Photos of UBC Campus

Posted on January 31, 2015 by margaretelle

Hope the new year and new term is going well for everyone! I just had my first midterm on Friday. Good luck to everyone who has midterms coming up!

I’ve been taking pictures of UBC with my phone since school started. I’ve only taken pictures on days where it wasn’t raining haha. Enjoy!

September 2014

October 2014

November 2014

December 2014

This picture isn’t great but if you look closely you can see the famous Carter the UBC coyote 🙂

January 2015

And a last one to represent all of January’s foggy days

Term 1 Course Review

Posted on December 29, 2014 by margaretelle

Hope everyone is having a wonderful winter break!

I haven’t blogged in a while so I decided to write briefly about the courses I took this semester. I hope this will help some people out!

Economics 101

This course can be pretty interesting depending on the professor. My prof was very friendly however I found myself falling asleep quite a few times. Some caffeine did help me survive the afternoon class though! The textbook is pretty straightforward and is helpful when trying to understand concepts along with your lecture notes. There is math in this course but it is very basic math. Unfortunately if you never learned a formula to calculate something in class and it’s not in the textbook, it may appear on mid-terms or the final exam and that’s how you can get screwed over. If you do plan to take this course don’t slack off because trying to understand and memorize all the concepts with little time before your first mid-term is not a good idea. Some profs are harder than others, I was nervous for my two mid-terms and final exam even though my prof might be considered a little bit easier than a couple of the other ones. But I wasn’t the only one who was nervous.

In my opinion this isn’t a easy, GPA-boosting course. But it can be useful to understand the basics of the world of economics.

Words 150

This was one of my easier classes

In my opinion his mandatory course for Arts students is very useful. You learn to do things such as learning how to write research papers and analyze scholarly articles, which is something you will likely have to do in the future. Be prepared to read at least one 15-30 page scholarly article on a weekly basis, along with textbook readings and assignments. This course can have a heavy workload depending on the professor. I was lucky enough to have a prof that did not assign loads of assignments. It can be boring if your prof isn’t great so if you can choose your professor be sure to check out ratemyprofessors.com before registering for a class. My prof was friendly, helpful, and gave us a very straightforward mid-term and final exam.

EOSC 114 – Natural Disasters

I took this course online because I heard it was a easy elective and there wasn’t any room to take it on campus.

Within a month I realized it was NOT that easy. WHYYY

A lot of the questions on the quizzes required further/deeper thinking since they were all open book. I’ve also heard rumours that they’ve made this course harder than previous years.

It was kinda interesting in the beginning but then it became very boring. Earthquakes and volcanoes are cool but when the course moved to the units about storms, waves, tsunamis, meteor impacts, I was not engaged at all. But if you like that stuff then you should totally take this course! This course is mostly just memorization with a little bit of simple math, but you’re given all the formulas so don’t worry about that. I don’t even remember there being any math in the final exam! The final exam was a lot better than I expected and the group portion helped my mark a lot. Yay for teamwork!

Maybe this course is more interesting in person since a couple of my friends who took it on campus enjoyed it.

Math 110

This is a full year course, so it moves at a good pace for those who aren’t that strong in math or don’t want to stress too much over math. The textbook is useless and the workshops are pretty pointless in my opinion. Webwork can be a pain if you leave it all for the weekend so try to get some questions done during the week. The course uses this really helpful program called Piazza where you can ask the instructors and other people taking the course for help on homework and Webwork questions. And Webwork questions tend to be very similar so you can work on it with your friends

I’m in the middle of taking this course so I’ll have a better review at the end of next term. The mid-terms have been okayish but hard questions have shown up.

Enjoy the rest of your break everyone!

Food Places On Campus I’ve Tried So Far

Posted on November 8, 2014 by margaretelle

Sorry for the lack of posts, school has been pretty busy lately, but I finished my last midterm yesterday!

I’ve been exploring food places on campus these past couple of months. Here’s a list of food places on campus that I’ve tried so far and what I think of them! The Pit Burger Bar

Location: the SUB basement

This is one of my favourite places to grab lunch! The prices are very affordable and the food is delicious! I’ve tried the cheeseburger, waffle fry poutine, waffle fries, and regular fries. Their waffle fries are SO GOOD!

