This week, I got to sit down with one of my fondest friends at SFU, the elegant Marissa Mok. She has the tips on how to succeed academically and has some tips and tricks for life at SFU. When not working on her next assignments, Marissa can be found seeking out the next great spot to eat, and inviting all her friends to come with. She has big dreams and a creative spirit enabling her to set goals and go after them with strength style and determination.
This girl is such a treat to interview. Here were go, let’s get to know this week’s featured SFU student.
Name: Marissa Mok
Age: 19
Program: Intended Major Psychology/Second Year Student
Hometown: Surrey, BC
As an academic, Marissa truly values her education and is always looking for new ways to be successful in the classroom. So here are some details on how she achieves academic success.
How do you manage your time and What advice would you give to your first-year self?
First, I like to prioritize school above anything. Writing down the things I’m going to do in the day is the most effective and easiest way to visualize, and then tackle my to-do list. Having a psychical game plan makes scheduling study times, appointments and social activities much easier.
As for advice for my first year self: don’t worry too much about getting a high GPA, if you put in effort the grades will follow. Just focus on developing a good work ethic. I’d also tell myself to stop being afraid of asking for help from T.A’s and professors because they’re there to help you. I’d probably also talk to more people; people aren’t that scary haha!
You’ll soon learn that having a list and daily planning is Marissa’s way for keeping on top of both studying and social life. Marissa stresses that it’s important to figure out a system that works for you early on in the semester.
Do you have any tips on how you stay so organized?
The most useful thing ever is a daily planner. I can’t go even a day without it. Once my water bottle split in my bag and my planner got soaked. The only thing I could think of doing was replacing it right away…and I did. Writing down what needs to be done helps it seem less stressful. When it’s on paper, its not jumbled in my head so I can relax and really tackle the tasks at hand with a little more clarity.
As for organizing my life on devices, I use an app called Todoist. It’s the best! You can write down the tasks you need to accomplish during the day and check them off on the list. Very satisfying.
What are your study secrets that have helped you be super successful academically?
From personal experience, I would say keeping up with readings, do not wait until before midterms and exams to start! (she knows from personal experience). Take good notes when you’re reading so you have summaries come exam time. It’ll save you from rereading entire chapters. Also go to lecture, sometimes it is boring but you rather learn it there than spend more time later trying to figure out what you missed. More importantly though, sometimes it’s more important to get a good night sleep before a midterm and exam rather than studying all night. Make sure you eat well. Dressing nicely for the day of your exam and midterm makes you feel more confident. Study in public or in a group if you need someone to keep you accountable. I always find that I get more done if I feel like I’m being watched haha.
As for her favorite Study Spots, Marissa loves the Third floor WMC, particularly the seating that faces the mountains. She thinks that the scenery makes studying a little more bearable. Marissa notes that good ambiance is a must especially on gloomy days or when there’s lots of work to get done. For someone with such a good work ethic Marissa dreams don’t fall short. Her dream job would be to run her own business particularly in the interior design and decorating industry.
Has design been something you’ve always been interested in? If not, when did you realize you wanted to switch?
Since I was a little kid I’ve always had a creative streak. I liked to draw a lot and paint, and as I got older I took a strong liking towards interior design and decorating. I loved going to furniture stores, especially Ikea… not just for the food! I became interested in fashion when I went into high school and got to go shopping on my own. I got to really develop my style, even though it’s a little all over the place. I’ve gone from Grunge to sophisticated, professional to athleisure – I feel like your taste in fashion changes since your style that you identify with changes over the years.
How did you come to terms that you wanted to switch directions study wise? Were you scared at all?
My family was super supportive of my decision to potentially switch. It was more of a gradual realization that what I was studying (psychology) wasn’t my passion and wouldn’t provide me with career opportunities that I was interested in post-graduation. While it’s an interesting field of study, my hearts not in it. Sometimes it takes time to realize what you like, and I found that I didn’t like it enough to pursue a master or PHD in it. It’s okay to take time to figure yourself out.
Between school and dreaming about her future, Marissa loves making time for friends and food. Her ideal Friday night is watching a movie with a close friend or relaxing at home and watching a movie with her mom and cat. Since she’s an introvert, Marissa prefers one-one interaction with either a close friends or relatives.
I know that you’re a foodie, so tell us where to eat!
My family is Singaporean and most are obsessed with food, so I grew up eating and cooking different types of foods at home, and went out to many different types of restaurants. It’s something I’ve been exposed to overtime. I guess it’s another way to be creative, trying different foods and testing your taste buds. Romers, for burgers is great. China town’s Phnom Penh is awesome too, they have some of the best fried chicken that I’ve ever had – it’s Vietnamese Cambodia food. For those at the Surrey campus, Sabai Thai, in the Guildford area is great for a good lunch and dinner. But, The Red Wagon is the best spot for brunch.
Lightening Round
Morning or Night? Night
Hot or Cold? Hot
Most Used Emoji? “I don’t use emoji’s very often because I find them super confusing”
Starbucks or Tim Hortons? Tim Hortons. I like food better than drinks, and Starbucks food isn’t that great, but there drink are better…(agreed).
Rain or Shine? Shine
Fall or Winter: Fall
Boots or Sneaker?: Boots
Movie Genre: Musicals… Particularly Les Miserable.
Biggest Pet Peeve: When you’re walking and the person in front of you just suddenly stops. Like…WHY?
And that’s a wrap! Now you know the lovely Marissa. If you see her around campus, don’t be shy to ask her where the best spot to grab a snack is or the best place to spend the evening cramming for exams!
Images provided by interviewee