Year and program: Third-year, Political Science honours
Where is home for you? Toronto, ON
What three adjectives best describe you?
Kind, passionate, hard-working
What extracurricular activities have you been involved with (UBC related or not)?
I was involved with the Arts Undergraduate Society (AUS) for my first two years at UBC. I started as First-Year Representative/Co-chair of the First-Year Committee and served as Equity Commissioner in my second year. This past summer, I completed a Go Global Seminar + Summer Abroad in Paris/Lyon France (the best six weeks of my life). Additionally, this year, I am a Project Coordinator in the Partnerships committee of the Student Alumni Council. Aside from this, I have participated in Intramurals since I started at UBC.
What is your best study strategy/tip?
Physical cue cards!
In university, I struggled to find an effective study method that worked best for me, but using physical cue cards has been a complete game-changer. Even for courses that don’t require memorization, I found that creating a deck of cue cards reinforces my learning, through engaging in active recall.
However, beyond simply actively recalling various terms/concepts, I recommend playing around with the cards and envisioning different ways in which you can understand the information. For example, laying the cue cards on the table and grouping terms/ideas based on similar traits. Or even create a sort of mind map on your table in which you configure your cue cards to reflect a common idea.
When studying, I strongly advise conceptualizing the material in different ways so that your brain can understand the information in more than just one way. I believe that cue cards are a versatile tool for this. All that being said, everyone studies differently, which is why it is important you try a bunch of methods to figure out what works best for you!
If you could travel back in time to your first year at UBC, what is one thing you would do differently?
Take a breath! While coming to university for the first time is exciting, it is also quite overwhelming at first – new friends, new classes, and ultimately, a completely different lifestyle. I was very stressed during my first year trying to navigate university after moving to a completely new province. Now looking back, I put a lot of pressure on myself and did not give myself a lot of grace during this transition. I wish I put less stress on myself during my first year, as the adjustment to university does not happen overnight. Taking a couple of breaths when I got stressed and reminding myself that the transition to university is not easy would have allowed me to have a smoother transition in my first year. If you are like me and are in your first year, just know that things always work out one way or another, and you are exactly where you are meant to be!