Category Archives: Residence

March 30, 2015 · 6:42 pm

Making the Most of Your Residence Meal Plan

I realize that the timing of this post won’t be great for most (all?) current students, but with any luck it’ll be useful to incoming rezzies in the fall. The reason I am making this post today is: with only two weeks of classes left in my entire undergraduate degree, I still have money left on my UBC card. Yes, all the way back from first year residence.

So. How did I do it? First of all, let me just say that I don’t eat as much as, say, a varsity athlete. So this obviously isn’t going to work for people who eat more than I do. But, this is how I did it:

  1. I didn’t eat breakfast or lunch in the cafeteria. At least not on weekdays. I kept milk in the communal fridge (at least until the last month when it kept getting stolen) and kept cereal, fruit, and sandwich supplies in my room which I would use to pack lunches to eat at school. Most of this I also bought from Shoppers or that supermarket in University Village, because we all know the convenience stores really charge for the convenience. (This also leaves you Flex dollars to work with later.) The bottom line here is, anything the cafeteria sells is overpriced, and anything you make/buy yourself will be cheaper. It also gets you out the door faster in the morning.
  2. I didn’t always buy unnecessary things. I’m talking name-brand ice creams, ice creams and desserts in general. I mean yeah, I got the occasional dessert, but paying $5 for a Reese’s ice cream bar? I don’t think so.
  3. I didn’t eat at Flex locations very often. I packed my own lunches, and in the evening I was too lazy to walk anywhere from Totem, so I didn’t get takeout much. I still don’t. A lot of places that take the UBC card are just as expensive or more so than the cafeteria, so this saves Flex dollars.

That’s basically it. I understand that everyone has different eating habits, and not everyone is as thrifty as me, so not everyone will be able to pull this off. But meal plan dollars don’t expire, so in later years if you’re forced to eat dinner on campus or you forgot to pack a lunch one day, it’s pretty nice to pop into Pacific Spirit Place and grab some Subway or get yourself a treat from Triple O’s without paying out of your pocket.

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July 24, 2013 · 3:55 pm

An Open Letter to My First Year Dorm Room

Dear dorm room,

It’s been more than a year since I last saw you, but every now and then I miss you. You were an island of familiarity in an ocean of uncertainties. You were walls I could hide behind when I needed to cry, and you were the place I could blast my music (at reasonable volumes, of course) and dance around and get pumped up. You were my study space, my dining room, my movie theatre and my Sunday sleep-in. You were cozy and warm when it rained and let the sun in when it showed its face.

I unfolded my personality all over your walls, and filled the drawers with little bits of memories – and soon I was bringing in momentos of new experiences, too. You were filled up with “me,” and you were my home base so that I could venture out and start building my own life.

I have to say, I have greatly enjoyed moving on to my own apartment, but I still think of you and smile. You were a place I could always come back to, and you were like a friend in a place where I knew no one.

I certainly wasn’t the first friend you ever knew, and I wasn’t the last, either. It’s good to know you’ll be there to be a little piece of home for excited and anxious first years in the future.

Sincerely,

A former bewildered first year.

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July 4, 2013 · 9:00 am

Things I Wish I Knew Before UBC

Looking back on my first year, I remember it well; how it felt, what I did, mistakes I made. Perhaps I can impart a little of my wisdom to those coming to UBC for the first time this fall. Here are some things I wish I knew before coming to UBC.

  • Put yourself out there. I am a shy person; I’ve said it many times. The mistake I made was always shutting myself up in my dorm room, studying for long hours (which is a good thing, I suppose) and keeping my door shut where I was beyond the reach of other humans. You’ve probably heard a million times all the reasons you should keep your dorm room door open; however I would take it a step further and say get out of your room in general more. I needed to learn how to just hang out, how to just show up at a friend’s room and just chill in there so I wasn’t always alone.
  • Stop competing. You’re entering university. It is guaranteed that there will be people who are smarter than you or better than you at some things. That doesn’t matter, so stop comparing yourself! What’s important is your own personal journey – so only race against yourself. Need more convincing? Click here.
  • Don’t blow all your money on stuff you don’t need. Although I’m generally a very frugal person, I am guilty of occasionally spending on stuff I don’t need. Ask yourself if this is something that you genuinely do need to spend your money on (like textbooks, or rain boots), or something that is just a want (like Starbucks – do you know how much you spend if you buy coffee every day?!)
  • Explore the city more. If you’re coming to UBC from outside the lower mainland, it could be that after your time at UBC is up – and time goes by fast, believe me – you won’t get to come back to Vancouver much. Campus is a big place and definitely needs to be explored, but make the trek to the bus loop and get a feel for the city as well.