Mercante

Location: Ponderosa Commons Expensive, but worth it! I tried their pizza and I can confirm that the rumours that their pizza is really good are true. It is pretty pricey but sharing with a friend works to cut down the cost. I also got lasagna there, it was tasty at first but there was just too much cheese for me so I didn’t enjoy it in the end. But you should definitely get the pizza!

Blue Chip Cookies

Location: the SUB I got the Marbleous cookie and it was probably one of the best cookies I’ve ever had. I highly recommend getting a cookie from here if you want a light snack!

Simply Pasta

Location: Pacific Spirit Place in the SUB

Their pasta is decent and very filling but worth the price since you get a big portion! You can choose the type of pasta you want, the sauce, and the type of meat you want to go with your pasta, It’s a bit too much for one person but not enough for two people to share, however if you’re really hungry it should be okay!

Honour Roll

Location: the SUB basement One word, dry. Maybe I have high expectations when it comes to sushi but I found it dry and expensive for the quality and taste.

UBC Bookstore’s Corner Store

Location: UBC Bookstore Good for if you’re in a rush and need a quick lunch. They have food like salads, wraps, sushi, and cold noodles. The food isn’t bad or overpriced and it looks pretty fresh!

Bernoulli’s Bagels

Location: the SUB Healthy and cheap if you’re looking for good food at a low price! They have lots of Bagel sandwiches and bagels to choose from that are good for breakfast or lunch.

UBC Sprouts: Community Eats

Location: the SUB basement, every Friday 11:30am-1:30pm Bring your own reusable container and they’ll fill it up with a delicious vegetarian lunch! And it’s by-donation so you can donate any amount you’d like.

Agora Cafe

Location: H.R. MacMillan Building (Land and Food Systems) It’s a cute student volunteer-run cafe with affordable light entrees and snacks. Their ingredients include lots of organic and locally grown foods. They also have the famous Agora Sandwich, which I have yet to try. And they have baked goods for $1 if you’re looking for a little treat.

The Loop Cafe

Location: CIRS (Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability) I’ve only tried their herbal lemonade (which was very refreshing) but the food looks good and the prices aren’t bad.

Triple O’s

Location: Henry Angus Building (Sauder School of Business) I love Triple O’s and I was so happy when I found out they have a location at UBC! The burgers are great and if you go on Tuesdays they’re cheaper than usual. I also find their customer service very friendly. Their Oreo Milkshakes taste like heaven.

Tim Hortons

Locations: Henry Angus Building (Sauder School of Business) and Forest Sciences Centre

I was so excited when I saw Tim Hortons at UBC. It’s great for cheap coffee, beverages, donuts, and other baked goods. TIMBITS ARE THE BEST! And the one in the Forest Sciences building has affordable wraps and sandwiches.

Starbucks

Locations: the SUB, the UBC Bookstore, and Fred Kaiser I LOVE Starbucks and I was so excited when I found out that UBC has 3 locations. Can be expensive, especially if you go very often. I try to limit myself to once a week, I really only need it on the days when I have to be at school from 9am-6pm. When I’m craving Starbucks and I want to save money I usually just get their iced teas.

How to Survive Raincouver

Posted on September 27, 2014 by margaretelle

HAPPY AUTUMN! Autumn is one of my favourite seasons 🙂

So lately it’s been raining almost everyday in Vancouver. And this is just the beginning. For those who are new to Vancouver, it usually rains a lot more. According to the weather app on my phone it’s supposed to rain EVERYDAY next week. I’m one of those few people who love the rain so I don’t mind!

Here are 5 tips on how to survive on campus during the rainy Autumn ahead of us!

