McMaster is nearing the end of its 2016-2017 school year. Graduation is looming for many, exams are on the horizon and the excitement for summer has warmed up with the weather. While students are looking towards the post-exam season, we unfortunately, still have a month left of groaning about how final exams aren’t an accurate measure of our knowledge.
Here is a list of 11 things you can do to prepare emotionally and physically for your exams.
Featured Image c/o Jazmin Quaynor // StockSnap.io
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By: John Ruf
On Dec. 15 2015, the website IFLScience posted an article titled, “Study Claims Being Vegetarian Is WORSE For The Environment Than Eating Meat.” The study in question was written by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University and was published in Environment Systems and Decisions. After reading the IFLScience article, and being unfortunate enough to stumble upon an argument in the comments section between Ivory Bill, The Exterminator, and Food Narc I felt the need to do what most commenters on the site clearly had not: read the research study. Here is my take.
We must take the opportunity to learn from new information, and not be so quick to reject it.
To begin, recognize the click-bait manoeuvre conducted by IFLScience; the article’s title was sufficiently provocative without capitalizing “worse.” The article was misleadingly controversial in an effort to get page views. Furthermore, the article itself was clearly written after only reading the study’s abstract — or if they did in fact read past the abstract, they forgot to include the fact that the authors of the research paper include several previously conducted studies all identifying vegetarianism as having a net benefit on the environment. To name a few: in 2013 Meier and Christen concluded that in Germany, switching to a low-meat diet would reduce energy use by seven percent, water use by 26 percent, greenhouse gas emissions by 11 percent, and land use by 15 percent. That same year Vanham et al. found that the EU could reduce their water footprint by 30 percent if meat consumption was halved. In 2014 Tilman and Clark concluded that sizeable shifts toward Mediterranean, pescetarian, and vegetarian diets have the potential to lower global agricultural emission and land clearing.
The Carnegie Mellon researchers acknowledge the overwhelming body of scientific research backing the stance that reductions in meat consumption benefit the environment. Their addition to the field focuses specifically on the United States and raises questions about the quality of dietary plan outlined by the United States Department of Agricultures. If existing research finds that low-meat diets in the European Union positively affects the environment then this new study is more telling of the quality of the USDA dietary plan than about the usefulness of limiting meat consumption.
Nevertheless, this study opposes the common belief about the environmental superiority of a plant-based diet. It is integral that those who have committed to cutback on their meat consumption must not a) use this research as reason to renege on their cutbacks, or b) simply dismiss this research because it does not align with their previously held beliefs. Science will always build upon itself — so we must take the opportunity to learn from new information, and not be so quick to reject it. To believe that our current diet is the best it can be — both for the environment and for our health — is fallacious and ignores potential areas for improvement.
The misinformation surrounding this topic is a great example of what I like to call ‘grapevine science’: the misrepresentation of findings by non-experts who choose to report on scientific studies. What started as research into the efficiency of various diets in the United States eventually morphed into the claim that vegetarian diets harm the environment more than meat-based diets. Those without a PhD should not feel that they are excluded from weighing in on the issue, however, everyone should be aware of articles reporting things that seem counterintuitive and read the scientific study before believing click-bait articles that make sweeping statements about scientific research.
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By: Sohana Farhin
During midterm season, it can be difficult to juggle assignments, midterms, extracurriculars, part-time jobs, and other things life throws your way. Taking care of yourself can often fall to the bottom of the priority list. However, considering the prevalence of mental health concerns on Canadian campuses, the concept of self-care and checking in with yourself is becoming increasingly important. The Canadian Association of College and University Student Services found that 89 percent of surveyed students responded feeling overwhelmed with all the things that they had to do for school. With Canadian Mental Health Awareness Week, just behind us, here are some activities you can try to relax your mind and soul to keep your mental health in check, courtesy of the Student Health Education Center.
