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Seven Ways To Ace First Year

 
Seven Ways to Ace First Year
BY FEONA GRANT, MACINSIDERS

University and good grades should go hand in hand right? You made it this far so keep that momentum going! It is easier said than done, but with a few simple tips, you will be well on your way to A's … I promise. If you realize that your grades weren't so hot, and read this article thinking it would be a ticket to Dean's List - well, please don't hunt me down. I have years of school left, and I'd like to live to about 95. Always add your own techniques to getting better grades! You will have ways that have worked for you in the past. Just work a little harder!


1. Attend ALL of Your Classes.

I cannot stress this one enough. You will encounter many upper years - I'm sure some of you have already - who say attending class is not always necessary. While it is fine and dandy to listen to upper year's advice (like mine), sometimes it should be taken with a grain of salt. Everyone's way of learning is different, and you might find that attending class really helps you. Going to class is like a form of studying. You listen, you watch, and you write. You are engaging yourself in many ways that leaves an impression on you and you're absorbing the material. When it comes time for finals and you're reviewing material, sometimes you'll even remember how the prof explained it, how their voice sounded, what the PowerPoint slide looked like. It's strange isn't it? In a weird way, it makes you feel confident because you feel like you know it already and studying suddenly feels easier. If you miss class, don't be afraid to go to your professor or TA to ask questions - and that leads to my second tip.


2. ASK QUESTIONS?!

Yes, please ask questions. I'm sure you remember that one person in your high school class who constantly asked questions. Often times, their questions seemed stupid, repetitive or pretentious. You know what though? They knew what they were doing. Asking questions is always a great way to aid your understanding in a course. You don't have to ask questions during class in front of 500 people, but if you have the guts to do so, go for it. Go after class, or during a prof or TA's office hours. They are usually always happy to help. This way, you're also building a relationship with your prof, and it looks really good on you. Profs have no way of knowing if you're not doing well in their class, and letting them know is an especially good idea. Don't think of Profs as being scary or some kind of figurehead. They are people too and were once students. They will understand what you're going through.


3. More Organization = Less Aggravation.

Being organized in university is so very important. Your life becomes much busier and you might have trouble keeping up with assignments and your course syllabus is miles away from nowhere. Just remember to do some key things and you'll be okay. Keep a planner/agenda thingamajig. I personally have a huge calendar that I hang on my wall, that I colour and draw on to make it more fun to remember to write things on. I also have an add-on on Firefox called ReminderFox, where you can write in due dates, exam dates, virtually anything you want (like a cute date ;D) and set it to remind you every time you open Firefox. Get in the habit of using things like this, and it will become easier. Keep all of your old notes! Don't discard them like yesterday's news. Keep them in a safe place, so that you can refer back to them in daily/weekly reviews, and for finals.


4. Be a Master Jedi of Note-Taking.

I'm not a Star Wars fan (or is that from Star Trek? Um…) but, seriously become amazing at note taking. There are many paths to doing this, and I'll let you in on a few. I can't say I'm a master myself, but my methods have worked pretty well so far. Attending class and being organized are integral to note taking. Even if your professor posts lecture notes or slides online, go to class and add to those notes. Professors sometimes expand on those notes, and what they say can and will appear on finals. When you go home that day, review your notes very briefly - check off things that you don't understand fully to remind yourself to study it more or perhaps ask the prof or TA about it.

When it comes to textbooks, don't just read them. Whenever I read a chapter, I underline important ideas, names, definitions, dates and think about what they're trying to get at. Big concepts and themes tend to run around and these are the sort of things you're asked about in finals. Underline or take notes on what you think is important - but also familiarize yourself quickly with your professor and his/her style. Sometimes their tests can be extremely detailed, sometimes questions they ask are more obvious. Professors often times word questions different from how they appear in the text - so get familiar with writing some notes in your own words. It's hard when you're tired and just want to get it done - maybe at that point you should take a break anyway. (Not too many breaks though, procrastination is the #1 enemy.) Also, read the boxes (like case studies and whatnot), these do come up in tests.

It's also a good idea to re-write your notes. You're increasing the retention of the material by doing this, and it sticks oh so well. When it comes time for finals, re-write them AGAIN, and stress things that you're not 100% sure on. Try to also condense your notes, so that when you're cramming you're not re-reading the textbook in your handwriting. I like to write notes on cue cards and make them into flash cards. I write questions on the back, and answers on the front - this way I can get friends who aren't even in the class to test me.


