blog by zahra

What a whirlwind of weeks it has been!  But we must keep up to date with the important dates and events!

SUMMER REGISTRATION: Registration for summer courses happened this past week!  Did you choose to continue studying while the sun is out or did you opt for other fruitful activities (travelling, work, volunteer, etc.)?  Summer courses both have their benefits and their downsides.  On the plus side, summer courses are easier because you are only studying 1 or 2 courses at a time (and you could therefore score a higher grade than if you did the course during the year).  A disadvantage though, is that the material is very condensed, and the classes are long hours.  Has this little blurb made you reconsider registering for summer courses, but now you’re worried that you won’t get in?  Don’t worry!  If the course is full, keep checking, even up to the day that the course starts.  Many people drop out after the first couple of lectures, or they drop out because they only registered for the Upass benefits (ahem!).  I hope things work out the way you want them to!

DAYLIGHT SAVINGS: Time change happened this morning at 2 a.m.!  This is the sleep (and study) unfriendly time change, because you lose 1 hour of precious time.  Let me guess…we’re all going to be on Facebook and Twitter writing about how our schedule is messed up…a very good way to make up the lost time indeed! 😉

JOB FAIR: Looking for a job for the summer?  Check out the Job Fair in the SUB concourse on March 13 & 14th (this Tuesday and Wednesday!!!).  Make sure to keep a couple of copies of your resume handy; you don’t know when you might need it.

VOLUNTEER FAIR: Sometimes the best thing to do is to give back to your own community.  Following the job fair this week, there will be a host of volunteer opportunities advertised in, again, the SUB concourse.  Make sure to check out the booths on March 15 &16th!

Sorry for being MIA for the last little while!  I’ve been meaning to write, but the task was always shoved to the bottom of the pile.

My midterms start tomorrow!  I’m sure some of you have already suffered the banes of university life.  Luckily, my schedule is treating me well…1 tomorrow, 1 on Tuesday, 2 the following Wednesday, and then the last one of Thursday!

I know I’m lucky, because I’ve heard of some pretty harsh exam pile ups.  Which begs the question, why can’t we apply for hardship during midterms, and only during finals?

I could write a whole persuasive essay on the practicality of why midterms can’t be moved, but I think Dr. Shelley Reid, my CLST 301 prof, sums it up really nicely:

“Your bachelor’s degree is worth much more than the sum total of your knowledge of biochemistry, organic chemistry, or even the meaning of the root term for the belly-button*.  It is instead evidence to society at large (including those who decide whom to admit to medical/dental/nursing school, if that is your goal) that you have developed particular skills, such as the ability to cope with the stress of competing—and possibly even conflicting—demands, and to cope with grace and finesse.  Partly it is a matter of time management, but it is also a mental activity: we all know that the weeks around midterms and final exams are stressful, and by surviving them you show your ability to handle both your time and the stress of competing demands.”

* [Editor Note: in CLST 301, we learn the Greek and Latin roots of medical and biological terms]

To me, this is a really inspiring way to look at our stressful situations.  I’m constantly reflecting back on the instances when I was so fixated on achieving something, a detail which now seems irrelevant and almost pathetic.  We need to look at the bigger picture, and not get rooted in that one stressful day, that one hectic week, or that once-in-a-lifetime horrendous exam schedule.  Even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time, there is always a small skill to be learnt out of every experience.

Good luck with your exams!