CampusIntel

(These are in no particular order)

15. The bus is not a playground, so don’t let your kids act like it is one – Don’t you just hate those parents who let their kids run around like they’re in their own home or on the school’s playground? Why? It’s a MOVING vehicle!!! Come on now, somebody is going to get hurt!

14. Don’t yell ‘INDOOR VOICES’ at your kids (especially when they aren’t even being that loud) – Set an example for your child. By yelling indoor voices, you totally defeat the purpose of them using their indoor voices. If mommy can yell, so can we!

13. Don’t pay with 100 coins – Now I understand if you have a bunch of coins, I’m a student, I totally understand. But come on… Jamming up the coin taker? Pleaseee. Put them in a few at a time if you have 100 coins!

12. Don’t stare at others – This one goes for ALL the time, not just on the bus. But seriously, it is so uncomfortable when you are sitting on the bus and you can feel the person across the isle just staring you down. So you look over at them and then they look away…. two seconds later they’re at it again!!

11. You can listen to your music, but the rest of us DO NOT want to hear it – It’s been a long day at school or work, you have a headache and you’re getting on the bus to go home. You sit down and at the next stop this guy (or girl) gets on the bus and sits behind you, 3 seats back. S/he has headphones on, but might as well have speakers, because everyone on the bus can hear the words perfectly!! I don’t mind if people listen to music, I do it myself sometimes, but I don’t want to listen to YOUR music!

10. Don’t sing aloud to your music – There is a time and a place for everything. You may think a bus is a great place to display your musical talents (or lack there of) but it’s not. Just that plain and simple, if we wanted to hear you sing, we would ask you.

9. Move to the back of the bus – When the bus is getting full and you are standing up, don’t stay at the front of the bus, move to the back! The people in the back don’t bite! I was on the bus the other day (luckily I had snagged a seat) but I noticed these people who were standing right before the step up to the back of the bus and they just wouldn’t go to the VERY back. More people were getting on and it was getting extremely squished near the front. The back of the bus had all that space! Just be courteous and move back! It’s not that difficult.

8. Give up your seat for the elderly – Shouldn’t this one be obvious? Yeah, you may be tired, but when an older lady or man get on the bus everyone should start to get up to give him/her a seat. It’s just not right to have an elderly person standing. I was on a bus one day (standing) and this older man got on the bus and NO ONE got up to give him a seat at first. I was mortified. There were all these people in their 20’s sitting and no one offered him a seat.

7. Talk to your friends not at them – I don’t want to hear your conversation about the crazy party you went to last night or the hotttttt dudee you almost had and I don’t think anyone else does either, so don’t talk to your friend who is on the opposite end of the bus. Enough said.

6. Wear deodorant please – Deodorant or soap, it’s not too expensive. If you can afford to ride the bus, you can afford to cleanse. I was on the bust one day and this guy about my age got on. He was standing near the back door, and I was sitting near it. He lifted his arm to hold onto the bar and I almost puked. I think the person next to me was feeling a bit queasy too! I hope he didn’t think that raunchy smell was me!

5. When you cough, cover your mouth – We learn this in primary! Don’t spread germs, we’re already too close to each other. If you have to cough just be polite and cover your mouth!

4. If the bus is full, don’t take up two seats – It’s just that simple! Put your bag on your lap or on the floor. Not so hard to do.

3. Talking on cell phones – I could go on for a while about this one. It’s okay to talk on your cell, we all do it. But no one wants to hear your conversation about the guy you slept with last night or how you just found out you can fit your entire fist (including most of your wrist) in your mouth.

2. If there are a lot of empty seats, don’t sit by a random person - There are empty seats everywhere but you get on the bus and just have to sit by me! Why????

1. If I’m listening to music, I don’t want to talk to you – I have my earphones in for a reason. A) I want to listen to my music. B) I am tired and had a long day. C) To avoid weird people who like to make small talk with me on the bus.

