MSU Spark Guidebook #2

HAMILTON | SOBI BIKES | DIFFICULT ROOMMATES READING WEEK | HOW TO SURVIVE | & MORE!

GUIDEBOOK OCTOBER 2015

MAP OF HAMILTON BAYFRONT PARK BURLINGTON ST KENILWORTH AV

OTTAWA ST

GAGE AV

VD BL

QUEEN ST

DUNDURN AVE

WENTWORTH AV

RK

WELLINGTON ST

YO

UNIVERSITY PLAZA

BARTON ST

KING STREET

JAMES STREET

LOCKE STREET LOCKE ST

MAIN STREET GAGE PARK

ABERDEEN AVE UPPER OTTAWA ST

UPPER GRACE AV

UPPER JAMES ST

GARTH ST

H

UPPER PARADISE RD

HIG

UPPER SHERMAN AV

UPPER WENTWORTH ST

FENNELL AV 03 Y4 WA

MOHAWK RD

LIME RIDGE MALL LINCOLN M. ALEXANDER PKWY

STONE CHURCH RD

RYMAL RD

HAMILTON STR

As a full-time McMa

One important aspect to remember

have access to the H

about Hamilton when planning your trip is that Main

system ALL YEAR R

Street West and King Street West become one way

McMaster to Ancast

streets in downtown Hamilton, with Main Street traffic

“mountain” area and

going away from McMaster and King Street traffic

need to board a HSR

going towards the university.

PLUS the specialize

QU

EE

N

EL

IZA

BE

TH

LAKE ONTARIO

BAYFRONT PARK

W AY

A great way to spend the day with friends and family by the waterfront! You can rent rollerskates and bikes for some extra fun!

HSR Bus # 05 and #10 for Main & Emerson 45 minutes of travel time

LOCKE STREET SOUTH HSR Bus # 05 and #10 for Main & Emerson #51 on campus towards Westdale 20-30 minutes of travel time GRAYS RD

CENTENNIAL PKY

Check out the cafes, restaurants, and unique shops lining this popular destination.

LIMERIDGE MALL HSR Bus # 05 and #10 for Main & Emerson to MacNab Transit Terminal then take #25, or #10 to Main & John then take #26 50 minutes of travel time

QUEENSTON RD

KING

STREE

T

JACKSON SQUARE HSR Bus # 05 and #10 for Main & Emerson #51 on campus towards Westdale 20 minutes of travel time Shopping mall with everything from a movie theatre, to Nations grocery store, and various other stores)

N

REET RAILWAY (HSR)

aster student you are lucky to

Hamilton Street Railway (HSR)

ROUND! The routes span

ter, Dundas and Stoney Creek, the

d downtown of Hamilton. All you

R bus is your student I.D. card

ed HSR bus card.

Hamilton’s largest shopping mall with over 200 retail stores, services and restaurants

UNIVERSITY PLAZA HSR Bus # 05 towards Ancaster 7 minutes travel time Need groceries, check out Metro! Some household items, how about dollarama!

Or grab dinner at East Side Mario’s!

WATERFALLS Albion Falls #51 or #05 to JAMES @ Hunter, then #21 1 hour travel time Note: albion falls bus drops you off on the road, you need to cross the road , not easy to find Tiffany Falls #05 or #51 35 minutes travel time Sherman Falls #05 30 minutes travel time

SOBI BIKES EASY TO FIND. A JOY TO RIDE Tired of walking all the way from Les Prince to ETB? How about a faster way to get to Westdale when you’re running late to meet a friend?

We all know that keeping our own personal bikes everywhere with us can be quite challenging, from the idea of where to store them, and how to do bike maintenance.

SoBi Bikes are part of an easy-to-use bike sharing program across Hamilton.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR YOU?

sobi HAMILTON

You can make impromptu trips anywhere across Hamilton, and there are 110 different hubs you can find a bike from!!

If you’ve ever had that awkward problem where you have a bike but your friend doesn’t, sobi bike hubs have up to 10 bikes to choose from!

No need to worry about keeping it with you for an entire day, it can be returned to ANY hub in the system so that any combination of biking/walking/busing is possible

BUSES TRANSPORTATION FROM MAC Going home can be a hassle free trip with various different bus companies:

Go Bus Destinations All buses depart from the Mary Keyes Bus Terminal: 47, 47G Hamilton GO 15, 15A Aldershot/Burlington 47F Bramalea GO/York U 47A, B Square One/Bramalea GO 47C, E, G & H Bronte/Oakville/Square One/Bramalea GO/York U/Yorkdale (weekends) Tickets can be bought from a ticket vending machine, Compass in MUSC, or using a Presto card. The Presto card ($6) can be purchased from Compass and allows you to easily load money onto the card.

