Author Archives: Paulina Tsui

Of course I’m a bandwagoner.

Posted on by
Reply

I don’t mean for the Canucks. I mean for blogging about the riot.

Actually, this psycho analysis of the causes for the event pretty much sums up everything I want to say: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/737263-vancouver-riot-psychology-not-hooligans-is-responsibile-for-the-chaos?fb_ref=article_headline&fb_source=profile_oneline

I’m sorry but I hate it when I hear how people say that our city should be ashamed.  Man, I love this city! Not that rioting is ok or that it is anything we should be proud of, it was just the human reaction.

If you are into psychology and social phenomena (or can’t get straight in your mind why the hell things like WWII could occur with only one man at the helm… not that the article explains that but it did help me a little in figure it out.)

In other news, I got accepted to my 4th choice of exchange! (Yes, 4th.) ‘Till next time…

Groupon Now!

Posted on by
2

So you’ve heard of team buying right? aka “Groupon” and related sites

In case you haven’t, basically it is a “deal” that you buy online through a team buying site such as www.groupon.com where every day a different local business offers min 50% off from the regular price on a deal of some sort.  That’s right broke college kids like me, 50%. Minimum.  The only catch, you need a credit card to purchase.  Seriously, that is the only catch.  Unless someone has a bad experience they would like to share.

I’m beginning to feel like a commercial but honestly, it’s so cool I just have to share.

At work today I caught word of a new Groupon type thing launching tomorrow called Groupon Now!  Basically, you state your location (or let your phone find out where you are for you through an app)  and it will pull up deals that are running in your area sorted by category.  Unlike normal Groupons, there are multiple deals running on the same day.  Not only that, they may be time sensitive to the time of day the deals are active.

So you don’t really get too much flexibility for choosing when you get to use your deal, but it sounds pretty fun to explore the random stuff the city has to offer when it is all conveniently in a map-like application.

www.groupon.com/now

I swear this is not a commercial, it just looks so fun!

Here are some more team buying sites in case you were interested =) Please share if you know some good ones!

www.socialshopper.com
www.swarmjam.com
www.wagjag.com
www.livingsocial.com

Side note: you know what else is tomorrow?  A day that will go down in history.  Go Canucks go.

Held Up at Penpoint.

Posted on by
11

Dear UBC,

I am a 2nd year student at Sauder and today I am an unsatisfied student.  I’ll just be direct, I feel like I’m being robbed.  Please explain yourself.

Below is a screenshot of my tuition for 2010W Term 2 tuition.


All of my 3 credit courses cost $669.42, I have 2 Arts faculty electives: Japanese 200 level and social psychology.

Below is a screenshot of my friend’s tuition for 2010W Term 1 tuition. He is a 2nd year Arts student.

All of his 3 credit courses cost $451.80.  Notably, PSYC 305A which is a personality psychology class.

We are both 2nd year students, entered in the same year, same age, same citizenship, but different faculties (ok he also took personality psyc and I took social psyc but either way…) How is this fair?  Even if I took PSYC 305A 002 with the same prof in the same room, at the same time, learning the same things, I would still be paying $217.62 more.

In first year, both of our 3 credit courses cost $442.95.  Excluding first year, to graduate with a BCOM we need a minimum of an additional 18 credits of non-commerce electives.  Without factoring in annual tuition increases and tuition increases due to being in a higher year (which doesn’t make sense because arts doesn’t get that increase,) and the “time value of money” for you finance kids out there, this translates to $1305.72.

I suppose you can say that is a small price relative to a whole degree but that doesn’t mean it is justified.

Perhaps Sauder students should have to pay more because of our teachers/facilities.  No, that doesn’t justify why we have to pay more for courses not in our faculty.  I’m sorry, but this feels like robbery.  I paid it, but that doesn’t mean I signed up for it.  The school did not tell me I was paying more for my courses by being a Sauder student.

UBC, I’d like some answers.

Sincerely,

Paulina Tsui

@readers, What can I do about this?  I actually don’t know, someone please help me with a next step.

By the way, does anyone know how much non-commerce students have to pay when taking a commerce course?

Financial tip to incoming business students: take summer school in first year.  You get to pay first year fees for those courses and knock of some requirements at the same time.

Push it, push it.

Posted on by
Reply

Back from a short vacation in New York…  first thing I do after arriving home at 3 am?  Check my marks haha.

Surprisingly, I did better than I thought.

2nd year was much harder than 1st year and my marks reflect that.  Strangely though, I mentioned it before, I feel very chill and almost apathetic when it came to studying and putting in any extra effort.  I think I’ve reached that point where I have accepted that I am not going to score in the top percentiles anymore, so why not just enjoy the other joys of life more and settle.

