Category Archives: Academic

Stressed Out? Come to Speakeasy.

Posted on 8 April 2009 | Comments Off on Stressed Out? Come to Speakeasy.

Three cheers for the end of school today! Not that I had a bad term or anything (it was very decent, actually), but it feels so good to finally see the light at the end of a long tunnel. I don’t just speak for myself when I say that I look forward to a break from school.

Unfortunately, we have finals.

I know that this is a very stressful time of year for students, and so I’d just like to mention that the AMS Speakeasy Peer Support service is operating at this time. For those of you who aren’t sure what Speakeasy is or where we are located, we are a confidential peer support service* that offers a safe space in which you can talk about your problems — no matter what they are: academic stress, relationship problems, sexuality, or anything else — with one of our trained volunteers. If you just need someone to listen to you for a while, or if you need assistance with something and don’t know where to turn to, please come and we will try our best to help you.

You can find us at the Information Desk in the SUB’s Main Concourse. We are running from Thursday, April 9th (tomorrow) until Tuesday, April 28th. Our hours are usually from 9 am to 5 pm, Mondays through to Fridays. I say “usually” because, being a volunteer service, volunteers are also doing exams and there may not be anyone on shift at the time. If there isn’t anyone to help you, please come again in a couple of hours — sooner or later there will be someone!

And finally: good luck with exams!

* We are not a professionally accredited counselling service, therefore the name of peer support (students supporting other students).

Comments Off on Stressed Out? Come to Speakeasy.

Posted in Academic, AMS, Wellness

Disappointing Teaching Evaluations

Posted on 31 March 2009 | 2 comments

First off, I’m really glad that the teaching evaluations have been moved online: we don’t waste time in class, we can spend more time thinking about our comments, it’s more anonymous so you don’t need to be afraid of creating friction with your professor, and so on. Last term, I discovered that Arts classes asked many more questions than Science ones; it took me quite a while to answer each Arts class, but it was very thorough and I think it’s better that way to give instructors more feedback instead of less.

Generally, my classes have been very good and I don’t have much to complain about. But this term I do have quite a lot of comments to make, and was waiting patiently for the feedback forms, only to discover that the Arts evaluation forms have shortened considerably, to maybe about six multiple-choice questions about the class and six about the instructor. Gone are the boxes for additional comments — now all my remarks are left unsaid.

Quantitative results are imperative, of course, but so are qualitative ones. In fact, I’d argue that qualitative feedback is the best feedback to judge what is wrong with a course and how someone might be able to improve; quantitative feedback just gives a sweeping measure of how well you might be doing, with little to say why you’re in that particular position. It’s not as if I was saving this giant rant for the end of term: no, I wanted to point out a genuine problem and a very obvious solution. And now, most likely, future students are going to experience the same problem and will complain amongst themselves, but who’s going to hear them?

2 Comments

Posted in Academic, Faculty

Inflating Fees

Posted on 18 March 2009 | 2 comments

As you probably know, the latest UBC email reminds us that there is going to be a 2% fee increase in domestic and international tuition, among other things. Somehow, I never think it’s quite fair for international students to have to pay the “same” increase: 2% of $19,334 is not the same as 2% of $4343 — and that’s just if you’re an Arts student; most other faculties hit or surpass the $20,000 mark. It’s asking people who are already paying an arm and a leg to give up yet another limb; I wonder if there will be many more international students coming at the rate tuition fees skyrocket, and then where will we be, aspiring international university that we are?

My first reaction to the email was: “Again?” And then: “Inflation? What inflation?” Though when I think about it, I suppose there is inflation… in food prices, among other life necessities. No, I can’t see this announcement being very welcome, particularly in this current climate of everyone feeling poorer than before.

Although this may be rather irrational, I begin to wish for a re-vote of the SUB Renewal Project…

2 Comments

Posted in Academic, AMS, International

A Minor in Nothing

Posted on 9 March 2009 | 2 comments

After a lot of creeping around the web, I think I’ve come up with a theory as to why I can’t declare a minor on the online Student Services system:

According to this, you have to declare your major between 54 to 75 credits. I presume the same goes for any other specialization, including minors. Because I’m currently at the 80-something mark, I can’t add a minor. Granted, I don’t passionately want to minor in a particular subject right now; I was just experimenting to see if I could, in case I do want to do something in the future. The SSC gives me a big angry no. La botheration!

It’s a pity. I’ve spent the last couple of years fulfilling my science requirements and doing language courses; I’ve never done enough of anything besides English to know if I want to major or minor in it. I could have just picked a second specialization at random, but it’s fortunate I didn’t, because after the 76 credit mark it looks like you can’t drop your specialization(s) either. Good thing I like my current degree, eh? I’m not too thrilled at the prospect of fulfilling all the requirements for a major or minor I was throwing darts at.

So, second-year students thinking of what to major in next year: choose carefully!

As for me, my plan is to just keep doing my own thing for now and take electives in whatever takes my fancy at the moment. (In this respect, I feel like a first-year.) Maybe, at the end of the next two or three years that I plan on sticking around UBC, I’ll have met all the requirements for some other major or minor out there. Armed with my education, I will go to Arts Academic Advising and ask, beg or bribe with food and flowers to have them declare my specialization for me. No one, no one can reject delectables and floral arrangements! Unless they have various food allergies and/or hay fever, in which case, I need a Plan C…

2 Comments

Posted in Academic

Breaking Exam Schedules!

Posted on 9 February 2009 | 4 comments

Or maybe I’m just rather slow and this isn’t breaking news at all. I’ve been feeling very disorientated for the last few days. But it certainly feels like breaking news to me since someone just told me that exam schedules are out.

Of course, given that I’m only doing 3 courses this term and only have 2 finals, my schedule can’t possibly replicate my week from hell last term. My heart goes all out to those of you who have exams one after the other and starting from the first day of exam season, too, though.

4 Comments

Posted in Academic