What I Learned in University

It's the last week of my undergrad! Woooooohoooo! I know I haven't blogged in a while but I figured my future self would be pretty upset if I didn't blog about the completion of my university degree. I thought I would document some of the lessons I picked up along the way.

First, I want to thank my parents who were able to finance my degree. Thanks to my dad who paid for most of my tuition, and thanks to my mom for supporting me in ways she was by no means obliged to. She paid for the majority of my cell phone bill, my train pass, big portions of my vacations, in addition to, of course, providing my housing and food. All I had to pay for is Netflix, new clothes, and socializing. I know I'm privileged to be subsidized by my parents when many my age are struggling and in debt. The lesson here is to acknowledge and be grateful for the help I've received. Thanks, parentals.

Second, I learned to stop denying my intellectual ability. In CEGEP, my strategy for getting good grades was to anticipate what the prof might want and replicate it to the best of my ability. This rarely led to any grade better than a B. In university, I decided I was smart enough to take chances with my assignments. I decided to have faith in my intellect and it paid off. I've been pulling straight As since the second year of my undergrad when I decided change my approach to school. Writing about what you like and what you think is much more rewarding and fun than having to write about boring topics that you don't feel connected to. Profs (good ones at least) recognize when a student takes risks with their writing and they grade accordingly. It's nice.

Speaking of good profs, I learned that not all profs are good. Some are arrogant and condescending. Some are so worried about academic bureaucracy that they forget what their job is. I had one prof that was so hell-bent on not giving As that no matter how hard you worked, how often you consulted the TA and got professional feedback on your work, you were doomed to a B+ at best. It's demoralizing. Bless McGill students who have to go through this on a regular basis.

I learned to reeelaaaxx about the future. Ever since high school it's been clear that I should be focused on one thing only: $$$. At this point, many of my friends are discouraged, anxiety-ridden, and stressed beyond belief about what they're going to do when they graduate. This is no bueno. I decided that I need to chill out a bit so as to not have a head full of greys before I hit 25. We live in a time that glorifies hard work, which is not to say hard work is a bad thing, but it serves to make those who are not constantly working feel incredibly guilty. We're trying so hard to transcend the notion that millennials are lazy and useless, that we're overworked and tired beyond belief. I refuse.

Finally, I learned that I need to celebrate my accomplishments more. Over the course of three years I completed an internship, secured a position that paid more than minimum wage, QUIT said position because I realized it wasn't making me happy, took my time to complete my major without stressing the hell out, and completed a minor along with it. I made Dean's List. My GPA is nearly a 4.0. I'm more socially and politically aware than I've ever been. My friendships are stronger than they've ever been. My bank account isn't in the negatives. I'm a small business owner. Am I on the road to riches? Who knows, but right now I'm good. It's all good and I'm proud of myself.

Handling University Without Friends

Summer's over, which means the new school year and the imminent winter months are approaching fast. That thought alone is enough to make anyone miserable. For me, the main reason why I don't look forward to school anymore is because I don't have friends to share it with. My friends and I all embarked on separate paths going into university, so school days can get quite long.

My first tip on making the school year more bearable is to find a good spot that you're comfortable in, and that you can go to during your breaks. I personally don't like secluding myself in the library because I find it a bit depressing, so I pick the atrium in my building because it gets plenty of sunlight. People cycle in and out so there's some commotion, but it never really gets too noisy. If it does, I have my trusty noise-cancelling headphones with me anyway. Sometimes I sit at a table in the atrium for hours on-end because my train schedule unfortunately does not always coincide with my school schedule, so I usually arrive early and have time to kill.

During down-times, I make sure I have plenty to do. First and foremost, I get school work done. If you're in university chances are you have plenty of class reading. Staying on top of your readings will make you more at-ease when it comes time to prep for tests and essays, and you'll be able to keep up better in class. If you have a lot of time, taking notes on readings is a good idea because it helps you digest the information better. Personally, I need near-quiet to stay focused on readings so this is when noise-cancelling headphones really come in handy.

If by chance you don't have noise-cancelling earphones, I recommend downloading some ambient music that won't distract you from your studies, but will drown out the people around you. I use an app called Songza and type "studying" into the search bar, and the first option that comes up is "Studying (no lyrics)" and "Reading". From there, you can choose from 6 different playlist options.

The easiest and most common time-killer during long breaks is browsing social media, but after you've scrolled through your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Tumblr feed, you'll need to find something else to do. I like to save social media for my train journeys to and from school because I can access it on my phone anyway. Personally, I prefer to be productive during my breaks.

