It’s okay to ask for help

Hey friends! This week’s post is going to be a little bit different from my past few but I think it’s one that will allow you all to know me a little bit better. In January of this year, my Nan passed away. Although she had been sick for a few years with esophageal cancer, her death came unexpectedly. We were very close and she was (and always will be) somebody whom I idolized.

I had never returned to England since we had emigrated in 2004. The idea to take the trip struck me unexpectedly but I’m so glad that it did. I can say without a doubt that going to England in 2012 was the best decision I have ever made. I got to re-establish a relationship with my Nan. She had visited Canada a few times but the last time I had seen her was when I was fourteen and in 2012, I had just turned nineteen. Needless to say, the trip was a sort-of “coming of age” experience. Spending that time with her helped me to have an idea of what kind of person I wanted to be.

When I returned from England, I vowed to my Nan that I would call her every Monday. And I did. I loved talking to her on the phone. I loved talking about her to my friends and family. She was this amazing person who I wanted every person to know about. I loved to make her laugh and I like to think that our conversations took her mind off of everything that was going on with her health. I really did love to brag about my relationship with her, I’ll admit it!

When she passed, I was in the middle of getting ready to take my Canadian citizenship test and starting a new semester at Glendon.  To be honest, I had a really hard time trying to figure out how to handle it all. I’m very much like my Dad in the sense that I try to keep going on with things as best as I can. And I did just that – I went straight back to school. It was difficult, of course. I was trying to balance staying on top of school with trying to understand and express my grief at the same time. I finished the semester and my grades went unaffected but January to April was a really difficult time for me.

When I started back at Glendon in September, I felt that maybe accessing the personal counselling services at Glendon would help. My Nan’s death was not the first time that I had lost somebody close to me. I had an Uncle whom I was very close to pass in 2009 and sadly, a few weeks into starting back at school in September, my cousin suddenly passed away. All of these had happened whilst I was in school and when my cousin passed, I knew that I really needed some help. This was not an easy thing for me. Much like my Nan, I’m a pretty independent person and I don’t like asking for help. But I’m extremely thankful that I did.

It’s not easy to ask for help. I’ll be honest, I e-mailed the counselling services to set up an appointment and when they returned my email asking for availability, I ignored the e-mail for about a week. I wasn’t sure if I really wanted to go through with it because I didn’t know if it would even help me. However, I’ve had two appointments now and I’m finding that talking to somebody who really is there to listen to what I have to say is incredibly beneficial. It’s a way to organize and understand your thoughts and feelings so that you can take care of yourself a little bit better. I’m planning to continue with counselling throughout the year so I may make a post here and there with an update on how it is going.

The important thing that I really want to put out there is that it is okay to ask for help. For any number of reasons, you may feel that you need to speak with somebody about something going on in your life. This is a really brave thing to do. It’s essential that we take care of ourselves and asking for help may be a way of doing that. All in all, I’m really happy with my decision to make an appointment with Glendon’s personal counselling services because I feel like I took a pro-active step in dealing with grief in my life.

Keep up with me on twitter @beckielhgl. I post every Thursday, see you then!

 

 

 

 

 

Study tracks to help you stay focused!

It’s been an incredibly busy week for me! I had an exam on Monday and three papers due this week so I thought this week’s post could showcase what music I like to listen to when I really need to focus. For both, I usually use 8tracks playlists. When I’m studying, I try to stick to playlists that claim will they will help me focus but when I’m writing a paper, I really like to listen to remixes and mashups of songs – it makes it a little bit more fun and a little less tedious. Take a listen and let me know if any one these help!

When I’m studying:

– Eargasmic Study

– Studying Now = Success Later 

– Concentration

– Get Shit Done 

– FOCUS

When I’m writing papers:

– Mashups & Remixes

– Remixes N Stuff

– Chill Remixes

– Remix It

– Remixes

Hope these help! What do you like to listen while studying? Comment and let me know!

I post every Thursday, see you then!

The 411 with Becks and Michelle: First Show of the Year!

Ahhhhh! Last night was something I have been waiting for since I moved back to Glendon – our first show of the year on Radio Glendon!

