New year, new blog!

It’s a new school year, and we’ve moved to a shiny new blog!

Come check us out @ http://www.rcsafeatured.com/compass/

Lonely, I’m Mr. Lonely

I have nobody… to call my own.

Coming into first-year at U of T, a lot of students don’t know that many people. Me, personally, I’m from Ottawa, and coming to a completely different city by myself was completely terrifying. The one thing that I was worried about the most was that… well, I wouldn’t be able to make any friends. I have weird interests, and I’m not the most outgoing person in the world. How will I ever find friends?

 

Well, being at U of T, there are a lot of people. A LOT of people. The class sizes are very big, which can be a blessing and a curse. If you don’t put yourself out there and talk to people, you really might end up forever alone. But, there are a LOT of people. Take the initiative and talk to the person sitting next to you. Join a club (*cough*join RCSA*cough*). I guarantee you, there WILL be someone that you’ll click with. After all, I managed, so, so will you. Go! Make friends!

Of Profs and TAs

This is related to the post that we had last week in relation to failing, I suppose. A lot of people think that they will fail because the professors and TAs are evil evil little people that are waiting to get them.

Hello, Dr. Evil.

I can actually understand why a lot of first-years feel this way. Heck, I felt this way when I was a wee little first year. The classes at U of T are gigantic (1000 people class, anyone?), and there is often very little interaction between the professors and the students. Because of this, professors may seem like these other-worldly beings that just stand in front of the board and judge you. The TAs help a little, but not much. Because the tutorials are often smaller, you actually have a good chance of seeing what your TAs look like. This makes them slightly more human, but you’re generally too bogged down by work to be fully convinced that they’re not evil.

Then come the test results. For some of you, this may go quite well, and your perceptions of the professors and the TAs are suddenly changed. They are obviously angels. To the rest of you, the test results only solidify what you already believe: The Profs and TAs are evil.

That may be how a lot of you feel, but having already been through 3 years at U of T, I have to say that it’s not really true. From my experience, the professors and TAs are all very nice people. They never WANT students to fail, and they are always there to provide help if you ask for it. That’s the key right there: ask for help. If you have any questions, send them an email or go to their office hours. They often have insights into topics that can further your understanding. If you don’t need help, go and introduce yourself anyway. You will get to know the people that are teaching you, and your learning experience will be that much better because of it.

Oh school…

There seem to be two extremes when people think about what university will be like: on the one hand, some people think that it will be parties all the time, which we have dealt with last time; on the other hand, a lot of people are also under the impression that they’re going to fail no matter how hard they try.

It’s true that university can be very demanding. Coming U of T, most of students had very high marks in high school, and we’re used to getting those high marks with minimal effort. This is probably what you did at night (I know it’s what I did. I love dancing in a bear costume).

But these times are a changin’ my friends! There is a big jump in the expectations in university, and you have all of this seemingly free time that you need to manage. Instead of your classmates in highschool, you are now competing against some of the best students in the nation. Throw all of this together, and it’s very easy to feel overwhelmed.

You shouldn’t worry about actually failing though. The marks in university WILL be a lot lower than what you’re used to (high 90’s in a course? I’ve pretty much only seen those in my dreams), but there also aren’t a lot of people that actually… fail. What you need to understand is: 70’s is not failing; it’s actually a pretty good mark. 80’s are awesome, and anything over 85 is just frou-frou in the GPA system. This is what the GPA system looks like:

Sorry about the yellow, I’m not sure what that’s about.

So, don’t worry about it! Study hard and you will all be fine!

Party?

Well hi there! Welcome to the first instalment of the mythbusters series – Rotman Commerce edition. Our objective is simple: to find the questions that are frequently on the minds of the first-year students, and answer them. So, ARE YOU GETTING READY TO PARTY?

Seriously. Are you? Are you, at this very moment, getting physically and/or mentally prepared for all the parties that you’re going to go to?

Hollywood has painted University to be this glamorous thing: parties, beautiful girls and cute boys everywhere, etc. etc.  Hollywood never lies, so clearly, the university experience will consist of 4 years of non-stop partying.

Sorry to burst your bubbles, but your life will most likely not look like that. It’s certainly true that university will bring about a lot of new experiences for most people. Depending on your interests, partying might be a big part of these new experiences. Sure, you’ll go out with friends once in the while, but it will most likely not be the thing that consumes the majority of your life.