Got more suggestions? Got questions? Leave them in the comments!

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March 25, 2013 · 8:25 pm

A Face in the Crowd

For the last couple of days, I’ve been thinking. (I know, an abnormal occurrence at a university.) On Saturday I attended the March Welcome Event for MUG Leaders, and there were two things that happened that made me reflect on how I’ve been spending my time at UBC. The first was when one of the coordinators said: “Think back to August before you came to UBC. What were you excited about? What were you afraid of?” The second one was re-watching old Imagine Day pep rally videos.

These things reminded me of when I entered UBC: inspired and wanting to pack each day as full as I could with new experiences so I could really make this amazing campus mine, and so that I would be someone who was a part of UBC, not just a face in the crowd. I think I did a pretty good job of that last year; I attended lots of events, got pretty involved, met lots of people, did lots of exploring, and really delved into my studies. It was easier then, though; I lived on campus and everything was right outside my bedroom door.

Now, in my second year, though I practically am still living on campus, not living in residence can make it more of a challenge to be involved and become part of a community on campus. The beginning of the year was new and exciting, with new courses, and living in a new situation and responsibilities to learn to navigate. However, this year I feel like I settled in after a while. I didn’t go to as many events, and though I am involved in a couple of clubs and am continuing to blog, I didn’t take on anything really new and I’ve spent way less time exploring campus. I’ve become a little bit of a commuter student who wants to get home as soon as possible.

I recognize that I am an introverted person and that being the next chair of the SLC is not something that I would enjoy, but next year I resolve to try at least one new thing. Whether it’s a volunteering position or a new club (sailing sounds interesting?) or a work-study position, I want to do something more to be part of my university. After all, I’ve only got two more years left!

I realize that it’s a bit late for me to do much this year, but I have taken the step of running for (and winning) the position of treasurer of the Knitting and Sewing Club. It’s a fairly small club so I don’t think it should take so much time that I can’t get involved in other activities, but it’ll be one more thing I’m actively involved in.

For the remaining month or so before summer, I’ll be heading over to our campus’s lovely gardens – the Nitobe and Botanical Gardens! I’m particularly excited for the Botanical Garden – the rhododendrons are blooming and they’re my favourite flower :) And maybe in between exams I’ll find some time to explore Vancouver, as well. I still haven’t done the Grouse Grind or the Capilano Suspension Bridge! Samantha, time to get your butt in gear!

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September 1, 2012 · 6:51 pm

Happy Move-In Day!

I hope everyone’s move in went well and you’re all settling nicely :)

I remember when I moved in last year, I was both really excited and really nervous. And pretty lonely. But that kicked in more later. Everyone I met was really nice, but I was in a strange place without my parents for the first time.  I remember the first week or so felt like some weird summer camp where the RA’s were like counsellors and everyone was pretending to be much more mature and much less scared than they actually were.

Of course, there were lots of people whose mentality was “Woohoo! No more parents! Finally!” And I commend those people. However, if you are not one of those people, you aren’t the only one. I promise. Everyone else is just pretending they’re not nervous too.

But you know something? You’re going to be okay. You’re going to be better than okay. If you get homesick, phone your mom. It always made me feel way better. And it’s going to get better as time passes – especially once classes start in 3 days, because you’ll be too busy to be lonely! I always get the loneliest when there’s nothing to do.

If you’re nervous about the work load, just think about this: you were good enough to get to UBC, you’re good enough to do well here. It’s true that on typically a student’s average will drop about 10% in university, but that happens to everyone, and with good time management you should be fine.  Not to mention there are lots of resources to take advantage of when you need help.

And wanna know a secret? When my parents left this morning, I felt a bit nervous too. This will be my first year cooking for myself, and things are going to be pretty crazy at the beginning of September. But I survived last year – thrived, really – and this year is going to be even better. I can handle what’s coming my way. And so can you, even if maybe your brain isn’t quite convinced just yet.

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August 31, 2012 · 9:35 pm

Room Mates!

Okay. I am officially entirely moved in. Except for my posters, I haven’t put them up in my room yet. And my rental harp doesn’t come til tomorrow. But that’s it! Everything is out of its box and in its place. Ahhhh.

My parents leave tomorrow, and then it’ll just be me and my room mate, Christie.  Me and Christie met in Totem Park last year, where we lived on the same floor and joined the knitting club together. So, asking her to live with me this year was kind of a no-brainer and doesn’t have me stressed out at all.

Me and Christie!

However, this is both of our first times living with a room mate; we both had single rooms last year.It helps that we know each other and are friends already; I imagine moving in with someone you don’t know would be much harder.  Even so, we wrote up a room mate agreement a few days ago to make sure we don’t get on each other’s nerves too much. (Seriously though, we’re two of the most mellow people you’ll ever meet – I don’t anticipate much nerve-getting-on.)

