Tips for first year

[Rebel_lord]

I dunno .. post some little things that they don't tell you at orientation or don't tell you enough :P


GO TO YOUR F-IN CLASSES !
I'm not even joking at how much it helps. Even if you're "not learning anything", your getting a kickstart on how to approach difficult topics. In Calculus, I found myself always lost in the material. I'm not slow or anything, I just learn math like most people, with pencil and paper (and of course your trusty calculator but you don't really need it for when u get to integrals). And don't try to tell yourself or let anyone else tell you that you can "learn it from the book". You certainly can but it's a pain to find motivation to start studying on a dime when you get back to your house/room/rez.

Get a bank account from PC Financial
This probably isn't mentioned too often or even at all. I go to Mac and the only bank machines at Mac (except for the general ATMs and this other McMaster Credit Union bank) are all CIBC. Particularly helpful esp if you need some money for clubbing, laundry and small cash purchases (at Mac anyways). Even if your university has all the other bank machines, get it anyways. There is no interac fees for interac direct purchases. So it's totally perfect for small purchases with interac. This comes with their no-fees bank account (no monthly fees and etc.). Plus you get a free $10 to Loblaws (sort of .... there's the fact that it's in PC points and you need to obtain another 10,000 points (worth $10) to redeem your initial 10,000 points ...5 points for every dollar at a Loblaws store ... includes No Frills, Fortinos and etc.) till you can spend the total min. of $20).

Working during the school year
This is sorta a personal opinion but it's sorta hard to work 1st year. You have to balance out your work, social and school life. It's much easier to balance it out if you have only social and school to deal with. Get used to university first before you start working. The money helps alot tho.

Books
Almost all books I would recommend you get them used. It's hellava lot cheaper and you honestly shouldn't spend too much. I spent $800 on text books (rounded down) and they were all brand new, only for 1st semester ! I spent another $400 on 2nd semester courses. Solution Manuals are a good source of help ... if you actually use them. I found it useful for Economics, Calculus and Algebra. My physics one was useless for me since all the questions on the test were similar to the ones found in the book. Check them out first.

[InsiderGamer]

I'm going into first year University this coming fall so I really appreciate your tips :) . I certainly have an idea of what you meant when other students advise you "oh, you can get it all from the text" or what not. Rarely is that ever exceptional advice. I'm planning on staying as late as I have to at the University for homework/studying (home is very distracting, hi RFD forums!).

As for working, I'd really like some counsel on that. My supervisor and acting manager are trying to throw a few hours of work at me during the school year (as opposed to full time during the summer). They're being very supportive of my upcoming schooling. Under the assumption they actually manage to give me some work, what do you think is a reasonable amount of hours per week (closed during weekends)? This is keeping in mind I'm working under a full course load.

~IG

[me!]

yeah, don't act or look like a freakin noob while you're there.

[Rebel_lord]

Under the assumption they actually manage to give me some work, what do you think is a reasonable amount of hours per week (closed during weekends)? This is keeping in mind I'm working under a full course load.

I found that if I worked during school days, I became really fatigued easily. Weekends are not too bad but you lose out a little on social life ;). I would say anywhere from 15-25 hrs is a decent amount. It really depends on what you mean by full course load. For Engineers that means 7 or 6 courses a semester. For pretty much everyone else that's 5 courses. Just try it out at first. If you think you can do it, then kudos, you're gonna master time management :). If not, concentrate on education first and then learn the ropes.

I personally recommend summer jobs tho. If you want a pretty well paying job, check out CollegePro or similar Student painting places. Apparent with all the hours you work, you end up making pretty much a full year's worth of tuition, board and food. The bad point is that it's not exactly the greatest in terms of experience and pretty tiring and fatiguing work. Look for work early and by early I mean like Feb./March.

Oh yea housing was a pain too.

