Choosing A Major

While this topic might not seem very relevant to people who are currently in college/university already, it actually could be! You might think that the people who are entering school next year only have to deal with this, but it's a concern that people presently enrolled have to worry about as well. People do switch majors, it happens! Let me just get this out there, I think it's complete BS that we have to plan our lives at 16/17/18. When I was applying for university, I was only 16, yet trying to plan the rest of my life. For most of our lives, we're told to act like adults - yet we're never given the chance... until you have the decision to choose your major. Anyway, here are some tips for trying to figure out what you want to take!

You Can Switch Your Major

During the application process, yes, you are asked to apply to specific programs. Does this mean that you have to stick to that decision 100%? NOPE. A lot of people change majors - it's nothing to be ashamed of. If you get through your first year and realize that you've made a huge mistake, don't freak out too much! You can always talk to an academic adviser and get their help in deciding what you can do for the future. With that being said, just make sure to not make a decision too quick. I'll be honest, for the most part, first year courses suck majorly. They're very broad and all over the place and aren't specialized at all. That stuff comes usually in years 3 and 4. So if you're concerned about your major, but still interested in it, just keep in mind that it could get better.

You Can Choose A Double Major or Minor

A lot of people struggle with choosing between two different programs. If you find two programs that you absolutely LOVE, then look into doing either a double major or minor. A lot of times you can't add a minor until at least your second year, so you have time to look into different possibilities. Just keep in mind when picking courses for first year what courses you might need to take second year for your minor - pay attention to prerequisites. 

Listen To Your Heart

Unless you have a crazy supportive family, then you'll probably have people trying to tell you what to go to school for. When I told my dad that I was going to major in psychology, he got really mad. When I told a family friend, I got the reaction "ARE YOU CRAZY?". I know how hard it is to go against what my parents wanted. (well, parent... my mom was supportive and just wanted me to be happy) Don't choose a program because that's what's expected of you. Do what YOU want. This is your life, and you're the one that's going to have to live with the decision. Really, you're going to be tens of thousands of dollars in debt - wouldn't it be better to love your degree than to spend all that time and money and hate it? University/college is the time to find who you are, maybe it's time to start with choosing what to go for.

Think About Future Job Opportunities

I'll be honest with you, some degrees are kind of useless. While I definitely want you to follow your heart and do what you want to do, I think it's also practical to think about the future, and what you're going to end up doing what the degree. 

Your Major Isn't Your Career

When picking a major, keep in mind that just because you pick a certain major, it doesn't mean that it's going to end up being your specific career. Take psychology for example. The first thing you think is a psychologist, but that's no necessarily true! While that is a choice, there are so many more... A social worker, a teacher, a counselor, working in a R&D department - and so many more. Just make sure to keep in mind that the possibilities are quiet endless, you never know where your degree will take you!

Good luck in choosing your major!
If you ever need some help with figuring out what you want to do, talking to the student services or academic advisers at your school can help!
Or, if you want to send me a message, maybe I can help you figure out some things... I've been through it before! :)

Happy Valentines Day! ...Lets Talk About Mental Health

Happy Valentines Day, everyone!
I hope you have a lovely day today, whether you're celebrating with a special someone, spending it by yourself, or celebrating with friends and family. If you're spending it alone, there's no need to be upset about it! There are so many things that you can still celebrate, your love for friends, family - and mainly yourself.
Sometimes with all the chaos in life, we forget to care for ourselves; our bodies, and our mental health.
I decided that now would be a good time to bring up the topic of mental health.
When people hear the phrase 'mental health' a lot of them just shrug it off, like it's something that doesn't really matter or pertain to them. They really don't realize how wrong they truly are.
Everyone has a certain degree of mental health, when you have good mental health, well, good for you! That's awesome. When you have bad mental health is when problems can occur. 

Being a teenager and turning into an adult is hard enough, without throwing in university or college into the mix. Combine these together and you get this mix of stress and confusion and freedom and so much more. Some people handle this change well, while on the other side, some people don't handle it very well. 

Mental health has a negative stigma attached to it - and it makes it hard for people to ask for help. It's just so horrible that someone can be suffering so much, and in silence, just because they're afraid that they'll be looked down on, or that someone won't take them seriously. Personally, I believe that this is total BS. No one deserves to suffer, especially in silence. As a society, we really need to work on this, or else this is a problem that isn't going to go away - it's going to get worse. 

The good thing is that things are happening to help get rid of this!
On Tuesday, Bell had a campaign going called Bell Lets Talk. How it worked was that if you tweeted and tagged it with #BellLetsTalk, they donated 5 cents to mental health initiatives. It happened on facebook too, if you shared their picture then they would also donate 5 cents. 