Nature
A study by Selhub and Logan (2012) showed that spending 20 minutes in nature can help improve your vitality. Our brain responds calmly to the sounds of the nature and outdoors. In the fall, set some time to step outside the McMaster bubble and enjoy the trails Hamilton has to offer. Listen to the drizzling of the waterfalls while enjoying a breathtaking view of the trees’ colourful palettes. McMaster has some nearby trails; specifically, the Cootes Paradise trail and the Princess Point trail that leads to Bayfront Park. If you are willing to go further, take the HSR to Albion Falls or go to Dundas, and explore the many waterfalls.
Reflection
There are many mediums of reflection: prayer, journaling, lyrical writing, meditation, exercising. Pick a location in which you feel comfortable and set some time for yourself to reflect on your experiences, your goals, how you are feeling and what you have learned. Genuine and honest reflection increases your awareness of yourself and your surroundings, increases appreciation of the things you have experienced and allows you to learn from your mistakes. Take a look at Gibbs' Reflective Cycle for a foundation upon which you can start your reflection.
Hobbies
Annals of Behavioural Medicine reported that adults who engaged in leisure activities were 34 percent less stressed and 18 percent happier than those who did not. Challenging yourself and trying something new is a perfect way to spend time away from stressful obligations and help clear your mind. Whether it is learning a new instrument, picking up knitting, hitting the gym, learning a new language, playing a video game or anything else you want to do, having a hobby is therapeutic for your busy lifestyle.
To reduce stress levels and increase productivity, it can be beneficial to take a breather and spend some time alone. Breaks can help you refocus, reflect and keep you healthy and motivated. This article provided a few examples of what you can do to take a break, but the choice is yours. After all, the time is yours. Spend it in the way that makes you happy and ready to take on your next challenge.
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By: Christine Chow
Coined as a portmanteau from the words “study” and “Tumblr,” a “studyblr” is exactly what it sounds like: a Tumblr blog used for the purposes of studying. While many types of Tumblr blogs exist, ranging from hipster to fandom to social justice blogs the way stereotypical cliques mark their territory in a high school cafeteria, the studyblr is a strange attempt at reconciling the polar opposites of academics and procrastination (by means of social media).
As opposed to the average gifset, studyblrs tend to post or reblog aesthetic pictures of personal workspaces. These are often filtered shots of desks topped with nice plants, glossy computer screens, post-its, and neatly arranged sets of notebooks. Other reblogs show close-ups of notes in a combination of different colours and fonts, surrounded by an array of classy pens.
The obvious judgment is to dismiss these blogs as pointless. Reblogging or liking pictures of other people’s study set-ups in no way helps you get your own studying done, and if you’re too busy ooh-ing and aw-ing over the aesthetics of someone else’s workspace, trying to capture the perfect angle of your own, or beautifying your notes, then you’re wasting valuable time you could otherwise be using to mentally process what you missed out on during that lecture you fell asleep in.
However, if you’re like the majority of the student population, you’ve probably already come to terms with your inherent inability to stomach the multitude of information that gets vomited up by the course syllabus. You sit for hours on end in the same spot, staring at the same generic word document of notes you’ve managed to compile over the span of the term and flipping through the same tasteless PowerPoint slides your professor has probably recycled from last year. By comparison, venturing into the depths of Mordor seems like a much more appealing task.
A closer look at the Studyblr community reveals a group of like-minded individuals who are willing to empathize with the chronic symptoms of studying. In addition to sharing pictures, bloggers also share solid note-taking tips. For instance, how to start a bullet journal: a current popular technique for organizing all your tasks and to-do lists by code. Further investigation reveals self-care tips for mediating study stress, as well as favourite stationary types and methods of condensing information that have helped individual bloggers succeed.
Tumblr’s rise to fame in the past couple of years is accorded not just to its standing as a social media platform, but to its creativity and adaptability for multiple demographics – a metaphorical Room of Requirement. Though the effectiveness of its “study group” aesthetic is definitely questionable, its unique attempt to incorporate what all students dread into a leisure activity ought to be admired. Everyone studies differently, so there’s no harm in trying out different studying methods until you find out what works best for you.
Check out these studyblrs:
Photo Credit: Pretty Studying
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By: Mitali Chaudhary, Sohana Farhin and Allison Mizzi
Healthy snacks
Raw fruits
Nothing can fill you up (and taste as good!) as a bowl of your favourite fruit. With essentially no preparation required, this is the perfect solution for a sweet tooth, while providing you with vitamins and fibres. It just involves a bit of forward planning – if you sense a stressful week ahead, remember to load up on your fruits at the grocery store.