I wanted to wait b/c I felt that the landlords that were offerring their homes for rent were creating a false shortage of places to rent to students. In fact, they pretty much were. Get a good bunch of friends together for a house by Latest Feb. Most people have already signed for places by March. I waited till April-ish to sign with my house and I got a pretty good deal. Unfortunately i only know like 3 as friends and the rest are random students. It's slightly more difficult to live with people you don't know but mostly people are nice and you can get used to living with each other.

[carabunny]

yeah, don't act or look like a freakin noob while you're there.


haha that's the complete opposite of the other thread for meetingnew people

half of those in there were like:

ask someone else if this is the correct room, etc etc lol

[showcase]

As for working, I'd really like some counsel on that. My supervisor and acting manager are trying to throw a few hours of work at me during the school year (as opposed to full time during the summer). They're being very supportive of my upcoming schooling. Under the assumption they actually manage to give me some work, what do you think is a reasonable amount of hours per week (closed during weekends)? This is keeping in mind I'm working under a full course load.


Depends what you are taking, scheduling etc. I volunteered 30 hours a week my first year in radio while taking a full course load. (Bachelor of Business Administration) I found that in courses NOT geared towards my major and electives it really didnt slow me down, and I was still successful in them. but in harder classes like Economics, and Calculus I had more trouble than I would have. (I was never cut out for business, but too stubborn to change programs to something I was better suited for) I made it every class too.(even the 8:30AM ones) If I could suggest anything to you, hold off on the work for the first month... so you can get better acquainted with your schedule, and figure out how much time/effort/energy you'll have to spend with your easy or hard classes. Then pick a work schedule that is considerate of those constraints. (depending on your social skills, you might want to alot some time for partying... but I guess if work is closed on weekends, you're good to go) - just a suggestion though

[Ziggy007]

Good tip talk to everyone you meet, your life will be a lot easier if you know people. Remember that every other person in the room also has no idea who anyone else is. Great time to meet girls ;)

[thephenom]

Don't go asking ppl you don't know for smoke. (Hate it when that happens, get your own damn smoke)

[ttt]

for the first year students.. remember may the beer be with you.. :idea:

[NiMSo]

Read your text/notes before lecture!!!
Read your text/notes before lecture!!!
Read your text/notes before lecture!!!
Read your text/notes before lecture!!!


I swear, it is SOOO much easier to sit through a lecture, when you already have a mild understanding of the material! If you haven't read the relevant sections, you'll be totally lost and will fall asleep... and yes, I have personal experience :razz:!

[Nyte]

Read your text/notes before lecture!!!
Read your text/notes before lecture!!!
Read your text/notes before lecture!!!
Read your text/notes before lecture!!!


I swear, it is SOOO much easier to sit through a lecture, when you already have a mild understanding of the material! If you haven't read the relevant sections, you'll be totally lost and will fall asleep... and yes, I have personal experience :razz:!

True, but that is almost impossible to do unless you find the course interesting.

[soulflare]

A few tips that come to mind...

- ALWAYS come prepared to tutorials, unless you enjoy looking like a complete idiot in front of your peers

- When scheduling your classes, try to leave as a few and as small (timewise) gaps between them. Nothing is more obnoxious than having to kill 1-2 hours between classes. Unless the distance between classes is immense, 10 minutes is almost always enough time to make it from one class in one building to another class in another building.

- For your first class bring only a clipboard, a couple sheets of paper and a pen. Your prof will only cover the syllabus, what books to buy and other general boring crap, so you won't need your books/napsack, etc... and you'll look like you're a laid back/relaxed kind of guy and that you know what you're doing... not a bad first impression to make.

- DON'T BUY ANY BOOKS BEFORE THEY ARE NEEDED. You could change courses, the syllabus can change, and you could later learn that that $100 reference source you bought was only a "nice thing to have" and not a necessity.

- If you're going to be more than 8 minutes late for a class, forget about it (unless it's a lecture/tutorial that penalizes for absence)... any later than that is just disrespectful to the prof and other students, and will reflect more poorly on you than an absence.

- Know exactly where your classes are before they start. Most university buildings (Western especially) have wildly illogical room layouts... merely knowing which building the class is in is usually not enough to save a dozen minutes of aimless wandering.

