By Julie Nguyen, Residence Advisor
Are you interested in volunteering abroad, but would like to know more about it?
Volunteering abroad, otherwise known as Voluntourism, has become somewhat of a trend among students at UBC. It is not uncommon to hear about students travelling to developing countries and doing humanitarian work. At the same time, if you have ever considered doing so yourself, you may be unsure of what to expect on voluntourism trips. Continue reading
By Richard Hou, Residence Advisor
We’ve all heard it; it may be from our friends, colleagues or even parents, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s plain wrong.
Lets look at the biological effects of stress on our bodies.
We can see that most of the effects have something to do with how our ancestors prepared for and faced danger in everyday life. Our muscles swell with blood, non-vital functions are put on standby and we’re put in fight or flight mode. You may think that some of these features would be useful for cramming for that exam you have the next morning, but you may want to reconsider.
The human body is built to endure occasional bouts of extreme stress, but with a long term stressor such as exams or midterms that may last from days to weeks, our sympathetic ANS and parasympathetic nervous systems are thrown way out of whack, with our sympathetic nervous system essentially never shutting off and keeping our body in “fight or flight” mode for long periods of time.
This causes susceptibility to infection, skin problems, pain, diabetes, infertility and a whole load of other problems, in addition to screwing up our ability to learn and concentrate.
So next time you hear someone in your class tell you they work better under pressure, just play along and tell them that extreme stress is good for studying. Hey, maybe they’ll throw off the curve and you’ll get an extra couple of percent!
By Adam Stich, Residence Advisor
Preparing completely vegetarian meals may seem a daunting task at first, but once you get a hold of some key recipes, the meat-less alternative may prove to be a delicious and actually relatively easy choice. I have been cooking vegetarian since September and although I was nervous to make the switch at first, once I discovered a couple staple ingredients, my new diet was an easy adjustment.
Here are some ingredients that made the switch really easy. Now I’m not a nutritionist, but I do know that when you’re not consuming meat, it is especially important to ensure you’re getting your protein and iron. So below is a list containing some delicious, as well as nutritious vegetarian ingredients. Continue reading
By Julie Nguyen
As final exams are approaching, travelling may be the last thing on a student’s mind. However, if you are planning to fly home for the holidays or wanting to take a vacation, it may be appropriate to start thinking about potential travel arrangements now.
As a result, I’ve gathered a few simple tips that can help you save money with your travels: Continue reading
by Simran Dukhia, 3rd year Dietetics
Why eat Organic fruits and vegetables? One reason is that they contain fewer pesticides! Pesticide consumption is related to cancer incidence; hence eating organic produce may decrease one of the risk factors for developing cancer. Switching to a 100% organic diet may not be feasible on a student budget, so how can we reduce our pesticide consumption without having to go completely organic? Read on! Continue reading
By Sonia Shao, Gage Residence Advisor
Always afraid to look at your credit card bill at the end of December? Check out these awesome ideas for gifts on a budget! Continue reading
By Natalie Ng, Residence Advisor
Living with 5 different room mates can be a challenge, especially if all of you are unfamiliar with each other’s daily habits. This can be an issue during midterm season, when stress levels are high and people fail to complete their cleaning duty for the week, or leave the dishes in the sink for too long. Continue reading
By – Farah Surani, Residence Advisor
As students, our lives are as busy as a bee! Having to negotiate between homework, part-time jobs, sports and extracurricular activities is not an easy task! Little do we realize, we’re always managing our time to accommodate for all the things that we need to do in 24 hours, yet the one thing that is always compromised is sleep! For many, sleep is treated more as a luxury than a necessity. Should this be the case? Continue reading
By Richard Hou, Residence Advisor
Here are some tips for you to stay healthy and alive, for those weeks when you’ve accidentally drank away all your money. Continue reading
By Katherine Leibel, Residence Advisor
Call me the stereotypical English major, but I consider essay writing an art form. The development of the thesis into flawless coherence, the cunning manipulation of syntax, and that satisfaction of finding the perfect word – I find it a fascinating academic experience.
But creating a paper masterpiece takes patience, and with word counts nearing the three and four thousands, it can get boring. So to get through those tedious hours pouring over books and staring into a laptop screen, I’ve compiled a playlist of my favourite songs to listen to while writing. Continue reading
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