Greek yogurt
Being a healthier alternative to regular yogurt, with a smooth texture and taste, this is one of the most versatile options as a quick snack. You can top it with (almost) anything, like bits of cereal, almonds, bananas, granola, and honey and it is guaranteed to taste delicious. It’s best to stick with plain Greek yogurt, and toppings without additional sugars, to keep this snack healthy.
Almonds and other nuts
These can sustain you for a surprisingly long time, and are filled to the brim with unsaturated fats, protein, fibre, and minerals. They can be eaten alone, roasted as a substitute for potato chips, or sprinkled over some oatmeal or Greek yogurt (see below).
Veggies with hummus
Make mom proud with this one. Vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli or cucumbers all deliver the crunch you crave while note taking, and taste great with any kind of hummus dip. The hummus adds a savoury flavour to the veggies, which are packed with essential nutrients, and it’s an excellent source of protein.
Study spaces
SWELL
If you like company and tea, check out the Student Wellness Education Lower Lounge in the basement of MUSC. Open to all, the SWELL is a space for students to relax, learn about wellness education, and take a break from busy university life. The lounge features couches and chairs, perfect for students to work. Its basement location, across from the Underground, makes for a quiet and relaxing space, away from the hustle and bustle of MUSC. The SWELL features daily programming, including Mindfulness Mondays and Wellness Wednesdays, which can be great study break opportunities as well as a microwave, free tea, and free fruit on Fridays to keep your energy up as you cram.
Empty tutorial and lecture rooms
There are lots of empty tutorial and lectures rooms all over campus. Take your pick, whether it is ABB, BSB, the Arts Quad, or Hamilton Hall. These rooms are usually used for tutorials. However, they’re often left open and perfect for student use, particularly after the library closes. If you are looking for a quiet and private space for self-studying, empty classrooms are equipped with white boards or chalk boards that are begging for flow charts and diagrams. As such, they also work well for group studying. Bring some snacks and your books, and you’ll be set to study in your own private space.
Hospital cafeteria
If you like cafes, try studying in the hospital cafeteria, found on the main lobby in the second floor of the McMaster Children’s Hospital. There are lots of seats that are usually left empty at night. It is a great place for quiet studying, without the atmosphere of a library. There is also the “Corner Café” near the hospital entrance that is open 24 hours, seven days a week. With healthy meal options, as well as baked goods, coffee, and tea, the hospital cafeteria is the way to go if you need an energizing late night snack for your studying.
MDCL atrium
If you are looking for a calm and relaxing location, the waterfall room in the atrium of the Michael DeGroote Centre for Learning and Discovery is ideal. Its floor-to-ceiling windows let in natural light, a nice change from the fluorescence of most buildings on campus. If you enjoy studying outside, this is the next best thing, allowing you to appreciate natural greenery, rain or shine. With ample benches, the waterfall room is an excellent space for catching up on your reading, or listening to a lecture podcast.
Whatever kind of space you need to succeed, McMaster has it. Sometimes, one just needs to do a bit of searching. The above four places are some of our favourites. What are yours?
I’m no stranger to 4 a.m. at Thode. In fact, I’m no stranger to 6 a.m. either. Despite countless times that I’ve heard all-nighters don’t help anyone, I ignore the advice and continue to power through pages of readings with the help of coffee, music, and comfortable clothes.
Sleep is important during exams, I know that (and you should too), but I’m the kind of person that gets really anxious about sleeping before I feel fully prepared (or as prepared as I can be) so I tend to stay in the library until the wee hours of the morning and then go home and sleep for a few hours.
In order to make sure that I don’t burn out or fall asleep face first during my exam, I follow a few personal rules. The first is that I’m in bed by 1 a.m. whenever I have an exam the next morning at 9 a.m. It doesn’t help anyone to be completely sleep-deprived before an exam.
Also, make sure you check the bus schedules. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on campus because you live too far to walk or being forced to make arrangements and a plan at the beginning of the night so you know when you’re ending your studying and packing up to go home.