5. Procrastination Leads to Desperation.

We ALL procrastinate. I do, and quite frankly, I'm ashamed of it. I do want to get my work done, but sometimes going out to dinner or watching a movie is much more tempting than reading up on dietary habits of chimpanzees. But here's a few tips: do the harder work first, or the work that you know will take you the longest. Getting this done gives you confidence, and will give you more time to complete other work. Break up your long assignments into smaller parts, tackling them one at a time.

Take breaks to reward your hard work, but I don't mean a break that has you chatting on MSN until 3 AM, or going to see the new Harry Potter. When you have to take a break, take 15-30 minutes. It's not healthy to study continuously anyway. Eat some fruit to give you energy, don't chug Red Bull all the time - that isn't healthy either. Watch some TV a little bit to get your mind completely off the study material, give your mind time to breathe.

At the beginning of the school year, you'll be bombarded with clubs trying to get you to join. You might, as a clubby person, join a million of them. Um, sorry, not a good idea. It's good to get involved, but learn when to say no. Work comes first at all times. You're at university beginning to build a life for yourself and let me tell you honey, that nice job and house in the future won't be gained by your participation in extracurriculars - unless if you become an NBA or NHL star. (Why do they get paid so much?) It's a combination of academics and extracurriculars that will impress your future boss. Capiche? Learn to manage your time wisely. Coming up with a schedule for yourself works wonders.


6. Essays Can Drive Your Crazy But…

… Don't let them. A lot of classes, especially those in the Social Sciences, Humanities and other faculties require papers as part of their course curriculum. Papers are usually a HUGE percentage of your grade, and it is important - more like imperative - that you do well. Here's a few tips.

Think about what you want to write, before even researching and draw up some ideas that you've garnered from the course material. After that, research for a few days. Sometimes the research process can take weeks, and this is why it is important to start early. Find good legitimate peer-reviewed articles that can provide arguments as well as back them up. Write an outline at this point. Understand all the requirements for the paper. Professors all have specific ways about their papers, and points are often deducted if something is missing. I was one mark away from an 80 on a paper, because my title font size was too big - you can imagine my anger. Understand how to use references. Write a rough draft and get lots of feedback. Don't be afraid of the TA or the professor. They might be rough with you, but in the end, you'll produce a better quality paper that will win marks with the TA. Edit, rewrite and repeat. You're not J.K. Rowling, so you can't have a perfect final draft without revising. I'm sure even she revises a million times. Proofread and show to a friend. Get someone, an actual person, to spell check. Computers are smart, but not smart enough.

When writing papers, try to incorporate your fabulous vocab. If it's not so fab, a thesaurus will be introduced to your best friend bracket. Use it. Be eloquent and thoughtful, and throw in your critical thinking. Professors don't like it when you spit out other people's work in your own words. Oh, and by the way, DO NOT PLAGIARIZE. I will not expand on that because almost all your TAs will.


7. Studying & Finals.

Studying is super tough, especially when you haven't developed good study habits. Fortunately for you, the above tips help tremendously with this, mostly tips 1 through 5. But here's a few more and I'll send you on your way to some A's. Interested? Good.

You know how some upper years say that you need about 3 hours study time for every hour of class? This is pretty much true, and sometimes you need more time depending on you and the course itself.

Study often and early. Like mentioned above, it's good to review near the time of when you first began taking the notes for that particular sub-topic. It's also good to re-write notes. Break up your studying into shorter periods, spread out over a period of time. This way, you're not cramming which equals less panicking and blanking out. However, it is important to develop your own unique study habits. No one can really tell you how, they can only give you suggestions. You will hopefully know what works for you personally and I wish you good luck in finding that, because once you do you will be golden.

Finals. What a time finals are. It's scary, but in it's own way exciting. After finals, you're in for a lot of chillaxing and all the stress is gone. Finals are serious, and can pack quite a punch on your grade so listen up.

When you enter an exam room, it can be overwhelming. Tons of other students are there and everyone is sort of on edge. Take time to calm yourself down and don't fret. Know what to expect on exams. Through the year, you probably had a test or a midterm that indicates the sort of style your professor has. If you can get a test from the year before (no I don't mean the one with answers on it), use it to supplement your studying materials. When you get your exam, always read questions carefully and get those answers going in your head. Read through all instructions, and begin to tackle it. If you can't get an answer to a question, check it off, and come back to it later. If you think you might run out of time, tackle questions that are worth more. Always ask questions if you don't understand a question! It is very important, because sometimes questions can be a healthy percentage of your grade. Yes, I'm talking about a single question. Unreal I know, but everything counts of course.