I have a radio show with my friend Michelle every Wednesday night at 6:30pm that runs for about an hour. Our show is called The 411 with Becks and Michelle and we’re really interested in talking about current events and anything that has come up in the week that we think listeners would like to listen to us ramble on about! We try to be informative but also witty and opinionated (and a little sassy).

In my third year, I became interested in Radio Glendon when I listened in to a previous host’s show and asked her if I could co-host one night. I loved it so much that when I was able to, I requested that I have my own show. I knew that I didn’t want to do it alone so I asked one of my best friends Michelle (a fellow eAmbassador) if she wanted to tag along with me. She has a post about it too!

Our show last year was called Girl Code and we tried to follow the same sort of layout as the show on MTV (…Super original, I know). But, we soon found out that keeping within such a strict structure wasn’t something we were into. We found that our best content came from the times that we went with the flow and let the conversation evolve naturally. When our show ended in April, we decided that we wanted to switch things up going into our second year of being Radio Glendon DJ’s. We changed our name and although we do make notes on what we want to talk about, we really try to go into every show without a “script”.

This week we talked about the internet reaction on Ebola, Amanda Bynes’ behaviour on Twitter, the 4chan celebrity nudes leak scandal/sex crime, and the struggles with Tim’s orders.

If you’d be interested in listening in, you can tune in every Wednesday night at 6:30pm. Be sure to tweet us if you’re listening!

 

 

Getting involved on campus: Glendon Model United Nations

I was never really involved in anything in high school. I was on Prom Committee for a week and then quit because I hated being at school longer than I needed to be. At Glendon, it’s definitely different. I think a large part of that is because I live on residence. When Glendon becomes your home, you don’t need to think about “going home” afterwards. As long as you stay on top of your readings and assignments, you should take advantage of all of the clubs and extra-curricular activities Glendon offers!

Bible

The first club that I became a part of was Glendon Model United Nations or as we call it, GMUN. It’s one of the largest and most active clubs on campus. The purpose of the club is to learn about the United Nations and its network of agencies, civil society organizations, and non-governmental organizations, as well as their history and the impact they have on the world through research, debate, and conferences. In first year, I had big ideas of being involved with the UN (not so much anymore) which is what led me to go to their first meeting. It was held in the Senate Chamber which is a round-table room that nobody really knows existed. I wasn’t very good at public speaking and most of the time when I went to the meetings, I didn’t know what was going on but I continued to go because I really loved being part of the team.

(Disclaimer: There was an episode of Parks and Rec based on Model UN so prepare yourselves for a whole lotta P&R gifs)

So, what does GMUN do? Well, every week we meet to participate in mock simulations whether they be general assemblies,particular committees or crises. The first few months of GMUN are geared towards training the members on how Model UN works and how to participate in conferences. This is all in preparation for the big conference that we go to in January hosted by McGill university called McMun. It’s worth all of the work – McMun has always been a highlight of my year.

In my second year of being a part of the GMUN team, I ran for Vice President of Public Relations. For somebody who was uninterested in clubs in high school, to continue to be a part of the team for a second year and to run for an executive position was a big step. In my third year, I was elected Vice President of GMUN alongside my best friend Emily who is President of the club. That’s another thing; being part of a club allows you to meet new friends. Many of the friends that I have made through GMUN are people that I would never have met if it wasn’t for being part of the club.

Being involved on campus can really take your university experience to a new level. Not only do you gain experience to add to your resume, but you gain friends and (I know this is cheesy) memories. In the first month of school, there will be a clubs day hosted so that new students and current students can learn more about what clubs are available on campus.

Are you involved in any clubs currently? Are there any clubs you would be interested in joining at Glendon? Comment and let me know!

I post every Thursday, see you then!

My guide to taking notes in university

Happy October! Wow, time really is flying by (please slow down!). A month of classes down and so far, they’re going well! I’m keeping up with my readings and I’ve been making an effort to take better notes in class. Taking well-written and organized notes in university is key to understanding what is going on when it comes to writing essays for class and  prepping for your midterm and final exams. This week, I’ve come up with some helpful tips that might help you out when taking classes in university.

