Lame /leɪm/:
(adj) Walking around campus for an hour at night trying to find parties and failing to do so
That pretty much sums up Part 1 of A Commuter Student’s Tale of Experiencing UBC Nightlife, a bestseller no doubt. And the party we were originally eyeing was the Soc Student’s Midnight Terror De-Stresser/Bzzr Garden which turned 1) to be really really empty even at 10pm and 2) was for 19+ despite what was stated on the promo pages. Grr.
This is what my schedule looked like this past weekend.
Friday:
Classes 9am – 12pm
Work in Richmond 1pm – 4:30pm
Meeting (back to UBC) 5:30pm – 7:00pm
Wandering around campus looking for parties (more about this next entry) 7:30pm – 9pm
Work on contract job 10pm-2am
Saturday:
Volunteer 7am – 12:30pm
Work in Richmond 2pm – 10pm
Sunday:
Volunteer 7am – 12:30pm
Group project 1:30pm – 6pm
Got home 7pm
Three Day Total
Spent working: 13.5 hours
Spent volunteering: 11 hours
Spent bussing: 8 hours
Spent sleeping: 10 hours
Although I’m exhausted and am coming down with a cold, I loved every minute of my weekend, especially the volunteering part. I only wish I live closer to the school =(
How was your weekend?
Listening to: Music of the Night by Paul Potts
(Credit)
On the 480 UBC bus the other day, two guys were talking.
Guy 1: Hey have you ever noticed that in UBC, NO ONE EVER RUNS TO CLASS?!
Guy 2: Yea dude. Do YOU want to be the guy running like crazy?
Guy 1: Haha… well sometimes they do like these short sprints … for a block or so and then they stop because they realize they look like an idiot.
Wow, how amazingly true and accurate is this?! Personally, I absolutely hate showing up to class late so for the first week or so, I always did an odd combination of jogging and speedwalking when I had back-to-back classes in Buchanan and ICICS (south tip of campus, argh!). However, any time I did this I felt extremely out of place amongst the casually-strolling student population. In fact, I fully expected someone to come up to me and say “Where’s the fire?!”
Am I in the minority for being so self-conscious?
So the next time you have a break, stand at a busy location (the bookstore intersection is great) on the hour and observe the frantic decision-making that’s going on in the heads of students late for class.
How long will it take me to get to Econ if I speedwalk? Am I late? Should I run? Will I look like an idiot? Wait better question, will anyone NOTICE me looking like an idiot? Screw this I’m running… uh-oh uh-oh abnormally long scarf getting caught in boots… coffee spilling… INCOMING TREE!! WHAM.
Did anyone else notice that – in Sauder especially – an interview is required for EVERYTHING?! Want to be a club exec? Come in for an interview. Feel like volunteering at UBC? Sign up for the interview. Need to use the vending machine? Interview with the Coffee Crisp first =D (the last one involves munching on my part XD). I guess it’s only fitting that a business school is promoting a common industry practice.
Time for a confession: I actually LOOOOVE interviews! I mean, come on, when else am I going to have the opportunity to talk about myself for fifteen minutes straight and at the same time holding the undivided attention of three seniors?! Jolly good.
So I’ve done three or four of these, mostly for business-related clubs/organizations/events. Here’s what I learned and observed.
The Set-Up. Usually the room is set up so that there is a table between the interviewers and the interviewee. The most common number of interviewers is three (occasionally two, rarely one). The tribunal setup maybe a little intimidating for people, but it should be enjoyable because 1) you will be able to maintain eye contact with at least one person at all times 2) your attention is divided so you don’t spend the entire interview wondering if the one person who decides your fate likes you. So far the lovely folks I met all had laptops and took notes as I spoke. I wasn’t very accustomed to this at first… imagine saying “so I think I’m suitable because…” and hearing three laptops going tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap-tap…
The Interviewers. They all seem like fun, amazing, and extremely nice people, seriously (and this applies to the positions I didn’t get as well, so I’m not just saying it)! It was more of a chat than a nerveswrecking process really, thanks to the interviewers who are our peers. There’s usually a round of introductions and handshaking when I went in, before getting down to business. I had questions every time and they always enthusiastically answered all of them.
The Dress Code. Most of the ones I went to were completely casual, ie. show up in your regular school clothes. One recommended “business casual” which translates to simply “clean and well-groomed”. No suits yet, no surprises there.
The Questions. Pretty standard, run-of-the mill things that gives one plenty of opportunity to talk about oneself. Hurray. Here they are… if my memory doesn’t fail me
The notification. I heard back from my interviewers within three days either by phone or by email. Phone rejection hurts, but what kind of rejection doesn’t haha? The other exciting part is reading the group emails and seeing who else got in! So that’s my take on interviews (don’t ask me about university admissions interviews, they’re so effin terrifying! *shudders*)
P.S. – PANCAKE BREAKFAST IN FRONT OF HENRY ANGUS, MONDAY OCT 7 (8:30AM – 10:30AM), do not miss out!
Dear Anonymous Student,
When you wasted five minutes of the class’s time on the proper way address the guest professor who was filling in for the day, I did not mind. We all like a little curiosity. However, when – a few minutes later – you waved your hand in the air again interrupting the prof’s lecture, you got my attention. Our prof nodded to give you the chance to speak, at which point you proceeded on a full-out rant on how useless you thought this course was, how you failed to understand its real-life applications, and how you believed the textbook “got nowhere” in its “vagueness” after six chapters. The prof decided to push back his lecture and open a little discussion.
Then, Anonymous Student, we heard about your “extensive experience in managing” others as well as a detailed, play-by-play description of some interview you participated in for a company. Furthermore, you stated that you are not convinced that this course would help you in the future, and that it was “almost like psychology”, and that because it lacked the quantitative precisions of disciplines like calculus, accounting, and other courses in your “background”, it is unworthy of the attention of academia (I paraphrase of course, though I believe I put it more eloquently, hmm?)
Anonymous Student, there were more than fifty other students in the room plus a professor who had a Doctorate on the subject and is renowned for his expertise in the field. Although you had every right to voice your concerns about the curriculum, I can’t help but think that during a LECTURE by a GUEST might not have been the best place to do it. I commend the said professor for giving you unlimited floor time to talk and for appreciating your challenging questions. Though for me personally, I think I got your point the FIRST THREE TIMES you made it.
I’m sure there were people in the room who agreed with parts of what you said. I FOR ONE would be willing to listen to you after class or in a small group setting with the professor during office hours. However, the manner in which you presented your displeasure was completely unprofessional, inconsiderate and disrespectful.
With your confident – though slightly verbose – speaking abilities, I have no doubt that you will have success in future meetings with clients and employers. However, I couldn’t help but notice how VERY ironic it was when you said that you believed you were a “good manager” and that the course’s material paled in comparison to the experience you got from the real world. If there was one person who needed to take this course on management and motivation, it would be you.
Regrettably yours,
Phoebe Yu
P.S. – I still think you are a wonderful person and probably a brilliant student. But yesterday, your actions and words were disappointing.