Year and program: Third-year, Psychology major and Creative Writing minor
What three adjectives best describe you?
Creative, Easygoing, Playful, Overachiever
What extracurricular activities have you been involved with (UBC related or not)?
I’m part of a few clubs here at UBC (Discorder, Wargamers, AMS Paint club), volunteer in a couple research labs, work part time and generally try to have a pretty chill time with my neverending list of hobbies.
When I’m not spending time working or volunteering, I like to spend time on creative projects like my comic or tattoo art, spend quality time with my loved ones or play video games to pass my time. I’ve recently gotten into rollerblading, so that’s what I’ve been doing this past summer.
What is your best study strategy/tip?
UBC has so many resources around to help students manage school that students just either don’t know about or don’t have any idea on how to reach out to. There’s Academic Advising, the Center for Accessibility, office hours, Peer tutoring, academic coaching (wink wink nudge nudge), and so many more things that are actually so incredibly monumental to success in University. Reaching out for help is just the first step to getting that success. My GPA would definitely not be what it is if I hadn’t ever reached out for support, and I’m so incredibly glad that UBC has these resources available for students to access.
If you could travel back in time to your first year at UBC, what is one thing you would do differently?
I’d tell myself to stop trying so hard to find ‘your people’ and keep myself around people and situations I don’t particularly want to be in, and just let things happen naturally. Join a club you like, or compliment your lecture neighbour on their Totoro pin, go to those board game residence events you think no one else goes to, whatever works for you really.
University is hard enough socially when you’re thousands of miles away from home, you have to figure out all of these new adult responsibilities (and so does everyone else, making scheduling more difficult than 5D chess), social anxiety, yadda yadda: don’t make it harder by trying to be someone you’re not.