Friday, January 18, 2013

Put on your Dancing Shoes!

Tomorrow is the big day! It’s the annual ‘Fireball Gala’, an event where McMaster’s engineering students put on their finest dresses and suits to mix and mingle, while dancing the night away.
Helen holding the banner she designed to advertise ticket sales for the Fireball gala.
Showing off the banner I made to promo the event.

We crawl out from under the depths of textbooks, and out of the mazes of equations and into the light of a beautiful banquet hall. We’ll dine with wine; look at beautiful shoes, and get beautiful news! 

Our new McMaster Engineering Society (MES) president for the upcoming school year will be announced, and awards are given out to the actively involved and engaged students for their outstanding contributions to our ‘MacEng’ community.

A professional photographer takes photos of couples, groups of friends, group shots of people in the same stream of engineering (Chem Eng had some really cute photos last year!), or anything the students want, really. 

One of my fav pics from some of our (now 4th year) Chem Eng students :)
Have a look at some of last year’s photos: http://macengsociety.ca/culture/events/fireball-2012/ .  It’s kind of like a prom, but way better. It’s one of those days that brings so many people together (B-tech and Computer Science as well) in the classiest of ways.

Combine loud cheers, excellent food, fantastic company, dancing and incessant laughter and you’ve got an undeniable recipe for a good night. I’m so excited- I’ll let you know how it goes!

~Helen

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

A Different Resolution than 800px x 600px


Happy New Year! I hope your 2013 will be your best odd-numbered year to date!

Many of you have probably made some type of New Year’s Resolution. Maybe you want to try a new sport, or lay off the chocolate. Maybe even hit the gym once in a while.

As for me, and quite a few fellow students I know, our goal for 2013 is to improve academically. This could mean develop better study habits, get help when you think you need it and make sure you stay on top of your work.

The funny thing is, most resolutions we make are goals that we think we must do individually – that we have to “go it alone”. We tend to forget about the support system that exists for us; whether it’s friends, family, or your institution.

Here at McMaster, the Faculty of Engineering offers many ways to support your academic goals:

  • 'Profs':

Your professor is there to teach you. He or she even schedules hours for you to go ask them questions. Many students do not take advantage of office hours – don’t let that be you!

  • Study Sessions:
The McMaster Engineering Society has set up study sessions with ‘upper years’ to help ‘first years’ prepare for tests and exams. How sweet is that? You can work with people who have already been through what you have! You can always set up a study group of your own with your friends as well.
Some people prefer to study in groups.
These Eng girls studying in  Thode, the Engineering and Science Library.
  •   Eng I SUCCESS:
It is a great time to be a first year at McMaster! New this year is something called the ENG I SUCCESS Initiative, where first years that may have not done so hot in their term one courses have an opportunity to upgrade their marks and improve their study skills!

And if these options don’t get you where you want to be, there are  academic advisors in Engineering Student Services to help you out. University may seem like an intimidating place on the outside, but there is a huge network and support system waiting for you.

Good luck this year! Keep sticking to your resolutions to find your way to success!

Later days,

~ Daniela