Category: Academics

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Academics Faculty Hobbies

Tips for Prospective First Year Science Students

So, there are many things I wish I knew before registering for Courses and planning my schedule. Since I do not know much about the Arts Faculty, these tips will be aimed towards First Year Science Students. After almost a complete full year, I feel as though it is my duty to share my knowledge with all the prospective science *cough* Med *cough* students.

Tip #1: Know what courses you need!
Website Link for First Year Courses

Note: The above link is just RECOMMENDED Courses. Specialization requires courses other than these (Although most of the popular specializations require ALL of these courses) Google your prospective Specialization for more details.

This year, I found out that BIO 140 is required for Med School (Hopefully where I will end up). Problem is, that EVERYONE else knew this was required. So I was stuck with signing up for the Waiting List. This meant that I had to wait for people to drop the course for various reasons before I could get in. I did eventually get in, but this meant I had a HUGE course load for my 2nd term (Thus, me not blogging as much) Just realize that 2nd year students register LAST, so if you miss out on any first year courses that popular amongst the 1st year students, you are going to have a hard time getting in. BUT do take into account your ability to handle a course load, and don’t overload yourself. Just remember that there are summer school courses that last from a month to only two weeks depending on the course. You can always take 4 courses a semester in 1st year then in the summer take 2 more courses. Which brings me to my next tip:

Tip #2: The key to good grades, is a very small course load.

Think about it… if you only take English, Math, Physics, and Chem, then plan to take Bio in the summer or something like that. You have so much more time to work on the four courses you have. (Bio is a time-consumer… trust me) I know the thought of summer school isn’t very attractive, but in all honesty, it’s the best thing for you. I haven’t had a chance to take summer school yet, but I plan to this summer, and I will post more about how summer school was like then, but theoretically, it should work out. I didn’t know these tips before, and I had 5 courses in term one, and 5 courses with an extra BIO 140 Lab in Term 2, and I feel VERY overloaded. (But I seem to handle all the work very well) But this summer, I am signed up for CHEM 233, CHEM 235, and MICB 202, which in turn means that… if I want, I could only take 3 courses a semester in 2nd year. Which will make up for my massive course load in 1st year and balance out my grades.

Tip #3: This one… is the hardest of them all… During Exam Season (that includes Midterms)…. DEACTIVATE FACEBOOK!

“Oh my god! He did not just say that! He didn’t… NO WAY!” Is what you are all thinking right now, and I thought the same way too. But it wasn’t until my friend MADE me deactivate it that I finally realized how well it works! Before, I found myself studying for half an hour, then going on Facebook for an hour… it wasn’t very productive. Then I finally deactivated it and I get more work done! You can always reactivate your Facebook once all the exams are over! It’s almost like Facebook is a Blackhole of time wasting. I’d be willing to put money down that if Facebook did not exist, everyone would get 4.0 GPA.  For all my High School readers, do this for Provincials! Cause it’s only going to get worse once you get to UBC.

Tip #4: Find some sort of Motivation.

If you are motivated, everything just works out… it’s scientifically proven. “Good Grades” is not a good source of Motivation, believe me. My source of Motivation… is actually the lamest kind of Motivation ever. I find my Motivation from watching House. Everytime I watch an episode, I think to myself “I WANT TO BE HOUSE” and then I go upstairs and study right away. It’s what works for me, find what works for you! It can be a TV Show, it can be someone you look up to, it could be a Poem, it could be… really anything!… except Grades. Grades as a source of motivation, isn’t very smart. Sure, it feels awesome when you get an A+ on a Chemistry Midterm on the Atomic Orbitals of an Atom, but what happens when you get a C- on a Physics Midterm on Atomic Nuclei. Your motivation will be SHOT. You could say “That bad grade will make me work harder to get a better grade!” But that isn’t a good way to look at it! If you find a source of motivation that never lets you down, and will always be there (Like House). You’ll never feel down, and you’ll ALWAYS get good grades.

and Finally… the best tip of all.

Tip #5: PARTY!

School is SOO stressful. You gotta have some time to party. I remember thinking to myself before I entered UBC, “I am never going to party, I am just going to study everyday, 24/7, and never do anything else!” Well, obviously I broke that rule, but it was the best thing for me! Just know your limits… play within it. (Lame… I know) It makes a big difference if you let off some steam every once and awhile. There isn’t much to say about this one, just have some fun every once awhile, loosen up! Don’t let school take over your life!