- If you have a laptop, be sure to load it up with a bunch of emulators and play old-school games during boring parts of a lecture... it should put a smile on the faces of a dozen or more people in the rows behind you and could help you meet people

That's enough for now I think.

[longo]

A few tips that come to mind...

- If you have a laptop, be sure to load it up with a bunch of emulators and play old-school games during boring parts of a lecture... it should put a smile on the faces of a dozen or more people in the rows behind you and could help you meet people


LOL! :cheesygri
The classic is watching someone play Mario 3 on a NES emulator

[CSR]

LOL! :cheesygri
The classic is watching someone play Mario 3 on a NES emulator

I preloaded my old school prince of persia.

[bluetroll]

this is my tip... CHEAT on EVERYTHING.

[felixdd]

Advice: Go to class, go to tutorials, don't be afraid to ask questions, and eat healthy!

And don't be discouraged when you get a bad mark. Part of university is learning about your capabilities as a person, and a very important part of that is learning not what you can do, but what you can't. For example, students will have the best intentions to sit down and study the entire day away, only to find that they've procrastinated most of it away. Perhaps the goal of studying an entire day is too big an expectation for now? University is a place where you're forced to be mature with yourself, your abilities, and your work ethic.

As for eating healthy -- if you put trash in your system, expect your system to work like trash.

[divx]

this is my tip... CHEAT on EVERYTHING.

here is a better tip, don't fail :lol:

[bananaman]

Make some long-lasting friendship with other people. That way, when you look back now 20 years down the road, you can say that university was the best time of your life. It's best to do it during first year when other first years are looking for friends as well.

Don't neglect your studies. You (or your parents) paid alot of money for tuition. Make every penny count.

[divx]

Make some long-lasting friendship with other people. That way, when you look back now 20 years down the road, you can say that university was the best time of your life. It's best to do it during first year when other first years are looking for friends as well.

Don't neglect your studies. You (or your parents) paid alot of money for tuition. Make every penny count.


definally try to make friends with the genius of the class, of course, also make friends with non geniuses. you need study partners and drinking buddies. more friends is better for you.

[felix]

definally try to make friends with the genius of the class, of course, also make friends with non geniuses. you need study partners and drinking buddies. more friends is better for you.
Agreed! Hanging with the smart crowd is always a good idea. ;)

[fl4wless]

bring lots of condoms. or actually get them for free at the campus clinic

[TheRide]

bring lots of condoms. or actually get them for free at the campus clinic

I'll vouch for that. You gotta have 'em handy. Be safe!

[Stevie Boy Wonder]

I totally disagree with whoever posted that comment about not going to class if ur over 8minutes late. If you are prepared to go to class and u really want to go, then it doesn't matter if ur late or not. You paid at least half a grand to take the damn class, better late than not at all. But if ur going late because ur lazy and probably aren't going to pay attention in class anyway then don't go.

Oh, and if you have good friends in the same classes as you, then you can mooch notes off of them, because even though sometimes you can do well just from the textbook, seeing what the profs cover in class is extremely helpful in studying the appropriate amount and materials. (that is...if u skip a lot)

[Kerlo]

I totally disagree with whoever posted that comment about not going to class if ur over 8minutes late. If you are prepared to go to class and u really want to go, then it doesn't matter if ur late or not. You paid at least half a grand to take the damn class, better late than not at all. But if ur going late because ur lazy and probably aren't going to pay attention in class anyway then don't go.

Oh, and if you have good friends in the same classes as you, then you can mooch notes off of them, because even though sometimes you can do well just from the textbook, seeing what the profs cover in class is extremely helpful in studying the appropriate amount and materials. (that is...if u skip a lot)

I totally agree and mooching notes is the best thing you can do if your late for class.

Some tips for 1st year Engineering Students:

1. Rumors about each succeding year being more difficult/easier than the next are all false. Each year is hard in its own way. You just gotta cope.