1 in 5 Canadians will have some kind of mental illness at least once in their lives. 

There are so many different kinds of mental illnesses that one can suffer from, just to name a few: schizophrenia, depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, anxiety disorders ect. All mental illnesses are bad, and they all deserve treatment. 

In university and college, it's quiet easy to lose yourself and end up lost.
I know it can be really hard to tell if someone is suffering, but if you know someone that you think could be wrong with someone you know, or even if you suspect that you might be suffering with something - please talk to someone. On your campus there are probably mental health counselors that can help you and help you decide what the next step is.
Really all I'm trying to say is that you deserve the best, even if you might not believe that right now. If you need help, get it, please.
If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm here. If it's anything really serious, there are help lines for pretty much everything - I'd post them here but each area has different ones.
Anyway, that's enough of me ranting for right now. Happy Valentines Day, and I hope you take the time to remember to love and appreciate yourself.

<3

Doing Good For Your Community

I know when you're in school sometimes it's hard to imagine getting all of your work done, and you don't really have the time to think about giving back to your community. But really, there are so many opportunities that are available to you that don't actually take that much time!
In my residence I live in an LLC (Living learning community) and the one that I chose was Leadership and Volunteerism. So pretty much on my floor there's 9 of us in total, we have a peer mentor and each month we participate in an event that enables us to give back to the community.
We've volunteered at an event called Shinerama for Cystic Fibrosis and stood outside for a few hours getting donations, made lunch for the local outreach and support center for teens, and today we donated blood. Unfortunately, I was unable to donate blood because for my height and weight I don't have enough blood - but I really encourage those of you who are able to.

Honestly, donating your time doesn't sound too fun, but there are so many opportunities that you can find. The hard part is finding something you're interested in. Something that I did in high school to get my mandatory volunteer hours was train dogs! You might not be able to find somewhere that you can do that, but I know local animal shelters and human societies are always looking for help.
If you like running, there's always runs and walks that are looking for people to cheer runners on, hand out water and other things.
If you like people, try your local homeless shelter!

Really, your time could make such a difference in someones life - the choice is yours!

Snow Day Surprise

The great winter gods of Canada have blessed us with a snow storm, and today actually is a snow day for me! Woo for long weekends. As great as snow days are, sometimes they can be a bit boring - usually roads are really nasty and you don't want to get into an accident so everyone just stays inside. So, I'm going to provide you with a few things to do to make your snow day (or just normal day... with snow) not so boring!

1. Get Caught Up/Ahead On Work

Yeah, I know, sounds boring. But it's my duty as your university blogger to make sure you don't completely neglect your work. Maybe read a page or two of that textbook you've never opened but should be done... Or at least make a title page for that 10 page paper you should be writing, okay?

2. Play In The Snow

Seriously, you're never too old to play in the snow. Grab a bunch of your friends, and get out there! Build a snowman, make a fort, have a snowball fight, make snow angels, go tobogganing (use lids off of containers if you need to). But really, don't be afraid to get out there and have fun - no one wants a party pooper!

3. Movie Day

If you aren't feeling well (there's a pretty nasty cold going around at my school) or you're just not a fan of the cold weather, snuggle up with some blankets, popcorn, hot chocolate and some movies! You could have a movie marathon... Some ideas:  Harry Potter, Bring It On, Lord of the Rings, The Matrix, Mission Impossible, James Bond, Pirates of the Caribbean, Transformers, Nicholas Sparks Movies (get the tissues ready)

4. Bake

Get together with your BFFs, grab a cake mix and make a creation! If you're feeling really adventurous  you can try a rainbow marble cake! (Instructions here - http://www.paisleyjade.com/2011/05/marbled-rainbow-cake.html)

5. Build a Fort

If you never made a fort when you were a child, I feel sorry for you - because you have been deprived. Get all the blankets in your house/room and make a blanket fort! Not only is it a fun thing to do, but then you have a really cool place to spend the rest of your day.

6. Board Games Day

Get old school and dust off that old version of monopoly and have a games day with your family, friends, housemates, girlfriend/boyfriend or whoever you can find! Collect all the old board games (or any other games for that matter) and make it fun! 

7. Snow Day Party

Yeah it could be short notice, but hey, we're university/college students so we're okay with throwing together a party on short notice... as long as it means we get to party! Make it winter themed, or just have a good time.

In the end, the main thing is just to stay safe everyone! :)
Comment with your ideas/how you spend you day!

