gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog

[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

some advice from me to you

Well, school is right around the corner yet again (where did summer even go..?), and since I'm heading into the second half of my university career I thought I'd share some little bits of advice that I've gathered through my time here at university. 

My very biggest piece of advice, and the piece that so many people around me have reiterated countless times is not to compare your experiences with everyone else's. It's easy to flip through your old high school or current class mates pictures on Facebook and Instagram and feel really crappy that you didn't go out that weekend, or you don't feel that you've made 5428624 friends like they have. It is totally, 100% okay. Your experiences aren't going to be the same as everyone else's, and with so much emphasis on making your life look perfect on social media, there's probably weren't as glamorous as pictures make it seem anyways.

Try new things. It's always important to be yourself, but I find that in high school it's really easy to get stuck in a rut and feel pressured to be the way that you were when you came in. This is your new, fresh start so there's no reason not to step out and try new things. Join clubs, meet new people, start conversations, go out someplace new - this is a time of growth and change, embrace it.

Going out is fun, and generally a great experience. BUT, it's in your best interest not to spend every night of every weekend going out/partying/drinking. It's definitely not good for you, or your grades, and it's really not necessary. I think that the whole new freedom aspect of university gets to people sometimes and they lose control a little too much, which can have really negative impacts. Go out, but not too much.

It may be a typical statistic that your grades will drop a little bit through the transition to university. That being said, do not a) let that send you into a downward spiral of failure, b) if they don't drop, get overly cocky and decide not to study. They may drop, they may not, the important thing is to work hard, study and try your best no matter what the class is. You'd be surprised how far your hard work and dedication can get you.

You may lose touch with some of your old friends, or stuff from your old town (if you moved, that is), etc. It's okay, chances are you're busy experiencing new things and learning lots so don't fret about not talking to every single acquaintance or person you said "omg we have to hang out and catch up" to. You'll be able to make time for those who are important to you, like your family and closest friends, and you'll meet new people and experience tons of new things.

Overall, enjoy your time at your university/college. You'll do great! Try your best and work hard, good luck! :)

#advice #backtoschool #waterloo #uwaterloo #blogging #university blog #school #school advice #tips #school tips

[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Hello! I will be living off campus and I'm trying my best to budget before I go off to waterloo. I was wondering how much you would think is the average monthly cost for groceries?? Thanks!xx

Hello! Good idea, keeping a budget is always a good way to stay on track. Honestly, grocery costs are going to vary greatly per person. We all have different tastes, different needs, different dietary restrictions, etc etc etc. But on average for myself I would say I spent around $40-50 per week for myself. I tend to buy a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables, which makes it a bit more expensive, but definitely worth it. You can definitely bring the cost down, too, by making use of coupons and discount days at local grocery stores. There’s also a Wholesale Club at King/Weber in Waterloo, which is basically like a Costco but a bit smaller and open to the public without a membership requirement.Hope that helps, good luck! :)

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Hi Gabriela, I'm going to be taking SDS 250 for fall 2014 and I'm kind of scared and nervous because I've never been too good with math and I didn't take gr.12 data management. I was wondering if you took that class, any tips/advice?

Hey! I didn’t take that exact class, as I am no longer in the SDS program, but I did take PSYCH292 which is basically the same thing but held for psychology students. Honestly I’m not too fantastic at math either, but I worked my way through it. My advice to you is to keep a positive outlook, going in expecting to do terribly is just going to make it harder on you, so jump in being 100% ready to work hard and get it done! I’d also advise you to go to your tutorials (if you have them), do the assignments and practice work, and talk to a TA or your professor straight away if you’re having trouble understanding any tiny little thing. In stats everything builds on top of the previous work, so don’t try the whole “I’ll just work through it next week” thing, if you need help get it right away. Work hard and you’ll get through it, it’s hard but I believe you can do it!Good luck! :)

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Hi Gabriela! Since Monday is the add/drop period for upper year students, would you happen to know what time we can start adding and dropping our courses on quest? Would we be able to as soon as the time strikes 12am? Thank you!

If you log onto Quest, click enrol, and then click appointments it will give you the exact times you can start adding/dropping classes! Hope that helps. :)

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Hi, I just finished first year in april and I was originally in arts and business but switched out to honours psych. I want to minor in something but I cant seem to find any area that I like... Waterloo is pretty limited when it comes to minors and I can't seem to find anything that I'm interested in... I know you're minoring in speech comm and I was wondering how the courses are? Also, do you have any suggestions as to what I can do? Thanks

First off, congrats! And I hope you feel that psych is a better fit for you! :) Don’t feel too stressed if there’s nothing you’re really feeling inclined to for your minor. You can do almost anything in a minor - click this page, and open the “major” option tabs, you can take all of those as a minor as well. With any extra spaces in your schedule, try adding courses you think you’d like, and open your mind a little, you may be surprised by your interests!

