So, you’re telling me I can potentially win $20,000? Where do I sign up?
Earlier today I was browsing my Facebook newsfeed when a certain post caught my eye:
Immediately I thought it was too good to be true. Really, how can you possibly win $20,000 without even writing an essay? And yet, after a bit of research I found the entire event to be legitimate. The contest is open to students over the age of 13, thus open to students in grade school, high school, college and university!
Naturally you have to create an account to be entered into the draw for the $20,000, then you are given the choice to opt into various additional prize packages that are being released all throughout the contest period, so far: 5 Dell XPS Ultrabooks, and a $5000 Mexx shopping spree – the catch is that you have to keep checking back to opt into the new prizes.
Like any good contest there are ways to increase your odds of winning, basically more entries = better odds.
There are also contests within the contest, past Flash Contests include: an AWAKE chocolate prize pack and a $500 and CDs pack.
All in all this contest is UNBELIEVABLE – whether you choose to just sign up or go out of your way to earn extra entries, I suggest you check this out – it’s a crazy contest and yet, somebody’s going to win, so why not take a minute to enter?
Who knows, you could turn out to be Canada’s Luckiest Student! 🙂
Challenge yourself.
It doubles your perception, to write from the point of view of someone you’re not.
Michael Ondaatje
Residence Family
A view from Wood Residence in the fall.
I am not going home for Thanksgiving for a number of reasons, there are no train tickets left, I am sick and don’t want to travel and I have a lot of catching up to do and feel I will be more productive if I stay in residence.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my family and would love to see them, but I just feel like that is not what I need to be doing at this point in time.
When I tell people I’m not going home they immediately feel sorry for me, but I am quick to tell them not to. I made my choice to stay in residence and I’m happy with it, although I don’t get to spend Thanksgiving with my family at home, I do have my residence family here to celebrate with.
Living in residence is a great experience, you are located on campus and can easily get involved in campus life, be it through joining clubs, participating in ResLife events or getting an on-campus job. But the best part about residence is the friends you make, the people on your floor, in your house, the ones who are always hanging out in your common room, the people you have class with who happen to live in your building…
What better way to develop friendship than by living together!
Throughout last year and this year I have made some amazing friends in residence, some went home to be with their families and some stayed here. Those of us who stayed are sticking together and making the most of this holiday that we are lucky enough to spend together.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone – spend it with people who mean something to you!
“Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe, call it a family. Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one” Jane Howard
This time last year…
September 27th, 2011 was a Thursday and my last day of class for the week. I had two classes to go to, Philosophie – Les grands penseurs from 10:30-12pm and my Spanish grammar class from 3-6pm.
In between classes I would have gone to the caf to grab lunch and probably run into some friends, returned to my room to look over my homework and browse facebook for a bit before returning to York Hall for Spanish.
Spanish class was fun; my professor was very kind and fun, she always made sure to have a multi-media aspect to the class, a song or a movie clip, something to keep us engaged.
After class I went to the cafeteria to get supper, usually either the stir-fry or, if there were any left the tacos from Taco Thursday, while chatting with some friends from Spanish class.
Then it was back to residence to hangout with my B-House buddies. In the short 3 weeks since school had started, we had quickly found each other and established an amazing feeling of comfort and fun amongst each other – that was something I really appreciated, those people are a large part of what made Glendon feel like a home away from home.
The fact that I can remember all this now, a whole year later suggests it was a good enough time to have endured in my memory, and I wish the same memorable experience for you and my best suggestion to get it is to simply enjoy every moment and be fully present in whatever you’re doing – if you’re in class, pay attention; hanging with your friends, really listen to what they’re saying; going to the gym, don’t get distracted; going out downtown, have a good time – whatever you do, do it with all your heart.
The process of education
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.
Aristotle
Let’s chat…
I love many things about university, the freedom, the education, the volunteering, the opportunities – but the thing I love the most is when I converse with the fantastic people that I meet about the things they care about most.
Talking to people in general is something I enjoy, whether it’s a good friend or a new acquaintance, but sometimes it take a bit of time to find that one thing that they can talk about for hours. Starting with general questions usually reveals a penchant for a certain topic, when once you pry a bit more into that – BAM, you’ve unlocked the door to their mind and soul.
Sometimes the topic is something you both have in common; you find yourselves drawing the same conclusions, validating each other’s thoughts and having your mind opened to new perspectives on a topic you thought you had completely figured out. Both of you interested and fully engaged in the conversation.
But I prefer talking to someone about something I know little about, when I can be the inquisitor, asking question upon question of clarification, delving into the topic and watching as the person with whom I’m speaking becomes so alive and excited about the topic. Politics, history, personal experiences, abstract thought, innovative ideas, stories, aspirations, trips, I’ve heard about them all and I loved every second of it! Hearing the information from a person who’s passionate about it is the best way to learn. And the personal level of the conversation helps me remember the exchange better.