If you follow these rules I think everyone would enjoy their bus ride just a little bit more! I know I would. As students we’re often forced to take the bus because no one can afford to buy their own car let alone pay for the gas to make it drive! If we just all follow these simple 15 rules then everyone will be happier!

The Holidays are over so it is time to go back to school and back to the agony of the dreaded 7am wake-up alarms, the rush to get to the bus, the late nights, and once again the new classes.

But now you are wondering if the courses that sounded so good in the university catalogue are actually that great.

Here are a few tips that will help you decide whether to keep the classes or change them…. and as quickly as possible.

Check out the syllabus

• Checking out the syllabus is one of the most important things to do – there you will find many essential elements that should make it a deciding factor of whether or not to stay in the class.
• For instance, the assignments will be a distinguishing factor. Some classes are filled with way too much work and with other classes, can be overwhelming. Not only will that specific class be affected but your other classes will also be hurt as you won’t have enough time to focus on them either.
• The syllabus will also tell you the due dates of your midterms and assignments. Pay close attention to these dates as if there are a lot of midterms and assignments due around the same time you may want to switch into a different class  or start working super early (which we know, even if we have high expectations of ourselves at the beginning of the school year…rarely becomes the case).

The Class itself

• It may be the case that in the summer when you chose your classes, a certain class sounded exciting and intriguing; however, now that time has passed and you have realized what other courses are out there, they may not have the same appeal to you. I would always recommend going to a few classes to check the class out, but if the information doesn’t excite you, getting through four months of the class will be nearly impossible if you aren’t motivated.

The Professor 

• After five years of university, I have now realized that the professor is one of the biggest factors one should keep in mind when deciding whether to stay registered. I know we have all used the excuse “I didn’t do well because the teacher didn’t like me” but sometimes the excuse, “I didn’t do well because I didn’t like the teacher” makes complete sense. The professors that seem excited to be there and are not merely extremely intelligent will be the ones that have the best courses. If you find a professor you like, I would recommend taking as many courses with him/her that you can.

Textbooks 

• There are many reasons regarding text books that should alter one’s decision of whether to stay registered for a class. Although the price of a book shouldn’t be the most important decisions it is definitely frustrating when all of your textbooks cost over $100.00.

• Textbooks are important because they give you concrete information to study. However, some people enjoy having the textbook to study while others feel they are simply objects that are too expensive and are not useful as one cannot read one page without falling asleep.

The Professor’s Teaching

• I walked into my first class today to a professor who in front of us and didn’t say a word for 20 minutes… and no I am not lying. This was an morning class so one can only imagine the class’ difficulty staying awake when, when he did talk it was in a slow and monotone voice. “Good…..Morning……Welcome…. To….My……Class.” I have since switched to another class.

• However, other factors such as the tools the teacher uses can make a big difference. I do find that professors that use a PowerPoint (or something similar) approach teach very effectively as the everyone is put on an equal playing field as all of the essential notes are given to everyone equally and not solely verbally.

The Class Size

• I’m going to be a little biased on this one as I have gone from Mount Allison University, which had an average of 25 people in a class, to Mount Saint Vincent University which has around 22. This being the case, I feel that the smaller the class, the better the class as the easier it will be to gain help and show the professor how determined you are. If a class disables you the chance to even speak with the professor I would recommend choosing another class. (However, I do realize how difficult that can be in many intro classes…but good luck!).

The Time of the Class 

• Some prefer 8:30 classes, while others prefer night classes. Although a mixture can still be good, what I would recommend is avoiding a schedule where there are lots of gaps between your courses, in which the gaps don’t give you sufficient time to do anything. For that reason, try to arrange your classes where they are either consecutive, or there is enough time in between to read that chapter of your biology book or at least grab lunch.

Remember, you still have a little while to confirm all your courses, so test out as many that interest you, keep these rules in the back of your mind, and then get prepared to have a great semester!

Best of Luck!