For my minor in speech comm, I actually applied for the minor before taking any of the courses specifically to ensure that I 100% could get into one of the courses I really wanted, and I honestly enjoyed it so much. I’ve only taken the one course though, so I’ll have to explore more! My boyfriend is a speech comm major and he really loves it so far, as well.

My suggestion to you is to take some time and really go through your options for courses. Each department has a page online of every single course offered by them, so you can check those and cross check to make sure they’re available for the term you’re looking at. Spend some time browsing and jot down some of the courses, take a further look once you’re done that, and think it through.Don’t stress too much about choosing your minor right away, it’s better to take a bit of time and make the best choice for you.Good luck! :)

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

I'm a 1st year student bit unfortunately I was asked to withdraw from the university because of my bad grades. I'm only allowed to come back during winter 2015 or this fall if I choose to do the foundation term. I know it's not the end of the world and I've learnt my mistakes. I'm just really confused regarding how to use these next 8 months wisely. Any tips?

I’m sorry to hear that! But know that you’re not alone, university is a struggle for many, and as long as you learn from your mistakes and continue to make improvements, that’s what truly defines you. I’d suggest you use the next 8 months or so to really work on improving yourself. Take some time to work, maybe, and save up some money. Try doing some volunteering, maybe even in your fields of interest. Take some workshops on improving study skills/stress management/etc if that’s where your issues popped up during school terms. Overall, focus on you, and improving yourself. Get focussed, and get healthy (whether that be your body, your mind or your spirit, or overall). If this is what you really want, believe in yourself and you can put the effort in and get back to it.Good luck!

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Hi!! I love your blog! I just wanted to ask: did you ever get doubts about your major? I really want to major in English but I'm so afraid of the backlash I'll receive from my parents and family.

I hope this wasn’t here too long, sorry if I’ve kept you waiting! Thank you! And to answer you, yes. I was originally majoring in social development studies during my first year. Now, I’m a psychology major with a minor in speech communication. My best advice to you, is to follow your heart and your dreams. I know sometimes it can be scary to face parents, a lot of my friends went through that. And I know that they probably have your best interests in mind, and they want you to be financially secure in the future. That being said, if your goals in life are set on an English major, and that’s what you feel is your passion, then I whole-heartedly urge you to pursue them. I firmly believe that if you’re truly passionate about something, you will succeed at it. Be careful, and analyze the situation to make sure you feel it’s what’s best. Have courage though, you are the only one that has to live your life, so you should be happy with your choices. Explain this to your family, and I’m sure they will grow to understand your choice.

Good luck! If you need anything else, please feel free to message me!

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

a winter-y update

Hey lovelies, I hope you're all well! I thought I would bring you an update of how my winter is going so far, including photos from December and January (so far)! I hope you enjoy, and have a great rest of the week! :)

Click more for pictures and winter fun!

Over the holidays I had lots of time to catch up with friends, and this dessert/drink meet up was the perfect way to do it. A good friend of mine since high school and I met up at Moxie's one night to catch up since we hadn't seen each other in a while. I'd never been to Moxie's before, but I have to say that I was impressed. I'm a forever-fan of cosmopolitans (cocktail), but instead of the traditional I tried this white-cosmo and it was absolutely delicious. Not nearly as delicious as that white chocolate brownie, though!

The holiday season definitely didn't disappoint any snow/winter fans out there. Unfortunately... I'm not one of those people BUT, the shot I took of the pathway to my house from the bus stop was just beautiful. I truly was walking in a winter wonderland. And below that, a photo of one of my favourite things in winter - cozy clothes! There's no better time of year than winter so cozy up into soft cardigans, fuzzy sweaters and leggings while enjoying hot chocolate!

I was a lucky girl this Christmas - my lovely boyfriend got me tickets to the ROM (Royal Ontario Museum) in Toronto, where we spent the day roaming exhibits, taking silly pictures, and afterwards wandering the mall. The ROM is one of my absolute favourite places, I could spend hours on end walking around, which we did! If you can't tell by the photo.. I might like dinosaurs. A little... ;)

More food! This weekend two of my roomies and I went to Crabby Joe's for the half price apps after 9pm, and once we saw this cake on the dessert menu, we couldn't say no. Honestly, this cake was SO good, but splitting the one piece was more than enough sugary-sweet yumminess for each of us. And below that, my second burger that I have eaten in the past 5 years. For a few reasons, after a 5 year hiatus from beef and red meat, I've decided to get back to it. This burger, home made by a roomie of mine, really hit the spot. I'm a bit of a foodie, can you tell?