So those are my tips, expect more information about summer school once I finish it! Hope you guys found this useful!

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Academics Faculty

Term One Summary

Currently: Getting home from practicing some Driving.

So, Term One of my University Life comes to a close as of tomorrow. It feels like 80% of the time I spent studying, 5% on Transit, and 15% on Facebook. Speaking of Facebook, many of my friends have went for the “Facebook Hiatus” method of studying Finals. Any thoughts? Is this a good way to go? First round of Finals start on Tuesday for me, beginning with Math. But before the Finals, and before I get biased, I will give a summary of what to expect for the next year students thinking about getting into Sciences.

Chemistry 121:
This class is very deceiving, it starts off with easy course material, most people could’ve probably done it in High School. But then… Orbitals and Schrodingers Equation starts to come up and everything changes. Expect to have lots to study for in the later sections of the course. Another problem I have with this course, is the textbook (at the time of this post). It is a custom made UBC Textbook. First off, it has mistakes in the answer key (which gets posted online, and should be fixed by now) and it also has a lack of questions. My prof always talks about “Oh, its just intuition that this chemical reacts this way”… but how are we supposed to gain this intuition if we only have one question in the entire book relating to that chemical? Prepare for lot’s of studying and try and get some extra questions from books in a library or online.

Math 100:
Everyone thinks that this course is the “hardest” math. That you need to be a genius to be in this Math Course (besides the Honours Math). But let me tell you this, it’s not very hard at all. If you put the practice time in, it’s an easy A. The questions in the textbook seem to be a lot harder than the questions that show up in the Midterms and Exams, but thats for your own good. Math 100 ISN’T the hardest math.

Physics 101:
This Physics isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The questions are very straight forward, it is easily comparable to the difficulty of a Gr. 12 Physics Course. The only thing that I have troubles with is remembering formulae, they allow you to make a Formula Sheet for their Midterms, but the Final… they supply their own. This sheet doesn’t have all the Formula and you have to remember some (and when I say some, I mean a lot) on your own. But once you got that down, you’re set.

English 110:
For me, this course wasn’t that bad. Most of it was just reading and analyzing, then writing about it. Nothing like writing your own poem, or the like. This course relies heavily on your TAs ability, rather than your Profs ability. I find that I learnt most of the material from the discussion groups rather than the lectures. The readings aren’t too long (for my section), and there was only one novel. So all in all, just hope you get a good TA.

Biology 121:
This course is very “conceptual” rather than “factual”. In Gr. 12 it was all about memorization and know how things work. This course is more about “what would happen?”, “how did this happen?”, “let’s test this and collect data”. If you’re good with Concepts (I’m not) then this course will be easy, if you have troubles (me) it should be alright. This course isn’t HARD no matter how you take it, so don’t expect this to be the bane of your existense.

Alright, well I hope that if any of you “prospective” students think about coming to UBC, that my opinions matter in your course decisions. And for you people who already took these courses, tell me if you disagree with anything, and I will fight you.

Categories
Academics

Jordan’s Top Five Ways to Study for Exams

Currently: Sipping on some Coca-Cola listening to some House Music

So, I’ve been getting back some of my midterms, and I must say… I did pretty good. I thought I would share what I do before a test, so that you guy’s can imitate if you think it’s a good method. Note that these methods go in the order that I think they work best, 1 being the best, and 5 being the 5th best. Also, I assume that with these ways, you do not receive a practice Exam of any kind.

5.) Read the textbook over again… and remember it.
If a Biology Exam covers Chapters 14, 54, 55, and 56. Reread them again. This may be very time consuming, but most textbooks nowadays BOLD the important terms and usually have a good chapter summary at the end to keep it concise. These are helpful, but their only helpful if you can use them in problems. Don’t just glance over it, think about it in your head as you read through it, and understand it rather than memorize it.