Other bus companies include MegaBus, Coach Canada and GreyHound. All tickets can be bought ahead of time from Compass in MUSC. Barrie Sudbury Brantford Cambridge Kitchener/Waterloo

N E

W S

Ottawa Peterborough Kingston

London St.Catharines Windsor

More information can be found here: msumcmaster.ca/services-directory/4-compass-information-centre/transportation

DIFFICULT R How to Deal With Difficult

Living on residence offers many unique opportunities, and for many students it’s the first time they’ve shared a room with someone else.

During this time, different sticky situations can arise, but it can be a valuable experience to learn about how to resolve any conflict in a respectful way!

Communication: Communication is key to any relationship, and that means being mindful of everyone’s feelings and using the right approach.

Try setting up an in person meeting to talk things out instead of using Facebook or texts to avoid any misinterpretations.

“

“ Living on residence offers many unique opportunities

ROOMMATES Roommates on Residence Just Talk: Sometimes something that might be bothering you is not noticed by your roommate and a simple conversation can make them aware of your concerns. Take the first step and you might be surprised how receptive they are to changing their habits! But remember to stick to big aspects and be flexible and willing to compromise.

Ground Rules: Set these early and make sure you both keep each other accountable. This can be easier if they’re written and posted somewhere for both of you, examples including midterm schedules so you know when you both need to be extra quiet, cleaning responsibilities, etc.

Using Community Advisors: Sometimes situations become more complicated than expected. Luckily, you’ve got two floor CAs who can help mediate discussion and also help you both review your roommate agreement! Remember, the CAs are there to help make sure EVERYONE has a positive experience in residence, so all of the pressure doesn’t have to be on you!

HOW WAS YOUR SLEEP

The recommended number of hours of sleep is 7-9 per night. If you're getting less than this because you're always pulling up all-nighters, consider this — could you accomplish your work faster and better the next morning when you are more alert?

Less sleep also puts your immune system at a disadvantage, and you are more likely to get sick!

TIP:

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Naps can be a great booster in your day!

Take a 25-30 minute power nap to refresh yourself, and if you're particularly tired aim for 90 minutes for a full sleep cycle.

It's recommended to spend 2 hours a week doing moderate exercise. However, consider that activity can come in many different forms, not just going to the Pulse!

Go for a walk/jog in Cootes. It's not only relaxing but has some beautiful fall scenery.

Taking a class at DBAC can make you feel more comfortable, and consider doing this with a friend so you can spend time with others too!

STRESS

Everyone gets stressed but if stress is all you feel and it's interfering with you life, it's important to find some ways to cope with it!

Try tackling little stresses before they can build up!

Take regular breaks — check out some YouTube videos or buzzfeed quizzes — humor can be the best medicine for a stressful day!

Build realistic daily/weekly goals that will read down big tasks into more manageable ones!

R OCTOBER? ACADEMICS

By now you’ve probably realized that university classes can be challenging, but in different ways.

Your professor is going too fast: Try to make your notes summarize the major points discussed in class, and ask for clarification after class. Also look for overlap between labs/tutorials/lectures as these are often the most testable/important sections.

Don’t understand the material: Go to office hours — often times the prof sits there for 1-2 hours and no one will show up. Go as soon as you feel uncertain about a topic, not just the day before the midterm.

Re-evaluate your study strategy: Cue cards might be effective for one class and quizzing a partner can be more beneficial in another. Practice tests from previous years can also be a great opportunity to find out what the testing structure is like!

FRIENDS & FAMILY

Your friends & family can provide a lot of things — fun, stress relief, and support when you’re feeling upset or overwhelmed.

Consider asking friends to study together or go for dinner once a week — these are already part of your daily routine and could become a lot more enjoyable with someone else.

Call your family when they call you, and even better, consider making a surprise trip home if you can. They miss you a lot and sometimes being away from the university atmosphere will offer some perspective on how to conquer stresses in your life.

HECTIC WEEK? How to Overcome a Hectic Week

1

Be Proactive

Essential Items for Studying

If you can start tackling some projects ahead of time it can reduce your workload during that week!

2

Take Regular Breaks!

Take regular breaks! This will help keep you motivated and increase your efficiency when you are working.

TIP:

3

Avoid taking breaks in the same space where you are studying, try taking a walk and leaving your facebook page, it’ll be more effective!

Prioritize!

You may have 5 different assignments,essays & midterms but not all of them will be worth the same. Focus on the more difficult tasks first so you are not left doing them last minute!

4 5

Make A Timeline Make a REALISTIC timeline and stick to it!

Find Study Spots Try different study spots on campus! Being in different environments can help

TH UR SDAY

MO NDAY

FR IDAY TU ES DAY SATU RDAY

AY WED NE SD

CONTACT US Check us out on Facebook

/MSUSPARK Follow us on Twitter

@MSUSPARK Visit our website for more info

MSUMcMASTER.CA/SPARK