*Steve Job’s commencement speech pops into head: DON’T SETTLE!*

I think I’m still recovering from that “you’re no longer one of the smart kids” blow.  Sometimes I find myself pushing the limits of the minimum amount I need to study and still get above my minimum standard.  What happened to the me that chased ideals instead of heading backwards to my minimums?

I did it back in high school too, just not with my grades.  I did it with my wake up times.  How late can I wake up and still make it to school on time?  Then everyday I would wake up later and later until the day I was late.  Then I realized that showing up late wasn’t a big deal and my new limit became how late can I be before the teachers start caring.

Thank god for summer vacation.  I don’t want these mind sets anymore.

Still the best part of University: I feel like I’m growing up faster than ever before.  (which I probably would anyway but “University” is the title of this chapter of my life)

Watching History Unfold.

Posted on by
Reply

UBC LipDub. If you haven’t seen it, well get a move on.  If you have, watch it again.  Every view contributes donations to the Make a Wish Foundation!

The epicness of this video, the whole fact that this video is all over my Facebook feed and the fact I’m seeing all this love for our community makes up for waking up at 9 am on a Saturday morning to dance in a rain poncho.

Okay fine, getting to see Marianas Trench for a brief second already made up for it. =P

I hope my remaining years at UBC will have moments like this again.  I passed by the launch party today at Robson square and I was planning to stay for a song or two, but there was that feeling of community hovering in the air.  It drew me in and I stayed out in the cold for two hours.  I hate it when people are all up in each other’s face with UBC/SCHOOL PRIDE and I can’t say that this video made me gain pride for being a Thunderbird (although I must admit I did chant that day.)  However, the video made me, for once, feel that we’re not just separate segments of people who happen to gather at the same 993 acres of land every week.

(Did anyone else notice the product placement for the Compass Translink cards at the end? =( good by old UPass system)

The only fair thing in the world: Time

Posted on by
5

All the worries of my days in university so far have all been fixated around time.  There’s so much time spent on things like commuting, breaks that are too long but not long enough between classes, time spent on recovering energy from commuting too long (which by the way doesn’t make any  but I still do it.)  And the procrastination.  Oh my all the procrastination.  By the time the weekend comes along I still don’t feel like I have enough time and then the weekend passes like it never even came.

Yesterday Robert Herjavec, one of the Dragon’s from CBC’s The Dragon’s Den came to speak about what mostly seemed like inspiration.  He told us a story about a time when Arnold Schwarzenegger went to speak at a university and a student was upset about the tuition increase proposals.  The student said that a tuition increase would mean that he would have to get a job.  Arnold said so what?  The student then argues that getting a job means less time to study, and he’ll do bad in school and he won’t have any sleep (I bet that sounds familiar).  Arnold asks him how many hours he needs to sleep.  Boy replies 8.  Arnold says 6 is enough.  Boy says 6 is not enough for him.  Arnold says “sleep faster.”

Were you waiting for something deeper?

Herjavec’s presentation was indeed deep, that was just something he said that I really wanted to share.

Anyway, the majority of the presentation was about achieving success.  He said that if you’re poor, or if you’re ugly, or if you’re just stuck with some bad dispositions, of course it’s going to be harder for you.  And then the next point he made stuck with me so much, the only equal playing field we have is the fact that we all have the same amount of time.

Think about someone you admire, or someone you envy.  What are they doing with their time that you aren’t?  Why aren’t you?

That is so easy to say but it’s not like I’m satisfied with every action I make.  But I’m working on it, maybe it’s all a part of growing up.  (…Am I going to be 30 years old some day and still being saying stuff like “it’s a part of growing up?”)

Sauder Love Affair

Posted on by
Reply

In the summer of 2009, before first year, I was at a party with my friends.   We were young and hopeful and talking about what we were going to be up to for the next 4 years.  We went around the circle and when it got to me some friends immediately told me about how business, especially Sauder, changes people.  People change everyday, but Sauder was going to change me into a cold blooded money and status hungry jerk of some sort.  I was told horror stories of fake smiles and false friendships that are made to screw you over.

I’m not saying that Sauder doesn’t do these things, but I’m not saying that they do either.  Like everything, it just depends.  (Don’t you hate that answer?)  Honesty, because I am a business student myself it’s hard to tell.  Every faculty has their stereotype.  Engineers are supposed to be nerds that hang VWs on bridges, Arts are probably on a Mac in a Cafe dressed in skinny jeans, Science is in the library so I don’t know what they look like and Sauderites go to class in suits (actually this point is true.) Everyone else?  Actually, I can’t think of any good ones, let me know if you have any.