I'm Still Here!

Hey guys, I know I haven't posted in a few days - I'm sorry!
But I just wanted to make a post to tell y'all that I'm still here and I'll resume blogging soon.
Right around now is midterms and I have papers to procrastinate and tests not to study for. (just kidding... well, kinda.)
Anyway, I'll probably have a post up in the next few days :)
Good luck on your midterms everyone!

Living in Residence

One of the big choices with going to school is deciding whether or not to live in residence on campus. Personally, I took the plunge and moved away from the home to live in residence.
Now, I'm not really sure what it's like at other universities, but there there's two different types, traditional and non-traditional. The traditional is how you would think a normal dorm room would be, just a bunch of furniture - but here that's divided down even further. You can either be in a single or a double, and depending on what building you get put in, you could end up sharing a bathroom with your whole floor or 1-2 other people. The non-traditional puts you in a townhouse with 4 other people, along with 2 bathrooms and a full kitchen. Again, divided up into doubles and singles.
Anyway, now that you've heard about the boring-ness of how the residence system works here, the point that I'm trying to say is that you're ALWAYS AROUND PEOPLE.
You are never really alone when you're living in residence. Whether you're seeing other people, living with them, hearing them, or anything else - there's always someone.
And the fact about people is that we're not perfect, and there's always going to be the people that annoy you, and that make you crazy. Dealing with these people suck, but it's a big part of being in residence! Here are some tips for dealing with residence and the people involved in it.

1. Give People A Chance
Within 15 seconds of meeting someone, you've already judged them, you've already made up your opinion about them. How much can you lean about someone in 15 seconds? Nothing. Because you never really truly know someone. Something I've learned over the course of my stay here so far is that you really need to give someone a real chance before you make up your mind about them. People will really surprise you. You might become best friends with that person who you thought was a complete bitch, or you might realize that the really nice girl a few doors down is a backstabber. Please, just try not to make a snap judgment about someone.

2. If Something Is Bugging You, Speak Up
Obviously something that you're going to encounter at university/college is parties - anywhere and anytime. They can be loud and obnoxious and bug the hell out of you. If the people above you are partying every night until 4am, and it's getting in the way of your sleep and studies and just your life - you need to speak up. There are ways that you can 'anonymously' complain, call your don (in my residence each room has a phone), facebook them, text them, or whatever. If something is bugging you that much, then it's not right for you to have to put up with it.

3. Be Respectful
On the other hand, if you're the one that's partying, try not to do it all day every day. Friday and Saturday nights are acceptable - Monday nights, not so much. If you want to play music, keep it quiet! No one wants to her Gangam Style while they're trying to study for their midterm. Keep the common room clean, it's called a common room for a reason - everyone uses it!

4. Try To Make Friends On Your Floor
Obviously you're not going to be best friends with every single person on your floor. Some of the people you're going to love, while just the sight of some of them will piss you off. Ignore the people who you don't like - no one like floor drama. But really, it is nice to have friends on your floor.

5. Come To Terms With The Bathroom Situation
If you're sharing a bathroom with your whole floor (like me) it's going to feel pretty weird at the beginning. I was so scared to shower for like, the first month! (don't worry, I still showered... Just at weird times) I was scared I would be like, walking out in a towel and one of the guys was going to come in or something, I don't even know what I was scared of now. Looking back, it seems pretty silly, but it definitely took some getting used to. Really though, don't hog the shower in the morning! Some people need to get to class and that's not going to happen if you decide to take your sweet time.

6. Keep Food In Your Room
Vending machines can get expensive, and sometimes you just don't want to talk to the cafeteria. I really suggest having a mini fridge if you're living in residence. Keeping food in your room is great because then you can decide what you have, and what you don't. If you know you're going to be temped to eat something, then just don't keep it in your room. If you have a morning class and the cafeteria isn't open yet, then keep some granola bars or fruit or cereal in your room.

7. Take Advantages Of Residence Events
At my university, every Sunday we have this thing called crew. Crew is when people from the whole building are invited to get together and participate in something, whether it's a movie night, playing capture the flag outside, watching the superbowl (tonights activity) or even carving pumpkins! I never go, and sometimes I regret it. Okay, well, usually I don't, but when there's food involved I do. But that's just not my thing, but if getting together with a group of people and doing things is yours, then make sure to see if your residence has anything like it - if not, suggest something!