4.) Make some Cue Cards
Although this doesn’t work for every course, it’s very useful in courses where memorization is key. For example, memorizing the Derivatives of a logarithm, or memorizing the definition of all the terms related to Mitosis. I personally have two sets of Cue Cards, I have Cue Cards for Math and memorizing formulaes and such, and I also have a set for Biology. I don’t take too many courses where memorization is necessary, (Mine are mostly about numbers) so if you do take courses like that, I recommend using Cue Cards.

3.) Study Groups!… even if you’re a genius on your own.
Study Groups are excellent for pounding information in your head, also, it makes Studying a little bit less tedious and more fun. Your friends can help you answer questions you may have questions with, and if you are a genius, teaching someone how to do a problem will only further improve your genius-ness.

2.) Make your own Note Sheet even if you already have Notes.
Making your own notes is something I do for almost every class. (with the exception of English) I find making my own notes, and writing it in my own words, helps me understand what I wrote down. There’s also something about writing with your hand, it makes an imprint on your brain of what your just wrote. This may take awhile, but it will make a big difference. Another advantage to this, is on the day of the exam, you can review your notes as opposed to reading a massive textbook or looking at notes that may or may not make sense to you.

1.) DO YOUR HOMEWORK!!!!!!!!!
Doing homework is the best possible way to study for ANYTHING. I find that if I keep up with Math / Physics / Chem / Bio Homework, when it comes time to study for an Exam, I think to myself “I know this, why am I even studying?”. Doing homework may seem like a hassle to do everyday, but in the long run, when it comes time to studying. It will save you loads of time.

For ALL OF THE ABOVE make sure you NEVER GET STRESSED OR ANGRY. Stress and Mood Swings are a big reason for people doing bad in exams. I try to never get stressed for an Exam, and stay easy going. I go into exams with confidence, thinking in my head, “I’m going rock this exam!” and I come out usually doing so.

Hopefully these help, for future exams! Post comments of any methods of studying you guys may use.

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Academics

A Sigh of Relief

Currently: Taking a break from cleaning up my place so that my landlord won’t think I’m a complete slob.

Midterms are DONE!! I have finished the first of two midterms for my 5 courses. For what I expected from University, these tests weren’t that bad. I thought University would require me to stay up til 5am (Which I only did for one Exam) and pull my hair out (Which I didn’t do for ANY exam). My first taste what actually counts for more than just a measly 1%, were these midterms. I’m going to break it down Midterm by Midterm.

Chem 121
Difficulty: Easy
Comments: Overall, this Exam wasn’t too hard. I have my mark for this exam already, but we’ll save that for another post. I had this exam first, and I was stressing out over it. When I received my paper and saw how simple it was, It literally was a sigh of relief. My suggestions to all you Chem students out there, if you wanna do good, just stay on track and keep up with the exercises. I never really had to go back and find out old information, as long as you keep on track and stay organized with your studying, you’ll do fine.

Engl 110
Difficulty: Moderate
Comments: I am a terrible essay writer, I can’t write a good essay to save my life. Especially when it is on something as broad as literature. I just can’t compose an Essay about a piece of literature and make it flow nicely, it just ends up a jumbled mess of words. I guess this is just one of those subjects I’m really bad at.

Phys 101
Difficulty: Moderate
Comments: This exam wasn’t TOO TOO bad, it was pretty hard, questions made me think for a bit, but in the end I got it all done without too much difficulty. I had about 7 minutes left over by the time I was done, and I could tell people were upset with the amount of time allotted. Overall, this exam was good for me, but I’m not sure how many of the other people in Phys 101 felt.

Bio 121
Difficulty: Easy
Comments: This exam was an open book exam, and it was more on Theory rather than Definite Answers. It wasn’t too bad, lots of time to write the exam, and the open textbook really helped. But with this exam, because its on Theory, its all on how the Prof marks it. I may have thought I did good, but the prof may be looking for specific answers which I didn’t put down.

Math 100
Difficulty: The bane of my existence
Comments: I find my Math skills to be pretty good, although when it comes to Prof Nagata’s class… they take a turn for the worst. His Exams aren’t too bad compared to his Marked Homework assignments, but the only thing about his Exam is… if you don’t know how to do it, you don’t have enough time. It was too the point where I had to look at the question, and instantly know in my mind how to do it. If I were to have spent anytime looking at the question and contemplating how to do it, I wouldn’t finish. The 50 minutes allotted is not enough time in my opinion. I managed to finish my last question the SECOND he said “Alright Pencils down.”

