Red Zone Survey!

Hey first years!


If you visited the Red Zone over the summer then please fill out this survey to share your experience! We love the feed back.
 

http://ca.studentvoice.com/yu/redzoneonlinecommunitysurveysummer12

- Mike

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SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS!!!!

Love sports?

     You came to the right school. We have over 27 different intramural sports to choose from and guess what...THEY ARE ALL FREE! Amazing right? York's intramural program offers a wide variety of leagues, tournaments and special events throughout the year to suit everyone. The program offers 18 coed sports, 10 men's sports,10 women's sports, 3 open events. The sports include: Badminton, Ball Hockey, Basketball, Broomball, European Handball, Flag Football, 3 on 3 Hockey, Hockey, Indoor Soccer, Innertube Water Polo, Outdoor Soccer, Slo-Pitch, Squash, Swimming, Tennis, Ultimate Frisbee, and Volleyball. There are two different tiers, tier one is competitive for those that play to win and tier two is not competitive at all for those that play just for fun. I highly recommend getting involved in sports. You will meet a lot of new friends, stay physically fit, and a have a blast! 

     When I was a student leader last year, I didn't have a lot of time to play sports so I decided to play the greatest sport ever which is broomball. You play on a skating rink without skates so you need to run around with shoes on. They give you a helmet for safety and a weird stick with a hard rubber end to whack a ball and score on the opposing team. Everyone slips and slides all over the place and has a great time. 

     If you'd like to know more about sports, talk to your College's Sport and Recreation Council or Representative and they will keep you informed. 

http://recreation.yorku.ca/

intramural/sports

- Mike 

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So You Need To Buy Books?

So whats the best way to buy books for your courses?

Step 1: Get the list of books

There are three ways to find out what books you need: 

1. The first way is to go online and check the book store website at http://bookstore.yorku.ca/. Then click "textbooks" and then click "Online textbook purchase". Scroll down the page and add the classes you have in the search bar. This list will provide you with the books needed for the class however, sometimes professors put books on the list that they dont expect you to read. Be careful not to buy books you dont need because sometimes you cant return them.  

2. Email your professors and ask them directly what books to buy. Go to http://mocha.yorku.ca/atlas/servlet/atlas and put in the profs name and locate their email. An issue with this is that sometimes the profs dont always respond so it doesn't work. 

3. Attend the first day of class and your prof will tell you what books you need. The only issue with this is that you might have to wait a long time in line for the bookstore or the books might be sold out. 

Step 2: Buy your books

1. You could buy your books at the YorkU Book Store. I would recommend this for inexpensive books or course kits.

2. You could buy used books online at websites such as Amazon.ca. Watch out for buying books that aren't the correct edition or that will take very long to deliver. If delivery will take long, you could pay for express delivery and still save more money than bookstores. 

3. You can go on Facebook and join groups that trade, exchange, or sell books. Again, make sure you get the correct edition and make sure you do the exchange in a public place during the day so its safe. I've done this a few times without any problems.  

Take my advice, you could save a few dollars. 

- Mike

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Amsterdam, Here I Come!!!!!

"Were you ever thinking of going abroad for an internship or exchange?"

I've heard that line a few times throughout my university career, especially during class talks. Some upper year student would be standing at the front of the class and would start preaching about studying abroad in countries like Australia, England, Germany, Costa Rica, China, etc. I used to brush their words aside without even seriously considering it was an option. Although it was something that I always wanted to do, I never thought it would be possible. I didnt think I had the time or money to ever be able to do it. 

When I got into 5th year, I heard about all the people doing amazing exchanges around the world and their stories blew my mind so I thought I would look into it. I went to an info session and a few months later I'm heading to the University of Amsterdam. It was a very easy process to apply and I didn't need a ridiculous GPA either. Only a B average! York International wants students to go abroad and they make the process as simple as possible. They were also really helpful at answering my questions and proving me with the resources that I needed.

Your probably asking how does it work?

Well you apply through York International and they let you pick your top three countries to live in. You can go for one semester or two and you even have the option to do two exchanges in one semester. Afterward, they will let you know which country you get accepted to and most students get accepted to at least one exchange. You pay York fees but you take the classes abroad so you get to avoid expensive international fees. York International often tries to subsidize your costs with a bursary or grant so you have less financial concerns while you away. You have the best time of your life and your credits might count towards your York degree.

I recently bought my plane ticket and found out that I'm going to be living beside a canal. SO AWESOME! They also have a social orientation which looked amazing online! I'm so excited for my exchange. I'm planning on traveling to as many countries as possible once I'm there. I could do breakfast in Amsterdam, maybe lunch in Belgium and dinner in France or Germany. What do you think?

