OBLIGATORY EXAM SEASON POST

I just had the worst (THE WORST) organic chemistry exam of my life.

Worst.

Well it was last night but I was too busy having a pity party to blog about it.

I’m currently taking PSYC 101 and we have 3 midterms in that class and before every midterm, my professor likes to remind everyone to try to do their best and that exam results do not reflect you or your own self-worth. Bless her soul, she always tells us to believe in ourselves and to not stress out too much because exams DO NOT DEFINE US.

But let me tell you something.

Despite what people say, you will feel like that.

And no matter how much you know exams don’t define you, in those moments, you’ll feel like they are your entire life.

You’re going to just sit there and you’re going to think over and over and over:

I’m a failure, I suck
I’m a failure, why am I even in school?
I’m a failure, everything is awful.

And your mind is going to imagine so many different scenarios about how you’re going no where in life and you are going to question every single thing you do.

BUT.

But.

Those moments will pass. Better exam grades will happen. Maybe worse ones. More important things will push to the front of your mind. Things like that party your friend invited you on Friday night. Things like your plans for thrift shopping. Even the smallest things like how awful the long line for the 99 has been recently. Those things will be the forefront of your attention.

So no, exam results don’t define you.

But yeah, for those moments it’ll feel like it.

I say embrace it. I say accept it. I say let it happen.

Don’t start berating yourself for caring about your grades and don’t let others do it either. If you wanna say you think you failed, SAY IT. If you want to complain about how the professor totally and completely screwed you over by making every single question a trick question because he hates you then COMPLAIN.

These things show that you are a student who cares. And that moment is probably an integral part of being a post secondary student. Because exams happen all the time. Good ones, bad ones, easy ones, horrible-life-force-sucking ones.

But it’ll pass.

Live in the moment!

Even if it’s a bad one, because we are humans and this is life. It would not be interesting without the bad moments and we wouldn’t learn much either. Don’t ever beat yourself up for being human and worrying about a grade. Just remember that it’ll pass.

… Okay that’s enough from me.

I’m still sad about my o-chem midterm, but hey, on the upside it’s a long weekend this weekend?

Midterm Round 2!

But round 1 JUST ENDED.

Oh wait.

University don’t care. University don’t give a shit.

Okay, a few things to remember for round 2.

  1. You have now officially BEEN THERE and DONE THAT. So learn from the mistakes you made in first round and don’t let history repeat itself! If you did bad because you didn’t sleep the night before then SLEEP, YOUNG GRASSHOPPER, SLEEP.
  2. Coffee. So I actually forgot that coffee has a bad consequence… AKA: that energy you feel turns into a crash. A crash proportional to the amount of delicious caffeinated goodness you’ve consumed. So, my friends, try not to chug down the coffee so much during midterm season!
  3. Don’t forget about your classes. Remember that during the time you decide to just ignore what your prof was saying so you could study, or maybe even skipping class entirely can be a problem when that material you missed out on is on the next midterm. AKA this week.
  4. Say no to the XBox/PS3/Wii/Tumblr/WhatWeShouldCallUBC/Facebook/Twitter/Where-was-I-going-with-this
  5. Office Hours are friends.
  6. So are TAs
  7. Multiple choice shouldn’t be viewed as “1/4 chance I’m correct! :D” but instead as “35 multiple choice questions is like 35 different doors I have to open and behind ever door is a 75% chance something will punch me in the gut”. Errr, you guys I think last round was a giant hit to my ego.
  8. Do your best and hope for the best!
  9. DON’T LEAVE QUESTIONS BLANK. Even if you have no idea, write anything down, equations, explanations, conclusions. This means you made the effort and sometimes part marks happen. And if all else fails you, draw a picture. At least you’ll make the poor TA marking all of the exams smile.
  10. Group study is a wonderful thing. You can help each other with questions and such.
  11. Biology 112 students this is for you: The Cheat Sheet first round was completely useless, remember that? Just keep in mind that spending time late into the night putting as much information onto the cheat sheet (this was definitely me) is probably not going to help you this time around. Study the main concepts and understand instead of memorize! Put things like pictures and charts on The Cheat Sheet, things you know you’ll forget. Otherwise you’re wasting precious studying time.
  12. Chem 121 students: There’s probably going to be (again) too many questions for 1 hour, so pick your battles, fellow soldiers.
  13. Math 100: … Ganbare! (Which is Japanese for: good luck!)
  14. Physics 101: Formula sheets are SUPER useful! Aside from actual formulas, an idea is to put some diagrams in there! It’s really helpful! Constants too! AND CONVERSIONS, just in case you’re like me and need help with going from mL to metres cubed.
  15. KEEP YOUR HEADS UP! If you do bad on midterms, remember that there are still finals and that hard work WILL pay off. Do your best as long as it really is legitimately the best you could have done given the time you had.

