Year and program: 4th year, Psychology major
Where is home for you? Vancouver!
What three adjectives best describe you?
Thoughtful, reflective, and empathetic, among other things.
What extracurricular activities have you been involved with (UBC related or not)?
Within UBC, I had the pleasure of volunteering for the AMS Block Party and working as an Orientation Leader for Imagine Day! I’ve also thoroughly enjoyed participating in events such as the Taekwondo Club and Bunnies on Campus simultaneously. Off campus, I currently work as a K-10 Math and English tutor (which has been such a lovely and wonderful experience supporting children and teens at different developmental milestones).
What is your best study strategy/tip?
One evidence-based study strategy I’ve come across that is tried and true is retrieval practice (also known as active recall). This technique actively attempts to retrieve information from your memory, reinforcing memory traces and improving retention significantly compared to passively re-reading notes or re-watching lectures. Another study strategy I prioritise is explaining concepts in my own words. This process helps identify gaps in understanding and integrates new information to existing knowledge, which strengthens encoding and creates deeper retrieval pathways. Lastly, a fantastic technique I’ve recently learned in my cognitive science class is dual-coding. It works by combining verbal and visual elements (such as words with diagrams, pictures, or charts), which is a powerful way to engage multiple cognitive systems. This is also particularly useful because dual-coding theory suggests that the mind processes information along two separate streams: verbal and nonverbal. It’s so incredibly easy to get overwhelmed by the number of studying strategies there are, but remember there’s no right way of studying! So experiment with different strategies as you go and find what works best for your needs and goals.
If you could travel back in time to your first year at UBC, what is one thing you would do differently?
I would’ve stepped outside my comfort zone a little more because I think life can be so much more than what you learn in the classroom. When you ask graduates what they got out of their university experience, it’s often the people, the conversations, and the adventures they’ve had with others that will remain with them. It’s about not being stuck in the same space of like-minded ways of thinking, but making friends with as many different people as you can so that you can hear all of these different perspectives and views on things. It’s about wanting to seek out these types of people who are knowledgeable in different ways than I am and interpret the world in different ways than I do. In my opinion, there is nowhere else than university where you can have this diversity of culture and thinking that is readily accessible—so make the most out of it! 🙂