I 'wish' I knew was the importance of going to office hours and tutor help from the TAs, I tried to learn it all on my own and it was a lot more difficult than it had to be.
I 'wish' I networked more and formed study group sessions.
I 'wish' I had set up a meal plan of some kind (I'm off-campus), so I would have gotten the minor discount on campus food and got rid of the need to sort through my wallet to get moneys (small time reduction..)
I 'wish' I didn't purchase some of the textbooks I didn't end up needing (found on line)
I 'wished I didn't skip math.
I 'wish' I actually put reading week to good use (LAWL)
I agree with Sana, the best advice I can give you is to review your notes after every class. Start studying early for a midterm/ exam. Purchase a McMaster calendar from Titles and keep track of all your assignments. I just finished first year life science, and I wish I had known and realized that chemistry was going to be a pain in the ass and had studied way way in advance.
Good luck
P.S. Another word of advice: check out Titles classifieds, the library, or online before purchasing new textbooks.
Last edited by Needlenose : 06-19-2010 at 10:17 PM.
It depends what program you're in. For me, second year was DEFINITELY, without a doubt, harder than first year. By a LONGSHOT.
Things I wish I knew...get started on looking for off-campus housing early!!! (apparently, over the december break wasn't early enough!)
Get your work done, but take the time to explore hamilton and do things with friends, even if it may mean a worse mark or being less prepared for a test. In the end, you won't remember studying, you'll remember that night you got shitfaced with a bunch of your friends, and tried to climb a tree but got stuck in it and couldn't get down. Have fun and don't do work all the time. Make sure you make time for fun, too.
I agree with Sana, the best advice I can give you is to review your notes after every class. Start studying early for a midterm/ exam. Purchase a McMaster calendar from Titles and keep track of all your assignments. I just finished first year life science, and I wish I had known and realized that chemistry was going to be a pain in the ass and had studied way way in advance.
It depends what program you're in. For me, second year was DEFINITELY, without a doubt, harder than first year. By a LONGSHOT.
Things I wish I knew...get started on looking for off-campus housing early!!! (apparently, over the december break wasn't early enough!)
Get your work done, but take the time to explore hamilton and do things with friends, even if it may mean a worse mark or being less prepared for a test. In the end, you won't remember studying, you'll remember that night you got shitfaced with a bunch of your friends, and tried to climb a tree but got stuck in it and couldn't get down. Have fun and don't do work all the time. Make sure you make time for fun, too.
i am on waiting list for residency my first year so i have strted looking for off-campus housing but i do need help...Thaks for advice!
I think a lot of people find first year the hardest because of all the required courses you need to get into a second year program. Also, you get a large wall calendar at the beginning of the year with your MSU student pack that you get in the student centre in the first few days of school. It's really useful with planning and such. Like Sana said, it helps you see how much time you have for tests/labs and keep track of all the important dates in one place.
First year is truly no harder than any other year of your education. As with every new year, you will have challenges: new textbooks with a richer vocabulary, profs who speak faster, more homework, more hours spent reading more pages faster, having to make less notes and make more efficient notes, spending less time memorizing and more time understanding things like the derivations of formulas and being able to process things in a variety of different ways. You'll learn to be able to see derivations, prove derivations and explain them in words. You won't be asked to draw pictures in your multiple choice first year exams but learning from first year means being able to take those steps on your own.
This is what I wished I knew:
Sleep. You should treasure every moment of sleep ESPECIALLY if you commute or if you're prone to getting sick.
Eat well and stay hydrated. Fruits and vegetables and protein are your friends. Multivitamins are your best friends.
Commuting is never as easy as everybody states. Especially if you're in science or engineering. It may be easier with a major like English simply because reading a novel on the bus is much easier than reading a mathematical proof while trying to balance your calculator, a pencil and your clipboard and trying to work through some other algebra to make it make sense. Sure, it's just one hour on the GO max, but you have to wait for the buses and wait for a ride home, unless you take city transit which can be a lot more painful. The next time somebody suggests commuting, suggest that they try it first.
Do readings before class. Not because everybody says you should but because this way, lectures will be like review sessions instead of hearing the material being rushed through in 50 minutes.
Plan things in advance. If you're nearing exam time and you find the profs still have a lot to cover, start covering it yourself.
Start planning for exams 1 month in advance. 6 weeks if you can. You just want this material to be second nature to you. You have the time, might as well make use of it.
Go to office hours. Get to know your profs and TA's better.
Do the homework problems.
Make notes in class; don't just wait for the full notes.
If you're falling asleep in class, you might as well be flushing your money down the toilet. Find a time slot that works better for you.
Fruit juice > Coffee.
Never EVER mix coffee and Advil Cold and Sinus. Both are stimulants. You don't want your hands shaking during an exam.
Ask questions. Don't interrupt too much of class time to do it but ask questions. Professors are there to help and they are usually quite approachable.
Please do not stand and ask professors a million questions while a line forms behind you. That's just insensitive.
Always eat before an exam and eat on time. It'll keep you sharp.
Stock up on glucose right before an exam. (Psych 1XX3 tip)
If you manage your time, you can still have a ton left to volunteer, watch movies, catch up with friends and go out but you have to take the effort to organize things
Study tables are your friends - Kajjura.
Do your laundry on time
It's better to lose a bit of money and keep your textbooks as references for a few years or so, than waste your times making carbon copies of the books. This isn't high school; you can keep the book instead of everything in it written in your own handwriting
Save time for your friends and just hanging out. If you budget your time, you should be able to make some of the best friendships of your life here
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 03:16 PM.
McMaster University News and Information, Student-run Community, with topics ranging from Student Life, Advice, News, Events, and General Help.
Notice: The views and opinions expressed in this page are strictly those of the student(s) who authored the content. The contents of this page have not been reviewed or approved by McMaster University or the MSU (McMaster Students Union). Being a student-run community, all articles and discussion posts on MacInsiders are unofficial and it is therefore always recommended that you visit the official McMaster website for the most accurate up-to-date information.
Life Science I
Linear Mode