No, this isn’t a super late after midterms post. It’s an early BEFORE midterms post…

 

 

rain rain go away…

I know I should be making a midterm post but I really, really, don’t want to think about midterms. They’re depressing. And it’s just – no.

Soo…. Let’s discuss the homecoming of Vancouver’s lovely rainfall! (Sense the sarcasm? I don’t know how I grew up in Vancouver when I adore sunshine and heat).

A few things to keep in mind now that the rain is settling itself in.

  1. RainbootsUnfortunately, it isn’t like in highschool where once we get inside, we stay inside. Most of us have classes that involve 5-10 minute walks. And I swear I’m not the only one who hates the feeling of wet socks. So gear up and look for some rainboots! There are a lot of cute ones out there! Don’t be afraid to let your inner kid out! I know I do whenever I see those big rain puddles… (THERE’S SO MANY AT UBC, I’M ACTUALLY VERY EXCITED.)
  2. Umbrellas. Speaking as someone who wears glasses, let me just say that umbrellas are wonderful contraptions. While most people like to go for the easy-to-stash-away umbrella, I prefer the plastic bubble kinds. I enjoy the patter noise it makes. I have yet to get myself one of those umbrellas though, but I’m going to get myself some at Daiso** pretty soon.
  3. Waterproof… EVERYTHING! Well… That may be an exaggeration but in all seriousness, try to own a waterproof folder or a water proof backpack, or a plastic cover for your backpack. There is nothing worse than opening your bag in class to seeing all your notes are runny and wet. (And everyone always wonders why used textbooks almost always come with water damage…)
  4. Decent rain jacket. Rain jackets are sold everywhere and are a good thing to own while at UBC. The days get colder too as it rains, so try to pick a jacket that is either warm enough or can  fit enough room for another sweater underneath. Personally I’d pick a thinner rain jacket that lets you wear a sweater, just because sometimes it can get chilly even indoors.
  5. Manners. Don’t shake out your umbrella inside, or near another person who just took off their rain jacket. You might be attacked. And try to take off your rain jacket outside the classroom instead of trying to squeeze into a seat in the middle of a row with your wet rain jacket on. Just overall, try to think about how everyone else is trying to stay dry just as much as you.

Gear up, guys! This is only the beginning!

In advance, I consider this blog a warning, if you see me and I’m wearing rainboots, there is a LIKELY chance that you will get wet if you walk with me. Those puddles… it’s like they call out to me!

Hope the rain lets up (Ha!) and I hope everyone’s midterms are going okay (sob.) and that everyone’s weekend was lovely!

Oh yeah! **Daiso is a popular Japanese store. It’s kind of like a dollar store and it’s at Aberdeen mall in Richmond. Personally, I haven’t been, but I heard it’s pretty freaking cool. And that they have the umbrellas I want.

Quick instructions to get to Daiso: Get on the 99 Bus (At the Bus loop near the SUB, it’s the first stop with the longest line … don’t worry it’s quick!), get off at Cambie St., and then ride the Canada Line heading to Richmond/Brighouse. Then enjoy our lovely Canada Line (made because of the 2010 Winter Olympics) and get off at Aberdeen Station. Nearby is Aberdeen Mall where the wonderful Daiso store is!

OKAY I HOPE EVERYTHING’S GOING GOOD.

Midterms were not fun. But I gotta take my own advice and go a day at a time right? Time to focus on what I’m doing now and study hard for the next round. I am definitely going to do better.

Talk to you guys later!