2. If you are assigned/recommended a course schedule, you REALLY don't have to stick to that schedule just because they gave it to you. Also, if you can, take less courses during the year and make up for them during the summer. You'll probably be able to maintain your sanity while juggling a job, school, and social life.

3. CO-OP is your friend!!!! At some universities if you don't qualify for it in first year you can try to qualify for it in your second year. Not only will it help you get a job after you graduate but the money you make from it can be a blessing! The extra year of school it adds is really not a waste of time.

4. There are better&cheaper places to get new textbooks than you university bookstore! Look on the net and locally around town. Happy Hunting!

5. If you can, try to find out about your profs before registering in their courses. Try sites like RateMyProfessors.com (http://www.ratemyprofessors.com/canada/ ) or find out by word of mouth which profs are good and which ones to avoid like the plague. I've had several serveral profs which still give me goosebumps when someone says their name, the bad memories still haunt me to this day.

6. Lab TAs can be extremely helpful!! Exploit them to the best of your ability and you should be able to ace many labs. Again there are also TAs to avoid like the plague, I had one that was nicknamed "Lab Nazi" ala Seinfeld, due to his . . . erm . . . lab handling techniques? He got reported to the prof and was much better the next lab session! :lol:

7. DO FROSH WEEK! This is where you will meet alot of the people that you will be hanging with for the rest of your university career. It really is the easiest and fastest way to make friends at university if you don't live on rez.

8. Only throw paper airplanes around profs that can handle it, lol (there really are profs that enjoy it). It's a long story, but good advice none the less.

9. The answers are out there! (Happy Hunting!! ;) )

10. Most importantly of all!! If you have the opportunity to take a bird course while in engineering, TAKE IT!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough!! I made the mistake of taking a "constructive" elective in my first year, thinking that it will "help me in the future", instead of taking a course which had a mutiple choice midterm and exam about wild animals native to Canada. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER! Electives in engineering are a rarity! Don't take courses which have the potential of lowering your GPA or can cause you to loose your scholarship!! It's a waste!

Also about the laptop games, i'm totally guilty of that. But you gotta be careful, the prof can tell when half the class is looking elsewhere and not paying attention to the lecture.

I was playing SWRON (http://www.cybermonkey.org/html/game/swron/) (a shockwave Tron lightcycle game) during a lecture when the prof uncharacteristicly decided to take a walk around around the hall while continuing to lecture. He passed in the aisle in front of where i was sitting. Luckily, i had the notes in another window and alt+tabbed to them before he walked by and casually glanced at my laptop. I know for a fact that before he started his walk, quite a few people behind me were looking at my laptop since they asked me about the game after the lecture . . . lol

Lesson: Sit AT THE BACK of the lecture hall if you are going to be playing vid games on your laptop. :D

BTW, profs do have the power to kick you out of a lecture or to write you up to the Dean. So don't piss them off. If they tell you to shut up. Shut up.

[crowdpuller]

Goto all your classes if you can. however, if you are just gonna go and sleep. Why waste time, wht not just sleep on your bed.

After few days you will get hang of things, not all classes are meant to go. But you need strong discipline that if you stay back in, you will study.

First year is pretty much review of what you did in grade 12, just a bit more in depth... i am talking about life sciencew.. and stuff..


also.. make sure you do frosh week, you tend to meet a lot of ppl.. and dont be shy to talk to ppl, cuz everyone is new, just jump i nand talk.. its funny how I did it my first yr..

rez experience first yr is the best one, you make friends, loads of em...

welcome to the real world, now this where the fun begins..

dont forget to study, .. .balance things!!!!! if you balance em well you will suceed.. ppl say university is hard.. well it is, because some tend to put just same amount of time.. as they did in high school and expect same grades..

uhhhh, dont, if you want grades in 80s, i am talking abt queen's here, you need to work your ass of!!!! but still ther eis enough time to party...

if anybody coming to queen's.. i can give more tips.. and stuff

[divx]

First year is pretty much review of what you did in grade 12, just a bit more in depth... i am talking about life sciencew.. and stuff..



