I didn’t really know how to celebrate the ultimate scary holiday this year in a scary reality (a flurry of midterm exams and assignments)…but I think my floor and I did a pretty good job representing Halloween with an epic carving of 16 pumpkins last Wednesday!

I had no idea pumpkin carving would go over so big even though we quickly discovered pumpkins “wilt” quickly indoors. Note to Self: Carve closer to Halloween next year…

It's all about the process...

Teresa and her very first pumpkin-EVER!

Who knew pumpkins could make us so happy?

Scary vs Smiley Pumpkins

We love our sophs- Jane, Andra & Tayrn and their continuing support (and pumpkin carving expertise)

Happy Halloween from 3MRW&co!

Posting these pictures, in lieu of dressing up, makes me feel festive….even in the library.

Hope the rest of your week is filled with all treats (and only nice tricks!),

Christine

Ghouls (Girls) Just Want To Have FUN!

Brescia has been celebrating Halloween this week by…

-       Competing for the best DOOR decorations

-       Orangifying our Floor Lounges with Streamers, Paper cut-outs, Pumpkins, Spiders, Webs, and Ribbons

-       Carving Pumpkins into spooky shapes

-       Living it up at a Halloween Party (There was lots of Candy, Caramel Apples, Donut Bobbing and Games)

-       Dressing up in costumes

-       Going to the Haunted Forest

-       Watching creepy and thrilling movies

And…

-       Preparing for our Halloween Lunch on Monday! Our Castle Café is all decorated for Halloween and I can’t wait to see what Orange and Black foods we will be served. The cafeteria ladies also agreed to wearing costumes for the day! What great participators :)

So that’s what we have been up to… Have you been celebrating Orange and Black week? What sorts of Halloween activities do you enjoy taking part in? I look forward to hearing what you have to say! Leave a comment!

❤ Molly

Short form: B4B

Established: 10 years ago

Definition: A morning that raises money for the Eleanor Donnelly Bursary Fund

Reality: SO MUCH FUN

Last Thursday I had the privilege of attending Brescia’s tenth anniversary of Breakfast for Bursaries, along with over 360 other attendees. This year, the event raised $40,000 will be matched by the Ontario Trust for Student Support (OTSS). For those of you who have never heard of this event, it is a morning dedicated to raising funds for the Eleanor Donnelly Bursary. This bursary is donated to a mature student who demonstrates academic excellence, financial need and is an Ontario (In particular London) resident. This year’s recipient of the bursary is Jessica Jackson. Congratulations!

Nazanin! Her natural personality made me even more motivated to become a leader in the future! If only I had her height and I could become "Miss Canada" :)

Not only was the morning filled with delicious delicacies such as chocolate croissants, muffins, yogurt, fruit, eggs, bacon, tea and juice, however it was overflowing with dynamic personalities! Despite the weather (Rainy and cold) and the time (I was on the bus by 6:15), the event continued to run successfully. It was so neat to see a diverse range in age. From professors to parents, alumni to current students, the audience was composed of a vast range of characters.

One of my favourite parts of the morning was hearing how grateful the recipients of the bursary are. The financial support is life changing for them. By allowing courageous women to focus on their education rather worrying about their tuition and expenses, the bursary gives individuals the opportunity to excel in their area of expertise. For many of the recipients, university would not have been the same (or even possible) without this bursary.

Another great aspect of the event was hearing the guest speaker, Nazanin Afshin-Jam. By sharing her life story as an international human rights activist and “voice for the voiceless”, she inspired (and continues to) me to take on more leadership roles. I thought it was interesting to learn that she began her journey as Miss Canada World. Nazanin decided that Beauty Pageants would allow hers to dedicate her time to bringing justice to a world fraught with civil and ethical injustices. It is incredible to see just how many differences she has made in the world in the past few years!

Next year, I would encourage anyone who is able to attend the breakfast to go! Not only are the proceeds going to an excellent cause, but it is a great networking opportunity, you have a chance to win wonderful prizes, you will be provided with breakfast and you will get to hear a guest speaker.

So although this is just one of the MANY benevolent and fundraising activities Brescia participates in, it is definitely significant. I feel proud to be able to say that I was part of it!

Thank you,

❤ Molly

If I had to pick just one word to describe my university experience to date it would be BUSY! Busy as a Brescia student that is!!

There is so much going on everyday of the week that I often find it difficult to remember my primary goal – Building my education and thriving through academic achievement. Who wouldn’t find it hard to concentrate when there are so many fabulous girls on their floor?

