Category: Preparing for UBC

What Should I Bring to University?

Post author By Samantha Horton
Post date August 8, 2009
4 Comments on What Should I Bring to University?

Now THAT is the question, and the answer isn’t really easy.

Some people show up ready to move into residence with one suitcase, others, like myself, bring a loaded down car filled with everything they have ever owned. Granted I had no choice, my mom was moving across the country as soon as I started at UBC, and she couldn’t afford to drag my crap around with her. Anyway, no matter how much or little you have, there are some definite needs you’ll discover when you arrive at UBC, and it might help to know what some of those are ahead of time.

The Great Pack Up
This is when you take out the big boxes/suitcases and load up the belongings that make you who you are. This is probably the hardest step to climb over in your journey to university. It’s never easy to par down your stuff and decide what matters most, but I recommend thinking conservatively. Residence rooms are always smaller than you think, with little closets and six or seven drawers. Just remember that you won’t miss the seven stuffed animals you didn’t bring once you get here, you’ll have so many other things to worry about! Here’s what I recommend bringing (you can choose how many of each thing based on what you think you will need):

Clothes:

jeans
t-shirts / long sleeve shirts
a warm coat
a rain coat (these are oddly hard to find on a whim in Vancouver, trust me.)
lounge (pajama) pants
bathrobe (especially if you live in a residence with shared showers)
slippers
waterproof shoes (something to wear in the rain, you WILL need these)
good walking shoes (UBC is a big place, and you will be walking all over it)
a formal outfit…or two (you will appreciate having this later)
flip flops (for the showers…always wear flip flops in the shower)
socks/underwear (of course)
a hat, gloves, and a scarf (it can get really cold here)
a sweatshirt/jacket (you will quickly find that a few layers go a long way in Vancouver)
anything else you might want (Express yourself! If you like skirts and top hats, bring them! Let your personality shine through.)

Bathroom Stuff (you may want to get some of this stuff after you arrive, if so, there is a Shoppers Drug Mart on campus, right near the village…it should have just about everything you need)

medications (prescription or otherwise, if you have cold medicine, bring it! It is far less fun to have to go out and get it yourself when you are sick.)
a shower caddy (this is necessary in residences with shared showers…to carry all your stuff!)
towels…at least 2 (just in case you have a friend stay over, you want to go to the beach, or you go too long without doing laundry)
a small first aid kit (for all of life’s tiny emergencies)
shampoo / conditioner
soap
a loofa (or a washcloth)
a razor
shaving cream
toothbrush
toothpaste
floss / mouthwash
make-up (if you use it!)
lotion (for the dry months)

Personal Items (the stuff you will come to rely on to get you through the hard times, the homesickness, and the days when you can do little more than procrastinate. This is probably the most important section to focus on.)

photos of your family and your friends (nothing cures homesickness then being able to look at the people you miss)
a journal (trust me, you will want to remember the coming years and they fly by in an instant)
your laptop/desktop computer (probably the most important thing you’ll bring to university, you will use it everyday.)
books (bring some of your favorites, you can trade them with friends on your floor or in your unit)
a game system (portable or otherwise, but keep in mind that in most residences you won’t have a TV unless you bring one, though each floor will have one TV)
a TV (for those of you who really like playing Wii or Xbox, or are going to be living in suit style residence, please note that Totem and Vanier do not have cable hook-ups in individual rooms, so you better bring something like a game system or a DVD player to plug into it)
a musical instrument (if you play one…believe me, you will be wanting it for a jam session with friends)
movies (this is a big one, you have no idea how appealing a movie can be when you have ten of your closest friends living down the hall from you and nothing to do, and you can share and trade them around your floor)
your iPod/CDs/music collection (your music tastes are going to explode once you get here…having your favorites along with you makes them easier to share with friends)
any important documents you may need (medical cards, social security cards, SIN cards, birth certificate, passport, visas…ect)
any decorations you have at home (Christmas lights, posters, calendars, paintings, drawings, anything really that expresses your personality…you will want to make your room your own)
anything else important to you (think about it this way, bring the stuff you use every day, but remember not to over pack. I promise you won’t miss the stuff you leave behind after your first week.)

