blog by zahra

Don’t forget to vote this week!  There are many different positions that students are running for, and for different faculties as well.

In the case that you don’t feel that you are well informed enough to vote for the candidates running for their respective positions, do take the time to vote for the current referendum regarding building private housing on campus.  This is your opportunity to voice your opinions about what happens on your campus!

How do you vote?  Log into your SSC, and select “Webvote” from the main page (it’s at the bottom of the list where you access your course schedule).  Click on “cast vote” and then  find the referendum or positions that you would like to vote for.  It only takes a few seconds to do!

Today was one of the busiest days I’ve had in a while.  I started off by waking up at 5:30am and commuting to UBC.  Sat in class for 1.5 hours, tutored a student for an hour, then jumped on the bus again to travel to BC Children’s Hospital, where I volunteer.  I had one of the best shifts ever at BCCH today, because I got to cuddle an infant and rock him back and forth, which is something I’ve been wanting to do since I started volunteering.  After 3 hours, I hopped onto the bus again, traveled back to UBC, and got ready to right my MICB 202 midterm at 7pm.

In total, I commuted using 6 buses and 1 Canada Line train.  But what fascinates me more about my day was my stress level the throughout all my activities (or lack thereof, should I say).  Despite having a midterm worth 33% in the evening, I wasn’t the slightest bit hesitant to attend my volunteering shift, nor was I frazzled by the number of hours I “wasted” in transit.  Today, I realized the true essence of studying ahead of time and truly being prepared for an exam.

Since the weekend, I had planned my studying in such a way that I could cater for my busy schedule.  I promised myself that I would not leave any studying (except for some review) for today, Tuesday, because I didn’t expect to have any time to cram.  Combining all this with my fascination for the immunology section that we were being tested on, I was able to maintain minimal stress levels.  I didn’t know that it was possible to juggle my exam schedule with my other commitments…I usually cancel all my appointments and volunteering shifts during exam time.  I always pride myself with having superb time-management skills, but I think I just upgraded myself to the next level!

P.s. Might I add that I also managed to find time to write this blog post at the end of my busy day!  Where there is a will, there is a way! 🙂

Don’t forget to get your Upass for next month!  Starting today, you can get October’s pass from UBC bookstore.  Not-so-surprisingly, there was no line up when I went to go get mine, but I’m sure the length of the queue will increase as the month draws to a close.  Be smart and pick up your Upass as soon as possible!

Phew!  After 1 summer course, 2 family weddings, and a very spiritual month of Ramadhan, I’m ready to start year 2 at UBC.  Although this year will bring challenges (I have 11 courses and 2 labs in my schedule), I am looking forward to delving into the deep sea of knowledge!  However, my excitement is offset by the dread of commuting.  Commuting over 3 hours everyday by bus will definitely be testing.  But, of course, I’m not the only one!  To all of you who are going to be starting (or restarting!) to commute by bus/train, here are a few tips in order to be productive during your commute.

1. Study: Use your commute time to review yesterday’s lecture notes or to complete today’s pre-readings.  Don’t want to bring your heavy textbooks with you?  Make cue cards if you can  They’re light, portable, and serve as a great study tool in December!
2. Stay Up to Date: Almost every bus loop and train station has the 24-Hour and Metro newspapers available.  They’re free!  I personally like to occupy myself with the crossword and Sudoku puzzles, and comparing how accurate the news articles are between the 2 papers. 😛
3. Sleep: Although this sounds like an unproductive thing to do, it’s not!  Catching up on a bit of sleep on the bus helps you get in more study time in the evening at home.
4. People Watch: Entertain yourself!  This isn’t necessarily the most productive activity, but it’s good for days when sleep evades you, and you also don’t feel like studying.