1. Dr.Kajiura is crazy
2. First year biology is stupid
3. Print the notes, so you can write down what the prof is SAYING not whats on the overhead
4. Don't get started on watching tv shows on your computer (cuz you can dl whole season on dc++ in minutes) cuz the you'll waste all your time watching them instead of studying and everything else
5. make friends who are smarter than you, not dumber
6. try keeping a low sodium diet and get one of those electric neck massager things so you dont finish your first year with high blood pressure like mine (145/70)

So many things I regret not doing.. Oh man.
Biggest thing - don't let other people affect you. At the end of the day, you're at university to get a degree and to do well.

That being said, it becomes easier to make sacrifices to do well when you KNOW what you want to do. I know one of guy who got into 3 med schools this year..and he knew he wanted to be a doctor from the get go. Getting up at 8am every day becomes less of a chore. Staying in on Friday to work on assignments or catch up doesn't seem so bad, because at the end of the day, you know that's what it takes to get you those high marks.

Another big thing? SLEEPING PATTERNS! This is easier said than done though. Ideally, you'd want to go to bed @ 11-12 and get up @ 8 everyday. I'd say, even if you have a class on tuesday at 3pm and no morning class..it'd be better to get up like you had one. That way you keep consistent, and your sleeping pattern doesn't get thrown off.

When the going gets tough in October/November & March, seek support! Whether its seeing an old friend to making a counselling appt in the CSD (Centre for student development ..basement of the student centre!).. sometimes you just need that push/encouragement to get through those stressful times. And if you don't, it can get the best of you. Each and every semester since 1st year I've started off doing REALLY well..and by the time those months came around I'd given up and my final marks reflected that.

THANK YOU all

You guys are really helpful...before barely had a clue of what mac was like and now it

seems i'll do just fine because one thing i realized is that help is always available.

THNAK YOU ONCE AGAIN!

djRAIN probably had the most honest/straightforward advice in this whole thread.

Anyway I'm a pretty "go with it" type person, and it seemed all the overzealous first-years worked themselves into a nervous breakdown over nothing... Maybe not being drunk 40% of the time would help you do all the things you were freaking out about, durrrrr.

1) Don't use Yahoo Answers. You'll see what I mean.

2) Custom courseware>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>Any textbook available for a course.

3) Buy a printer at the beginning of the year. If it is a shitty Lexmark and implodes in April it doesn't matter, you'll still end up saving a fortune on those damn copy cards. Also, be aware of the existence of MSU Underground (MUSC basement), since many first-years are not, they are a bit cheaper.

4) Don't buy food on campus/get a food plan unless it's really worth it... Even with the tax reduction you can get better food for way cheaper elsewhere.

5) Go to a laundromat, it's a lot cheaper than residence laundry. Especially since residence dryers don't work too well.

6) Just because a professor says something does NOT mean it is true. (Not referring to academia, obviously they have their facts straight there, but anything else you should take with a grain of salt, as you would from anyone).

7) Don't bring your laptop to class... No matter how quiet a lecture is, you can always hear the one person's computer going "wokawokawoka" (Pacman seemed to be popular, though I did see a few Farmvilles and even one Zelda)

8) Everyone hates 8:30 lectures, but I used to go to them whenever possible because they are always nice and empty.

Originally Posted by madBiologist

djRAIN probably had the most honest/straightforward advice in this whole thread.

Anyway I'm a pretty "go with it" type person, and it seemed all the overzealous first-years worked themselves into a nervous breakdown over nothing... Maybe not being drunk 40% of the time would help you do all the things you were freaking out about, durrrrr.

1) Don't use Yahoo Answers. You'll see what I mean.

2) Custom courseware>>>>>>>>>>> >>>>>>>>>Any textbook available for a course.

3) Buy a printer at the beginning of the year. If it is a shitty Lexmark and implodes in April it doesn't matter, you'll still end up saving a fortune on those damn copy cards. Also, be aware of the existence of MSU Underground (MUSC basement), since many first-years are not, they are a bit cheaper.

4) Don't buy food on campus/get a food plan unless it's really worth it... Even with the tax reduction you can get better food for way cheaper elsewhere.

5) Go to a laundromat, it's a lot cheaper than residence laundry. Especially since residence dryers don't work too well.

6) Just because a professor says something does NOT mean it is true. (Not referring to academia, obviously they have their facts straight there, but anything else you should take with a grain of salt, as you would from anyone).