The Grand Arrival
Everything beyond this point you may want to worry about once you arrive in Vancouver. You can acquire some of it ahead of time, but it is all readily available around campus. You might as well save space your luggage for more important things. A lot of the bathroom stuff fits into this category as well, so keep that in mind.

Food (if you do not have a kitchen in your unit you will be required to purchase a meal plan and none of this will be necessary, that being said, it is really nice to have some method of preparing food in your room when the cafeteria is closed or you are feeling too lazy to go outside)

snacks (it is always good to have snacks in your room…you can take them with you to class or use them to pull you through an all nighter. I recommend granola bars, ramen noodles, popcorn, and fresh fruit)
a mini fridge (it is worth the money if you do not have a kitchen in your unit. Your floor will have a shared fridge in the lounge, but you better be prepared to have anything you put in it stolen or borrowed.)
a microwave (this is not really necessary, your floor will have one, but it is still nice to have)
a hot pot (basically an electric kettle that boils water…perfect for soup, tea, hot chocolate, pasta, and relatively affordable)
a crock pot (useful for stews or roasts, which are perfect comfort food in the winter)
silverware (just a basic set)
plates, cups, bowls (remember you’ll have to wash it all yourself!)
tupperware (this will come in handy more than you’ll imagine)
a reusable water bottle (you should always carry water with you to stay hydrated)
zip lock sandwich bags (just in case you want to snack in class)
a Brita water filtration pitcher (sometimes the pipes in residence aren’t as new as you’d like them and the water tastes kind of strange, use one of these and keep your water tasting fresh!)

Cleaning Supplies (I cannot express how important this portion of the list is. When I first opened the door to my unit in Totem I was greeted with the exotic scent of old dorm and about 9 spiders. The windows were streaky and the floor was dusty. Don’t get me wrong–they do clean the rooms ahead of time; but it will get dirty again, and you want to be ready.)

window cleaner
all-purpose / all-surface cleaner
trash bags (or grocery bags)
Febreze (for both fabics and air…this was my life saver first year. No matter the state of your room, Febreze can make you feel like it’s clean)
bug spray (unless you enjoy squishing them yourself, or like living with them alive…there are a lot of bugs in Vancouver)
laundry soap
laundry bag / hamper
fabric softener
paper towels
tissues
Command wall hangers (this is another product I swear by, they allow you to create extra storage wherever you need it and they are dorm approved!)
a mini vacuum (this isn’t at all necessary as each floor has its own vacuum, but it will make you the envy of your floor mates when you spill your frosted flakes at 3am and don’t have to wake up your RA to clean it up)
dish soap (even if you eat in the cafeteria 90% of the time, it is likely you will have to wash dishes at some point)
a sponge
a dish towel
a dish caddy (if you think you will need to do enough dishes to warrant one)

…looking back over this list makes me feel a bit materialistic. Keep in mind that you won’t need ALL of these things to get by in university, but they will make your life easier. I wrote this list as a starting point. Look over it and ask yourself what you think you will need.

I am sure I missed more than a few things (if you think of any please leave me a comment and I will add it to the list!) but this should give you a good idea of just how much you are going to have to bring/buy in order to be ready.

No matter how stressful or overwhelming all this packing and planning may seem I promise you it will pay off. It’s all worth it!

Preparing for UBC ResidenceLife

A Guide to Winter Session Residences at UBC

Post author By Samantha Horton
Post date July 15, 2009
3 Comments on A Guide to Winter Session Residences at UBC

Lately I have been thinking a lot about how I felt in the summer before my first year. I was excited; I felt like an adult, but I was worried about living on my own. I kept surfing the internet for hints about my future. I can’t remember how many times I typed “Totem Park vs. Place Vanier” or “Arts One vs. Coordinated Arts” or “Pictures of UBC” into Google. With that in mind, I’ve decided to impart what knowledge I do have of UBC on in hopes of soothing the minds of anyone who is in that sweet little space between home and UBC. I realize this may take a few posts, but I think I will start with the question that pondered the most. Where am I going to be living?

