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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/17/2008
Posts: 5
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Anyone have any advice on how to survive first year in a science program? All I'm hearing is horror stories about how your notes just go down, and that you have no time for a scoial life. I'm a top A student, and this scares me because I need to keep my notes in the top A's in order to continue on wher I want to go! HELP!!!
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Rank: Student Body Vice-President
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/5/2008
Posts: 776
Location: London (UWO)
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^ It really isn't that bad. In fact, I found first year to be better than grade 12. You can expect assigned/suggested problems in chemistry, physics, and calculus. You can opt to do those over the course of several weeks, or you can do them within the week of the exam. I'd expect about 2-3 hours a week of stuff in those classes, if you decide to spread it all out. Eventually, you'll get the hang of it, and you'll know when doing the problems has become second nature (which is a good cue to stop or to do only a few difficult problems).
Most first-year science students take psychology, which is known to be a course with a lot of reading. True, but it only takes 2-3 hours also to read a chapter a week. I personally find the course VERY interesting, and I think it goes along nicely with the life sciences. Biology, unlike chemistry, physics, and calculus, is a course that only requires studying for the exam. Unless if your prof requires you to read the text (i.e. he tells the class that he will ask exam questions covering material from the text not covered in class), then the only part of the course that I would say the text is useful for would be the transmission genetics problems (e.g. Punnett square-type stuff... might seem easy but once you throw in linkage and other little tricks, it can become difficult). That is why I say read the text for psych: most psych profs DO test from the text. Biology is not usually the case. And the pattern follows: upper-year psych courses have a lot of reading; upper-year bio courses have little to no reading. So that gives you something to look forward to: without chem, physics, and calc, there isn't much out-of-class work to be done. The workload seems to just get less and less as you go on (and as you learn the difference between the prof's "suggested" and your "suggested").
Honours BMSc Specialization in Medical Science, Minor in Psychology UWO '09
Bachelor of Pharmacy Alberta '13 ???
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/28/2008
Posts: 8
Location: Toronto
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wow this is all great advice. ill be starting university soon, and any advice i can get is helpful. many of my friends are already at university so they told me a bit. i really think that i just have to experience it myself and decide what works best for me. but of course, ill make sure to get lots of sleep !
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/29/2008
Posts: 6
Location: Ajax, Ontario
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yeah if you are in a loptop university such as UOIT going to class alone wouldnt help you much.. turn off your loptop and try to listen to the proff.. If you are not a visual learner and get bored easliy by just looking and listening to the proff; using a pen a paper will help you understand the lecture.. AND AGAIN TURN OFF YOU LOPTOPS unless its needed
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 4/2/2008
Posts: 10
Location: Saskatchewan, Canada
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In regards to the number of classes attended, and the time spent studying...
I personally think this depends on the person. I've said it in another post too, what you put in is what you get out. If you want the good marks, go to class and spend time studying. If you're there to get by, you might not have to go to every class or study for as long. Again, depends on the person, and what you want out of it in the end. One thing I think we all know though, is it does take more work than high school. More for some than others, but especially in the beginning until you get used to it, the more you put in...
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 4/3/2008
Posts: 6
Location: victoria
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my personal favorite is to give someone your keys and then go to the library. I give my boyfriend my keys and he refuses to give them back until I have been in the library for a certain number of hours. Not only can I not get into my room but I can't even get into my building unless he gives me my keys.
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 4/3/2008
Posts: 6
Location: Htown
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haha thats a good idea. ill be starting soon but it seems like everyone says to study and sleep for 8 straight months. i actually want to enjoy university and i figure even by joing a bunch of clubs ill have no time to sleep or study
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 4/3/2008
Posts: 4
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I'm so scared to goto university i'm not going that that far away from home, but i would really like to know is, is there a point to go to an open try out for one of their teams, i love basketbal and would love to play, is it possible at all for me to maybe get on the team.
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 3/26/2008
Posts: 63
Location: Ontario
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I am also scared to leave away from home, but also really excited.
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Rank: Student Body President
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/5/2008
Posts: 1,758
Location: Edmonton, AB
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kathleencheetham wrote:I'm so scared to goto university i'm not going that that far away from home, but i would really like to know is, is there a point to go to an open try out for one of their teams, i love basketbal and would love to play, is it possible at all for me to maybe get on the team. I think basketball at uni is pretty competitive, so you could try. Universities also have intramurals and rec teams and stuff like that that is a lot less committment and probably way more fun. And way to go spammer....
University of Alberta - Mechanical Engineering '11
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Rank: Frosh
Groups: Member
Joined: 8/31/2008
Posts: 6
Location: Cold Lake, AB
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slegers wrote:The smartest advice I can give you and was ever told is this: Tape Your Notes!!!!!!!
That's really great advice, I will definitely remember that for when I go.
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Rank: Student Council
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/15/2008
Posts: 434
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hzwowk wrote:slegers wrote:The smartest advice I can give you and was ever told is this: Tape Your Notes!!!!!!! That's really great advice, I will definitely remember that for when I go. This advice may work, but to put it bluntly, i absolutely hate it LOL. The infamous quote "play hard, work harder" is my best advice. Think about studying while you are studying. And once you are done, dont think about it anymore, foucs on something else and revive the rest of your life. You dont want to be thinking about the math test while you are out with your friends, and at the same time you dont want to be thinking about un-related things while studying. Focus on studying while studying, focus on fun while having fun. Also, if you fail a test, take it home, learn what you did wrong, correct yourself for next time. Then forget about the marks you got. What happened has happened - now go on with you life. Dont live in the past, dont worry about your future, focus on your present and you wil succeed.
University of Toronto Electrical Engineering 1T1 (2011)
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Rank: Senior Student
Groups: Member
Joined: 7/2/2008
Posts: 176
Location: Goderich, Ont
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UofT2011 wrote:
This advice may work, but to put it bluntly, i absolutely hate it LOL. The infamous quote "play hard, work harder" is my best advice.
I like this better.
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Rank: Student Body President
Groups: Member
Joined: 6/5/2008
Posts: 1,758
Location: Edmonton, AB
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Yeah studying 24/7 isn't very appealing to me.
Advice as far as attending class goes. If it's useful go. If it's not don't. My psych exams were based solely on the textbook, so why attend the lectures? I could spend that time reading the textbook.
Take good notes when you do go, you're there, you might as well. If it's the sort of class where the information MIGHT be useful, then bring homework to do to keep you occupied when you're not paying attention, at least you're accomplishing something.
University of Alberta - Mechanical Engineering '11
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