Fire alarm on campus

Fire Truck on Campus

I was in the middle of a meeting with the project manager of the Universal Case Competition Organizing Committee when the fire alarm went off. Immediately, I stopped the meeting and lead everyone out of the building. As for the meeting, we continued with the discussion in the designated safe zone outside the Discovery 1 building. The meeting was the first for the next semester's UCC Case Competition, where we plan and schedule the dates for all of Spring 2017 activities.

Waiting to return to class

Apparently, someone has left a plastic container in the microwave oven in the student lounge on the first floor. The student has not only forgotten about the container left in the microwave oven, but has wrongly keyed in the instructions. Instead of three minutes, the microwave oven was timed for three hours. Thick smoke was seen coming out from the microwave oven and the student lounge which triggered the fire alarm.

Fire truck on the background

Everyone in the building were scrambled out onto the narrow open space between the two discovery buildings for about twenty minutes before allowed back in. When we reentered the building, there were a strong smell of burned plastic which confirms the microwave oven fire. Coincidentally, this incident happened during the noon lunch break and there were no classes or exams at that time. I went straight back to my classroom and once the students were all settled in their places, started the lecture.

Study Methods Workshop

Study Methods Workshop

Like the LinkedIn workshop, I also facilitate the Study Methods workshop in Fraser International College once a semester. I will usually conduct the workshop after the midterm exams and about a month before the final exams. Although, the workshop was opened to the FIC community, only a handful of students turned up for the workshop. But still, it was a good turn out, just slightly more than thirty five students at the workshop, which was a decent number of participants for any workshop in FIC. I used power point slides as the main tool to deliver my presentation. And hand out printed notes that summarizes the material I have shared at the end of the presentation.

Emphasizing a key point

Other than sharing my own past experiences when I was a university student, I also provided crucial study tips as to how to prepare for exams. One of the most important key to succeeding in exam was discipline. I used to follow a regimented schedule, not allowing distractions from among some of the activities like. For instance, I have a specific time for daily gym workouts and even time spared for other forms of recreation. I don't allow distractions in my study schedule unless it was really an emergency. I was that focused to do well.

Fullhouse

Another important trait that I have when revising for exams was that I was really thorough and detailed on my notes. I would usually read the lecture material first. And then, write notes based on the material from the textbook before each lecture. After the lecture, I would compare my notes against the material shared by the professor, I will rewrite the notes adding in the material that I have just missed out or just mentioned by the professor. I always want my notes to be concise and complete. It makes my revision for exams so much easier and within my control. I may put in a lot of hours into my studies but I was a student. And students were expected to study. The one thing I learned about being a good student is that there are no short cuts. Just like building a career, focus, dedication and hard work are the only solutions for success.