blog by zahra

Hi Everyone!

Apologies for slacking off on this blog!  I blame a combination of nothing exciting/interesting to write about (nothing exciting about exam time, that’s for sure) and the upcoming final exams.   The last 2 weeks of the term are always the hardest and longest for me; I’m sure you can relate.  I promise to update the blog once exams are done – I can’t wait to write reviews about all my courses and professors!

Until then, GOOD LUCK on your exams!

In Flanders Field by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place: and in the sky
The larks still bravely singing fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the dead: Short days ago,
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved: and now we lie
In Flanders fields!

Take up our quarrel with the foe
To you, from failing hands, we throw
The torch: be yours to hold it high
If ye break faith with us who die,
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I’ve previously posted about increasing retention of material by studying in different locations (https://blogs.ubc.ca/theblogbyzahra/?p=56).  This past weekend, however, I just discovered something that blew my mind away.

Before school started, I carried out my annual ritual of tidying my bedroom so that it looked fresh and untouched.  This year, I said to myself, would be the year it would stay neat until the end of the term.  Of course, as human nature predicts, it only lasted one month.  Papers were chaotically organized all over the floor, my desk no longer served the purpose of a workspace, and half my clothes were, well, not in the closet.  Two days ago, I decided that I would not continue to shuffle papers until December.  I spent a few hours cleaning, dusting, and vacuuming, and voila!  My room once again resembled my post-summer bedroom.  But what’s even more interesting…

I became more efficient in doing my work!  I used to be relatively efficient at completing my assignments and quizzes at the beginning of the year, but, as the term progressed, I started to leave things to the last minute.  Cleaning up my room to what it used to be also caused my work habits to revert back to being the way they used to be.  For once, going back to doing something the way I used to turned out to be good!  Neat, eh?

Why have you come to UBC?  What is the most interesting thing you have ever learned at university?  What does learning mean to you?

This week is UBC’s annual Celebrate Learning Week!  It’s a time to celebrate teaching and learning at the university and promote development opportunities for both students and faculty!  Various events are being held (many of them are free!) throughout the week – check out http://celebratelearning.ubc.ca/2011-celebrate-learning-events/ to see which ones you’d like to attend!

I myself haven’t attended any of the events yet, but I have been reflecting upon my own education at UBC.  To me, there are many different stages of learning.  Microscopically, it’s me sitting for hours with my textbooks and doing prereadings.  On the next level, it’s the rapport between professors and students, a linkage that either inspires the students or annoys them with dull, boring lectures.  Finally, learning is a global transaction.  We will eventually finish our degrees and become professionals.  Whether it be professoring at a university, remedying patients’ illnesses, or developing land management strategies for LEDCs, our education at UBC will lead us to make a contribution to the world.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month!  Although there are less than 10 days left in the month, there are still events happening on campus that advocate raising awareness for breast cancer research.  One such event is Global Pink Hijab Day! Brought to UBC by the university’s Muslim Students Association on Wednesday October 26th, the day focuses on raising awareness for breast cancer while educating the public about the religion of Islam and the hijab that Muslims wear.   Check out the MSA booth in the SUB to learn more about Islamaphobia-garnered stereotypes or to make a donation to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation!  Most importantly, don’t forget to show your support by wearing pink!

Do you ever have that moment when you pause and realize that you are taking your life for granted?  That moment when you discipline yourself that you should be more grateful for your health, your freedom, your opportunities?  I do.  I also know that, even when I have a sore throat and runny nose, I am in better health than at least one other person in the world.  It is this fact that causes me to be grateful for what I have, and to use my abilities to give back to the community at large.  This is the reason why I volunteer.

I recently started volunteering at BC Children’s Hospital.  Once a week, I get to spend a few hours with kids, kids who are too sick to play outside with other kids.  I get to soothe babies who have not yet celebrated their first birthday, yet are hooked up to tubing and machinery in order for them to become healthy again.  Sometimes a kid wants to teach me how to use a nintendo; another was excited to have company while watching a wrestling match.

These children are so innocent.  They have dreams and aspirations, yet some of them will spend their childhood at 2 homes – their abode and the hospital.  Even though their hopes and wants are on a different level from mine, I remember my own childhood, when I was free to explore the world, blissfully ignorant of anything beyond which crayon colour to choose.  I remember that I always had my mother, father, or a sibling near by to comfort me; some children’s parents have no choice but to leave them alone in the hospital.