What you must remember is that… well, there’s this thing called school. This thing called school also gets a bit more demanding as you move along, and your life will more likely look like this:

You certainly CAN party your nights away (free will and all that), but you will probably look like this when you see your midterm/exam marks.

I’m not saying you won’t have fun, but just don’t expect a party every other night.

Compass Presents

By Sylvia Wang

It’s that time of the year again… As the upper year students mourned for the inevitable end of the blissful summer months (only if you have AC and never have to leave your room, otherwise it’s hell on earth), the first year students are awaiting anxiously for the beginning of their university career. The first year experience can be anywhere from absolutely stellar to… well… traumatic. But fear not, young ones, for wisdom, I shall impart.

Yes, I actually look exactly like Yoda. Because I’m awesome like that.

For the next three weeks (starting August 1^st), RCSA’s Compass team will be answering some of the most common questions that first year students have about university. So buckle up, as Compass introduces… MYTHBUSTERS!!!

So you want to move out?

By John Cao

“So…Where will you be living next year?” – A common question to be asked around campus during the last days of the winter semester. For the first or second year Rotman students who have been living in residence this past school year – myself included, this is really something to think long and hard about.

I am writing this article because I am, in fact confronting this issue myself at this very moment, and I figured, what better topic for an article is there than writing about something that’s already on your mind! Hopefully, my thoughts at least make sense.

So as you can see, this article will try to provide a word of advice to those who want to move out next year. ( As for the people who are already living off campus but want to look for a new place, this is not the helpful article for you as you’re probably more experienced on living on your own than I do.) We all know what living on campus is like, but there are many more things to consider on living off campus.  So, what are the things we need to make sure you know before moving out of Rez?

Off Rez vs. On Rez

First, you need to make sure that your decision to move off Rez is well informed and well thought out. Everyone has their own incentives for moving out, but the drawbacks of moving out are almost universal. It will be another big change in the environment. Firstly, you will be likely to be farther away from your classrooms. This means more time lost as travel time to and from your classes, and will also likely mean that you will not be able to go back home in between your classes. Be prepared to pass this time at the library/socializing places. This increased distance to campus may also lead to decreased campus social involvement and provide more incentives to skip classes. This last point can be testified by many students I know.

Living off Rez also means that you now have to take care of yourself completely. There will now be no more meal plans, no more friends living next door to borrow that can opener, and no more staff to help you when you ask them to catch that mouse in your room(as it was in my case!). You will likely have to cook on your own, purchase your own utilities, and attend to your own monthly bills and groceries. Life will suddenly require more thinking, more planning, more work.

Now, if you decide to move off Rez, you will have other issues to face: Finding roommates, and of course, actually finding the place.

Choosing Roomates:

• The first step to moving out will likely be choosing the right roommates to live with. There is a trick to this, because not all of your friends are good fits, or deserves the right, to be living with you. It is recommended that your roommates:
• Has a work-sleep schedule that is at least somewhat compatible with yours. If he (or she) is the type who blasts his rock music at full volume at 4 o’ clock in the morning, you will probably want to go for another roommate. Vice versa, if he is a good-goodie student who sleeps at 10 pm every day, then he will probably be complaining about you. But a compatible schedule with your roommate not only  means that you guys won’t be distracting each other, it also brings more efficiency in your tasks – if you guys eat together, it takes less time to cook for all at once- and allow you guys to socialize more with each other. Hooray! (That’s what you want, right?)
• Have somewhat similar habits with you-or at least toleration for your habits. This is because if you guys have little in common, such as different lifestyles or vastly different personalities, you will have little to talk about with each other and will probably end up hiding in your own room all day. This dulls your living environment and is not recommended as a way of life.
• Has an easy going character. This is quite important since it often unavoidable for roommates to run into conflicts that pop up with each other sooner or later. To have an effective conflict resolution, however, means that both of you have to be reasonable and try to compromise.
• Is responsible/considerate. Who would want to live with a guy who leaves the fridge wide open for the night, or listens to Rock at 4AM without his earphones on? Such behaviour will not only cause frustration, it can be harmful on your monthly electricity bills too!
• Is not the type to constantly bring his/her girlfriend/boyfriend to your place for the night. This is self explanatory. If his girlfriend comes over every night, you won’t be getting any sleep for a very long time.
• And lastly, of course, is a Rotman commerce Student! Living together with other Rotman commerce students means that you can help each other in your studies, and become more socially involved on campus since you can get to know more Rotman people through your roommate(s)!

