University is a time to explore and narrow down your interests, but trying to balance prioritizing activities and future endeavours is a slippery slope 

When you start university, you’re given close to a million different pieces of advice from all kinds of different individuals. Your parents, high school teachers, friends, therapists will all have something to say. In all the advice I received one thing was for sure though — university was a time to find out who I was by pursuing things that interested me. Now that I’m graduating and looking back, I can confidently say that it was much easier said than done.  

Another one of the most frequently offered pierces of advice was to ensure that I knew how to manage my time. I was told that as long as I learned to prioritize between extracurricular activities and schoolwork I’d have no problem navigating my first year.  

My approach in first year was quite conservative, in that my primary focus was to get accustomed to the difference in workload rather than indulging too much in fun activities. I quickly realized, however, that this was not the way to go about it. Although my grades were good, I soon found myself on the brink of mental exhaustion and lacking in stimulation from alternative sources. 

Coming out of high school, I knew that my interests were multifaceted. Being involved in sports teams, student council and various clubs, I had already established that my interests were definitely broad and that focusing solely on schoolwork would not last long.  

Coming out of high school, I knew that my interests were multifaceted. Being involved in sports teams, student council, and various clubs, I had already established that my interests were definitely broad and that having only a sole focus on schoolwork would not last long.  

Subsequently, I came up with a plan: even though I had felt I had wasted my first year in terms of having a life outside of school, I was determined to change that in second year and finally broaden my horizons as one would say. 

Clearly, the pandemic had other plans.  

There wasn’t much to do other than continue doing what I did in first year. Although everyone around me was looking into which hobbies to take part in that restrictions would allow, I knew that the activities that I truly wanted to do wouldn’t be possible. Even still, I hiked, spent time outdoors, saw friends when it was possible and joined a few clubs.

But I was bored out of my mind. My grades were better than ever, but like many others, I’d assume, I wasn’t happy. It wasn’t enough.  

Like the world had a wake-up call after World War I and entered the Roaring 20’s, I too, had my own epiphany once restrictions were lifted in third year (bold comparison, I know). I knew I had to make up for lost time, but my enthusiasm led me to spread myself too thin across various activities.  

In the pursuit of satisfying my interests, by the end of third year, I found myself to be a student-athlete on the women’s football team, a Silhouette writer, an McMaster Student Union Maroons representative, an amateur snowboarder and an executive for a number of clubs. 

In my opinion, this was a bad approach, but a necessary one nonetheless.  

I was convincing myself that I had a lot more free time than I did, resulting in decreasing performances in each activity. Like the Great Depression following the Roaring 20’s, I too, entered my own. I knew that something had to change in fourth year.  

Throughout all this, it gets difficult to navigate the line between living in the moment and thinking about your future. Especially in my final year, knowing that this era is coming to an end, the pressure of having a good time and enjoying the moments as they come is at an all-time high. Grades and schoolwork, although more important now than ever, start becoming secondary activities.  

Throughout all this, it gets difficult to navigate the line between living in the moment and thinking about your future. Especially in my final year, knowing that this era is coming to an end, the pressure of having a good time and enjoying the moments as they come is at an all-time high. Grades and schoolwork, although more important now than ever, start becoming secondary activities.  

As I know most fourth years can agree, the looming thought of what comes after never entirely leaves your head. Nonetheless, you push it further and further back as impulse decisions in the pursuit of fun make themselves more and more comfortable in your mind. Isn’t that what university was supposed to be all about though?  

Now, however, instead of having my interests narrowed, I think I might have even more. In retrospect, while I am grateful for the myriad of experiences that university has afforded me, I recognize that I might have benefited from a more measured approach. 

I leave you with this final piece of advice, the quality of which is for you to decide and for you to take how you will. Regardless of how important something may seem to be in the moment, times will continue to change. Although memories and experiences are important, be mindful of what you prioritize them over.  

The Silhouette: Please introduce yourself.  

Yiming Zhang: My name is Yiming and I’m in my third year of the [Bachelor of Health Sciences] at McMaster [University]. 

What are you involved with at McMaster?   

I'm a pretty introverted guy. So when I go out to McMaster campus, you won't see me during spirit week or anything like that but I'll be in clubs. I'm a part of three clubs: the Meducator, McMaster Extra Life and Homework Help for Charity. 

You say you are introverted. What leads you to try new things and put yourself out there? 

A lot of times, trying things isn't really the hard part. People often have that mindset where they need to avoid 'wasting' time. I think that's a really big issue. No one wants to waste time. We want to be very sure of what we do. But, to some degree, I'm never going to be sure. Let's say the dance team wasn't mostly girls and let's say I knew how to dance. Maybe I don't know if I want to join the club, maybe it's too hard or maybe I don't like the atmosphere but I have to try to know.  For the cover of the Meducator, someone else had the idea and wanted a volunteer. So I just offered. I think too much thought goes into it. It's only embarrassing if you think it's embarrassing. I think you just have to go for it. 