Another something I'm very excited about - these boots! I got them on sale, and the last pair was my size, I think it was meant to be. They're also surprisingly comfortable, considering I don't wear heels often. I wore them all day around campus and not only did I not trip or fall, my feet weren't killing me when I got home either! And below the picture of the boots, my outfit for the day (featuring the very same boots)!

Thanks for reading, and have a great day! :)

#update #blogging #food #fashion #boots #shoes #drinks #catch up #ROM #dinosaur #selfie #ootd #winter #canada #uwaterloo #uw #waterloo #kw

[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

do you go to the gym at loo?

I’ve been to both, but not frequently! I should probably go more often haha.

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Hey Gabriela! Do you know anyone that has taken Music100?

I don’t, actually. Sorry! I hope you enjoy it :)

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

ho ho home for the holidays

Hello readers!

I hope you all had a great term, and are having an even better holiday break! I just thought I'd do a little update post, and a few little dots of advice for the quickly upcoming term! :) As you have probably noticed, I was a little bit absent from blogging this past term. It wasn't intended, I've just had a lot on my plate and I guess a little more trouble balancing my time and commitments but now that I've had a term to adjust hopefully I'll be a little more frequent with my posting! I'll also try to include more photos on here, because it's so much more fun to read when pictures are there! :)

And a bit of advice for the coming term: Don't feel discouraged, or too cocky! University can be hard, and you may have done worse than you expected, or a lot better, but that doesn't mean it's time to give up or slack off! Keep your head up and get yourself organized. If you need some extra help, don't be afraid to go out and get it.

This is a new term, and a new year. It's never a wrong time to make a change, but maybe the start of 2014 is the push you need. Make some resolutions, make some goals and start taking steps towards them!

And I hope that you all have a fantastic new years celebration (or relaxation, if you prefer) and a great rest of the break! Good luck on the new term! Thanks for reading. :)

[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Hey, I'm not doing so great first term and I was just wondering what would happen if I receive just 50-60% range for all my classes?

Sorry it took a long time to respond to this! If that happens, you can be put on academic probation depending on the required average for your program. You’d have to talk to your academic advisor for further details!

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

What floor were you on last year? :)

Oasis!

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

How To: Study

I had a question asking how to study, so I thought I'd get this out here since exam period officially starts in a few days! (yikes..) 

I won't be making a post on the best study method, because that varies greatly per person, and I've already gone through my favourite way of studying and making notes (click here). This will simply be some tips on making your study session the most effective!

Tip #1: Figure out where you're going to be studying. I recently wrote a post on some awesome study spots around campus, so feel free to check out one of those, or stay in your room, get a study room booked, wherever! Just pick a place where you know you'll work well.

Tip #2: Pack and gather everything you'll be needing. I mean it, everything. Gather all your pens, notebooks, textbooks, laptop, snacks, coffee, calculator, extra pens, chargers, water.. I find it so much easier to procrastinate when I don't have everything with my because I'll say I have to go get something and then take a 45 minute break doing nothing.. awkward. If you have everything, you can stay focussed and dedicated to the task at hand.

Tip #3: Take breaks. Yep, you read correctly, take a break once and a while. I don't mean check Facebook every five minutes, but your mind can only handle so much at once. Give yourself a guideline, for every 50-60 minutes you spend dedicated to reading/note making/revising, take a 10-15 minute break to relax, chat, have a snack and let everything sink in.

Tip #4: Divide your time effectively. You may be facing multiple exams in a short span of time, so make sure you're splitting your time effectively between all subjects that need to be covered. This may mean adjusting your method a bit, for example writing up notes on the computer rather than writing them all by hand, but the knowledge is still being learned, and information is getting into your head.

Tip #5: Get sleep. I know it seems tough to do when you're facing many exams, but your mind and body need rest and without it, the knowledge isn't going to sink in properly, and you'll feel frantic, overwhelmed and won't be able to focus as easily. Sleep is especially important the night before the exam!

Tip #6: Try to eat and sleep properly, trust me, it helps! Keep yourself balanced, and take care of your mind and body. Tip #7: Maybe one of the most important things... if you don't understand.. ASK. There's no more time for that "maybe I'll get it when they use it in next weeks material", there is no "next week" or "next class". This is the material, and the materials tend to be linked to each other. If you don't understand something fully or at all, ask class mates, friends, TAs or the professor for clarification, it could help fit everything together for you.

Tip #8: Sort of related to #7, but if you need help please talk to someone. There are workshops on campus through counselling services to help you manage time/manage stress/study effectively, and there are counsellors and helplines (Good2Talk - 18669255454 post secondary 24hr help line) to help you if you're overwhelmed and feeling overly stressed. A little pressure is good, but if it's too much, please talk.