7) Don't bring your laptop to class... No matter how quiet a lecture is, you can always hear the one person's computer going "wokawokawoka" (Pacman seemed to be popular, though I did see a few Farmvilles and even one Zelda)

8) Everyone hates 8:30 lectures, but I used to go to them whenever possible because they are always nice and empty.

Thank you madBiologist

I was wondering if you could elaborate on the MSU undergound part of your comment!

Thankyou

Originally Posted by JeetDevDesai

Thank you madBiologist

I was wondering if you could elaborate on the MSU undergound part of your comment!

Thankyou

It's a semi-hidden place with a bunch of photocopying machines, that I just discovered last week lol

Originally Posted by Serene

It's a semi-hidden place with a bunch of photocopying machines, that I just discovered last week lol

so is it like free photocopying? why is it so special?

Your grades will probably drop. If you were a 90% student in highschool, you'll be an 80% student in university. If you were a 70% student in high school, you'll be a 60% student in university.
This isn't the case for everyone, but most people's grades drop.

Kiss your TAs ass and don't argue with them, even if they are wrong or lying to your class. I learned this the hard way :(

Depending on your classes and progam, you might not have to buy all your text books. In my last 2 years of my Pol Sci degree, I only bought textbooks for 2 or 3 classes

How EASY McMaster Health Sciences program actually is.

Originally Posted by Cassanova

How EASY McMaster Health Sciences program actually is.

lol, you're gonna start a flame war

Originally Posted by Kathy2

Your grades will probably drop. If you were a 90% student in highschool, you'll be an 80% student in university. If you were a 70% student in high school, you'll be a 60% student in university.
This isn't the case for everyone, but most people's grades drop.

Kiss your TAs ass and don't argue with them, even if they are wrong or lying to your class. I learned this the hard way :(

Depending on your classes and progam, you might not have to buy all your text books. In my last 2 years of my Pol Sci degree, I only bought textbooks for 2 or 3 classes

Lmao. or you could be a 90% student in high school and be a 60% university student. XD

Originally Posted by Tailsnake

lol, you're gonna start a flame war

That was my intention good sir.

GO TO CLASS

seriously...

Originally Posted by madBiologist

6) Just because a professor says something does NOT mean it is true. (Not referring to academia, obviously they have their facts straight there, but anything else you should take with a grain of salt, as you would from anyone).

exactly! USE YOUR BRAIN. even with academic stuff, profs are NOT always right. If your cell bio prof is standing there for 15 minutes going on and on about how, in size exclusion chromatography, the smallest molecules elute first, meanwhile you DID size exclusion chromatography in the lab the day before, and know that small molecules elute LAST, ignore what the prof is telling you! (and don't let your friends learn the wrong information!)

If the prof is showing you a picture of an amino acid and telling you it's threonine, don't take their word for it! Look it up yourself, because it may very well be tyrosine.

No one knows everything. When in doubt, try to find the answer yourself. If something doesn't make sense/mesh with what you already know, keep working at it until it does.

Originally Posted by djRAIN

1. Dr.Kajiura is crazy
2. First year biology is stupid
3. Print the notes, so you can write down what the prof is SAYING not whats on the overhead
4. Don't get started on watching tv shows on your computer (cuz you can dl whole season on dc++ in minutes) cuz the you'll waste all your time watching them instead of studying and everything else
5. make friends who are smarter than you, not dumber
6. try keeping a low sodium diet and get one of those electric neck massager things so you dont finish your first year with high blood pressure like mine (145/70)

Lol @ #5, no wonder you're friends with me ^___^ except for the part where you're actually smarter than me

Originally Posted by Kathy2

Your grades will probably drop. If you were a 90% student in highschool, you'll be an 80% student in university. If you were a 70% student in high school, you'll be a 60% student in university.
This isn't the case for everyone, but most people's grades drop.

Yeah, just because most people's grades drop shouldn't give you the expectation that yours will too. My grades dropped about 2%-3% from high school, and that's only because I was lazy and annoyed all of second semester. So you might as well try to aim for the same marks you were getting before.

Also, another tip I can give is if you feel you can learn the material yourself, and you're confident, then go for it. I've never visited office hours before, but I'm assuming that if you know the material you may find it annoying or boring to be there just because you feel like you need to, even though your grasp of the material is fine and you could better spend your time doing nothing. So if you require help, go to office hours and tutorials. If you think the stuff is easy, don't bother wasting your time going to tutorials and office hours.