First year, started my readings and freaking out!?

lizziemcg · 09-13-2009 at 01:29 PM

I'm trying to get off on a good start so I decided to do some readings before my lectures and such. The problem is, I'm already starting to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I'll have because my readings have taken me so long and I'm still not finished! Does everyone feel this way at first?

And also, when you do readings before your classes are you supposed to make your own notes to summarize what you're reading? I feel like I'm supposed to know my books inside and out come final exams...

thanks

Lois · 09-13-2009 at 01:34 PM

Not everyone does their readings before class. Sometimes you'll focus more in class because you're not bored of the material - if I know it, I tend to zone out.

Once you get to upper years, your readings will be "Chapters 15-18", with no page references. Depending on the course and the prof, it may be better to wait until you cover the material to read the text. That way you can focus on what's important in the text. Sometimes test questions are drawn primarily from lectures and not the textbook.

JEFF_CHAN · 09-13-2009 at 01:34 PM

Well it'll depend on the courses you're taking, but eventually you should get used to it.

Taunton · 09-13-2009 at 01:36 PM

Everyone is different, and it also depends on what program/courses you're taking.

They say that for every hour of lecture, you generally will require three hours of homework (before and after), which adds up to be quite a bit. How do people do it? Quite frankly, they don't. Most people don't do that much work, and once you get into the thick of things, you'll start to understand just how much work, and what kinds of work, you'll need to do in order to succeed. It's all about you... not your friends, or anyone else. Once you understand how you learn and how much work you need to do, you'll be just fine.

Whatever you do, don't panic. You're already doing more work than most of your peers

Harlequin · 09-13-2009 at 01:36 PM

If you feel like it'll help you take in the material better, you can make notes or summarize. And depending on the class you won't always have to have readings done before the lecture.
You'll get used to the workload. And yes, it is overwhelming for most people at first.

IbrahimH · 09-13-2009 at 01:37 PM

Ugh I feel the same way! I can't even frickin get over 80% on my chem review quiz! :@

I didn't even start my readings im being a loafter already. *sigh*

BlakeM · 09-13-2009 at 01:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lizziemcg

I'm trying to get off on a good start so I decided to do some readings before my lectures and such. The problem is, I'm already starting to feel overwhelmed by the amount of work I'll have because my readings have taken me so long and I'm still not finished! Does everyone feel this way at first?

And also, when you do readings before your classes are you supposed to make your own notes to summarize what you're reading? I feel like I'm supposed to know my books inside and out come final exams...

thanks

I can't say I ever did readings before class (even when recommended.) I guess it depends on the material you are going over, but I never saw the point of doing readings beforehand, since I like having others tell me what I am learning rather than reading it, not understanding it, having it explained to me, then reading a few weeks later before a test. I have friends who never went to class, just read it, and were fine. Depends on the type of student.

**lorend** · 09-13-2009 at 02:01 PM

what sort of classes are you taking lizziemcg?

Fight0 · 09-13-2009 at 02:31 PM

I usually don't read until a test because I'll forget it in the mean time.

manaya · 09-13-2009 at 02:46 PM

I remember first year chem ... we had five chapters as 'assumed knowledge' and it was quite overwhelming tbh ... but it really helps if u get thru it cuz then when ur going onto the more complex topics u understand the basics. Also reading stuff ahead of time makes it like a 'review' when the prof is actually teaching it. Repition is an excellent learning tool =)

lizziemcg · 09-13-2009 at 02:53 PM

I'm in commerce but I was reading for labour studies 1C03, computer science, geography 1HA3 and microeconomics.

Mowicz · 09-13-2009 at 02:59 PM

I don't recommend pre-reading Microeconomics. All the required material should be covered in lecture. Depending on which computer science, that may also be true.

I bought my text for Microeconomics and only read it for the first like week...I wound up being very bored during the lectures since I did all the readings, and wound up scrapping it entirely.

This isn't the case for _every_ class, but often times if a class has concepts which logically follow from one another (ie. if you can figure them out from the prior material) then reading is unnecessary if you attend lectures (ie. Math). Whereas in a course which isn't necessarily based on strict logical principles, such as analyzing a novel, pre-reading may be an asset.

To reiterate, if you end up reading the book, understanding, and getting nothing out of the lectures, then it may not be time-efficient for you to do so.

But don't worry...you'll soon get into the swing of things, you'll see which courses require reading, which ones don't, and you'll figure out your learning style for yourself. (:

Just take it one week at a time.

manu · 09-13-2009 at 03:00 PM

i find it helpful to do the readings as soon as the prof posts something about the lecture (eg: notes or an outline) that way i know where to focus in the text

Bobby66 · 09-13-2009 at 06:32 PM

I've learned not to care anymore, and it work out fine so far.

myInteger · 09-13-2009 at 07:55 PM

oh, i took labour studies 1C03... i never read the textbook. you don't need to! everything you need for the essay, midterm and exam are covered in class! if you focus on lecture notes and use your textbook just to clarify things/ read in depth about a topic.

good luck w/ first year.. it can get pretty crazy.