From Clubs week to Conferences, Community Garden meetings to Nutrition Sessions, I barely have time to myself! People joke because I have a nice big room yet I almost never in it.

So where do I hide away? This past week, my second home was the library. In total, I must have spent at least 30 hours there studying for Chemistry, Calculus and Health Sciences. Thank goodness the Beryl Ivey Library is quiet and comfortable which helped me to concentrate through those tedious times.

Although my anxiety skyrocketed and I worried that I wouldn’t ever be able to finish the tasks at hand, I can thankfully say that I have survived and am ALMOST done this “crunch”. I only have one final paper to submit until I am “Free”… well until November 5^th that is!

With the help of my sister, I have established some pretty good study habits that I’m going to share with you. Hopefully they help you to take school work one day (or step) at a time.

Juggling your schedule doesn't have to be hard! I think this picture (that I took of my sister) reinforces that it is important to take things"One BOOK at a Time"

-       Set attainable goals

• This helps you to ensure that you don’t run out of time
• Creates a sense of accomplishment
• Puts an end to the studying (This way you can enjoy yourself and you aren’t still thinking about what you have to do. It is important to schedule in fun times and activities for motivation)

-       Break things down

• Looking at your entire textbook is a little bit overwhelming
  • Break the material down into topics
• Generalize –> Not every fact is testable

-       Start early

• Cramming is not productive
• Start learning and reviewing the material in advance so that your daily goals can be smaller
• (I had three exams on consecutive days so I knew that I couldn’t start studying the day before)

-       Anticipate questions

• If the exam is multiple choice, there is no way that you will be asked to draw a picture (However, you might need to analyze one)
• Professors like to trick you – watch for “Not Not” questions and tricky wording

-       Get lots of sleep and eat healthy foods

• This maximizes your efficiency when you are awake
• Nutrition is fuel

-       Go for extra help

• TAs and Professors are always willing to guide you

-       Repeat facts out loud

• Talking about what you are studying helps to reinforce the information
• You get to share your wealth of knowledge

Regardless, it is important to remember that you tried your best and at the end of the exam the mark you receive is only a mark. There is almost always room for improvement and professors do not expect perfection. Make sure that you understand where you went wrong because most exams are cumulative. This prevents you from making the same mistakes on your future exams.

Just remember that if exams were easy, the success rates of university would be too high. We can’t have a million doctors or teachers- there just isn’t enough employment opportunities!

I try to remind myself that although I may not be getting the same marks as I did in High School, I am still above the average. Yes, maybe I could have studied for a couple extra hours here and there, but those hours were used in other valuable ways (Such as volunteering). In the end, be proud of your accomplishments! Accept, Forgive and possibly Forget !!

❤ Molly

“Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.”

– Japanese Proverb

This school year, one of my resolutions was to get involved with one of Brescia’s numerous leadership initiatives. Considering my major is now Dimensions of Leadership, I thought it was an appropriate goal! So this September, I signed up for the Tri-Mentoring Program.

The Tri-Mentoring program is a very unique program. It pairs upper year student mentors with a first year student mentee, in order to help them with the transition to university. In addition, it pairs the upper year students with a female community mentor in their field of choice, so they can receive guidance on the transition from Brescia to the workplace.

In addition to developing leadership skills and having the chance to explore various careers, the program is a valuable networking opportunity as well as an opportunity to see women in leadership roles throughout the London community.

I haven’t met my match yet, but I’m really excited to do so! For more information on the Tri-Mentoring Program, you can check out their page: http://www.brescia.uwo.ca/campus_life/tri_mentoring/index.html

-Christine

This weekend is my first thanksgiving ever away from home. While it’s more than a little strange to be living in residence when the staff practically outnumber the students still remaining, it’s in this (too) quiet environment that I am finally able to reflect on the past weeks which have flown by since my last blog.

As a member of the Brescia community, I have so much to be thankful for. I am finally in the right program for me and have had the opportunity to participate in some awesome events like Clubsweek and giving feedback about the new residence layout plan. No event however, made me more thankful to be a Brescia student than Homecoming weekend.

To see the amount of alumni “coming home” for the weekend was amazing and made me realize that my connection to Brescia will undoubtedly last much longer than my time studying here will.

So even though I didn’t get any turkey this year, I am grateful for the padthai and Swiss Chalet dinners and even more so, for the people I shared them with.

The next challenge? Remembering to be thankful even through my midterms.

When in doubt, remember to...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christine