A Guide to University for First Years (2 Viewers)

[D94]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

But I think my primary concern is the current situation at hand. I'm so nervous about my Co-op interview in 3 weeks. Do you know any bos people who got into Co-op that I can talk to?

Know your responses well. Know what the Co-op program is, its structure, sponsor companies etc. (as trivial as this may sound, you don't want to stuff up when this is one of the first questions asked). Know why you want to pursue this area of study - literally tell them that you like Commerce or whatever. Think of a couple of questions to ask the interviewers as well - be decisive. Make them laugh as well - it's more like a conversation than an interview, but still take it seriously.

 

[Trebla]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

There is usually a mix of rote-learning type subjects and more applying concepts types of subjects in almost every discipline...

 

[madharris]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Won't my whole assignment be like a bunch of references chucked together?

Yes...

The worse thing ever is when you have a tiny word limit, and you have like 1000 intent citations

Curse you Faculty of Health science

 

[SpiralFlex]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

I know, I know... I'm was just curious.

That's fine. It's good to ask questions.

 

[Crobat]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

I'm worried about the notion that in Uni, using rote learning won't get you that far, but rather have a conceptual understanding of things and apply them to certain situations, which means I might struggle.

To be perfectly fair, rote learning isn't meant to get you that far. Someone who has rote-learned their material without understanding it is really of no use to any work environment.

But I would worry too much yet. Once you hit uni you'll learn to adapt pretty fast just because the lecturers will teach the content to you in a way that forces you to understand why the concept exists in that way (which is a massive help to committing it to memory since you tend to not forget things you actually understand), rather than just tell you it is that way like high school does. The uni will help you through the transition just by the way it operates. Don't fear what you haven't started!

 

[obliviousninja]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Michaeljennings

ismeta

Ty Mr. Spiral

 

[Crobat]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Anyone else? I think he has been inactive for the past couple of weeks.

I have a few friends who made co-op last year but not all have BoS accounts.

The 2 that have BoS accounts are Shangg (he has a thread selling his HSC notes with his email up in it too if you want to contact him by email) and Kishek95. Both are pretty much inactive but I can fling them a message over FB if you like?

 

[flashtrick]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Great read! Got a few questions for any university-goers:

What would the estimated contact hours for B. Science at University of Sydney be?

I never really payed attention in science class and never did any homework, mostly learning everything by myself a week or two before the exam: is such a thing possible in University?

Would it be possible for me to go to uni in 2014 then suspend my uni degree and take a 'gap year' in 2015?

 

[SpiralFlex]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Great read! Got a few questions for any university-goers:

What would the estimated contact hours for B. Science at University of Sydney be?

I never really payed attention in science class and never did any homework, mostly learning everything by myself a week or two before the exam: is such a thing possible in University?

Would it be possible for me to go to uni in 2014 then suspend my uni degree and take a 'gap year' in 2015?

1) The first question is hard to answer, it depends on the subjects you are taking.

2) You can, but it is very hard to do and you'll most likely be rote learning the content.

3) You will need to see someone else about that matter.

 

[SpiralFlex]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Great read! Got a few questions for any university-goers:

What would the estimated contact hours for B. Science at University of Sydney be?

I never really payed attention in science class and never did any homework, mostly learning everything by myself a week or two before the exam: is such a thing possible in University?

Would it be possible for me to go to uni in 2014 then suspend my uni degree and take a 'gap year' in 2015?

1) The first question is hard to answer, it depends on the subjects you are taking.

2) You can, but it is very hard to do and you'll most likely be rote learning the content.

3) You will need to see someone else about that matter.

 

[flashtrick]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

1) The first question is hard to answer, it depends on the subjects you are taking.

2) You can, but it is very hard to do and you'll most likely be rote learning the content.

3) You will need to see someone else about that matter.

Thanks for the response.
Still not sure what I'm majoring in, but is there any chance the contact hours would exceed 30 per week?

As for rote-learning, I never really did that for the HSC. A lot of stuff for physics and chemistry I already knew (was very interested in science as a kid), and I'd always create fast and efficient ways of learning stuff I didn't know (creating acronyms/rhymes for patterns or thinking logically and how it works in real-life applications)

EDIT: Almost forgot. Is it possible to 'upgrade' my degree from B. Sci to B.Sci (Adv.) if I'm getting bored with the normal one? I don't really want to do (Adv.) initially cause there would presumably be a lot more contact hours and work.

 

[SpiralFlex]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Thanks for the response.
Still not sure what I'm majoring in, but is there any chance the contact hours would exceed 30 per week?