- - - - -
I sincerely hope that this gives you some tips on how to better your university life when it comes to the grades. Classes and studying can be a drag, but know that you'll be rewarded if you work hard at it. Remember, you're paying thousands of dollars to be here, so make up it's worth. You'll be happy in the end, I can promise you that.

Afzal, goodnews.inc, nytrogyn, resh.jyoti, sayok8737, Smeena Deol, xxsumz all say thanks to feonateresa for this post.

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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:08 AM   #2
~*Sara*~
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Yay! awesome article Feona!
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:10 AM   #3
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Amazing article!
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:23 AM   #4
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I was once speaking to my Grade 10 Math teacher and he was the first person who showed me I could actually do skilled math, just like my peers. (Got over a 90% in that course.)
I vocalised I felt strange and stupid asking questions because nobody else asked them and nobody else asked questions like me.
And he said, "Ask them because when you say it, you can be sure that several others are thinking it."
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:32 AM   #5
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Great article Feona and you were really quick to write it. Awesome
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:32 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goodnews.inc View Post
I was once speaking to my Grade 10 Math teacher and he was the first person who showed me I could actually do skilled math, just like my peers. (Got over a 90% in that course.)
I vocalised I felt strange and stupid asking questions because nobody else asked them and nobody else asked questions like me.
And he said, "Ask them because when you say it, you can be sure that several others are thinking it."
Definitely! I always curse myself when I don't speak up in class, it's always important. Plus, you look sorta brave when you do.

And thanks guys! Yeah, I didn't have much to do so I wrote it as soon as I saw the suggestion. =)
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:36 AM   #7
~*Sara*~
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goodnews.inc View Post
I was once speaking to my Grade 10 Math teacher and he was the first person who showed me I could actually do skilled math, just like my peers. (Got over a 90% in that course.)
I vocalised I felt strange and stupid asking questions because nobody else asked them and nobody else asked questions like me.
And he said, "Ask them because when you say it, you can be sure that several others are thinking it."
Oooohh same quote my biology teacher uses XD
It's actually really true..
But there's that.."stupid" questions and there's the annoying questions. The latter is much MUCH worse!
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:40 AM   #8
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Originally Posted by ~*Sara*~ View Post
Oooohh same quote my biology teacher uses XD
It's actually really true..
But there's that.."stupid" questions and there's the annoying questions. The latter is much MUCH worse!
The best is when this happens:

Prof: "Your midterm is on saturday, any questions?"
*Student raises his hand*
Student: "When is the midterm?"
*Class Laughs*
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:48 AM   #9
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The best is when this happens:

Prof: "Your midterm is on saturday, any questions?"
*Student raises his hand*
Student: "When is the midterm?"
*Class Laughs*
LOL! I've experienced WAY too many of those incidents.. and they just keep getting funnier every time XD
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:49 AM   #10
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Originally Posted by PTGregD View Post
The best is when this happens:

Prof: "Your midterm is on saturday, any questions?"
*Student raises his hand*
Student: "When is the midterm?"
*Class Laughs*
Man those incidents deserve a good facepalm. People are really lost sometimes but it's oh so deliciously funny.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:51 AM   #11
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I took grade 12 Advanced Functions in grade 11.
I was the only person who asked questions and requested clarification.
one day, while wearing glasses (of the right prescription), I noticed my teacher had written down "5/25 = 2".
I asked why it was so and she stared at me and the whole class went a tad bit more silent than they already were.
Here's a riddle. Who knows why?
Edit: It was a 2.5
Couldn't see the decimal
I looked like the biggest dunce.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 08:45 AM   #12
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Nice article. : )

I didn't really follow #1. It definitely depends on the course though!
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Old 07-16-2009 at 12:39 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by goodnews.inc View Post
I took grade 12 Advanced Functions in grade 11.
I was the only person who asked questions and requested clarification.
one day, while wearing glasses (of the right prescription), I noticed my teacher had written down "5/25 = 2".
I asked why it was so and she stared at me and the whole class went a tad bit more silent than they already were.
Here's a riddle. Who knows why?
Edit: It was a 2.5
Couldn't see the decimal
I looked like the biggest dunce.
Shoot! But that was ~ 2 years ago.. Not worth remembering That's why blackboard suckk :F
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Old 07-16-2009 at 01:23 PM   #14
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great article!

but I can't help but love the little faces you have at the beginning of each topic. hehe.
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Old 07-16-2009 at 03:49 PM   #15
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Good job
This definitely would have helped me last year.
So I'm sure all first year students would appreciate this.
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