8. Take Advantage of the Caf, But Beware
As much as cafeteria food sucks, take advantage of not having to cook and do dishes while you can. Yeah, it sure sucks eating the same stuff every day, but next year you're going to have to find time to grocery shop, cook, clean and whatnot. Just make sure to not have fries and a dessert with every meal - you WILL gain weight. The freshman 15 is not a myth, it is a real thing and if you're not careful it does actually happen.

9. Don't Go Too Crazy With Your Newly Found Freedom
While it is really tempting to always just do what you want and party and drink and have tons a fun - ultimately, is that the reason why you came to school in the first place? I'm paying $15,000 to be here, and I'm going to get my moneys worth and not flush it down the drain. While it can't be all work and no play, it also can't be all play and no work. Find a good balance for yourself, and don't go too crazy.

10. Be True To Yourself 
All the way through school we're taught about peer pressure. I'm not going to lie, there definitely is pressure at university to do certain things. But the pressure isn't in the way that they always told us it would be. It's not always going to be someone standing there with a beer or a joint or whatever saying "Take it or you're going to be a loser." It's kind of invisible pressure. Honestly, I think most of the pressure is pressure that we you put on yourself. It sucks to be an outcast, and the only person not doing something. I know how it feels, because I don't drink. Frosh week was horrible because it was just people partying the whole time... And I doubted my decision to stay sober a few times. Sometimes it's just easier to go along with what everyone else is doing instead of sticking to your decision. I'm totally not saying that you can't drink - if you want to, go right ahead. Just remember that it's just as bad to judge someone for not doing something as it is to judge someone for doing something. Stick to your decisions and just be who you are - you will find people who have the same views on things as you do, don't you worry.

Well that's all for now, I have a midterm to study for! :)
Keep in mind these are just a few things about living in residence that I've learned! I still have a few more months to go, and I'm sure I'll learn a hell of a lot more.
If you ever have a topic that you want me to do a post about, or some advice - feel free to write a comment! You can do it anonymously if you don't want me knowing who you are, if that's what's holding you back.

Job Hunting

Now's the time where all of us students should start thinking about where we're going to work over the summer. Being a student, getting a summer job isn't really optional for most of us - school's expensive! What we do have a choice in is where we're going to work! I'm in the same boat as all of you guys, so I'm going to share some of my job hunting tips with you!

Start Early
This is one that I learned the hard was last year, when I almost ended up jobless for the summer. Make sure you start looking for a job early... aka. now. Yes it might seem early, but there's going to be so many people applying in the next few months it's better to be early than late. This way you know you won't miss deadlines to submit applications and you'll get pretty much first pick at jobs.

Be Willing To Get Certifications
A lot of jobs now require different certifications, whether it's your first aid, cpr, or getting something like your smart serve (in Ontario it's your qualification to serve alcohol). Even if you don't have the qualifications when you're applying or during your interview, make sure they know that you're willing to get these certifications and qualifications - it'll make you seem like you're willing to do what it takes to get the job.

Dress for the Occasion
When you're going in and handing resumes to places, you don't have to be dressed like you're going for an interview. With that being said, it's also not good to look like a slob. Depending on where you're working, try to tailor your outfit to more towards that, so you fit in.

Apply Everywhere
Even if you think the job is way out of your league, apply anyways! You never know, they could see something special in you.

Follow Up
Some employers are looking for people who seem dedicated and who really want the job. If you are really interested in a job and you've applied but haven't heard anything back, call them and follow up with it.

When In Doubt, Start In Fast Food
While no one really wants to flip burgers all summer long, fast food is a good place to start. My mom works in the office of a store, and sometimes helps with hiring - she said that immediately if they see places like McDonalds, Wendys, Tim Hortons and other places like that, those people go to the top of their list. Fast food shows that you're able to work fast and you can work under pressure. Even if you just work a month at one of these places, you're still getting experience, then while getting your experience there you can go look for a better job.

Physically Hand In A Resume
In a world that is full of electronics, sometimes they create more of a barrier than anything. If you have the choice between handing in your resume in person or emailing it in, do it in person! You could also do both - I got a job once because I applied several times and they figured that if I was persistent enough, then I must have really wanted it. Anyway, apply in person and be confident!

Try Looking Online
A lot of malls now have an employment section on their websites, and it'll show you what stores are hiring, what they're hiring for, and how to apply. That way you know what places to be sure not to miss! Also, you can check websites like kijiji. It may sound a little sketchy, but there are some legitimate job postings on it - just be really careful and do some research first! Lastly, just google something like "part time/summer jobs in ________" fill in whatever area you're looking at, and you should be presented with a plethora of websites that will show open jobs in your area.

Good luck on the job hunting everyone, and I hope you get your dream job!