That being said, remember that you should expect out yourself the things that you expect out of your roommate(s), because the courtesy and respect of living together goes both ways.

Now that you’ve found your good ol’ buddy(ies) to room with, it’s time to actually find your future home!

This will likely be the hardest part, whether you’re renting or, being one of the lucky ones, buying your place.( Using your own money, of course?) Living preferences, such as price range, room setup, and distance to campus, will depend on personal tastes. So I will just give an overview of the possible places to live. For the Downtown area, here are some suggestions for general areas to live at:

• Bay Street, north of College – This area have plenty of condos to choose from to be bought and sold, and it is also just a short walking distance to Rotman Commerce. Furthermore, the condos are quite new and well equipped. This one of the hottest places to live at, since its where you’ll be living in style and close to campus, so spaces come and go very fast (I had personally lost out twice on apartments because I submitted my offer one day late…)
• Bay Street, South of College – Another area of newly built condos, this area is basically the same as the previous, but with a longer travel time to campus.(mostly over 20 minutes to WO building). This means that in the freezing cold winter, you might have to consider taking the subway to campus, adding another expense into your costs.
• West of campus- Bloor/Spadina Area – This is also of a very good walking distance to campus. Furthermore, this is even closer to commercial areas like Chinatown. The apartments here are cheaper too, than those on Bay, which is because the apartments here are older and does not have all the utilities of a new condo.
• South of campus/Chinatown area – Even cheaper than Bloor/Spadina, These areas are mostly houses for rent. Living conditions, however, might not be the most enjoyable. The number of places for rent here are high, so there are plenty of choices to choose from.
• The Annex – Another area of houses, more expensive than Chinatown in exchange for a better environment. Also plenty of choices.
• Lakeshore Area- Another area of Luxurious condos, but the distance from campus means that you would have to take the TTC to school.
• Bloor/Yorkville – The area of the most expensive condos. If you have the money, live here. But since you have the money, you should buy the condo instead, as the area is terrific.
• Other areas of downtown: I am not familiar with them, so I did not discuss them for fear of being labelled as a person who does not know what he’s talking about.

This pretty much sums up all the wisdom I have about moving out of Rez! If you find that it is inadequate, keep in mind of the qualification of the author as this article was written by a person who has not yet completed the moving out process himself.

Things that look like they might have deep, philosophical undertones

by Jenn.

I think this all started for me after watching the famous (somewhat famous?) scene from American Beauty. I saw this a couple of years ago, and it’s definitely one of my favorite movies.

Sometimes, I get these American Beauty-esque moments too. The following photo was taken a long time ago, late into the night while I was studying for midterms.

I think these bananas are trying to tell me something.. about life...?

In retrospect, maybe the fatigue of midterm season was to blame, but I remember that when I walked past the kitchen that night, the two strands of banana –  juxtaposed beside each other in a seemingly parallel arrangement – hinted at something deeper and greater above my own understanding. I literally stopped and stood in the middle of the kitchen, staring at the bananas for a good couple of seconds.

I neared it and took a good look at the bananas, not wanting to disturb its supposedly random arrangement that seemed to make sense.  A strand of old yellowing banana. Another strand of banana green in its youth. Dali instantly flashed before my eyes.

I took a picture and then left whatever this was alone, also making note to preserve whatever just happened into my memory. I’m not sure whatever became of the plastic bag in American Beauty, but a couple of days later, I believe the old bananas were made into muffin batter, and the young bananas decreased in number as yours truly became hungry.

If the universe was trying to say something that night, the sleep-deprived student ended up shrugging at it and opening up a pack of pop tarts as an afterthought.

R-Cade

By Charles Suo

Rotman ISL R-cade: an international experience uniquely blending school with video games – one, my good friend, the other my mortal enemy (I’ll leave you to decide which is which). I expected something that fell in the middle of the two: an acquaintance that you’d occasionally see on the street and, depending on how you’re feeling that day, either tunnel vision your gaze elsewhere to avoid contact or stop for a short, completely artificial and scripted chat.

 

Upon showing up to the event, I was pleasantly surprised to see that there really was no school aspect – games and food, what more could anyone ask for? Needless to say, my expectations were far exceeded. When I arrived, I was handed a little stamp card with three rows of five slots; think of those “buy 50 get 1 free” cards you get that you will never fill. The premise: collect stickers for each slot with a prize for hitting certain milestones. Stickers were given for successful completion or victory in the games presented at the event.