Once I bumped into a friend that I hadn’t seen in 6 years at UBC and she asked me what faculty I was in.  I said business and she immediately made a face and then a smirk.  “Oh… you’re in Sauder…”

But I make that face right along with her.

I can’t figure out why.  There is just a bad aura floating around Sauder.  For one, we separated ourselves from the UBC community with our own name, but that is just how business schools roll these days (ie. Rotman.)  I am whole-heartedly thankful for this Mr. Sauder who is making my education possible and he does deserve his name on it, but you can’t deny that it builds a little wall.

I believe I am “doomed” to be changed by my faculty.  Just hanging out with friends in other faculties feel different.  Especially after those days where school, work, home and study is life, suddenly talking to someone who isn’t going through the only things you are exposed to feels extremely foreign.  Actually, it can be quite refreshing too though.  However I do worry if I have “changed” in a bad way.  Stereotypes do come from somewhere…

Fun thing: If you are ever on Granville Island and are passing by Emily Carr, try to find a student in their library on anything that is not a Mac! Good luck!

I must admit, Sauder is helpful in making sure we won't embarrass ourselves in the wrong washroom though =)

Going Global Part 2: Post Application Thoughts

Posted on by
Reply

I posted a post a few weeks ago about applying to Go Global (exchange) where I was debating between Manchester University in England and Keio University in Tokyo. In the end, I actually applied to, in order of first choice to last, Hong Kong University, Keio University and a Shanghai Summer Program.

Let’s just say, at the time of that earlier post, I hadn’t done enough research as I should have yet and didn’t realize a few set backs and almost missed out on some amazing opportunities. So I have  some tips:

Start your application early.
Early as in December, and if it is something that you really want do, at least have it in the back of your mind (which it probably will if you’re dying to go like me.) I had ideas in my head, I thought I would be able to fill out the forms in max two weeks and it’ll be a breeze.  If you’re in commerce, it’s not as much of a breeze because you will have to make a rough plan of all the courses you will take until you graduate.  I was actually kind of surprised other faculties don’t have to do this because it felt like like something they would have to consider too.

Despite the point above, It’s never too late.
I know some people who decided they were going the night before the deadline.  At the info sessions there were 4th years who were going to go on their last semester which isn’t usually allowed.  If you want it, go get it =)

Advisors aren’t scary.
I don’t know this for a fact because I am always too scared to talk to them, but I don’t know else is going to be able to help you more.

Don’t forget why you’re going.
Don’t lose that fire just because you stayed up crafting that beautiful “why you want to go” essay and didn’t get any sleep and forgot what you wrote it.  For schools with limited spots or an excess of applications, there may be interviews.   I went to one today and I walked out of that room feeling pretty bad.  Nervous, as always, I couldn’t say the things I wanted to.  When I started replaying the events, I realize I didn’t mention the fire, there were these special classes that I really wanted to take, the reason why I chose that school first with a solid “yes this is it.”  And the feeling of having a fire and not letting it burn for others to see feels like you set yourself in ashy flames… let your fire shine!  (man that’s lame sounding)

You will need two references that are teachers or TAs (at least one a teacher) but all you will need is their name.
Another reason to start earlier…

There are paper AND online components.

It’s not as hard as this post is making it sound.
It’s an easy process once you know what you want to do.

Hands down the most important class.

Posted on by
2

Hands down the most important class I took in high school that has helped me the most in succeeding in university…

English.

Ok, so it’s more like a subject than a class but you get what I mean. Seriously though, those reading and writing skills… boy do they mean a lot.  There were times where I thought, “whatever man, I’m in business, reading and writing? Pfft! English is my first language, I did great in English 12, I’m fine with what I got.” Even though there isn’t a huge requirement for writing and comprehension skills in the business faculty, they have seriously been a huge asset.

1) Get through questions faster because I can read them faster.

2) Spend less time constructing sentences and more time constructing sentences for answers.

3) Study time is cut shorter because I can read the book with less re-reading.


And even with English as my first (and for the most part, only) language, being in university has made me realize how much I am still lacking in it.  Looking back, I wish I had read more and conversed with people more.  Well, life is a continuous learning circle.

I often think the point of elementary school was to do well in high school and the point of high school was to do well in university.  So what’s the point of university?  To do well at work?  Is that what we are all aiming for?  I know I am looking at it in a very black and white way, but it seems almost too… soulless. I could very well be wrong.  What do you think?



What is the most-helpful-to-your-life-after-high-school high school class that you took?