1. Carry an Umbrella Around

Keeping a small one in your backpack just in case there’s unexpected rainfall is a good idea if you don’t want to carry around a big umbrella. I recommend getting a good umbrella like a Fulton brand one which are sold at The Hudson’s Bay Company or an umbrella from The Umbrella Shop since it’ll last you longer. Sometimes it gets super windy when it rains so you will want a sturdy umbrella. 2. Buy a Waterproof Backpack

Unfortunately those pretty Herschel backpacks and Jansport backpacks won’t survive Raincouver. I highly recommend purchasing a good quality waterproof/water resistant backpack for those rainy days. It’ll keep all your stuff dry! And no one likes it when their notebooks and other important stuff get soaked. When it comes to waterproof backpacks, I personally like Dakine backpacks, you find them at the UBC Bookstore and at Sport Chek. If you’re looking for something more affordable there’s a store called Bentley (locations @ Park Royal, Metrotown, Oakridge, Brentwood), this store has a large selection of different brands. 3. Purchase a Rain Jacket/Windbreaker

Any waterproof jacket will do, it’ll keep you dry and warm. 4. Invest in a pair of Rain Boots

Sadly your sneakers, stylish suede boots, and Uggs won’t be able to handle big puddles. Getting a pair of rain boots is a guaranteed way of keeping your feet dry when it rains. However there are some leather boots (such as those Timberland ones) that are waterproof, you just have to shop around. I personally love Hunter rain boots. But if you don’t want to spend $100+ on rain boots, there are a lot of affordable rain boots around town (check out Softmoc). 5. Carry a plastic bag to keep your wet umbrella inside

If you don’t feel like just putting your umbrella on the floor and leaving a puddle, keeping a small plastic shopping bag for your umbrella will contain the wetness Hope you found this helpful!

First Week at UBC, What I’ve Learned and What I Want To Learn

Posted on September 6, 2014 by margaretelle

My first week at UBC has been exciting but also tiring. I’m glad the sun came out for the rest of the week after that gloomy Imagine Day.

This week I was fortunate enough to only have classes on Wednesday and Friday.

On Wednesday my bus was running very slow do to construction on the route it goes by so I was LATE for my VERY first class at university!

I was very worried when I got off the bus at 8:50am since my first class was at 9am and it was all the way in the Geography Building! I tried to walk as fast as I could but I was also worried I would get lost so I kept on looking at the map I had in my hand. I ended up being 5 minutes late for class but it was okay since some other people in my class were running late as well. I quickly found my friend who saved me a seat and tried to absorb as much information as I could. I was a bit confused at first since the professor already started talking but luckily she said all the information she told us would be on her website.

I was early for my next class but for some reason EVERYONE was inside already and the professor already started her lesson.

So once again I was kind of confused. Unfortunately didn’t meet anyone in that class since I didn’t find anyone to sit with. But I ended up dropping that class after school.

I had a hard time finding my third class. It’s in one of the Ponderosa buildings and I had trouble finding the area. I had to ask 3 people (who were very helpful) and I finally found my class! I was about 10 minutes late for that class but luckily I didn’t miss much and other students were still coming in.

Finally it was time for my three hour break! Which I spent eating lunch and wandering around looking for my friends. There was also lots of free stuff around the campus including free food!

Finally it was time for my last class of the day. I arrived early and I didn’t miss anything the professor said! The class went by quickly and I realized I just survived my first day at UBC! I was very happy to have a day off on Thursday!

Fortunately, Friday went by more smoothly than Wednesday. I took a different bus this time and ended up being 10 minutes early for my first class. I also didn’t get lost at all on Friday! At the end of the day, all I wanted to do was sleep!

What I’ve Learned:

Wear a hood when sleeping on the bus. If you find the bar on the chair too hard to rest on, rest your head on the window! And if you’re a germaphobe like me, wear a hood to protect your head.
Wear comfortable shoes. You’re going to be doing quite a bit of walking all day so make sure your shoes don’t make your feet cry.
Follow UBC Twitter Accounts. Many of these accounts are very informative and let you know about cool things happening around the campus.
Don’t be afraid to ask. If you’re lost, don’t be afraid to approach someone for help. Students at UBC are very helpful!

