Dec 9th : The Student Success Centre Holiday Open House

If you're interested in a leadership position on campus next year, attending this event is highly recommended!

Mark your calendars! Thursday, December 9th, 1:30pm-4:00pm @ UCC 210

I Wish I'd Known Sooner #3 - Weldon is Overrated: Alternative Places to Study

Ah yes, nothing says holidays are approaching than trying to find a place to study for your winter exams.

Think finding a parking spot on Christmas Eve is impossible? Try finding a cubicle in Weldon at 2pm, weekday or weekend once the last week of classes hit. In fact, if you think that getting to Weldon after lunch on a Sunday will guarantee you a spot, think again. That spot with the electrical plug? Prime real estate.

Holidays are supposed to be a time of sharing, right? Wrong. At least, not when it comes to study spaces; one student will spread their notes across a big table in Weldon's basement, and no, they aren't exactly saving a spot for their study buddy.


So here is the last bit of advice for you before the holidays, because contrary to popular belief, Weldon is not the only library (or study space) on campus. Use it well.

1. Faculty Libraries
Those science kids are intense when it comes to studying at Taylor Library, and it's not just during exam time. I've seen people line up outside the library 15 minutes before it opens during exams, I'm not kidding. If you want peace and quiet, head to the bottom floors where you can set up shop in a cubicle. The Stacks are also a good quiet place to study, but you'll hear footsteps from the floor above you. The Music Library in Talbot College is small, with only a couple tables, but it's also another option. Check out the full list of libraries!

The affiliate colleges (King's, Brescia and Huron) also have libraries that usually aren't too busy. I hear the one at Brescia is really nice and very Harry Potter-esque.

2. Classroom buildings
If you're lucky, sometimes you'll find a free classroom to study in- imagine, all that open space! Social Sci is a good building to start with, otherwise, public spaces (such as Centre Spot in UCC, Lucy's in Somerville House) are also good options if you study well with background noise.


3. Western Rec Centre
Perfect for the student who needs some background noise and movement while they study. Busy location, but I mean, everyone there is plugged into their iPods, intent on their workout and won't bother you.

4. Rez Study rooms
Sometimes, trying to study in your Rez room can be really distracting. Luckily, there are study rooms available. Super handy, an added bonus is that you don't have to leave your Rez!

Add this to your favourites

So how many of you know of The Student Success Centre? This is how I see it, The Student Success Centre is like that well connected acquaintance that you always keep in touch with: they're a great resource and most likely would say "oh yeah, I know someone in that line of work, let me get you his/her contact".

If you want the latest updates brought directly to your Facebook home page on employer meet and greets, workshops, networking events, info sessions and much more, then you need to check out their Facebook page. Who knows, maybe your future job will result from one of these events!

There have been some big names in the past who have come to these events to recruit, such as IBM, Imperial Oil, RIM, Labatt and Deloitte. Just sayin'.

Study Smart!

You can either study hard, or study smart. If you study smart, you'll be efficient and effective. How? Well, attend this upcoming LAMP event and get informed!

I Wish I'd Known Sooner #2 - Essay Help

It's about that time when those final papers are due, if they haven't been due already.

Take advantage of UWO's services, and avoid ending up like this guy.

"I guess I should start my paper..."
Haven't gotten started on that research paper for History and have no clue where to start? The friendly staff at Weldon's Research Help desk would be more than happy to get you started. If Weldon isn't your scene, the site has a handy chat function where you can get the assistance of the knowledgeable staff from the comfort of your Rez.

"Can you look over my essay?"
Personally? No. But good thing the Student Development Centre offers a Writing Support Centre! Their sharp eyes will catch spelling errors, grammar hiccups and such. Check out their drop-in sessions, located in the afternoons at Weldon. It's a busy time for the folks at the Writing Support Centre, so I suggest going early. Alternatively, you could book an hour-long appointment which might be a safer bet.

It's also a good idea to talk to your TA/Prof if you need someone to bounce your ideas off of. After all, they'll (and when I say they, it most likely will be your TA) be the one marking your paper and will know what to look for/what direction you should take your paper in.

Show Off for a Good Cause

LAMP's First Year Committee and Leadership Chairs are looking for acts for our upcoming charity coffeehouse on Wednesday, January 26th @ APK Live!

Whether you're the kind of person to belt out a tune, rock out on your electric guitar, or have a stand-up act, you're just what we're looking for!

Money raised from this event will go towards Unity Project to fund their Art Workshop for residents. It's a great organization that we're totally pumped to be working with!

Interested? This is what we need from you:
- e-mail kdibacc@uwo.ca by Nov., 26th with a sample of your work-

I Wish I'd Known Sooner #1 - Forwarding UWO Mail

Welcome to the multiple part series of "I Wish I'd Known Sooner", simple tips and tricks that we've picked up along the years that well...we wish we'd known sooner. Hopefully you'll find that they'll make your life at Western a little easier!

#1 Forwarding UWO Mail

It's Wednesday evening and you think 'Hey, I haven't checked my Western mail in a while, maybe I should do that'. You log onto your account and not only are there 20 unread messages (yikes!) but one of your profs for a class tomorrow morning sent you an e-mail Monday morning with a link to the reading that you couldn't find.

Do you often forget to check your UWO mail? Rather use Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo or some other account? Well thanks to Mail Forwarding, you'll never miss an e-mail sent to your UWO account!

Here's how:

1. Log onto your UWO account and locate the Options tab on the left-hand side panel
2. Go into Mail > Local Account > Forwarding
3. Enter in the e-mail account you prefer to get your UWO mail sent to. You can also decide to keep a copy in your UWO Mail just in case.
   
4. Save your changes!

As handy as this trick is, we recommend replying/sending any e-mails to profs directly from your UWO account since some profs have a filter on their e-mail.

Bonus! Did you know that you can also forward WebCT mail messages as well? Sometimes your prof will send the class a message via WebCT, so if you don't check WebCT that often, it's a good idea to use the mail forwarding option.

1. Hit 'My Settings' at the top of the page once you've logged in
2. Edit the e-mail in 'My Profile' with your e-mail
3. Go under 'My Tool Options' and scroll down to Mail to change your settings