since last year and it will no longer give 1st year Arts and Science panic attacks by discluding Irving K. Barber. If you were actually crazy to go to UBC without doing so already, print it off. If you’re cool like I was, laminate it. Or, for a discrete alternative, UBC Rec Centre has included a detailed campus map on the back of their information booklet available at their front desk in the past (haven’t checked this year yet, but I’ll update this when I get the chance to take a look on Thursday). Instead of looking lost, you can just look like you’re really into sports.
You can find the locations of all of your classes by clicking on them on your timetable.
Most probably find this right away, but for those that didn’t, UBC has made it possible for you, or possibly even a small child, to find your classes. Clicking on the classroom name on your timetable will bring up a giant picture of the building the class is located in as well as links to a map with a big red arrow to it’s location on campus, its address, and even multiple shots of the room itself. If you were unfortunate enough to get a class where there is no link for classroom information and you’d just like to find the building, go back to UBC Wayfinding and beside search where it says “by location name” select “by short form (SIS) name” and enter the few letters you see by your room number.
Distinguish north and south.
Okay, this sounds stupid, I know. And most of you probably got this when you got here, but if you’re like me, you might walk from Irving K Barber to the ocean before you realize you’re going to be late for your class in Forestry. Until you know the campus like the back of your hand, you might want to become familiar with a few landmarks up and down Main and East Mall. Figure out which streets are and south of University Boulevard. If you’re totally lost and want to know if you’re pulling a Clayton, go to Main Mall and look for the flagpole/ocean. North.
Also, Wesbrook Mall is in the far east. That one got me a couple times.
If you’re really lost, don’t wait to ask.
The worst thing that will happen is they won’t know, and it’s not worth being late for anything so you can try and figure it out on your own. If no one you ask has any clue where you’re trying to get to, you’re not doomed. If you have time, stop by one of the computers in Irving K Barber, the SUB or many other places on campus to check online.
While I never used it myself, I’d like to elaborate about Safewalk and the blue phones – but someone else from Blog Squad has already done an excellent job of that.
That, plus I need some serious sleep if I’m going to make it through this week crammed full of school, work, and internship fun. When I’m done and if I survive, I’ll devote some time to making the blog look a little a lot less lacklustre and update again (I have not adopted “Just another UBC Blogs site” as my permanent slogan). Thanks for reading!
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