Despite all, there is one thing that I am thankful for for these kids – they live in a privileged country and are receiving state-of-the-art treatment.  Like I said, you are always in a better position than another human being, no matter how difficult your position may be.  Realize this, and start giving back.

Midterm season has arrived!  Tis the season for caffeine-driven all-nighters filled with cramming equations, concepts, and definitions into our brains.  But is that really the smart way to take on exams?  Okay, so maybe cramming will get you through that one chemistry midterm…but will you remember it for the final?

From experience of NOT participating in unhealthy habits AND succeeding in my exams, here are a few tips to get you through the next few weeks:

1. Sleep continues to be essential!  Despite having too-much-to-do-and-not-enough-time-to-do-it, sleep deprivation is not going to help you perform your best on the exam.  I hear you – you need the time to cram!  Onto #2…
2. Inevitable cramming: So we didn’t keep on top of our pre-readings during the first month of school.  Now what?  Be efficient with your time.  Don’t log into Facebook or Twitter when you’re ‘taking a break’ from studying.  We all know it takes up more time than intended.  Yes, you’ll lose some sleep from studying, but you won’t lose as much as if you tended to your social life at the same time.
3. Don’t forget to eat healthy! Stress and a lack of time doesn’t help us to make the healthiest choices in the other domains of our life.  Firstly, don’t forget to eat regular meals, and eat them before everyone in the library knows your stomach’s growling.  Secondly, continue to make healthy food choices.  A nutritious meal is a great way to get your brain engines in top-notch condition for the exam.

It’s Clubs Week!  If you haven’t already, make sure you check out the various booths at the SUB – in the main concourse and the 2nd floor!  A part of attending UBC is finding your niche, and joining a club is a great way to do just that.  You’ll be able to meet new people and develop great networks.  From the tennis club to the business communication club to the pre-medical society, there has to be a club that attracts your attention!

Just for fun, I’ve scoped out a collection of clubs that I find the most odd:

• Anime club
• Coin and Stamp club
• Table Tennis club
• UBC loves Vaginas
• UBC Mafia club
• Wine tasting club

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!

Hope your first few days at UBC were amazing!  Whether you’re a new student or a returning one, we all need to get accustomed to our new profs and learn about the different grading schemes.  I know I’ve had a fantastic week!

But now that all the profs are done lecturing us on the logistics of their courses, it’s time to get to the meat of the subject.  In the next 14 weeks, you’ll receive a boatload of information, whether it be about the brain, the current state of the oceans, or the way people think.  You’ll be expected to know all this and much more (i.e. a big chunk of the (most-likely) accompanying textbook).  How should we deal with it?

One of my high school teachers once suggested that if we reviewed our notes on a particular subject the same day we learnt about it, we would have a greater familiarity with the material come exam time.  After blundering through first term last year, I started employing this strategy in second term – it works!  Reviewing your notes doesn’t take very long, and the process allows you to tweak your notes (because we all miss some important points during lecture!)

What else works, you ask?  Jumble up your study routine.  From a psychological standpoint, studies have found that introducing obstacles or difficulties into our study routine improves retention of the information we are learning.  To do this, interleave the subjects for which you are doing pre-readings.  Don’t read all 5 sections of your biology textbook in one sitting.  Read a couple, then switch to reading your earth and ocean science notes.  Once again, I’ve done this and it works!

Also try studying in different environments.  Don’t always lock yourself up in your dorm.  Try finding a spot in the Irving Learning Centre one week.  Test out the seats at Koerner Library after that.  Or if you commute by bus/train, try reviewing your lecture notes on the go!  Psychological studies have found that students who are tested in the same room in which they learnt the course material do better on the exams than students who are tested at a different location.  However, the head of the chemistry department isn’t going to let me write my exam on the 2nd level of Koerner Library in the far corner because that’s where I’ve been studying the whole term.  By diversifying your study environment, the brain assimilates the material in a way which leads to greater recall when writing the exam for that course.

If you’re interested in reading more about psychology, memory, and study methods, leave me your email address and I’ll forward it to you! 🙂

Happy Studying!