Also make sure you have enough food or enough money to buy food. I always spend way more money during exam times because I have to order food or walk to Subway and get food because everything on campus closes as of 11 p.m.
Staying on campus is not for the weak. The Hunger Games seems like a Disney holiday special when you’ve experienced late nights at Thode. People start mowing on food, sleeping on desks, and snapping at anyone that talks above a whisper.
If libraries aren’t your thing, you may like the Student Centre instead. There are plenty of couches, floor space, and sparse amount of people after night falls. That way, you can also take naps in between chapters, which is very important.
If you’re going to be spending the better part of a day studying, take a power nap. Twenty minutes of shut-eye will make all the difference of absorbing that dense textbook you didn’t open until exam period. Just make sure that you’re not napping more than twenty minutes if you want to power nap. Longer naps of an hour to an hour and a half are okay if you have that much time to spare.
The last thing to consider is what to wear to all night study sessions. Sure, you can be that person who wears a full fashionable outfit to the library to study, but you may not be comfortable enough to stay in it for hours.
Think sweatpants, loose fitting pants, and comfortable sleepwear, like Snuggies. That’s right, I said it. Although Snuggies aren’t super practical to take to the bathroom, they do have the benefit of allowing you to work while being fully blanketed.
Another option is the onesie. This is practical to wear to the bathroom, although it takes some maneuvering unless you have one of those buttflaps.
If you want to spend late hours in the library, there are many advantages that include study space, lots of outlets, and it is generally quieter. However, make sure you’re prepared for it. Eat well, sleep well, do well. Grab your Snuggie, your sweatpants, or your onesie, and I’ll see you in Thode.
By: Sophie Hunt
The first few weeks of school are when I miss my spot on the couch at home the most. Especially when the only seat I can find during my four-hour break is on the floor of the JHE basement.
As an off-campus student, it is incredibly difficult to find a place to put my feet up and neglect to do my homework. With roughly thirty thousand students currently attending the university, there is a surprising lack of seats to accommodate students who have nowhere to go in between classes. Many of the spaces on campus designated for student use are either always full, or lack enough furniture to accommodate the number of students looking for a spot to sit.
The hunt for a quiet space to study, hang out with friends and even eat my lunch is one that I have tried to perfect over the course of my time at Mac. I’ve learned to accept the fact that I will most likely have to resort to using loud music to drown out the constant noise that is usually associated with communal study areas, if I can find a spot at all. And I know many others who experience the same thing.
Despite student complaints and half-hearted promises made by the McMaster Students Union, not much has been done to create more student-friendly spaces on campus. There was some discussion about expanding the Student Centre when the MSU had a surplus of $1 million in their budget in 2012. But as of yet, there has been no concrete attempt to follow through with a plan to increase the amount of space available for student.
So what alternative do students have?
Roomer, an app available for download on Android phones, allows students at McMaster, Waterloo, and Western to find available lecture halls and tutorial rooms throughout the school day. After some extensive testing, I have discovered the app to be fairly accurate (and by testing I mean choosing random rooms within a short walking distance and cautiously peeking through the window on the door). It uses McMaster’s master timetable to look for available rooms on campus. It does not, however, account for any changes made to class locations throughout the term.
The app includes all of McMaster’s main buildings and covers all rooms in each building, allowing students to choose where on campus they want to spend the duration of their break. Whether students want to meet to work on a group project, hang out with their friends, or even get some quiet studying done, this app allows anyone to easily avoid crowded communal areas in favour of a room more separate space.
Roomer is a good start, but McMaster is going to need a lot more than an app to accommodate the constantly growing number of students in search of a place to spend their breaks in relative comfort. Whether the university decides to add another communal seating area, expand the Student Centre, or even invest in better furniture for the areas that already exist, something needs to be done to give students a constructive space to spend their free time when they have no where else to go.
A McMaster study published in the journal of Aggressive Behaviour suggests that women are more likely to behave aggressively and engage in bullying behaviour when they are interacting with a more provocatively dressed woman.