"People often have that mindset where they need to avoid "wasting" time. I think that's a really big issue. No one wants to waste time. We want to be very sure of what we do. But, to some degree, I'm never going to be sure."

Yiming Zhang, third-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student at McMaster University

Have you ever used an English name? 

I haven't. My name actually comes from a Chinese idiom. I think it's about this songbird that never sings, really just making it a bird. But once it does sing, its song is really beautiful. Here's the curse: I realized that I am painfully average at almost everything. For example, my sister [and I] are decent at swimming. That's good in comparison to other things we don't really know. I feel pretty average at studying. I'm average at piano and I've been doing piano from maybe grade four to Grade 12. A lot of time, I'm left thinking, "Okay, where's my song? Where's my talent? Why can’t I just have the talent?" 

"I realized that I am painfully average at almost everything . . . A lot of time, I'm left thinking, "Okay, where's my song? Where's my talent? Why can’t I just have the talent?""

Yiming Zhang, third-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student at McMaster University

Some people just have a really big passion for something. Let's say drawing, you just see them drawing every single day [and] as a result, they get really good at it, right? For me, I think being average is kind of concerning because you can't manifest passion if you don't have it. I think that the passion aspect is critical. It just makes you feel, "Well I'm doing this, it's passable but they're doing this really really well". It doesn't always feel great but that's how it is. But I feel like then you'll find someone who's doing it really really well too. So eventually, being 'passable' isn't enough. 

I don't have the strongest passion for piano. I love it but I don't think it's what I want to do. I can still practice for a long time but it can get tiring to practice the same thing for hours and hours and hours every day while I just haven't really gotten any better. I feel like if I had more passion, it'd be a lot easier. 

But let me be clear, I'm not [going to] let it stop me from doing what I like.  Even though I might say that something isn't my one true calling, I'll still try it. Yeah, it'd be nice if I was amazing at it, but that's all. I can't keep going like that. I can't just think: "Wow, I'm so sad and disappointed". You can still process your emotions like that but staying there doesn't get anyone anywhere. You're still where you started, albeit with a bit less emotional baggage. You can't let that stop you, you have to keep moving forward and do what you want. 

"Even though I might say that something isn't my one true calling, I'll still try it. Yeah, it'd be nice if I was amazing at it, but that's all. I can't keep going like that. I can't just think: "Wow, I'm so sad and disappointed" . . . You can't let that stop you, you have to keep moving forward and do what you want."

Yiming Zhang, third-year Bachelor of Health Sciences student at McMaster University

C/O Tony Sebastian, Unsplash

While we may perceive ourselves as worlds away, we’re much closer than we think

Let’s set this story during Welcome Week of 2019. Surrounded by other 2023s, I ventured into the thick swarm of students on the field outside Burke Science Building. Before I could take a breath, I was asked a question that all of us had heard countless times during that week.

“What program are you in? Like, are you a science kid or an English kid?” 

I’d answer with “science kid” and move on with my life. No big deal, right? Well, not exactly. As I went through two more years of university, I discovered there was a greater divide in the sciences and humanities than I had first realized. Science kids were the kind that would rather solve complex chemistry problems than go near an essay. Humanities kids could write 20-page essays but god forbid they took a physics class.

As far from the truth as these generalizations may be, they do exist and they do persist. The general public’s perception of students who pursue science and students who pursue the humanities are closer to these reductive statements than we may think. 

This issue has been discussed at length, not only by students like us, but also by renowned professors across the world. In 2018, the University of King’s College in Halifax held a roundtable discussion on this exact topic. These scholars, particularly Evelyn Fox Keller, talked about the territorial criticism they felt as an expert in history, physics and biology. The roundtable came to the conclusion that the sciences and humanities are often presented with the same problems, such as climate change, but rarely work together to solve them.

Not only does this divide affect worldly problems, but it also affects us all on a smaller scale of interests and extracurricular activities. Why are only science students expected to take on research positions? This rush to get involved in research activities is a constant discussion in the echo chamber of undergraduate science students, often with no mention of research efforts in the social sciences and humanities.

With such a binary in expected extracurriculars, this frame of thinking has also found its way into job interviews. Mahnoor Malik, a third-year health sciences student, reflected on her experience of this phenomenon. 

With such a binary in expected extracurriculars, this frame of thinking has also found its way into job interviews.

“I was in an interview, hoping to get a position writing for this website I’m really fond of. The interview was going great, but they did comment on how my writing experience was largely scientific. I understand where they were coming from, but it was also shocking to see how my scientific writing experience wasn’t valued as much as other writing experiences were,” explained Malik. 

This experience isn’t unique to one individual. The separation between these two fields has led to a lack of understanding of each other from both sides. By allowing this distance to exist, we inevitably divide ourselves into different social and professional groups. 

By allowing this distance to exist, we inevitably divide ourselves into different social and professional groups. 