I’ve decided to make a pros and cons list for each of the five main non year-round residences because they all have qualities that make them special, as well as downsides. I am drawing these all from my own experiences and the opinions of people I know who have lived in each place. Remember, no matter where you end up, you’ll make it your own and have a great time in the process.

Totem Park
Pros:

It has elevators. I cannot stress how helpful this was when I moved in first year. Granted I brought a lot of stuff with me. It also made laundry a lot easier, we would just drag our laundry to the elevator and take it down to the basement.
It has the options for different sized rooms. Totem has the option of a single, a double, and a large single room. I ended up in a large single myself, and besides all the extra space, I loved that I got two windows.
Its houses are co-ed. I met Max originally on Facebook in the group for our house, Nootka. Turns out he was on the floor above me. All the houses in Totem have single gendered floors, except for one which has co-ed floors.
There are a lot of people on your floor. Each floor is made up of two long hallways with a bathroom and trash room in the center. I realize some people might see this as a con, but I liked having a diverse group of girls around to get to know.
The commonsblock and caf are brand new. I know this because they were constantly under construction my first year.
It is close to the science half of campus. The campus is roughly spit in two when it comes to the Arts buildings and the Science buildings. All my friends in Science loved the location of Totem because it was so close to their half of campus.

Cons:

It can get loud at night. This generally didn’t bother me much first year, but some of my floor mates weren’t very happy about it.
It’s pretty far away from the Arts end of campus and the village. The village is where all the stores on campus are located, besides some restaurants that are dispersed about campus. To get to the village or the Arts end of campus was always a good 25 minute walk for me (granted, I have very short legs).
It has a reputation for partying which some members of the residence try to uphold. Honestly, all the residences have parties and events and fun things to do. I have just found that people tend to go a bit crazier in Totem because there is this stereotype they are trying to live up to. You are just as safe as anywhere else, and you don’t have to party if you don’t want to.

Place Vanier (Pronounced “Plaw-ce Vaun-yay” – I was incredibly embarrassed when I first referred to it as Place Van-yer)

Pros:

Its houses are smaller. Each house has four floors and no elevators (besides the two newer houses – Tec de Monterrey and Korea, which have six floors and elevators). The floors consist of one hallway with a bathroom in the center.
It is central to campus. Seriously, it is right between the two halves of campus, if you live in Vanier you are close to everything.
It is really close to Wreck Beach. Besides being a nudist beach, Wreck is one of the most beautiuful places on campus.
It has four single-sex houses. So if you just want to live with girls or guys, you have the option.
Its convience store has better options. This is just my own personal opinion, but I would often walk the three blocks from Totem to Vanier to visit Hubbard’s because I like the selection they offer more than Totem’s Magda’s.
It is located in a really scenically beautiful area. It has a lot more trees in and around the grounds than any other residence, plus it is right next to the Nitobe Memorial Garden.

Cons:

It has the reputation of being quiet, which some members of the residence try to uphold. (Some people may consider this a pro.) Everything I could find online about Totem and Vanier before I came to UBC stated that Totem was for parties and Vanier was for studying. This is not at all the case, but I have found that these assumptions definitely influence the people who live there. Vanier can have some wild parties, but it tends to be on the quiet side most nights of the week.
The cafeteria tends to be more crowded during peak hours than Totem’s. I’ve found that there is generally a line whenever I go to Vanier’s caf, probably because its location draws more non-residence people to it during meal times.

Marine Drive

Pros:

Its the newest residence on campus. It’s modern, streamlined, and it looks really chic.
There are several different types of rooms, including studios. Max and I almost lived in a Marine Drive studio.
Some rooms have incredible views. Marine Drive is located right between Totem and Vanier, along the ocean, so if you get a room that is high up there is a good chance you will have an awesome view.
It feels more like a hotel than a residence. It has elavators and plush carpet in the hallways, but you still have RA’s and events.
Each shared unit comes with a dishwasher. You have no idea how awesome dishwashers are until you’ve lived without one for a year.