Researchers Tracy Vaillancourt and Anachal Sharma from McMaster University and the University of Ottawa brought 86 women into a lab to find out how they reacted when another woman interrupted the experiment.
"This research may help explain why popular media, which often portrays females vying for the attention of males, has such a strong female audience base," explained Aanchal Sharma to The Daily News.
Pairs of women were placed in a room and were interrupted by either a provocatively dressed woman in a mini-skirt and a low cut blouse, or by the same women, but this time she was dressed very conservatively.
The participants were given a “Bitchy Rating” from zero to ten to gauge how negatively they reacted to the woman’s interruption. This scale is based on factors such as how they looked at the woman, their negative verbal comments, and the amount of eye rolling and ridicule.
In a recent interview with The Atlantic, Vaillancourt explained that they chose the word “bitchy” to use as a measurement on their scale because “bitchiness is the term that people use.” This term is commonly used among the age group of the participants, which ranges from 20 to 25.
The same woman interrupted the two groups, but the way she dressed completely changed how the participants reacted. When presented with the conservatively dressed woman, subjects made no comments, and hardly seemed to notice her. In contrast, when the sexy woman entered the room, the participants reacted in a hostile way, but only after the provocative woman left the room.
When the sexy woman interrupted, the participants made more negative comments, laughed at the woman, examined her more closely, and made more negative facial expressions in comparison to those who were interrupted by the conservative woman. For example, one woman remarked that the sexy woman was “dressed to have sex with one of her professors.” Participants exposed to the provocative woman were rated as being bitchier than the women who met the conservative woman.
The researchers called it a display of indirect aggression, where women are more covertly “bitchy” to other women when they find their sexy appearance threatening. Vaillancourt and Sharma found that the provocative woman was seen as a sexual rival, so the participants shunned her. In general, the women in the study stated they did not want to be friends with the provocative woman.
“Women are indeed very capable of aggressing against others, especially women they perceive as rivals,” said Dr. Vaillancourt, now a psychologist at the University of Ottawa told the New York Times. “The research also shows that suppression of female sexuality is by women, not necessarily by men.”
This research is especially relevant now, with the launch of Prime Minister Steven Harper’s anti-bullying program this year. “Our work provides support for the innate roots of female conflict,” Sharma says, and is “a starting point for recognizing the origins of the behaviours and informing what factors should be considered in the resolution process.” Understanding research such as Vaillancourt and Sharma’s can assist with planning strategies to reduce bullying among women.
Farzeen Foda
Senior News Editor
One of McMaster’s relatively new graduate programs, the Masters in Global Health, will be taking a trip to India’s Manipal University in April as part of a two-week symposium in collaboration with a Manipal University and Maastricht University in the Netherlands .
During the event, which has the theme “Bridging Different Worlds,” students will also be working on various development projects, “ranging from assessing safe drinking water in urban slums, to examining causes of infant mortality at Karkala Hospital,” said Stena Sothiratnam, a student in the Masters in Global Health program who will be going on the trip.
“It is basically a practical placement in the field during which we will be participating in research data collection for research studies that are currently in progress or will be starting at that point,” said Ryhana Dawood and Natahsa McNamara, members of the Fundraising Committee for the project, in an email.
A project in a developing nation such as India would be a valuable experience for students in this program, as many intend to apply their expertise from their program outside of Canada, noted Dawood and McNamara, who further explained that the purpose of the program “is to get students better acquainted with development work, and what exactly that entails.”
With a focus on health care, the 28 students, including nine exchange students from the Netherlands, will be engaging in projects dealing with health care systems in other countries.
This is the second year the program is running and hosting a trip of this sort.
To fund the trip, a self-defense/fitness seminar will be held on campus for a nominal fee, and depending on demand, more than one such seminar will be held. Methods to engage the residence students in the fundraising efforts are under consideration as well.
With McMaster’s renewed commitment to the revitalization of the undergraduate learning experience, an endeavour of this nature is certainly a positive step in improving the educational experience. “There is only so much that can be learned from flipping through the pages of a textbook,” said Sothiratnam.
“We hope to gain a lot from this experience and we personally feel a service-learning component is beneficial to all learning environments,” said Dawood and McNamara.