The games themselves were organized into multiple stations, each one with its own beaming attendant armed with a sheet of coloured stickers. Included were:

-A basketball station where sinking your shot into the tiny hoop yielded a sticker

-A classic amusement park station where the goal was to toss rings onto bottles (difference being, this one was actually possible)

-A limbo station where you competed against someone to see who could go lower without snapping their weary backs

-A Dance Dance Revolution (DDR) station, to show off your suave dance moves (trash talking encouraged – that guy only got a B? Gross)

-A shuttlecock station: imagine hackey sack kicking but with a giant feathered monstrosity instead of a sack

-Two giant projectors screening live Starcraft 2 matches (be still my beating heart!)

 

Circling through the stations earned you more and more stickers to fill out your card. Five stickers earned you a free cup of delicious strawberry-tinged bubble tea; fifteen entered you into a raffle for a chance to win a brand new iPod.

 

Pizza and drinks were served for dinner and donations were collected for the earthquake relief effort in Japan.

 

Overall it was a fun and involved event; when not participating, you could observe Josh sweating buckets in his giant dog costume, Darryl DT cheesing his way to victory (Protoss players – pshhh), or countless people failing to get that damned ring onto that infuriating bottle.

Games and food: my type of event, and here’s to hoping we see another reiteration next year!

Eight Ways to Lose Weight

By Sylvia Wang

Gone are the days when the Venus of Willendorf was considered attractive. There is now an overwhelming social pressure for girls to lose those last five pounds. Translation: you simply cannot eat and sleep yourself into a stupor. Although there is social pressure for girls to be very light, we all have very different levels of metabolism. So, while the few girls who have won the genetic lottery can indulge once in a while, what can mere mortals like us do? Have no fear! This is a comprehensive guide to losing weight.

8. Exercise! Go to the gym.

This should be a no-brainer: you can burn calories by going to the gym. Burning calories = losing weight. You can also increase your metabolism by building muscles. Muscles take more energy to maintain, so, you’ll burn more calories even when you’re not doing anything!

As nice as this all sound, exercising is still not quite enough to get everyone to lose enough weight. From here, we move on the method number 8.

7. Now stop exercising. Just sit there.

Fact: muscle is heavier than fat.

Are all those muscles weighing you down? Would you like to lose a couple more pounds? Stop exercising. All your muscle mass will disappear, and you will be lighter than ever.

6. Shave your head

Are you tired of all that dead weight on your head? Shave it.

Sure, having hair can have a certain appeal, and men (and women) are genetically programed to look for thick shiny hair, but think about it: say the average woman has (X) pounds of hair. By shaving your head, you will be (X) pounds lighter, and way ahead of the game!

There are also other great side effects to this. Mainly, you’ll save quite a bit of money. A hair cut now a day is around CA50 plus tax and tip. We all own razors, so having your head will just be one more thing that we can do to cut back during the recession.

5. Ptshh, clothes

This modesty thing is over-rated, obviously. An average pair of jeans should be around a pound: a pound of dead weight. Your shoes are also at least a pound. There’s also your sweater, your shirt, your… other items of clothing. This all adds up, and pretty soon, you’re talking about some serious weight that you can lose just be stripping off all that worldly excess.

Ptsshh, clothes. Who needs them?

Plus, think of all the money that you can save! $_$

4. Stop Eating

I know, I know. Food is delicious.

Unfortunately, food also contains calories. So, the obvious solution is to give up food. Completely. For ever and ever.

You’ve made food sad.

3. Stop drinking

The human body is mostly water, and water is REALLY heavy! A litre of water is one kilogram. The human body is approximately 60% water. So, you can lose about 60% of your weight. All our problems would be solved if we just stopped drinking water all together. Goodbye water weight!

2. Ptssshh body parts

In extremely cold conditions, your body will try to keep your core warm. This is done by withdrawing blood from your extremities, because while fingers and toes are nice, they’re not actually essential for your survival. So, help your body help you by speeding up the process a little.

1. Over the Moon

Your weight is dependent on your overall mass and the gravity of the earth. You can easily decrease your weight to zero if you can manage to get yourself onto a rocket ship. Hey, I never promised anything about losing mass, just your weight. Hello, weightless outer space.

Note: If it’s not obvious enough, I don’t actually recommend any of these (except for the exercising one, because that’s just healthy living. Oh and the outer space one, because that would be awesome, and you should bring me with you). Love your body. <3