What I Want To Learn:

Where and what are the best places to get food? I’ve heard of a few good food places so far but I want to know more!
Where are washrooms? Sometimes it’s hard to find washrooms in buildings! So far I’ve only used the washrooms in Collegia because my friend let me in and the ones in the Sauder building because my sister showed me where they are!
What are the best study spots? I haven’t done any studying yet but I want to find out where I should go when that time of year comes around.

IMAGINE DAY #IAMUBC

Posted on September 6, 2014 by margaretelle

I was a bit nervous about Imagine Day on Monday night but I was excited for a fresh start at university.

I got up at 6:15am to get ready for Imagine Day. I thought we had to meet our orientation leaders right at 8:30am so I didn’t want to be late. It turns out we could’ve met up with them at anytime between 8:30-9:00am.

The day was going smoothly since my bus arrived on time, but as the bus drove over to the UBC bus loop, I looked out the window… RAIN!

As much as I love the rain…I WAS REALLY HOPING IT WOULDN’T RAIN ON IMAGINE DAY. However I was wearing a windbreaker and I brought a small umbrella just in case so I was prepared.

After I met up with my friendly orientation leader and met the rest of my orientation group we went over to the Chan Centre for the Meet the Dean session. The dean gave a nice speech to welcome us to the Faculty of Arts, but my favourite part was when the cute Arts Owl came out!

The rest of the day consisted of a campus tour, meet a professor session, lunch, and a pep rally. It was pouring rain all day so I didn’t get to many good pictures outside.

During the pep rally I felt my the people around me weren’t too pumped and I felt a bit awkward at times.

But the pep rally was still cool. Some faculties (like Engineering) were super pumped!

I liked the music and the speeches were interesting to listen to. UBC’s President, Professor Gupta even accepted the ASL Ice Bucket Challenge!

My favourite part of the day was when my orientation leader took us to the Buchanan Courtyard to get free swag such as clipboards and water bottles.

Overall Imagine Day was nice despite the bad weather. I liked meeting new people and getting more familiar with UBC.

Getting Ready for School… By Going to the States

Posted on September 1, 2014 by margaretelle

Hi everyone welcome to my first blog post!

I hope I’ll have enough things to write about this school year since my life isn’t that exciting but I think my first year at UBC will be quite eventful.

Last week I went with my older sister to get my U-Pass and UBC Card. There wasn’t even a line to get UBC cards so I got mine really quickly! Unfortunately, my UBC card picture is kind of bad but I’ll have to suck it up for a few years.

I’ve always felt that UBC is really big and confusing but my sister showed me around and helped me find my first semester classes so I feel less lost now. I still find the campus confusing but at least I know where my classes are! I’m definitely looking forward to the campus tour during Imagine Day tomorrow, hopefully I’ll feel more comfortable for my first day of classes.

My family went on a trip to Seattle for three days this past weekend. We went sightseeing around downtown Seattle and of course, shopping. I was really looking forward to some back to school shopping so we were lucky enough to find a hotel across from this huge mall called Westfield Southcenter in Tukwila. I live in Burnaby and I always go to Metrotown, and this mall is almost as big as Metrotown so I was very satisfied. We went to West Southcenter two days in a row which gave me plenty of time to get some clothes and get a new backpack. On our last day we stopped by the Seattle Premium Outlets, it’s known for its brand name stores with amazing deals. I got a lot of clothes from there since they were having really good Labour Day Weekend sales. If you have some spare time and want to get some shopping done there’s a bus that does round trips from Vancouver to Seattle with a stop at the Seattle Premium Outlets. I’ve never tried it myself but here’s a link if you’re interested! http://www.quickcoach.com/index.htm

There was a Target right beside our hotel so I went a bit crazy buying school supplies. They have a way better selection and better prices than the Targets we have up here in Canada. Target was having a big sale on school supplies so I stocked up on lots of notebooks!

After my trip to Seattle, I feel I am well rested and ready for Imagine Day and my very first week at UBC! The email I got from UBC last week about Imagine Day was very helpful and I’m looking forward to it. Even though it is the last day of summer vacation, it’s still exciting to start a new chapter in my life.

Better Than Words

Story of My Life