Cons:

The only bus you are close to is a shuttle that takes you to the bus loop, which only seats about 25 people. This goes the same for Totem and Vanier. Whenever you want to take a bus that leaves from the bus loop you are looking at about 30 minutes of travel time to get to bus loop itself, either by taking the shuttle or walking there.
Only two of the buildings are not year round. There is usually quite a bit of competition for these rooms.
The studio units are quite small, and do not have dishwashers. But you do get a private bathroom.
It can be loud at night. I have walked past Marine Drive several times and heard music loud enough that I could sing along standing across the street. (Again, this is more dependent upon the people that live there, not the residence itself)
You have to be 19 to live in Marine Drive. This is typically not considered to be a first year residence.

Fairview Crescent

Pros:

You are a 5 minute walk away from the village. I didn’t realize how convient this was until I moved here. Run out of printer ink? You can run to the village. Hungry, but don’t have any food? You can run to the village. (This may be a con, because it becomes a lot easier to spend money.)
Your front door faces the outside. You get a doorbell and a front light and everything. Your unit feels more like an apartment because of this, and it is easier to get privacy.
You can catch almost any bus within 8 minutes. There are two stops that cover the two main routes that leave UBC within 4 blocks of Fairview.
The units are shared, and have dishwashers. This is nice because you can usually be placed in the same units as your friends, if not, it’s easy to make new ones.
The Beanery. This is a nice little coffee shop that is located in the center of Fairview. It carries things like smoothies and ice cream and muffins and a bunch of other dishes and drinks. It also offers free wi-fi and comfy couches!
The atmosphere is a lot more laid-back. It is really easy to make friends in Fairview. There are tons of events and fun things to do, without the feeling of always being watched that other residences have.

Cons:

It isn’t really close to anything but the village. It is more towards the Science end of campus, so Science students shouldn’t have much trouble, but it is about a half hour walk to the Arts end of campus.
The laundry rooms are separate from the units. Meaning you have to carry your laundry outside whenever you want to do it. This doesn’t sound like much trouble, but it can be difficult when the weather starts acting up.
The units are more verticle than any other residence. This means that your house can end up having three or four stories, with bedrooms on each floor. It can be hard if you end up with a room on the top floor and you have lots of belongings.
You have to be 19 to live in Fairview. Think of this more as second year housing, that way you can move in with all the friends you met first year.

Gage Towers

Pros:

It is right next to the bus loop. Seriously, you can run to catch any bus that leaves campus, you are also home much quicker than anyone who lives in any other residence.
It is as close to the Arts half of campus as you can get. I cannot tell you how many times been running late for a class and I’ve wished I lived in Gage. You can basically roll out of bed ten minutes before class starts and be there early.
It has incredible views. Gage is made up of three 17 story towers which offer amazing views of campus, the ocean, and downtown Vancouver.
Gage offers several different types of rooms, including shared, studio, and one bedroom units. So there is a lot to choose from.
Shared units get two fridges. I think that’s really cool.
It has all the comforts of all the other residences, and it is located right next to the bus loop, the SUB, the rec center, Brock Hall, and UBC’s newest library, Irving K. Barber. So there is always tons to do.

Cons:

It is kind of an eye sore from the outside. It is big and concrete and grey. This won’t matter much to you when you are living inside of it, but it’s the con that stands out the most to me.
It is easy to be lazy when you live there. You never have to walk very far to get anywhere (unless you are a Science student). Granted, you are right next to the rec center (and the famous Bird Coop) so it’s easy to get your exercise.
It does not have dishwashers. You should invest in some rubber gloves and a good sponge.
You have to be 19 to live in Gage. So it is unlikely you will be living here first year.

I can’t say I know anything about Ritsumeikan-UBC House besides what I found on the UBC Housing website, so if anyone who has lived in Rits would like to write some simple Pros and Cons, I would be happy to add them.

