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
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