What I mean by that is I like to be producing material, be it by typing up class notes, or even writing a blog post. After typing up a lengthy document I always tend to feel more accomplished. Getting organized is also a way to be productive: making to-do lists, writing due dates into your calendar, or putting together a reading schedule.

That said, I have to admit that as the semester goes on I tend to feel more lethargic. On those lazy days I equip myself with a tea or a latte, put on an audiobook, podcast, or even some music, and just relax. If you spend the majority of your school days without much social contact like I do, having an audiobook or podcast to listen to is amazing because it's like having someone tell you stories for potentially hours on-end. It's also really handy if you take public transportation trips that are more than say 20 minutes long.

That concludes my tips on handling university alone, but I should probably throw this in: make friends if you can! I can't deny that making friends is a good idea, but if you end up spending most of your time alone, try your best to make the most of it. :)

Education Shmeducation

Hey everyone... Someone posted this video to my school program's Facebook group, and after watching it, well, I felt a rant coming on. I know this has nothing to do with beauty so you don't necessarily need to read it but I thought I'd share my opinion!



To be fully honest, this video infuriates me for many reasons. First, I'd like to take this guy's idea to the "worst case scenario" for purely argumentative purposes. I should hope that this is not how it goes. But sometimes it's crucial to apply theories universally. (See: Kant's Moral Theory)

People who lack critical thinking skills and are easily swayed might view this video and think, "Man, this guy's right. Why go to school? I'm gonna take a day off. Or maybe two. Or maybe I'll drop out." Etcetera. They'll pass it on to their friends who will wholeheartedly agree. And soon enough we're going to live in a society where no one will have an education. Where people simply didn't feel like memorizing dates and staying up late to study. A society filled with people who slept through their classes and didn't so much as bat an eyelash whenever the wise prof said anything remotely interesting. Because what's the point?

But let's get back to this society where no one is educated. God, if this guy attended and payed attention to a single history class, he would know that this society he's set up would gravely backtrack us in time. A time with no gender equality. A time with no racial equality. A time with no such thing as technology. He fails to realize that Steve Jobs' ingenuity relies on the sheer intellect of his developers, all of whom bring a quality of intelligence wrought mostly by their formal schooling. I mean, if no one knew about the Holocaust, if no one knew about the intricacies of science, math, and physics, if no one knew about Shakespeare and Chaucer and Austen and Hemingway... What a truly boring, dysfunctional, and discordant world we would live in.

And originally I didn't want to go there... But it's necessary. In what world do we live in where an African American can stand there and claim formal education is all for naught. African American history is all about redemption, equality, and most importantly RIGHTS. The most fundamental of which is the RIGHT to education.

Sadly, many countries do not have the right to education. Personally, I think this guy needs to do some world travelling. I hope one day he will go to a 3rd world country and realize that the one thing in the world that kids in poor countries long for is an education. Maybe going to school won't directly fix poverty and famine and drought, but it might give a person the intellectual tools necessary to tackle the problem logically and perhaps to simply even cope. If anything, it might give a child something to hinge on and to be passionate about. If you give a poverty-stricken child in a third world country the opportunity to go to school, I guarantee that they will not be moaning and groaning like you.

I admit that I complain about school. I admit it. That doesn't mean I lose sight of the fact that I am in a rare situation. I have been given the opportunity to attend higher education, whereas the majority of the world's inhabitants have not. However, I accept this opportunity with humility. I don't understand people who think they're above school. I just don't. Even if you harbor all the creativity and personality in the world, trust me, you will not mask it by going to school, you will simply highlight it.

Kids bitching about school being useless is something I can't stand. But here's something I'd like to clarify: I acknowledge that the end goal of school is to obtain a degree that will get a potentially mediocre, unfulfilling job, and that might sound very daunting. That's attributed to the capitalist-driven society we're living in.

But here's another idea. Why not pay attention in class? Why not try to absorb some information? Learning for the sake of learning. Why not? It might make a dreary school day somewhat tolerable. I mean, if this guy wants to be an educated individual, here's an idea: instead of droning about your school days, why not take up a genuine interest in a class? Even if it's just one! Take a class you might not usually take: architecture, religion, painting, anything. I promise that school is not all about deadlines and grades and sleep deprivation.

I guess one good thing came about from watching this... I really feel like studying now. Learning doesn't suck unless you let it.