First Year Experience

Did you know that we offer Writing Support? What about the Skills for Success program? There are a ton of support resources available at the University to support you academically!

I want to draw your attention to the My First Six Weeks Program! If you were not aware of this program, it is designed to help first year students such as yourself transition to the University of Calgary. This resource is an excellent place to start if you are still confused or overwhelmed with the university experience. [http://www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/academic-support/my-first-six-weeks]

There are also Academic Development specialists who can provide one on one attention if you would like to talk to someone. They are located in the Student Success center and can be accessed by booking an appointment. More information can be found about them here: www.ucalgary.ca/ssc/academic-support/academic-development-specialists.

Writing support is available to students who need help with anything related to writing! Whether it be questions about formatting, references, grammar, or structure, writing support can help. Writing support is a great way to get a second set of eyes to check over your work. They are located at the Student Success Center and can be accessed by booking an appointment.

  Appointments can be booked at: https://success.ucalgary.ca/home.htm

So December is here and final exams are just around the corner. What can you do to best prepare yourself for these finals?

You can review the tips from our Midterm Exams post in October [Link to post].

Plan ahead. This is extremely important in making sure that your stress levels are under control. Creating an agenda will allow you to balance out your studying to make sure key topics are covered. It will allow your brain to be able to absorb and retain important information.

Maintain a good sleeping schedule. This is important for both your health and your academics. Allowing your brain and body to rest will ensure that you are always functioning at your full potential.

Take breaks and reward yourself. Developing a system to reward yourself will allow you to stay motivated throughout this stressful period. For example, 2 hours of focused study is rewarded with a 30 minute break.

Test yourself. Use these tests as assessments to evaluate if your studying has paid off. Try teaching friends material. Helping others is a great way to test to see if you understand the material as well.

Now is a good time to start thinking about what you might want to do for the upcoming summer! The summer is a great time to re-energize, but it is also a great time to work and network with people. If you plan to work, I hope to help you land your dream summer job! There are lots of resources on campus to take advantage of while you are looking for a job. The first resource that I would like to point you towards is Career Services.

  Career Services, located on the first floor of the Macewan Student Center by the Book Store can help you with anything regarding jobs! They can help build your resume, cover letter, and develop your interview skills through mock interviews. I strongly suggest that you access this resource as it is a great way to develop career skills! You can check out the other services that they offer at: http://www.ucalgary.ca/careers/

This week we have reading days! This is your chance to relax and catch up on work that you may have. It is important to remember that reading days can be used to complete assignments and study for tests but that you should also take some time to relax. The benefits of relaxation and de-stress time are numerous and taking time to relax can help you further succeed in your university studies.

If you are feeling stressed or need support in some way, feel free to contact the wellness centre on campus. They are here to help students through their university experience by benefitting their health. All students are able to visit the wellness centre and access their many services including:

-        Personal, academic and career counselling

-        Medical services

-        Massage services

-        Chiropractic services

-        Nutrition services

-        Faith and spirituality centre

Academic Advisors are here to help students succeed, in their first year and beyond.

Did you know that you have $25.00 of credit towards Active Living programs? It is important as a student to have activities beyond studying. Use the services and resources available at the University of Calgary as a way to get a break from studying and get active and healthy!

 The Active Living program promotes students to get involved in sports and activities on campus to keep students engaged and active.

There are many different services and resources offered by Active Living. Students can work out at the university gym, go swimming, skate in the Olympic oval, go rock climbing, run on a track, and play squash all in the same day! These are just some of the facilities and resources you can take advantage of throughout your university career. It is a great way to relieve stress from your studies. An extensive list of facilities and resources can be found on their website.

 If you are a competitive individual, or enjoy meeting new people, intramurals and sports clubs will be right up your alley. There are tons of different sports that might intrigue you!

The outdoor center has a ton of opportunities for students to get outside and get active! You can learn a new skill through the courses that the program offers. Equipment rentals are also available from the outdoor center! More information can be found on the Outdoor Centre website. 

At this point in the semester, you will be aware of all of the assignments, tests and papers you will need to complete. I find that it can be a bit overwhelming to have such a large list of things that you need to complete. After a few years here at the University of Calgary, I have found that staying organized through an agenda or calendar is extremely helpful. Here are a few tips about scheduling all of your school work into the semester:

Have a Calendar:

I have tried many different formats for this and have found that as long as you have the information somewhere, you will be keeping organized. This means that you can use big wall calendars, small paper agendas, the calendar on your computer, etc. Any calendar that you will access and update frequently is helpful.

Write ALL of your Assignments:

Make sure that you have all of your assignments on the calendar. Now, this one probably seems obvious but there is nothing more terrifying than showing up to class and have everyone handing in an assignment that you didn’t even know was due. It’s always a good idea to double, then triple check that you’ve put all of your assignments in your schedule.

Set Daily Tasks:

I started doing this a bit later in my university career but it has been unbelievably helpful. Look and see when all your assignments are due and when you have other activities planned in the semester. Then, go through the months and make a schedule of things that need to be completed each day in order for you to complete all of your assignments before the due date. This may seem like a time consuming task, but it really helps you to reduce your stress during the semester. By completing each daily task you have set, you will always have your assignments and studying complete on time.

