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Showing posts from November, 2022

Finding Official UCalgary Course/Professor Ratings (NOT RateMyProf)

Like any anonymous review website, Rate My Professor is filled with fake positive reviews and review bombing. Sometimes, a professor just isn't there! So where can you go for extra information? You can check the official "Universal Student Ratings of Instruction" or USRIs. Many students know about USRIs and their importance to improving quality of instruction at the university. They are optional surveys done anonymously near the end of each semester through the UCalgary portal (you can only review the course if you're actually taking it) and each course has a written survey and a rating survey for various metrics. What few students know or take advantage of is that many USRI results from previous semesters are available for them to read (they are released to students if at least 20% of the section and a minimum of 8 students responded). The following information is made available (for specific lecture sections taught by each professor): Ratings on a scale of 1 (Strong...
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Staying Active (Indoors!) at UCalgary

University is a time and place to make healthy lifestyle choices that can have a lasting impact, even if you're a computer science student (your back and neck will thank you). Since you pay for the services anyway, why not take advantage of UCalgary's Active Living facilities? Staying active is important for good sleep, health, avoiding burnout, as well as countless other things. Now that it's cold out, it's a great time to take advantage of some of these indoor activities that could be a new and fun activity for you. For any of them, check in for a wristband at the Active Living Services desk. Squash and Racquetball We have the largest public racquet sports facility in Canada! Book a court online at https://active-living.ucalgary.ca/rentalsbookings/court-bookings or at the front desk (walk-in is usually fine). You can purchase a ball (either sport) for $4.75 and rent racquets for $2.50 each. The rules are simple to learn and they're both a lot of fun!
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IKEA Yearly Midsummer Buffet 2024 Review

Every year around June, IKEA hosts a Midsummer Buffet full of fish, meatballs, salad, and more. You have to be an IKEA Family member (which is free) and buy a $25 ticket in person on a previous day. I attended the Calgary buffet, and here is my full review!
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5 Things to do Before the UCalgary Semester Starts

I know, I know... summer is almost over already and it feels like it's barely started. Regardless, it's only a bit more than a week before classes start again (less if you're doing Block Week, which I tried last year ), so here are some reminders before the school year begins. Set up your calendar For UCalgary students, download your class times through the D2L portal and  import your them to your preferred service (mine is Outlook) : Personally, I like to colour code and label lectures/tutorials/labs separately on my calendar like so: Of course, many people also just take a screenshot of their timetable and set it as a wallpaper or save it somewhere easy to access; that can work too :). Put in your Course Overload Request(s) This is a pretty urgent and important one: make sure you check your degree requirements. If you're still waitlisted or not enrolled for a course that you need  to take this year, then you should submit a course overload request ASAP. At UCalgary fo...
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9 Not-So-Obvious Dorm Essentials

These aren’t necessarily things you need to pack in advance (you could buy them after moving in), but they are things that I personally found useful which aren’t usually listed in traditional packing lists. Earplugs or Sleep Sound Machine Dorms unfortunately often have the issues of noisy neighbours and loud garbage trucks or snow plows at strange hours. If you find this bothering you, invest in some earplugs (much cheaper at Shoppers or Amazon than in the on-campus pharmacy) or a sound machine. If regular earplugs are uncomfortable for you, you can try “women’s” earplugs (they might fit better for you regardless of gender). Humidifier
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