1) Decide: Laptop or paper?

You won’t need to make this decision right away. You might even find that each class is different. For myself, I only use my laptop in my Theories of Society and FSL (French as a Second Language) lectures. I take notes for the rest of my courses on paper. It may come down to your personal preference; it may be that some classes are smaller and paper-notes are easier or perhaps your professor restricts laptop use and prefers students hand write their notes. Either way, stay organized! For hand-written notes, make sure that you take care of your notebooks to ensure that you don’t lose your notes. For laptop notes, read the next tip!

2) Use Dropbox or an online USB

I started doing this in first year and although I’m happy to say I haven’t had my laptop suddenly crash on me, I know that if it had happened, all of my notes and essay prep would be saved. This will save your life, literally. For Dropbox, you can install it onto your laptop and when you save your notes, you can save them within a folder on Dropbox. You can then access these notes anywhere – your laptop, your computer, another computer (just as log as you have your login). I’m sure there are other types of online USB’s like OneDrive but I prefer Dropbox.

Don’t let this be you

3) Try your best to stay off of other websites

I can’t lie, I’m pretty bad for this. However, I really do like to take well-written and organized notes so I try to limit myself on the internet during class. If you’re really having a hard time with this, you can always switch to hand-writing your notes or using a program on your computer that stops you from logging into your listed sites during specific times. Lectures are 2 or 3 hours with a break in between so it’s really best to take your notes and go on Facebook during your breaks. Trust me, you will love yourself later in the semester when you’re compiling all of your notes for your exam.

4) Sit near the front of the class

Doing this will encourage you to stay focused on the professor and the lecture being taught. You’ll be less likely to start texting if your prof is right in front of you and you’ll be less distracted by people sitting around you. Also, it might make it a bit easier and more comfortable environment for you to raise your hand in class since it’ll feel like you’re just speaking to your prof and not the entire class. Honestly, it’s a really easy way to get the most out of the class.

5) Compare and share notes before an exam, test, or essay

Cross-referencing your notes with another person can take your notes from 0-100 real quick (Sorry, had to). No but seriously, you might find that the other person took better notes on one lecture than you did or that they were there on a day that you were absent. I’ve done this before a bunch of mid-term or final exams and it honestly helps so much. You really can’t go wrong with this tip.

Hope these tips help! What are some of the ways that you try to take well-organized notes during class? Comment and let me know!

I post every Thursday, see you then!

What it’s like to be a Political Science major

In high school, I developed an interest for immigration in Canada. As an immigrant myself, I was interested in the process of immigration and what types of jobs existed.

I had no idea what I should do to get to this point so I took a proactive step. This led me to speak to my Career’s  teacher and she told me that studying Political Science would be a step in the right direction. This was a big thing for me as I find it really hard to ask for help and want to do everything myself but I’m glad that I spoke to her and got the advice I needed.

Literally me

Whenever somebody asks me what you learn in Political Science, the only word I can think of is “….politics?” but it’s so much more than that. In Political Science, you take classes exploring politics in general, state politics, international relations, law, morality, etc. It forces you to think about the past, the present, and the future in terms of historical events, the politics involved, the policies enforced, and its implications. For example, in my Transnational Crime and Corruption class, we discussed cocaine smuggling into the Miami area in the 1970’s and how it ended up financing the construction of many of the modern-day high-rise buildings in Miami.

Say whaaaaaat?

Where can a major in Political Science take you? It can open the door to many government-type careers within public policy, finance, immigration, foreign services, and politics. It can also lead to careers in journalism including public relations, television and radio, print, and press. Another area is the public sector with careers such as an analyst, financial consultant, human resources specialist and many take Political Science as their undergraduate degree as a step before applying for Law School.

If you decide that Political Science is what you would like to study at Glendon, there are a few requirements that you must take within your years here. To begin, there are 4 core courses of which you must take 3. These are: Introduction to Canadian Politics, Introduction to International Relations, Birth of Politics, and Comparative Politics. Personally, I took Canadian Politics and Intro to International Relations in First Year and Birth of Politics in my second year. These were some of my favourite classes that I took at Glendon.