Ritsumeikan-UBC House (Thanks to Kendall Moraski, a friend of mine who lived in Rits for 6 weeks)

Pros:

You live with Japanese students during the year. This is the big draw of Rits, every year it welcomes 100 Japanese exchange students that you live and interact with as part of the the UBC-Ritsumeikan exchange. This includes Japanese events throughout the year.
It has a tatami room. So cool. You get the true exchange experience.
It has a dishwasher. This is always a plus.
Decent location. It’s close to Totem, but only 2 blocks away from the center of campus.
Easy acess to the laundry room. Laundry becomes such a difficult task when you live in res, it’s good to have one close.

Cons:

It has thin walls and thin floors. Though most residences don’t handle sound very well
It’s next to Totem. Unfortunately this is a con, Totem is a very loud place sometimes.
It is old. With residences like Marine Drive nearby, the older buildings just don’t have the same luster that they used to.

If anyone has any pros or cons to add to the ones I have listed here, or you think I was a bit to easy/hard on any of the residences, leave a comment and let me know!

Academic Personal Preparing for UBC Wellness

A Guide to Arts One

I am writing this now because I wish I had it last year. One thing that I found challenging about the Arts One program is the lack of ties one year has to another. I never got to talk to someone who had been through the program, I had only my peers who were just as worried and buried in books as I was. So, for anyone taking Arts One now, or whoever is even thinking of taking in the future (once you get accepted to UBC) here is my own take on the program.

To start off, I’ll have you know that my final grade in Arts One was a 74. A solid B. The lowest mark I received on an essay was a 68, the highest was an 82. The rest of my essays were somewhere in the middle. I didn’t attend all my lectures, or all my discussion groups. I was, in no way, the best student, but I think that is exactly the person you need to hear these things from. My advice will not be the most popular, but what I feel would have helped me last year.

I’ll start with the program itself. It consists of 2 large groups of 100 first year students, each group has a theme. (Mine was Group B, and our theme for that year was “Action vs Inaction, East vs West.”) Each group is assigned something like 20 books, all relating to their theme (these can be philosophical texts, poetry, dramas, epics…anything) These big groups meet once a week for a lecture, lead by one of 5 profs. Each big group is broken into 5 smaller groups of 20 students, and these groups are each lead by a professor. (Mine was Gordan Djurdjevic, a prof of Asian Studies who did not return this year…as they are always mixing around the profs in the program). These groups of 20 meet 3 times a week to discuss the texts. These groups are broken down once more, into 5 groups of 4 people for tutorial groups, which meet once a week to discuss the essays that are written by the students based on the books. In one year you write something like 12 essays, out of which only 10 are counted. There is a final, which is a test, but the essays are the main focus.

(To make this a little bit easier to understand, here’s a visual of the levels:)

Arts One (200)
Group A/Group B (100 students)
5 Prof Groups (20 students)
5 Tutorial Groups (4 students)

(So I was in Arts One / Group B / Prof Djurdjevic / Tutorial 5)

To make this easier to read, I am going to try to give you all of my Arts One Lessons in point form, as those of you who are now in the program are undoubtedly using precious essay writing time to read this.

