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A Handy Guide to UBC Cafés

Now that school in full swing and midterms are just around the corner you may be contemplating an increase in your caffeine intake! Even if you aren’t a coffee or tea drinker, cafés are a great place to study – providing a change of scenery with snack and beverage options close at hand. With this in mind, we have compiled a handy map of coffee shops at UBC:

Of course, we must mention The Daily Dose – UBC Pharm Sci’s own café serving coffee, snacks and light food items all day. It’s a great place to recharge between classes.

Also, many people find that the ambient noise in cafes helps them to focus on their work. We’re fans of the app Coffitivity which allows you to recreate the sounds of a café in your living room. Coffee not included!

What’s your favourite coffee shop on campus? Let us know in the comments or on Facebook.

– Ivan Yastrebov, Communications and Marketing

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UBC Irving Learning Centre
Advice

Welcome Back Series, Part 3: Study Spaces

We are continuing our three part Welcome Back series – this week, we are going to focus the most important aspect of university, academics.

With classes in full swing, and midterms quickly approaching, many students are starting to get back into the academic mode.  This means finding a place to study on campus. While some people prefer their tried and tested study spots, other find it helpful to seek out new places to read over their lecture notes.

If you are looking for somewhere other than Koerner and Irving to study, here are a few options:

The Ridington RoomRidington Room UBC

The real “Harry Potter” room at UBC, not the often assumed Chapman Learning Commons, this is perfect for getting work done. Spanning levels 3 and 4 of the North wing of Irving Library, it is a silent study space.  The room is full of tall comfy chairs for if you just need to do some reading, or there are long wooden tables with warm glowing lamps that will inspire creative writing or problem solving. The outer wall is entirely glass, looking out onto the Arts students of Buchanan.

 

Basement of Woodward Library

While the main section of Woodward building is a popular study spot, especially during finals (as it is open 24/7), the basement of the actual Woodward Library is a underrated study spot. It maintains a relatively quiet noise level, but is not silent. My favourite part is that there are “study booths”, such as in a restaurant, making it easy and comfortable to study with a small group.

Forestry Building

If you are looking foForestry Science Buildingr a beautiful building to work in, this may be your winner. The Forestry building is appropriately a masterpiece of woodwork. The building is warm and inviting, with plenty of table space. Also, the building has its own Tim Horton’s, so there is easy access to study fuel. The only downside is that Forestry students can be quite protective of their building, so be respectful.

Honorable Mentions go to the Law Library, the Life Sciences Building, and the Xwi7xwa Library.

Booking a Study Room

While public study spaces can be great for getting work done, if you are working on a project or are holding a study group, you may want to book a study room. Irving, Koerner, and Woodward each have rooms that can be booked by students as a study space. Bookings tend to fill up during exams, with Irving always being the most popular, but you can usually find a space in Woodward Library. Some of the benefits of study rooms is that you can speak a little louder, there are often plenty of outlets, and there is usually a whiteboard (or chalkboard) for you to write down ideas/problem solve.

Another option is to book a space in the Pharmaceutical Sciences building. Most meeting spaces are exterior facing, giving you a beautiful view while your group studies. Plus, you can go straight from class to a meeting space, if you would like. The Pharm Sci Building Room and Space booking form can be found here.

Check out our previous blog posts offering great study tips here and here. What is your favourite place to study on campus? Tell us in the comments below!

– Sukhman Perhar, Communications and Marketing

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Advice

Run the distance – Preparing to ace your exams like a marathon runner

The start of exam season has prompted the Communications & Marketing team to find ways to help you achieve success on your exams. We thought an interesting parallel emerged when comparing study tips to the training marathon runners engage in before the big race, and hope that this comparison will aid your exam performance.

Running 26.2 miles sounds daunting, but is it as daunting as preparing for that exam that is worth 60 percent of your final grade? If you assume that running a marathon is on equal footing on the “Jitter-O-Meter” as taking a final, then it would be safe to assume that you can prepare for an exam in a similar way to preparing for a marathon. Here are some training parallels that can boost your performance when preparing for final exams:

Run (study) enough, but not to the point of exhaustion

A crucial mantra that is surprisingly dismissed by both marathon runners and students is “Stay healthy”. It is counterproductive to train or study so hard that your health is compromised – taking an exam while sick or tired is comparable to running a marathon while injured. Remember: Best to be feeling rested and eager, even if slightly underprepared, than losing all motivation due to running or studying too much.

Create a training (study) schedule, and try to follow it closely

Marathon runners usually build a training schedule that covers as many different aspects of the race as possible. This includes varying miles per week, working on running speed and including at least one long run per week – with recovery days present. Similarly, you can plan a study schedule that covers the different topics that will appear on the final exam, varying the days you will study each section. Include ‘rest days’ in this schedule as to not get overwhelmed. Remind yourself that a schedule is supposed to help and not be a source of stress if you find that you miss a planned day of studying.

Running (studying) smart is key

Newcomers to marathons might think that training hard seven days a week is a prerequisite for success at the finish line. Experienced runners would advise differently, underlining the concept of ‘smart running’: Four-time-a-week runners ran just as well as runners that trained six days a week and covered 20 percent more miles in a study at the University of Northern Iowa. Approach studying similarly by devoting most of your time and efforts on topics that you know will appear on the exam or feel less confident about. If you try to cover every detail of the material, you might find your time not being adequately employed.

There is no preparation without mental preparation

The body can only help you so much when you face the nervousness of running your first race, hitting the dreaded ‘wall’ (when your pace or performance drops near the last miles of the marathon) or asking yourself just what are you doing running 26.2 miles in the middle of the race. These mental roadblocks can also surface when you are writing your exam. Overcome them like a runner would. Recall what it is that you like most about the task at hand, visualize yourself feeling proud when you turn the exam in – there are many possibilities to help keep your mind on track, just don’t forget to keep on writing the exam!

We hope these training parallels will help you deliver your best in your exams, and the C&M team wishes you the best during exam season! How do you prepare for your exams? Share your advice with the Pharm Sci community in the comments section.

-Raul Scorza, Communications & Marketing

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