We allow these preconceived notions to affect our judgement of each other. From a STEM perspective especially, we’re all somewhat guilty of assuming that non-STEM programs have fewer career opportunities. However, graduates of social sciences programs not only have similar employment rates to STEM graduates, but are also valued by employers for their critical thinking,  emotional intelligence and ethical reasoning. 

On a personal level, I have had a passion for writing for as long as I can remember. However, I assumed that once I chose my path of health sciences, writing could be nothing more than a hobby. My label was now to be science and science alone. 

Imagine my surprise when I joined the Silhouette and found just as many science kids as humanities kids as arts kids on our staff. In a short couple of months, this team has opened my eyes to the fact that these insurmountable obstacles that we created are largely imaginative. 

As students, we need to take it upon ourselves to throw this arbitrary barrier to the wind. By doing so, we gain the chance to learn more about ourselves, each other, and the plethora of opportunities available to not just X or Y students, but to all of us. 

By: Thomas Oshana

Is it possible to be physically, socially and mentally healthy at the same time? With all the stresses and worries of school, the answer is actually yes. While it sounds counter-intuitive, putting more time towards participating in intramurals and clubs instead of worrying about academics is the best decision you could make. There are only beneficial outcomes to engaging in at least one intramural or club.

A comprehensive study and analysis of existing research by the National Institutes of Health found that leisure-time physical activity is associated with reduced risk of 13 different types of cancer. Physical activity also helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints, which will help control weight, reduce fat and prevent the development of high blood pressure. Although it is typically intramurals that provide these physical benefits, there are many clubs that also promote a healthy lifestyle.

Being a part of a team will also help you develop cognitive skills. The Government Accountability Office has found activities common to intramurals and clubs can affect attitudes and academic behaviour, including enhanced concentration, attention and improved academic performance. Regular physical and social activities will help keep your mental skills sharp.

There are multiple social benefits as well. In both intramurals and clubs, there are amazing social communities that you will be welcomed in to.  This social aspect can positively affect the crucial aspect in the development of self-esteem, goal setting and leadership in students. You will learn teamwork and communication skills and likely get a boost in self-confidence. Your overall self-image may positively change. As a result of this, you will gain a feeling of pride. You will be more encouraged and motivated to continue involving in activities and now may be more inclined to social activities both outside and in the school.

Through intramurals and clubs, you will gain or improve upon your physical, mental and social health, as well as learn core skills such as teamwork and collaboration. Yes, they can take up time with practices, games, events and meetings. However, the benefits that you will gain will far outweigh the couple of hours you may lose during the week.

Pushing precious time aside that could be used for school involvement is not the solution to keeping busy. There are no benefits to not getting involved — citing that intramurals and clubs are too “time-consuming” is nothing more than an excuse. School involvement in intramurals and clubs will not only make you overall healthier, but will also allow you to have an overall enjoyable time. You will meet new people, make new friends and create long lasting memories that you will never forget.

Play and join in at least one intramural or club throughout university because in the years to come, when you are physically, mentally and socially healthier and hanging around the friends you made along the way, you will be satisfied knowing that putting yourself out there and engaging in the school community was the best choice you ever made.

Silhouette Opinions Contributor
The Silhouette

You are walking through the University Hall arch homecoming evening as you hear a muffled “EFRT” and all of a sudden –OUCH.

You’ve been hit.

Bewildered, you look around, catching a glimpse of a girl repositioning her footing on her bicycle and riding off. You later learn she was a participant of McMaster Students Union’s Emergency First Response Team orientation weekend, a competitive selection process where only the very best make the team.

Waiting for an X-ray the next day, you grapple with the thought of a potential emergency first aid responder running you over and failing to respond to your need for emergency first aid.

It’s no secret that a medical school application must be impressive to stand out from a sea of hopefuls. A myriad of volunteer commitments, leadership positions, awards and research experiences are staples in competitive CVs. These are wonderful opportunities for personal growth beyond the classroom and for potential improvements in our community. But how many of these experiences are truly meaningful and compassion-driven?

The slogan “this will look great on a resume” is a marketing strategy that has become ubiquitous when trying to recruit students into clubs and organizations. Many of us, in our attempts to amp our resume, end up making tedious and half-hearted attempts at dozens of activities.

Dabbling here and there, however, to satisfy a quota for an application does not leave a lasting impact on us. Nor on our community. Worse, being so single-mindedly fixated on the achievement can harm those around us in the process.

None of this, however, is apparent from the eloquently worded statement on a resume.

Medicine and compassion are inextricable. Yet, in our frenzy of resume development, we sometimes let the greater purpose slip away; the goal of one day becoming a professional capable of helping and caring for people. How many of our accomplishments are undertaken to develop ourselves and enrich our community? And how much of it is done to sway the hand of an administrator seated behind a stack of applications in a few years?

We should be wary of getting so swept up on our journeys to medical school that we become callous to our surroundings. After all, the greatest of doctors are passionate, dedicated and compassionate. Building our preconceived notions of a great application with the absence of these qualities can veer us away from being great physicians later.

From one medical school hopeful to another: on your road to doctorhood, watch out for pedestrians.