Too bad that doesn't apply to Engineering. :lol:

You'll learn how to do stuff like Laplace transform, Z transform, Jacobian, and have no clue on how it works. The Mathies do proofs all day, so they knew how calc really works, but we engineers don't need to know that, all we learn is how to apply them in eng applications. So if you like doing math proofs, and everything in theory, then goto math, otherwise goto eng. if you don't like neither, goto arts.

[felixdd]

There's a shred of truth to this phrase too:

University is where you learn that psychology is really biology, biology is really chemistry, chemistry is really physics, and physics is really math.

Basically, a high schooler's conception of the various fields of study in science isn't as realistic as one might think.

[crowdpuller]

Let's not scare em, I guess if you stay on top of things, balance things out, I think it's very much possible to do fine in school. Do not expect grade in 90s with same amout of effort you did in high school. Are 90s possible? yes?
Do ppl get em? uhhh rarely. is it realistic? yes, it is, but thats a relative answer....just work hard... and dont forget to party hard :)

Life science first yr is almost same as grade 12. But computer science is not!.. and like someone engineering is not as well. Engineers ... its hardest for em :)

[poisonmonkey]

A really good idea is to get some excerise.

Seriously. Frosh 15 is no joke.

And besides, healthy body=healthy mind.

[Mint]

I think my best advice is to remember why you're at University. You're there to get an education, so that you can get a good job (pays well, something you like to do, etc) later on. So as important as it is to focus on classes and getting good marks, its also important to do all those other little things. I.e develop those social skills, network, use the workshops, research on the job market/skills required, etc.

I didn't focus too much on those things until 4th year and by the time I graduated I had good marks but no work relevant experience.

So put a little extra effort into finding a summer job in your field (take the time to put out a decent resume/covere letter. Use the career centre to help you edit it or give you interview tips). Try to get to know profs, becuase they usually need summer research students or may know about jobs when you grad (couple of my buds got hooked up from profs).
Take part in more of those extracurricular activities. In my 4th year, i joined the Ontario Engineering Competition and it was a great experience. If anything, it gives you something to talk about during interviews etc.

In summary, don't get too caught up in the "must get good marks! must get good marks". Stay focused on the big picture. Hope this advice helps.

[crowdpuller]

Yes but don't expect summer internship in your first year.. not atleast at Queen's or UT

[trusoulja2g]

Get involved in clubs as soon as possible. Try to land a position as the "first year rep" for clubs in your faculty. ie. engineering club, commerce society, accounting club, etc. It's easiest to get an exec position in first year when there's less competition. By fourth year you might be president. It's a lot of fun. And this kind of thing is just as important as marks, if not more so, for getting a job.

[TheDude79]

Some tips for 1st year Engineering Students:

10. Most importantly of all!! If you have the opportunity to take a bird course while in engineering, TAKE IT!!!!!!! I cannot stress this enough!! I made the mistake of taking a "constructive" elective in my first year, thinking that it will "help me in the future", instead of taking a course which had a mutiple choice midterm and exam about wild animals native to Canada. BIGGEST MISTAKE EVER! Electives in engineering are a rarity! Don't take courses which have the potential of lowering your GPA or can cause you to loose your scholarship!! It's a waste!


I totally disagree. I used my elective courses to take courses that gave me a different perpective on the world, as believe it or not there are a whole lot of other things that are interesting and relevant about the world than the engineering discipline. The intent of supplemental electives as part of the curriculum is to give you a chance to explore other interests and give you some perpective, at least to a basic level. The key is to take something that you are interested in and won't be bored stiff by. Then the workload of that course, if it is moderately heavy, won't seem like such a burden.

I suppose though if you're into taking the path of least resistance though life, then that's a choice that is available. IMO, you have to take advantage of your opportunities to learn when you can, because it gets harder as time goes on.

Oh yeah, the most important thing about university though is that school isn't all about book learning. Get out and play some sports, go to some parties, join some clubs, volunteer. Don't fail out because of any of these things, but don't spend all your time in the library either.

[samj1]

Take courses you find interesting.

Manage your time.

Set goals.