The same can be said for editing essays. Essays are so common in university, it always feels like you have just finished one and are looking to get it edited. I for one love editing essays! The style and content quickly demonstrate the student’s ability, but within the first 3 lines you can tell if the writer is passionate about the topic. And if they are, all the better for you, the essay will be an absolute joy to read!
What are you passionate about? What can you talk about for hours?
Revised Scholastic Strategy
One might assume that after having spent the majority of my life in school that I have long-since discovered the ultimate study strategy – alas this is not the case…
Last year I took notes in all my lectures, completed all homework and assignments and when it came time for tests I studied by method of cue card testing and online practice tests. This seemed to work well enough, but I feel as though there is still room for improvement, thus my new and improved 2012-2013 school strategy!
The main concept is as follows, to view the information as much as possible in as varied of means as I can manage. Here are the basic steps:
1) Take notes in class
2) Ask/answer questions in lectures and tutorials – for clarification or assurance.
3) Re-type the notes on my laptop
4) Do all homework and assignments
5) Find someone willing to proof read/edit the assignments
6) Create a study group around the time of assignments, tests or exams for discussion and group study sessions
7) Continue with the cue card and online practice test method
This may look like a lot, but it really is the most comprehensive way I can imagine to learn. So far steps 1-4 are proving very natural and easy, however, not even a week of school has gone by yet. Will I be able to remain dedicated to my new plan or will I fall into the oh-so-common student indolence? Only time will tell…
What’s your surefire study strategy?
education changes everything
Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.
Nelson Mandela
Things I wish I had known during Frosh Week
One of the events from our Frosh week was a Scavenger Hunt around Toronto. 🙂
Well, it’s that time of year again; the campus is scrambling to get ready for FROSH WEEK! The GCSU is packaging Frosh Kits, the D-Frosh are undergoing extensive training and housing is putting finishing touches on rooms.
I remember experiencing my own Frosh Week just 12 months ago. I was nervous and excited, determined to have a great time, but unsure of what to expect. So here are a few tips that I would have liked to know before my Frosh Week.
1. Be friendly. As strange and/or difficult it may be for you, I recommend that all during Frosh Week you take the opportunity to introduce yourself to and consequently meet as many people as possible. Asking someone’s name, major, residence and opinion about Frosh Week can lead to a wonderful friendship! (:
2. Sleep! Frosh Week is a busy time, there are events from the early morning to the late evening, so even though you’ll be meeting lots of great people with whom you’ll want to stay up late chatting with, remember to get enough sleep – you have the rest of the year to get to know them, but just a little over a week to fully experience Frosh week!
3. Be flexible. The planning and executing of this week took lots of time and effort by many people, and as people are unpredictable, sudden changes to the schedule may occur, be patient and flexible in these situations.
Frosh Schedule from 2011 🙂
4. It’s okay to do your own thing sometimes. While all the Frosh events are fun, it’s okay to skip one if you don’t think it will appeal to you, take some time to explore the city if you’re new to Toronto, but always travel with a buddy! This could also be a good time to get to know other Frosh on your floor who might have chosen not to participate in Frosh week.
5. Be open-minded. You will be meeting lots of different people with various opinions and values, you don’t have to agree with everyone, but you do have to respect them. In that same line of thought, try to push yourself to try new things during Frosh week, you might be surprised at what you’re capable of.
Why Glendon??
Because of reasons.
1. The Glendon campus is beautiful! We have trees all over the grounds, adorable wildlife – raccoons and squirrels, a picture perfect rose garden and a forest to walk through anytime! Additionally, Glendon students are free to visit the Manor, the estate of the Wood family who donated the property as the founding campus of York University. The area where Glendon is situated is also lovely; we’re right by the Bridle Path, always a nice place to go for a stroll or a run.
2. Glendon has small classes! When I was looking into various universities, it seemed to me that the average university class had at least 200 students. This fact worried me because I was afraid of getting lost in the system and simply becoming a number. However, this is not a problem at Glendon because classes average 25 students which still allows for a personal learning experience where you can get to know your professors and classmates and feel comfortable speaking up in class.
3. The small campus is less intimidating, with only 3,000 students, compared to the Keele campus, which is frequented by some 50,000 students. I felt much more comfortable getting involved on campus in the Glendon College Student Union (GCSU), Residence events and committees, Glendon Model United Nations and I even wrote an article for ProTem, our campus newspaper! Having less people around also means you get to know a large majority of people; walking down the halls of York Hall (our main school building), you’ll quickly find you recognize more people than you would have thought.
4. The perfect program! I love languages and although I have yet to choose my future career, I am currently in the most ideal program ever – I’m majoring in Spanish, minoring in French and pursuing a certificate of trilingual excellence. Plus I am in the iBA program, which adds an extra international component to my degree allowing me to study abroad for a whole year!
Those are a few of the main reasons I love Glendon, others include Lunik – our student co-op café, the friendliness of everyone on campus, the sense of community, the crazy D-frosh team, the awesome ResLife team and more, but I’ll talk more about all that later!
So, why did you choose Glendon/ What’s your favourite thing about Glendon??
Balancing Act 