Hey upper years, what tips can you give us first years in terms of sectioning our labs and lectures?
Like for example I now know (as i've been told) that you don't place your lab before your lectures because at times you do your lab on a material that hasn't been taught.. As well, i read somewhere that you shouldn't get huge in-between breaks because it stimulates your laziness lol.
What else guys? Thanks inadvance!

Try to minimize the amount of 1-hour breaks that you have. About 20 minutes are wasted leaving class and getting to class. So you only have about 30-40 minutes really. They're definitely not enough to actually get some work done. Use them for grabbing lunch, reading, etc. Other than that, they're really not all that useful =/.

Originally Posted by m0nica

Hey upper years, what tips can you give us first years in terms of sectioning our labs and lectures?
Like for example I now know (as i've been told) that you don't place your lab before your lectures because at times you do your lab on a material that hasn't been taught.. As well, i read somewhere that you shouldn't get huge in-between breaks because it stimulates your laziness lol.
What else guys? Thanks inadvance!

Science students avoid having labs at 2:30 on Fridays because most tests are scheduled at 7 on that day. You'll have time to study before the test if you are a last minute studier.

Avoid many classes/tutorials/labs in a row. It'll be different for everyone. For me, after 3 hours straight of class, I just can't concentrate anymore.

Most people don't like 1 hour breaks either, you can't do much during that time if you take into account walking around, settling down, packing and going to class on time.

Yeah, its definitely different for everyone. I really preferred having long periods of class with little to no breaks, since it frees up the rest of your schedule so much. I also find that it takes me awhile to get into a good studious mindset, but once I'm there it can last for a few hours, no problem. I usually just spent classes where that class was the only reason I came to campus looking at the clock, whereas if I had 4-5 classes that day I could actually just sit down and work (or listen).

If you can function well in early morning classes, I would recommend them. 8:30 classes are usually the smallest, which is always nice.

I agree with what everyone else is saying. Get your classes done with in the morning, and avoid avoidable breaks between classes. It not only forces you to go to classes more (you're already there, whereas a break between classes can result in a friend inviting you to do something with them and you end up skipping the class).

With that said, if you're unable to get the morning classes, use your mornings doing something useful. If you're a gym person, hit the gym before you start your day. Do your pre-lab if you have one. If you're not the brightest person in the morning, and you follow certain tv shows, watch that weeks episode in the morning so that you can spend your evening on doing your school work and you have one less distraction.

Originally Posted by ali11

I agree with what everyone else is saying. Get your classes done with in the morning, and avoid avoidable breaks between classes. It not only forces you to go to classes more (you're already there, whereas a break between classes can result in a friend inviting you to do something with them and you end up skipping the class).

With that said, if you're unable to get the morning classes, use your mornings doing something useful. If you're a gym person, hit the gym before you start your day. Do your pre-lab if you have one. If you're not the brightest person in the morning, and you follow certain tv shows, watch that weeks episode in the morning so that you can spend your evening on doing your school work and you have one less distraction.

Unless you aren't a morning person, then take afternoon classes like I do. I'm more productive at night than I am in the morning, so that's when I do all my studying and homework.

Originally Posted by jhan523

Unless you aren't a morning person, then take afternoon classes like I do. I'm more productive at night than I am in the morning, so that's when I do all my studying and homework.

Agreed. Although, if you're more productive later on in the day, wouldn't you want to free up that time to be able to use your productivity?

I'm not arguing though, because I know many people you cannot get themselves to even go to that morning class. But if you are able to, my opinion is you should get all your class time over with in the early hours of the day.

Originally Posted by ali11

Agreed. Although, if you're more productive later on in the day, wouldn't you want to free up that time to be able to use your productivity?

I'm not arguing though, because I know many people you cannot get themselves to even go to that morning class. But if you are able to, my opinion is you should get all your class time over with in the early hours of the day.

I'm semi-productive during the afternoon, enough so that I can learn during lectures. I'm most productive late at night, I usually start to study around 10-11 and I go to sleep at 2-3.

Originally Posted by jhan523

I'm semi-productive during the afternoon, enough so that I can learn during lectures. I'm most productive late at night, I usually start to study around 10-11 and I go to sleep at 2-3.

Oh man, I could never do that lol. But everyone's got their own habits, so best advice for OP: figure out yours and try to make your schedule fit that!

Personally, I can't function properly in 8:30am labs, so I'd avoid them at all costs. Like, I will pipette bacteria all over the lid of the Petri dish, instead of on the actual agar, because I'm half-asleep...
It really depends if you're a morning or night person, though.

As Jeremy already mentioned, Friday 2:30-5:30 labs are eeeeevil. Not only are you screwed over for midterms that are at 7pm on Friday, you also have issues going home for the weekend/going out with friends on Friday nights, and by that time on Friday you really just want it to be the weekend, you do NOT want to be going to a chem lab. I got forced into orgo labs in this timeslot for the whole year last year, including the day of the orgo midterm (and another midterm), and it SUCKS. Since it's a non-popular time, a lot of people get screwed into it, though. I'll have to deal with it again for first term

If you're not a night person, or if you're VERY productive in the evening and that's when you get ALL of your work done, avoid night classes. If you are falling asleep, it's useless, and if you keep skipping it because you have work you need to do, it's also useless. It also sucks if you're done at 12:30 or something that day, but have to come back for a 7pm night class.

Haha, I don't know what to tell you, you sorta just go into first year and figure out pretty quickly what does and doesn't work for you. In first year, I had tons of two hour and three hour breaks and I HATED them. I lived off-campus at the time, so I had to go home and come back, and all I wanted to do was sleep in between and I didn't get much done in that time. In second year, I had nearly all my classes in the morning and I could go home, nap, and then do my homework at night and go to work. But maybe you wouldn't like that. :] So I hope you figure out what works. Huge breaks inbetween classes isn't much of an inconvenience if you live on campus. Also try not to schedule more than 3 or 4 classes a day one after the other. Last year, I had 4 classes in one day, and there was one time where I had two midterms, a presentation and an assignment due all in the space of four hours... it wasn't fun to say the least lol.