{"id":86,"date":"2011-05-05T13:13:50","date_gmt":"2011-05-05T21:13:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/"},"modified":"2011-06-15T13:53:14","modified_gmt":"2011-06-15T21:53:14","slug":"play","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/undergrad\/play\/","title":{"rendered":"Mech Undergrads at Play"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"Being an undergrad isn’t all about work. There are literally hundreds of different activities available to students on the average University campus. From student government, to engineering design competition teams, to intramural sports, to clubs and professional groups, there is something for everyone.<\/p>\n

Student Government and Clubs<\/h3>\n

Want to gain great organizational, planning, and interpersonal skills? Student Government is a great way to learn some of the “soft” skills you need in life. By representing your fellow students to the University and outside groups, you can learn a great deal about making effective presentations and arguing a point, while planning events can help you learn both time management and what it takes to pull off a large project. There are usually opportunities to get involved at many different levels – departmental, faculty, or university-wide.<\/p>\n

Student clubs and professional groups are another great way to learn some of the same planning and time management skills. They also give you a chance to delve deeper into your hobbies, or to learn new ones. There are student groups for almost anything imaginable – anything from pottery to skiing, from first aid to volunteer groups, to professional and philanthropic groups like Engineers Without Borders, to engineering promotion groups like GEERing Up! (at UBC).<\/p>\n

Engineering Design Competitions<\/h3>\n

Want to brush up on your technical skills in a particular area, to learn hands-on design, or to learn teamwork and project planning skills? Engineering schools across North America compete in a wide variety of engineering design competitions, sponsored by groups like SAE (the Society of Automotive Engineers) and NASA. There is a competition for just about any interest, with teams ranging from supermileage cars (that get ridiculous mileages like 3,145 mpg from modified lawnmower engines), human powered submarines, open-wheeled race cars, autonomous robotic sailbots, remote controlled aircraft (that can lift two or three times their empty weight), rockets, solar powered climbers, and more.<\/p>\n

Intramural or Varsity Sports<\/h3>\n

Getting active is an important part of a balanced lifestyle, and there are tons of opportunities available through both the Intramural and Varsity sports programs. Intramurals are for anyone and everyone who wants to participate, and many of the activities have non-competitive options. Many campuses also have facilities like ice rinks, pools and gyms that students can use at very low prices, or even free.<\/p>\n

Living in Rez<\/h3>\n

University is also the time that many students first leave the nest to live on their own. Luckily, residence is there to support students while they make this transition. Residence Advisors, who are usually senior students, provide support and educational programs, as well as being around to chat (and to notice!) when students are having a rough time. Fun events are organized, too, including social events with folks on your floor, dances, formals and even theatre productions!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Being an undergrad isn’t all about work. There are literally hundreds of different activities available to students on the average University campus. From student government, to engineering design competition teams, to intramural sports, to clubs and professional groups, there is … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7137,"featured_media":0,"parent":13,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","template":"full-width-page.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-86","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/86","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7137"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=86"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/86\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":325,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/86\/revisions\/325"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/13"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/thinkmecheng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=86"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}