We decided that Christie’s bed and desk (essentially her “room”) would be in the living, and I’d take the bedroom, for a couple reasons: we each get our own space, no waking up from each other’s alarms, and I’ll be renting a harp, and this way I can put it in my room and it won’t be in Christie’s way.

We talked about noise (note that we are quiet people) and basically decided that we have to respect the condo rules for quiet time, and in addition just be sensitive about if people are sleeping. That said, if someone is sleeping in until 1 PM (unlikely), the other person can just go about their business without tip-toeing. Regarding visitors, we both pretty much have the same friends, but if someone will be coming over we agreed to just send a text beforehand to give the other person a heads up.

Most of our agreement was regarding cleaning: what needs to cleaned and how often. Mostly we decided that if you make a mess, clean it up right away, and clean as you go. If you don’t make the place dirty, there will be less work less often.  We opted not to make a cleaning schedule because our lives are gonna get crazy busy crazy fast and there will be times when it’s just not gonna happen. Just as general guidelines, the kitchen should be swept once a week, the bathroom given a good scrub down about once a month (or when it needs it), etc…

Honestly, I think we’ll have a pretty good time. Our personalities line up, we already know each other, have similar sleeping habits, and very importantly have our own rooms. I imagine having a room mate in residence would be a challenge; by the end of last year I was glad I didn’t get the double room I had initially asked for. Even still, I believe a pair of room mates can get along with honest guidelines set out in the beginning, and open communications kept up after that.

 

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August 19, 2012 · 1:58 pm

Ice Cream Lock

One thing you may not know about living in residence is that the convenience stores in the commons blocks sell the. Most. Delicious. Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.  You go in there at the end of a long day, think to yourself, Awww yeah, time for some fantastic ice cream. You eat maybe a quarter of it, maybe half, and then you put the rest of it into your floor freezer.

 

But as you go to sleep that night, you are bothered by thoughts of paranoia: What if someone breaks into my scrumptious half-pint of Ben and Jerry’s while I’m sleeping? To suffer such a loss is a hardship, indeed.

Well, friends, if this is you, here’s something that may help you out: the Ben and Jerry’s Pint Lock.  Your nights of worry are over.

 

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July 31, 2012 · 9:44 pm

Totem or Vanier?

As it seems to be a question on everyone’s minds, I’m going to do a post on Totem vs. Vanier.  First of all, I want to make it clear that I have  only lived in Totem Park, so my knowledge on Place Vanier is limited.

So the first thing people seem to ask is this: do I get to pick which one I live in? No! You don’t get to pick. As it stands, you say you’re in first year and they put you in whichever ones works out the best for their system, taking into account your roommate preferences, etc. to a certain extent. You get to live with whatever they decide. (That said, I think there have been a few cases of people moving during the year, but you’re gonna need a better reason than “that one’s cooler” or “I don’t wanna walk as far.”)

Next inevitable question: Pros and cons?  Again, let me reiterate: I have only lived in Totem. But here goes!

Pros of Totem Park:

  • It’s smaller, which can be nice because then you have more of a chance to get to know people more.
  • More of the buildings have elevators.
  • həm’ləsəm’ and q’ələχən houses – very new and pretty, and the rooms have the shared bathrooms.
  • Magda’s convenience store has a grill open past dining hall hours.
  • Dining hall food serving area is nicer (in my opinion).
  • Every floor has an RA, whereas many buildings in PV have one RA per two floors (Totem floors are a bit bigger).
  • Close to the Botanical Gardens.
  • Outdoor eating area.

Cons of Totem Park:

  • Pretty far from pretty much everything, unless you’re in engineering or forestry. Seriously though, it’s not that big of a deal. It’s maaaaybe a fifteen minute walk to the bus loop, which isn’t even that bad. No freshman fifteen for Totemites!
  • Dining area isn’t as pretty.
  • The cooking in some cases isn’t as good as Vanier – not that I ate at Vanier a whole lot, but apparently to Totem, a veggie quesadilla means a cheese and two and a half inch long strips of green and red peppers. Seriously? (Mostly the cooking is about the same for the two dorms, though.)
  • Commonsblock area isn’t as nice.

Pros of Place Vanier:

  • It’s bigger, so if you like a bigger community that’s good.
  • Pretty pretty dining area.
  • More food stations than Totem (in reality though, pretty much the same amount of different types of food gets served.)
  • Close to the Nitobe Memorial Garden, and pretty much the whole north campus, home to arts and science.
  • Nice looking commonsblock.
  • More study spaces, both for groups and for silent study.

