From Dawson to Vancouver

Hey all you beautiful people!

So, as of late I’ve been up to my ears in piles and piles of homework.  Philosophy, Economics, French, Political Science, so much bloody homework, and studying.  Because of, you guessed it, MIDTERMS!

I apologize for my MIA-ness, I have been super busy with life and such.  It’s funny how much time life actually takes up.

But alack alas, I give you this list of things that help you survive midterms!

Sam’s Super Cool List O’ Things That Helped Her Survive Midterms!

1. Friends!   Okay, so studying is super important, but giving your brain a break is also super important, and friends are a great way to help relieve the studying headache.  Even if it’s a fifteen minute study break in someone’s room, it’s worth it.  Not only does studying in intervals help you retain more information (ie.  fifteen minutes on, five minutes off) but having a laugh in between studying opportunity cost and the gains from trade makes life just that much better.
2. Five Hour Energy Shots! Sometimes, studying can run really late into the night and it’s hard to keep your eyelids from dropping south.  Five Hour Energy shots (purchased from Magdas) help like a dream.  Please be aware though, too many = bad things happening to your body.
3. Set Goals! Don’t overload yourself.  Make a study schedule.  Time management my friends!  And when you do make a schedule, stick to it!  Try and make an even, balanced schedule, and schedule time for breaks.  Start studying early in order to avoid cramming at the last minute.
4. Find your study place! The UBC campus is huge and full of places where one can get away from the crazy and find a nice place to study.  If you’re like me, and like a little noise while you study, but don’t want to be distracted by people?  Goto the Starbucks on Agronomy.  If you like absolute solitude, check you the library, either one.  Third floor Irving K. is beautiful and quiet, though be sure to show up earlier in the day as it tends to fill up quickly.  If you live in Totem and you don’t want to wander too far from home, goto the reading room in the commons block, it’s located just behind the mailboxes.  It’s quiet and open.
5. Goto Academic Counselling if you’re concerned!  I say this from experience… if you’re seriously stressing about a course and you’re on the brink of freaking out, goto academic counselling and ask for some advice.  The wonderful thing about campus is that if you need help, you can always find it.  I was super stressed about my science midterm, and went to academic counselling and talked through my situation with one of the amazing advisors.  As great as it can to be to talk to your friends about your issues, think about it like this: your friends are in the same boat you are, and they are wonderful, wise amazing people, but sometimes you need a professional’s opinion on what you should do.  Don’t be afraid to go, ask for some help and get your problems sorted.  I ended up dropping my class, and am going to take a different science next year.  When you’re paying for your schooling, and planning your career, using all that your campus has to offer is very much worth it.
6. Call home and say Hi!  So, picture this: It’s eleven at night, you’re sick, you’re tired, you have three midterms and a paper due… you’re sitting in the library alone… sometimes in these situations, it’s nice just to call home and hear a familiar voice.
7. If the stress is getting too bad, talk to someone!  Sometimes, stress can get the best of us.  Getting overstressed can lead to sickness and other things you don’t want to deal with while writing midterms.  Talk to a friend, or your parents or someone.  UBC has some great resources to help you deal with stress management.  Just don’t let it get the best of you.
8. EAT HEALTHY FOODS! Healthy body = healthy mind.  As tempting as curly fries can be after a long study session, avoid them and eat something high in nutrients!  The more you nourish your body, the better you’ll feel and be able to fight off the midterm flu.
9. If you’re going to procrastinate, do it in the best way possible!  Okay, so if you’re going to procrastinate, get something else done in the mean time.  Do your laundry, clean your room, update your UBC blogsquad blog (okay, so that only applies to me), trust me, it’ll help in the long run.
10. Lastly, remember that you got into this school for a reason!  You were accepted into university because you’re a bright, smart person… you can do this!  Go into an exam positive, optimistic and confident.  I know you can do it, you know you can do it, and your momma knows you can do it.  Don’t worry!

Peace, love and studyface,

Sam.