All in All, I know what to expect next time now, and next time I’ll be prepared.

Categories
Academics Faculty

First Class Impressions

As the first week comes to a close (but Science Frosh awaits this weekend) I thought it’d be good to voice my first impressions on my classes and profs. So far, I’m loving UBC. The campus is so nice, the buildings are beautiful, there’s so many things to do, and the students around are just awesome. I’ve met a couple new people, and I am so happy to of met every single one of them, and hope to grow on our friendships. Although some people say that the First Week of UBC gives the first years a false impression on what UBC is actually like, I’ll just say that the impression worked on me.

Now to the main reason for this post, I want people to know how I feel about my classes. Me, being a Science Geek, I have some pretty heavy intense courses. The profs are still in first gear, and I’m awaiting the gear change. So the profs I LOVE now… may not be the case when they hit me with long lists of homework and exams. So let’s begin…

Chemistry 121 Section 110:
Professor: Lawrence McIntosh

I love my Professor, he’s a funny guy. He makes this course less boring than it actually is. (So far) The ONLY thing I hate about this course right now, is Dr. McIntosh doesn’t like to use Powerpoints too much, so he uses an overhead projector. His writing isn’t the best and can be hard to read. Also, the Chemistry Textbook (specifically made for Chem 121) is written in a very confusing matter. Other than those two things, this course is going very well.

Math 100 Section 103:
Professor: Wayne Nagata

Dr. Nagata definetly writes the best notes so far out of all my Profs. He has two overhead projectors and switches between the two, so that he doesn’t have to scroll up. So, for those slow writers out there, this means you won’t hate it because you have all the time you need. Dr. Nagata didn’t spend too much time talking about himself or the course, we dove right into things from the get-go. Some people may find this upsetting, but I didn’t really mind it. I rather learn what my parents are paying for me to learn than about other things.

Physics 101 Section 102
Professor: Brian Turrell

This course is in the nicest lecture hall on campus. (From what I’ve seen) The course is on interesting topics (As all Physics Courses are) and I am very interested in what I’m learning. Dr. Turrell always uses a powerpoint and a mic (He has too in that huge room). Dr. Turrell tends to go a bit fast when it comes to switching his powerpoint slides, so taking notes doesn’t really help. I tend to just listen to what he has to say, then write / print off the notes at a later time. (I can do that because Dr. Turrell points a PDF Format of his Powerpoint after the lecture)

English 110 Section 008
Professor: Larissa Lai

Dr. Lai is a very nice professor. She encourages discussion in the big lecture hall, and after you say something to the class, she always asks your name. She seems like the person who tries to remember your name to the best of her abilities. Her first lecture was very well planned, and got everyone thinking. There isn’t much to say about this class except “I’m excited about finding out what’s next.”

Biology 121 Section 122
Professor: Greg Bole

By far, the most awesome Prof ever. This guy made me laugh, and even give the silent “awwe” when he mentioned he just got married. He mentioned how he used to be an extra on movies like X-Men 2. He got me excited for Biology. He isn’t a Researcher, so he is strictly a teacher, and that means he’s good. We didn’t really dive into content that much, because we talked a lot about the Course Outline and Dr. Bole’s life. I’ve only had one lecture, but I expect great things from this course.

I hope the rest of you First Years (and all years) have had an awesome first week. And for all you Science’ers, hope to see you guys at Frosh!

Categories
Academics Faculty Recreation

Imagine Day 2009

Currently: Sitting at his new place, putting a new episode of Lost Season 3 onto his USB Drive so he can watch it through his PS3.

Today was Imagine 2009, and it was quite the experience. The day started off with me getting up at around 6:45am to go shower. Since today would be the first full day alone with my new place, I had to make my own breakfast. Due to the rushing nature of today, I settled with a bowl of cereal. It’s fast and easy, without losing out on the taste. I left my place at around 7:25am to go catch the “33” bus. I got on the first one that came by (surprisingly) and got to school around 7:50am. I quickly met up with some friends then went over to meet my MUG Group.

