Month: January 2012

So here’s the question – where’s the best place to study on campus? As we all know, there are certain places to study at UBC if you really want to get things done.

Personally I prefer the third floor of Koerner, because it’s open until 10pm most days and it has individual desks with a light and plugs for your laptop. It’s also a silent study floor, so if you are actually looking to work this is a good place to go. It gets really busy around midterms/exam time though, and I’ve found that peak hours are around 1-4pm in the afternoon.

I’ve also heard good things about Wood, but I’ve never been there because it’s a bit out of my way. However I have studied in the basement of the University Center, and that’s really nice. There’s a pond in the back, vending machines and tables – but the best part is that it’s always empty! A drawback is that it’s fairly out of the way for most people.

Another good one is the Law Library. Again, it’s a silent study area and it has really nice natural lighting. It depends on the time you go, but I’ve never been in the position where I couldn’t find a seat to sit. I imagine that it gets pretty busy around exam time though.

So those are some of the good ones, but what places should you avoid? I’d recommend skipping IKE, because that place is always super crowded. Obviously, no one actually goes there to study unless you’re in first year and you don’t know where else to go. It’s definitely a place to see and be seen – a lot of people use it as a social gathering place so it’s really noisy.

Another place I don’t really like is floor -1 of Koerner. It’s a group study area that’s always really busy, and it’s difficult to find a seat no matter the time of day. I also prefer an area that has some privacy, and the large tables can’t really give you that. I find it difficult to focus and get things done down there.

Finally, The Womb (above the Aquatic Center). Who goes there to study? Only go there if you plan on taking a nap, otherwise you’ll probably waste a lot of time unintentionally sleeping.

Did I miss anything?

Like many University students, I always feel like I’m short on time. For me, there are never enough hours in a day to accomplish what I want to do. When I first started University, I felt like it wasn’t difficult to manage my time because I wasn’t involved in much outside of school. This left me with plenty of time to complete my labs, do the readings, and finish my essays without too much stress.

However, as time has progressed I’ve added more and more extracurricular activities to my roster. To list a few things I’m currently involved with:

• The Photography Club at UBC (Blog post coming soon)
• UBC Blog Squad – This doesn’t take me much time, but I’m always thinking of my next post.
• Sales Associate
• Reading Buddies: An after school program that helps Elementary school students catch up on their reading skills.
• Museum of Anthropology: Volunteer

Hey all!

So I’ve been thinking about the Go Global program at UBC since first year, and the application deadline for exchange next year is drawing closer! (It’s January 18th I believe.) If you haven’t heard about Go Global, it’s an exchange program that UBC offers in conjunction with other Universities, where you can study there but pay UBC fees. This is great because it would be massively expensive to study anywhere else for a long period of time.

I’m thinking of doing the exchange program, where you basically can attend University at one of UBC’s many partner Universities. There are other programs that are available, such as Research Abroad, International Service Learning, Group Study Programs and the U21 Global Issues Program. I’ll be the first to say that I’m not too familiar with the U21 Global Issues Program because it appears to be relatively new, but on the website it says, “Take courses from seven of the world’s best universities without leaving UBC.” So it seems like you would be able to take these courses from UBC online, while getting the credit for it from another university. Don’t quote me on that. EDIT: I’ve just been told that it’s been around for at least 5 years, so it’s not that new!

Exchange: Where you can study abroad while paying UBC fees! You can visit the Partner University page about the Universities where you can study. Often this can be a little tricky, as credits from University to University do not transfer, so students going on exchange may have to do one or two extra semesters of school to graduate. Some other things to watch out for – make sure that the University you apply to takes students from your faculty, and also offers exchange in the term you want to apply for (Ex. Term 1/2.) Exchange is offered to students in their Third or Fourth years, but if you’re in Arts you can go in Second year as long as you have enough credits and are a full time student.

Co-op: I can’t find the webpage for this, but it’s similar to having an internship at an actual company while getting partial UBC credits. The best part about Co-op is that you’ll be paid, and I’ve heard about students going on Co-op getting hired by their company after they graduate! In the case I heard about, they not only offered her a job after graduation, but they also paid the rest of her tuition fees until she graduated. EDIT: Thanks to Lillienne for correcting me on this! Apparently Co-op does not count towards the 120 credits you need to graduate! See her comment below for more info about Exchange and Co-op.

International Service Learning: Volunteer abroad while gaining partial UBC credits. Places include Africa and Latin America!

Group Study Programs: In this program, you’ll be able to study abroad, but will be able to do so in the comfort of a group. This would be perfect for students who are shy, or if the area/topic you wish to study is not offered through the Exchange Program.

Research Abroad: Again, I’m not too familiar with this area, but it seems pretty self explanatory. This would look great on a resume and would also help you get some hands-on experience.

I hope this post was helpful, but if you’re stuck you can always visit the Go Global offices located in International House at UBC. Drop in services are available from 1-3pm Monday, and 10-12am Tuesday/Wednesday. Be sure to get there early because both times I’ve dropped in it’s been pretty busy.

Katy

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