The Birth of Politics was a really interesting class. It was taught by David Carvounas who was incredibly approachable and made the novels we read as part of the class come alive in lecture. We were asked to read Plato, Aristotle and Socrates (There were more but they’ve escaped my brain as it was two years ago). If you’re planning on taking Political Science at Glendon or even if you have room for an elective, take this class.

My motto in life

The other Political Science classes I’ve taken, aside from the core courses, are: Government and Politics of the United States, Introduction to International Law, International Justice, International Relations through Film and Literature (Take this class!), Transnational Crime and Corruption, Media Identity and Citizenship (Keele class), Theories of Society, Topics in Law and Politics, Civil Society and International Organizations.

If you want to know any more about my experience with Political Science, tweet me @beckielhgl.

Comment and let me know if you’re interested in this program and why.

I post every Thursday, see you then!

And so it begins: Fourth year

It boggles my mind to think that it was only three years ago that I started my life at Glendon. It has flown by so quickly! Each year has been so unique and special in its own way.

In first year, I tried extra-curriculars which was something I never did in high school. As a result, I became part of Glendon Model United Nations and I also worked with my Don and other residents on my floor to plan social events for our house. In second year, I was a D-Frosh for the first time and was able to provide incoming students with the warm welcome that I received when I first moved in.

In third year, I tried co-hosting on Radio Glendon and actually started my own radio show with a fellow eAmbassador Michelle. Read up on our show and find out when our show will be starting here: https://www.facebook.com/the411withbecksandmichelle

And now, it’s Fourth year. WHAT.

As the new school year begins, I’ve been asking myself what should I do to make it the most positive and enjoyable year I could possibly have. I thought about goals that covered academics, living on campus, living in Toronto, and being the relatively normal human that I am.

1) Take care of myself:

I have experienced three years of university life now and I think I’ve finally figured it out that in the midst of working on campus, being involved in extra-curriculars, academics and standing in the Tim’s line, self-care and taking time for yourself is essential. Even if it’s a nap during the day or allotting yourself some time in the evening to watch an episode of our favourite show with a yummy snack, these are steps that you can take to break up the day and to give yourself some time to breathe.

2) Go to the gym (No really, Beckie)

I’ve said it every year and I’ve never really stuck to it but I am going to try my best to make time for the gym this year. Glendon students get to take advantage of the Glendon Athletic Club with an annual membership of just $15! It offers a pool, group exercise classes, a weight and cardio room and more. You can find more information about the GAC here: http://www.glendon.yorku.ca/gac/english/index.php

3) Explore the city

I live in residence and sometimes I forget that there is a whole city outside of our campus. We’re just one bus ride away from Lawrence Station on the Yonge-Spadina line. I visited Ripley’s Aquarium a few weekends ago and loved every second of it. Just last weekend, my friends and I went to Roundhouse Park near Union Station for a free concert! This weekend I’ll be in music heaven – I’m seeing Ed Sheeran at the ACC (Air Canada Centre) tonight and Sam Smith at the Kool Haus on Sunday! WHAT.

4) Go to the events on and off campus that interest me

This year, I really want to make an effort. If I see a poster or a Facebook ad for an event that sparks my interest, I want to try my best to go. I’m planning to go to the Back To School pub night tonight but it is important to note that there are also alternative events that are planned for Thursdays nights. For example, the alternative event for tonight is Snakes and Lattes held in the Lunik Cafe. There is also the Homecoming Festival at the Keele campus this weekend. There will be a Homecoming Pre-Game and a YorkU college festival – not entirely sure what it’ll entail but I’ll find out soon enough!

5) Get to know my profs better

One of Glendon’s best qualities that I love is that professors and TA’s get to know you by name (so long as you make the effort for them to find out what your name is). This year I really want to make an effort to participate more in class. Getting to know your professors and TA’s is a great way to make connections that you may need if graduate school or law school is in your future!

Comment and let me know what your goals are for this school year. You can tweet me @beckielhgl if you have any questions.

I’ll be posting every Thursday, see you then!