My MUG Group was “Astatine” (Yay Science!). At first, it was a very awkward situation to be in, but as the day progressed, it got less and less awkward. I managed to meet two new guy friends, and even have a class with one of them. It’s the first two people I’ve actually connected with at UBC, and I’m excited to meet more. After we did a couple of Ice Breakers, we learned our cheer. “WE ARE SEXY, WE ARE BLUE, WE WILL TAKE YOU ALL TO SCHOOL. WE ARE SMART, YOU WILL SEE, WE ARE SCIENCE UBC!!”, it’s a pretty good one, I like the one that our Squad 33 Leaders came up with. “We Are Science, What What!?, We are Science!, What What!?, We Are Science, What What!? Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-Wha-What!? WE ARE SCIENCE!” At this point, I thought we stood no chance against Sauder (This was all about to change).

After our cheer lessons, we had a Q&A Session with our MUG Leaders and a Prof. It was somewhat informative, most of the stuff I already knew just from doing my own research. They gave us “staged” questions to ask the Profs and Leaders, and I happened to get one that read “Would you rather win the Noble Prize (without the money) or the Stanley Cup/ an Emmy?” This one was obviously directed towards the Prof. and he answered it beautifully. He told me that if he won the Noble Peace Prize for something that he’s worked all his life on, it would be worth way more to him than an Emmy/ Stanley Cup and the fame that comes along with it.

As the day progressed, we just went around walking and talking, taking tours of the Campus (You know, the boring stuff) But then it FINALLY came down to the Pep Rally… and I wasn’t expecting that many people. Thunderbird Arena was practically FULL. When it came down to cheering, they gave all the Science Faculty Students the long skinny blue balloons (Which kicked all the other balloons ass) I can honestly say that Sciences BEAT Sauder this year, Sauder’s cheering was weak. It’s okay Sauder, we know you tried. Overall today was just a really fun day, and It made me really excited to start classed tomorrow. I’m sorry I can’t upload the pictures I took today because I left my Camera’s USB Cable at my Mom’s Place. In the future I may edit this post and put them up!

COMMENT with your experiences of Imagine Day 2009!

Note: If you guys haven’t noticed, I added a Link on the sidebar there called “Beats Per Minute Song of the Week” I’ll be updating that weekly with a song that’s really stood out to me during the week. This week is “Raven (Crookers Remix) by Proxy” so keep checking it out for some good tracks from your favorite blogging DJ… DJ JD.

Categories
Academics Careers / Work

Not the Good Kind of Shopping

Currently: Sitting in my Uncle’s Basement Suite (Where I am going to be living during my UBC Years) and listening to “21 Guns – Greenday”.

We all dread those summer times when those frightening commercials air on TV. Old Navy’s Back to School Clothing, Staple’s Back to School Supplies, and Best Buy’s Back to School Laptops. Those commercials just lay the foundation for the harsh reality of going back to School. (Or in my case, “Starting School”) Looking back at this summer, it has to of been one of the most expensive summers of my life. But finally, I am completely finished the “Back to School” Shopping. Here’s a very simple Doughnut Chart that I constructed using Excel to show how much I’ve spent JUST on school supplies / textbooks.

Now, let’s anaylze each of these money “suckers”.

UBC “Fan” Gear:
I thought that since I am proud to be attending UBC, that I should show it off. I already have a UBC hoodie with my nickname “Jords” (From my Chemistry Teacher) on the Hood. Now it’s time to take it to the next level. It was actually just today that I bought the Black UBC Clipboard x 2($6.50), a Blue UBC Water Bottle ($15.95), and a UBC Thunderbird’s Lanyard ($9.95). I’m ready to show off my UBC Pride.

Electronics:
Some of you MAY disagree that an iPod Classic 120GB is considered under the “School Supplies” Category, but I beg to differ. I am one of those workers who works best with my some bumpin’ tunes in the background. Therefore, if I have some tunes to listen to while I work coming from my iPod, then I work harder, and I get better grades, and life is great.

School Supplies:
I was originally planning to use my Gr. 12 Binders for school this year. (I like to be organized so I have a Binder for EVERY class) BUT, today while I was browsing through Staples, I came across a sale that I couldn’t resist. I bought those 1 inch “Durable” Binders that a lot of my friends used last year. I also bought the usual Red/Black/Blue Pens, 0.5mm Lead Pencil, Erasers, 0.5mm Lead, Highlighters, White Out, Small Clear Plastic Rulers, and Lined Paper. (SPEAKING of Lined Paper, if any of you people need some, The Staples on Campus by the McDonalds has 150 Sheets for $0.24!!!! When you walk in, look to your left/right I can’t remember exactly but their right by the entrance.)