Check Back:

This second week of September is all about getting involved on campus. I highly recommend that you consider getting involved on campus. It can help you to feel more connected to the campus and to your peers. There are so many different opportunities on campus, there is bound to be something that will fit your interests.

Students' Union (SU) Clubs:

Luckily, next week is Clubs Week. All of the SU Clubs will be setting up booths in MacEwan Student Centre for you to visit! These booths will be in the North and South Courtyards of MacEwan Student Centre (by the Stör, Varsity Pharmacy, and the Info Centre). Each day, there will be different clubs showcasing what they do.

You will be able to sign up for the clubs that you are interested in. Most of the clubs cost $5 to join with a few different exceptions. You also do not need to sign up during this week as clubs usually accept people throughout the year. I highly encourage that you walk through all the booths and see if there may be a club that focuses on something you have never tried before or something where you may find other people who are interested in the same things as you.

ucalgarycares Service Learning Trips:

You may also want to consider the ucalgarycares trips that are offered through the Centre for Community Engaged Learning (CCEL). Applications for these trips are available now and interviews will be run into October. These trips are an excellent opportunity for you to get involved in social justice issues locally and internationally. Additionally, there are several options to get involved here with choices over Reading Week and the Spring and Summer semesters. You can learn more about these programs on the Centre for Community Engaged Learning website. You may also want to attend one of the information sessions for these trips that will be occurring: 

Thursday, September 11 – 12:30-1:30 PM Wednesday, September 17 – 4:00-5:00 PM September 23 – UHelps SU Volunteer Services Fair (all day) September 24 & 25 – CISSA Go Global Days Monday, September 29 – 10:00-11:00 AM Thursday, October 9 – 5:00-6:00 PM Friday, October 10 – 12-1 PM

The application deadline is Monday, October 13th at Midnight!

First Year Council:

Another amazing opportunity that is open to you, as a first year student, is First Year Council. Here, you will act in a leadership position where you begin to help build community for your fellow first year students. You are able to apply regardless of the leadership experience you have had in the past. For more information and to apply check here.

Applications are due September 12th!

Now that you have started your classes, you’re probably wondering what textbooks you will need for your courses. This process is going to be a bit different from what you may be used to as now, you need to find your books and pay for them yourself. You will want to ensure that you know which books you are looking for. You can determine this in a couple of ways:

You can look at each syllabus that the professors have provided to see what books they will be using.

You can check the bookstore website to see which books the professors have said they will be using.

Before you go ahead and buy your books, you will want to attend your first lecture to ensure that the professor will be using the textbook in the course.  The professor will tell you if the textbook will be used or not or if you are able to purchase a different edition of the book. Once you know which books you need, you have a few choices as to where you buy them from. On campus, there is the Bookstore and there is Bound and Copied.

The Bookstore:

Every book that you might need will be here.

In many cases, you have the choice between a new and a used book with used books being cheaper.

You may rent the book you require for a cheaper price although you must then return the book at the end of the semester. For information about textbook rental you can use this website.

You are able to search for all the books that the professors have said you need here. This website will also compare the textbook price at the Bookstore to the prices of these books online. 

Bound and Copied:

This is a consignment bookstore where students sell their used textbooks to other students.

You may not be able to find the book you need here.

Prices are cheaper here than those at the Bookstore.

I hope you enjoyed Fall Orientation week! Now that we are a couple weeks into the first semester, there are a couple of important dates to draw your attention to. First off, the drop deadline!

 September 19th: Drop Deadline

The drop deadline is the last day that you can remove or drop classes without consequence. Now that you have been to a few of your lectures and have a sense of what the classes are like, you should draw your attention to the drop deadline! If you have found the course load to be overwhelming, or if you dislike the class, you can drop the class before September 19th and the class will be removed from your schedule, disappear from your transcript, and will not count towards your GPA. If you confused about how to drop a class, check out the tutorial video tutorial below:

September 26th: Fee Payment Deadline

If you are not yet aware, the summary of the fees that you owe the university can be found under the “Account Summary” section on your Student Center. September 26th is the fee payment deadline for the Fall Term. There are several ways you can go about paying for these fees:

Debit and Cheque: You can pay for your fees in person at Enrolment Services in MacKimmie Library Block 117

Online (RECOMMENDED): You can pay your fess online through the Student Center. I recommend this method because it means you can avoid yet another lineup! If you choose to pay online, we recommend that you pay the fees a few days early to allow time for processing.

Greetings and welcome to the University of Calgary First Year Experience blog! We would like to welcome you to the University of Calgary and use this blog as a way of connecting with you over the academic year. University can be extremely daunting and we are here to help you through this new and exciting stage of your life. You can expect to see, tips and tricks, student experiences, and even more useful information on this blog!

The Leadership and Student Engagement office has been dedicated to serving students. We hope to provide you with the tools and the knowledge you will need to be successful in your university career and beyond!