Cons of Place Vanier:

  • More stairs, less elevators. Have fun on move-in day!
  • No hot food available after the dining hall closes.
  • In some houses, one RA per two floors.

It seems to me that the things on this list are fairly small things. The bottom line is, the two dorms are more or less the same.  Both have sports leagues (football and ultimate), both put on a musical, both have formal dinners, both have dances, both don’t allow parties (sorry), both have various committees such as global citizenship and environmental awareness, both have rec’n’rez events, both have awesome RA’s, both have much the same food, both have people to listen to you if you need it, both have a 24-hour front desk service, both have houses that will plan their own individual events, both have a big year-opener event (Colour Wars or Vanier Olympics), both have charity drives, both have nice grounds and bike locks, both are filled with people who will become your family for the year.

So if that massively run-on sentence didn’t sum it up for you: no, you can’t pick where you go, but you’re gonna have an awesome year regardless of where you end up!

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July 12, 2012 · 1:39 pm

What a Dorm Room Looks Like

In the months before moving in, you’re dying to see what your new room looks like. I know that feel.  So, here’s a picture of a typical first-year dorm room:

 

This is a single room in Totem Park. Large singles, doubles, and rooms with connecting bathrooms will looks a little different.

Also, I made a video of a tour of my room last year after I moved in for my friends at home to see, so you can check that out as well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWFeWKMsKpk.

(Please forgive my terrible vlogging skills in this video, it was my first one.)

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· 1:27 pm

What to Bring to Residence

Move-in day is fast approaching (it’s September 1st this year) and the question remains: what should you bring with you to your dorm room? How much space are you going to have, exactly? Well sit back friend, and let this ex-resident tell you a few things you might want to consider.

  • Check the list that UBC made. Student Housing & Hospitality Services has already made a packing list for you, and it’s a pretty good place to start. You can find it here.
  • Twin XL sheets. UBC dorms have extra-long beds, so make sure you bring the right size of sheets! If you bring just regular twin size sheets you’re gonna run into problems.
  • Computer and security lock. I didn’t have any issues with theft, but having a security cable for your expensive new laptop is always a good idea.
  • Printer.  If you can get one cheap, having a printer is going to be mega-useful for you. Print at your leisure, for cheaper, and without the hassle of figuring out the library system and copy-cards. (That said, if you do have to use the library, the librarians can help you!)
  • Ethernet cord! Without it you won’t have internet.  Some people also like to bring wireless routers so they don’t have to be plugged in all the time, and you can take your laptop into your floor lounge.
  • Photos and posters. When you first arrive, your room is bare. This’ll make it feel more yours and keep the homesickness at bay.
  • Clothes. Obviously.  Just make sure you don’t bring, like, an entire department store with you.  Your room has quite a lot of storage space, but just don’t over do it. You can leave most of your summer stuff at home, but do bring a few pieces of warm weather clothing – September can be very warm. And bring a swimsuit – you get free entry to the pool!
  • Rain gear. Rain boots are a must – walking around the huge campus with soggy feet is not fun.  I managed to get through the year without a proper rain jacket, but make sure you at least have something that’s water-resistant. Umbrellas are good at times, but if you get one make sure it’s sturdy, because it can get veeeery windy. I recommend the brand Totes.
  • A good pair of walking shoes. Going to school at UBC means you are going to be walking. A lot. Like seriously, it is a HUGE campus! Get a good, comfy pair of shoes to walk in, and try to break them in before you get here. (Lesson learned the hard way on my part.)
  • Bathrobe. Some people are brave enough to dash to the bathroom in a towel, but I’m sure not.  A bathrobe keeps you comfy and cozy.
  • Shower flip-flops.  The bathrooms are typically pretty clean, but no one likes that just-showered-in feel on their feet.  A shower tote is also good so you can carry all you soaps and shampoos to the bathroom easily.
  • Drying rack. Let’s face it, the dryers in some residences aren’t the best. A drying rack will save you some money (and energy, too!).
  • Advil and Tums. No one feels good all the time, and when you’re in res, your mom isn’t there to look after you. Having Advil and Tums on hand will be so much better than having to run to shoppers when you feel crappy.

What not to bring:

  • Microwave. You’re not allowed to have one in your room, and there’s a shared one on your floor anyway.
  • Mini-fridge. I personally would recommend against it; you have a shared fridge on your floor anyway, they take up a lot of space, and they cost money. I definitely lived happily without one. That said, if you still want one, you can buy or rent one on move-in day.
  • Pets. Again, not allowed, sorry.

Got more questions? Leave them in comments and I’ll get back to you.

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