Tip #9: Believe in yourself. You've gotten this far, and you can make it through. Exams are tough, but you're tougher. Study hard, balance yourself, don't go out partying and hanging out constantly and you'll be fine! Let's kill these exams guys, I know you can do it! Thanks for reading, and please feel free to message me with any questions/comments and concerns you may have! Good luck!

#exams #motvation #help #helpful #tips #tips and tricks #university #university of waterloo #believe in yourself

[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

When is it a good time to look for our textbooks for the Winter Term?

If you prefer, wait until you get the course syllabus to know for sure. If they’re already posted with pictures on booklook you may as well go hunting for some used ones to save some money! :)

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[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

study spots

Hey guys!

A reader asked for a post on the best places to study around campus, and while I certainly haven't discovered them all, I'm happy to share with you a couple of the places I really enjoy studying, or friends of mine have suggested. If you aren't sure how to get to any of the places I mention, shoot me a question and I'll give you directions!

PS. Sorry for the huge delay, I had some technical difficulties, and then midterms and assignments decided to drown me a little. :(

Here's a general campus map to show you where each of the following buildings are!

Here goes:

First off: Renison.

Maybe I'm biased, since I lived there for my first year, but there are tons of great places to study in at Renison. Renison has it's own library (mostly with books to do with Social Work and Psychology) which is always super quiet. They have tons of tables, as well as a couple book-able group study rooms to work in. There are also empty classrooms in the academic wing of the building that you can usually use, as well as study carrels in the library and upper floor of the academic wing. Lastly, if you don't mind studying in louder locations you can always find a spot in the cafeteria so study at!

Second: SLC.  The SLC is great because it gives options for pretty much anyone's study needs. You have Timmy's, the main hall, and the cafeteria that are great for anyone who's meeting up with friends, doing general work, or like studying in louder environments and when exam times comes around, they put out tables and make the whole great hall a quiet study area. Second, if you head upstairs there's a quitter study space that has large tables, comfy couches and chairs, and even separate group study rooms to book out. M3 (MATH 3) Not a building I'm often spending time in, but I've heard great things and I've been inside a few times and really enjoyed the place. The great thing is that M3 is generally pretty quiet, and they have a big open hall on the main area that is great for meeting up with groups and having project discussions, without having too much noise interruption around you. On the upper floors, they also have conference tables (so I've been told, at least!) that don't have closed doors but would be great for spreading out your work and getting to work!

MC (Math & Computing) The ugly math building, as many people may recognize it. The best thing about this building is that it's huge. They also have multiple lounge rooms (check out the 3rd floor math cafe and couch lounges, and multiple computer rooms) and on the upper floors have some separate rooms you can do work in. What I've noticed in the short amount of time I've spent in MC is that it's generally quieter the higher you are in the building, so if you need quiet studying time, avoid the second floor for sure.

DC (Davis Center) DC is another great option, mostly because they have two things a student uses quite often: Tim Horton's (two of them), and a library. Pretty awesome, huh? The obviously have plenty of quieter space, as they have a library, but they also have a main cafeteria that you can study in!

QNC (Quantum Nano Center) Probably one of the prettiest buildings on campus, and another that I rarely spend time in, but it's really cool and I've heard awesome things about it. I believe they have upper floors rooms and halls that you can study in, but I think the coolest part is the white board walls they have on the main floor. Awesome for those doing complex math equations, balancing chemical equations.. and doodling.

NH (Needles Hall) Not a huge building, really, but if you head over to the main floor cafeteria area (avoid meal times) there are tables and chairs and plenty of space to spread out and get work done, and it's also pretty quiet, unless it's lunch time, of course.

DP (Dana Porter) A library.. as a study place? Who would have thought! If you're looking for a go-to study place, this would be it! They pretty much have everything you need for an awesomely successful session: coffee, printers, photocopiers, study tables, computers, and lots of quiet space (the higher you go, the quieter it gets!).

EV3 I love this building. It's so interesting! They also have a William's, and a little cafeteria type area that you can work in! It's never quiet during the day, really, but if you're there after William's is closed during the evening it quiets down a lot!

PAS Is it weird to love this building? It's so cool. The best part is that there are always free little rooms open that you can use for meeting with a group, or get all your notes and everything spread out. The also usually have outlets, which is a common university student concern, nowadays.

#study spots #uwaterloo #study #exams

[gabrielaatwaterloo-blog-blog]

Who were your profs for SDS 131 and SOCWK 120? And are you selling textbooks?

I had Jon Boyd for SOCWK120 and Teresa Romkey for SDS 131. Unfortunately I’ve already sold my textbooks for those classes! :(

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