Textbooks:
Here’s the big one. I bought all my books Brand New, just because I like new shiny things that come in clear plastic. The first day I went, I managed to get all my Books (Including Optional Stuff) except for ONE book. (The Integrated Resource Package for Chem 121). That was fixed today, for the Discount Book Store on top of the McDonalds on Campus has it! So for all you people waiting til Sept. 2nd to go back to get it at the bookstore, FRET NOT, go to the Discount Book Store and pick it up.

Here is the finished product (Note: My Integrated Resource Chem Book isn’t a part of this due to the fact that it is being held for me at the Discount Book Store)

For all you people that have finished your Back to School Shopping, Comment on your experiences! For those of you who still have some to do, HAPPY SHOPPING!

Categories
Academics Commuting Faculty Uncategorized

The BB Adventure to UBC

Currently: Turning off my PS3 (was driving around doing stupid things in GTA4) and listening to my mom spazz that I’m going to see a movie at 10:45… apparently that is too late for a 18 year old kid to be out.

Before I dive into the tales of my adventure to UBC, let me give you some background information about the wonderful person I went with. She went to the High School of one of my cousins, and I finally met when we finally talked on Facebook Chat. We started talking and eventually arranged a shopping day (We both love to shop). We eventually found out that we were both in same Biology 121 Class  in Term 1(Bio 121 Section 122… Comment if you’re in the same class). From there, the nickname we gave each other is “Bio Buddy”, in short form “BB”.  We have pretty much the same schedule type (just different classes) and I’m glad to of met someone who will be experiencing the same hardship as moi.

Now back to our Adventure to UBC. As you all know, we had to go to the UBC Bookstore to get our UBC ID Cards. Me and my BB decided to head over together and get our ID Cards last Friday. We arranged to meet at the Broadway Skytrain Station at 11:00… but then she woke up late, so it moved to 12:00. Then, she texted me saying she’d be there at 12:30, but I was already on the Skytrain to Broadway from 22nd Street. It looked like I would be waiting for my BB. While I was waiting, something really strange happened to me. I was interviewed by a CBC Radio Interviewer, about “Critical Mass”. Critical Mass is apparantly about Biker’s who go and block roads all at once. The questions she asked were really vague, and more about breaking rules. I honestly don’t remember what I answered.

When we finally got on the 99 B-Line to UBC, we started timing how long it would take from certain spots to UBC. This is probably an innaccurate calculation due to the many variables that are more likely to occur in the morning then opposed to the afternoon. For those people who bus using the 99 B-Line from Granville Street, comment with a general idea of how long it takes to get to UBC.

When we finally got to UBC, we decided to go check out the Student Union Building… which meant a trip to the Starbucks. I got my favorite, a Tall Caramel Frappacino. Now, all you 2nd years and UBC Veterans may find this funny, but after that, we sat down and opened our UBC Map and figured out how to get to our lecture halls and the bookstore. We felt SOO lame looking at a map, for most of the day we tried to hide it. We got to the Bookstore, went through the process of getting our picture taken (I would post the picture of me on my ID, but its absolutely terrible) and then went straight to look at the Textbooks. I looked at some of the book prices, and thought to myself “I could buy four Stussy T-Shirts for the price of this book”.

For the rest of our trip, we went and looked in our lecture halls, and timed how long it would take to go from one class to another. My highest time was 8 and a half minutes to get from my Physics Lecture to my English Lecture, (walking at an above average pace) hopefully I won’t be too late for English. We started looking into our lecture halls, most of the time we were too scared to go into the buildings because the Geography, Math, and Chemistry Buildings look like medieval castles. The only one we could get a good look at was the Theatre at the Hebb Building. It was a surreal type of feeling standing and sitting in my future lecture hall. It’s going to be a fun (yet hard) year and I cannot wait to sit in that lecture hall with the 300 other students.

Hope to see you guys at UBC in 2 and a half weeks!

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