Try your best to keep up on the readings, but should you fall behind, do not be afraid to use Spark Notes. This will get you caught up with your group so you can get back on track with the books. Spark Notes can also provide clarity, for any book you might not be understanding. I read all of Plato’s Republic but was still totally lost, after studying the Spark Notes everything clicked, and I used that knowledge to get one of my better essay scores.
Try to write your essays before Sunday. Granted, 90% of my essays were written somewhere between Sunday night and early Monday morning, I do not recommend this route. Even just a little bit of proofreading will help a lot, and having time to edit will make you feel more confident about your paper.
Your group mates are not more intelligent than you. No matter how they sound in class, or what they get on their essays. To be blunt, some people are better at faking knowledge than possessing it. I am not saying this applies to all Arts One students, but it definitely applies to some. If you feel like you aren’t getting it in the lectures, your discussions, or your tutorials, talk to your prof. That is the glory of Arts One, you get A LOT of face time. Use it!
Your essay marks are not everything. I’ve been through the whole range of emotion that Arts One can cause, I’ve cried over a low mark, walked home angry from my expectations not being met, and danced gleefully from doing better than I hoped. In the grand beautiful scheme of things, your marks will even out. You will do better than you may think.
Arts One is really hard. Seriously. They ask a lot of us as first years. Do not let this course give you a bad idea of university itself. Things are easier on the outside. In fact, some of the essays I have turned in this year were of a lower quality than my Arts One essays, but I received a higher mark. Arts One is difficult for a reason, it prepares you for bigger and better tasks in the years to come. I know English Honours draws a lot from the Arts One groups, and, if anything, spending a whole year on your writing is bound to improve it.
Do not be afraid to criticize. I remember the first meeting of my tutorial group; no one had anything bad to say, besides the prof, who had a great deal of bad things to say. We found quite quickly that the more criticism we received from our peers, the less time we left for the prof to say anything negative. It’s also easier to hear negative comments from your fellow students, who happen to be in the very same boat as you. Besides the social context, realize that this is a great opportunity for you to learn the skill of constructive criticism. You will use this skill again and again from now on. Just be kind, and match your criticism with honest compliments, and no one will hate you for it.
Do not be intimidated by the lofty essay topics. They may be worded a bit extravagantly, but they all ask questions that can be fairly easily answered by your readings. If you are struggling to choose a topic, go through an eliminate the ones you have no interest in, once you get down to 2 or 3, try to form a thesis for each one, if you can’t, cross it out. Only write the essay you feel you have the best chance of writing well. If you get stuck in the actual writing process, try explaining the essay (and the work) to someone outside the program. This helped me greatly first year, as it helped me to better focus my ideas.
Never underestimate the power of peer editing. The more editing your essay goes through, the less likely it is that it will be torn apart in your tutorial. This is a fact. And last, but definitely not least…
Get to know Rose and Paul in the Arts One office. They are the back bone of Arts One, and some of the nicest people you will meet. They usually have candy for days when your essay mark is more dismal than you predicted, they also have staplers for the great Monday essay rush. They are always helpful and always nice, and definitely worth getting to know.

Wow. This is almost the length of an Arts One Essay in itself! I apologize for the length, I just wanted to make it as clear as possible that, while Arts One is a hard circuit to take on first year, it is well worth it. If you stick to your guns, open your mind, and read at all times possible, you will make it out unscathed. And, hey! You’re getting 18 credits for 12 essays! Don’t get too caught up in the drama to realize how lucky you are.

Academic Financal International Personal Preparing for UBC ResidenceLife Wellness

Money Matters

In the past month my family has come upon hard times concerning money and my UBC education. See, it costs a lot to go to UBC as an international student. Just this coming year is going to set me back just under $20,000 dollars, and that is without the cost of living. Last year was just about the same, but I had two separate loans which covered it, and life was good. Only recently have we discovered that those loans do not renew, and we have to reapply for them. Now, if we do and they come through, life is again good, but if they do not, well, I’m looking at a world of difficulty to try and fund my education. This could all result in having to pack up my things and return to the States to attend college where it is more affordable. It is my truest hope that this does not occur, that the loans come through and I can join everyone back on campus once again, but I have to be aware of the possibilities, and I want to tell as many people as I can to do the same.

When it comes to funding your education, at UBC or anywhere else, make sure you put a lot of though into how much money you will need and where that money is coming from. Don’t forget the cost of housing, on campus or off, of food, books, and anything else you may need. If you receive a loan make sure you know the parameters of the loan, whether it depends on credits or grades, if it renews or not. Know how you will pay for everything.

And don’t make the mistake I made. Don’t take your parents or their money for granted, appreciate the opportunity they are giving you, and do all you can to make sure that that opportunity is not in vain. Study hard, don’t give in to too many parties, and work if you can.

It is my dearest hope that things come through for me and for my life at UBC, this has been my dream for quite awhile now, and the last thing I want is for it to disappear. But, if it does, I will be forever thankful for the experiences I’ve had and the people I’ve met. I can recover from this. Better people than I have experienced the same situation and moved on to a different life, but a good life nonetheless.

I have hope for the future, and I’ll update about it.