So next time your in class and someone asks if you want to do an international exchange or internship. You might want to pay attention! =)

- Mike 

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Making Connections to Make Your Life Easier

Making connections is the key between a lame or awesome university experience. What am I talking about?

It is very important to build strong relationships that will make your life easier and more enjoyable. Life is a lot easier when you can call your friends for anything and you know that they have your back.  Here's some example from my experience at York:

1. I met a bunch of friends during Frosh Week in my first year. Unfortunately, I used to have to travel from Scarborough to York three days a week. A few times I had to drop off essays last minute but instead of coming all the way to York and then going back home, I would email it to one of my friends that lived on campus and asked her to hand it in for me. It would save me three hours of commuting! So awesome!

2. When I was a frosh boss for Atkinson in my second year, I worked my butt off to ensure that it was a fun week. I was privileged to have an amazing bunch of student leaders to work with. Later on in the year, one of the other bosses asked me if I wanted a job on campus. He offered it to me because he knew I had a strong work ethic during frosh week and knew that I was someone who would "get er done". My buddy hooked me up with a promoting job at the Student Centre. It was great to make a little extra money on the side. Networking is key my friends!

3. Friends from class could aid your academics and even save your life! Many times throughout my university career, I had to rely on friends for academic help. What do I mean? I'm talking about missing class and needing the notes to study for an upcoming exam. Your friends in class could hook you up with them. But what about needing a study buddy? Last year, I had a bunch of student leader friends in the same class. We would get together the night before our exams and would review, study, and test each other. We all got really good grades, had fun, and supported each other through the stressful experience.

4. Getting involved and getting to know people will allow you to stay informed in all the amazing events and deals on campus. I met a few people in my classes who weren't really involved with campus events or aware of trips like Montreal. I would inform them in class and once they heard, they would be calling me all the time about the deals going on.

Morale of the story, make things easier on yourself and make some connections. Networking is key!

- Mike

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WORK, WORK, WORK....STOP, ITS HAMMER TIME!

Stressed? All you do is work right? Work on essays, work on assignments, work on relationships, work on council/club activities, work on house choirs, etc. Your living in the moment which is great but sometimes you just need a break. Especially while your still young and don't have kids. But you cant stop, you have too much work to do. That's true but guess what? YOUR ALWAYS GOING TO HAVE TOO MUCH WORK TO DO or too many email to reply to, it never ends. So you might as well just take a break.  

Its very important to take breaks and vacations during university. For example, I just came back from Niagara Falls which was a great little getta way from my busy schedule. I got to sleep, relax, and enjoy the sights. I was still very busy with two courses, work, family obligations and more but it was the only chance I had to go and I took it. The rest was well needed and it allowed me to refresh before another very busy period. 

Last year, I was President of McLaughlin College Council and was super busy. I was attending meetings, organizing events, managing a team and very busy. I still made time to go to Mexico for a week. Sometimes you just gotta stop and relax or you might have a melt down. You have to put someone else in charge and trust that they will do a good job. At the end of the day, you cant do everything yourself, you need others to assist you. 

So if your stuck at home and you don't have a vacation set up for another few months, there are other people at York that can help you get through stressful periods. York has Counseling and Disability Services If you need someone to talk to but don't know who (THEY ARE FREE). We also have Health Education with S.C.L.D. that can give you some tips for staying physically and mentally fit. Take full advantage of the resources around you!

- Mike

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My Biggest University Regret - Not Living on Residence!

My Biggest University Regret - Not Living on Residence!

I really don't have many regrets. I'm of those people who tries to accept the beauty or the usefulness of every situation regardless of how bad it becomes. I do this normally because i feel like I wouldn't be the person I am today without all of the positive and negative experiences that I've had in my life. I also really try my best to live life to the fullest so that I don't have too many regrets. That being said, the biggest regret of my university experience is...not living in residence.

I've met a bunch of people who live on res and they all had a great time. That's not to say that i didn't have a great time when I was commuting. I've have had a blast at York. I've pretty much done it all from College Council President, frosh boss, wild parties, made a million friends, and munch more.

From absolutely everyone that I've met at university that has lived in residence, they all tell me that they've had a great time. They would study together, chill together, party together, and had the strongest bonds I've ever seen. Quite often, many third and fourth year students would move out of residence and live together somewhere close to school. They would build friendships, long lasting memories, and always knew that their roommates had their back when they were sick or needed help editing essays at 4:00am.

Don't get me wrong, I still had many benefits and met many friends by commuting but I honestly think the process would have been a lot easier if I wasn't commuting 1.5 hours from Scarborough three times a week.  

So that is my one regret. I will admit that I still had a great time and I saved a lot of money by not living in Res but if I could turn back and do it again...the only change I'd make...would be living in residence for at least one year!

- Mike 

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