As for rote-learning, I never really did that for the HSC. A lot of stuff for physics and chemistry I already knew (was very interested in science as a kid), and I'd always create fast and efficient ways of learning stuff I didn't know (creating acronyms/rhymes for patterns or thinking logically and how it works in real-life applications)

There is little chance of that. The worst you can be looking at is I reckon 24ish. I had 25-26 contact hours (which is more than my friends and people I know). So I wouldn't think you would be looking at 30, that is way too much.

 

[SpiralFlex]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Thanks for the response.
Still not sure what I'm majoring in, but is there any chance the contact hours would exceed 30 per week?

As for rote-learning, I never really did that for the HSC. A lot of stuff for physics and chemistry I already knew (was very interested in science as a kid), and I'd always create fast and efficient ways of learning stuff I didn't know (creating acronyms/rhymes for patterns or thinking logically and how it works in real-life applications)

EDIT: Almost forgot. Is it possible to 'upgrade' my degree from B. Sci to B.Sci (Adv.) if I'm getting bored with the normal one? I don't really want to do (Adv.) initially cause there would presumably be a lot more contact hours and work.

Make sure you read the handbooks. In B. Sci. you can pick the same subjects as that for B. Sci (adv.) bar some restrictions. So you can have the same hours.

 

[flashtrick]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Make sure you read the handbooks. In B. Sci. you can pick the same subjects as that for B. Sci (adv.) bar some restrictions. So you can have the same hours.

Haha, sorry if I'm coming of a little lost, but what handbook exactly?

Judging from your posts, you do/did B. Science? How did they split the hours? I would actually prefer having like 8 hour blocks over 3 days over 5 hour blocks over 5 days - the former would mean I'd have entire days to day whatever I want.

Oh yeah, really appreciate your help. Still so unsure and undecided about uni courses.

 

[SpiralFlex]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Haha, sorry if I'm coming of a little lost, but what handbook exactly?

Judging from your posts, you do/did B. Science? How did they split the hours? I would actually prefer having like 8 hour blocks over 3 days over 5 hour blocks over 5 days - the former would mean I'd have entire days to day whatever I want.

Oh yeah, really appreciate your help. Still so unsure and undecided about uni courses.

A handbook is a detailed document that outlines the amount of credit points needed to obtain the degree it will outline any compulsory units and electives.

 

[-may-cat-]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

Just a couple of things.

Attendance
Attendance at university is NOT compulsory unless specified. Lectures rarely have attendance marked and in cases where this does happen, usually they are only for the lecturer to take note who is attending (e.g. they may take the extra effort to help students which have been attending). With lectures, you tend to have the flexibility of going to a different timeslot considering that capacity typically opens up after the first few weeks. It i fairly common to see lecture attendance drop by at least 25% by the end of the first few weeks. If you opt for this route, make sure to check if the course content mirrors what you missed in your original timeslot.

Many students find that attending tutorials are more helpful than attending lectures so if you find yourself in a situation where you have to pick between attending either of the two, the tutorial is the safest bet. Some tutorials have compulsory attendance and in those situations, attendance is strongly advised. In these instances, it is critical that you check how tutorial attendance affects your final mark. Failing to attend these tutorials may lead to penalties so make sure to read the fine print. Also, you may find yourself in a situation where you have exams in either a lecture or a tutorial. It is important that you attend the lecture or tutorial which is on your timetable even if you have chosen to attend other timeslots in previous weeks in these cases.[HR][/HR]

I just want to make clear that at least at Macquarie, non-compulsory attendance of tutorials/pracs is the exception, not the rule. Often attendance and active participation makes up part of your overall mark (up to 15%) and if you do not attend and make an effort, you can and will be penalised.

Census Dates - What are they?
Each semester, your financial liability is determined by the courses you are enrolled in at the time of the census date. This is different each semester, so check specific dates with your university, but it generally happens at the end of the fourth week of classes. You are able to unenroll from a subject before this date without incurring a financial liability for it. If you choose to drop a subject after the census date, you will still need to pay for it. In the case that something happens and your ability to finish a subject is significantly impaired, you can apply to HECS to have the financial liability for that subject removed, but this requires getting a Discontinue Not Fail grade from the university, along with substantial evidence that you were unable to complete the course, but were only made aware after the census date. This requires a lot of paperwork and your university should be able to give your more information. [HR][/HR]

Also important is the The Last Date to Withdraw Without Academic Penalty, which is usually a few weeks after the census date. If you withdraw after this date, you incur both financial and academic penalty, that is, you incur a Fail grade and you have to pay for the unit. You can apply for exception for one or both of these, but they are generally only granted in exceptional circumstances.

O-Week
O-Week (Orientation Week) occurs the week before the session starts each semester. At O-Week, the university hosts a number of events, aimed at getting students involved and creating a fun start for the semester ahead. O-Week is a great chance to get a feel of the uni and meet some other people who will be attending. There are also O-Week parties which as a first year, can be some of the biggest you’ve been to. Also keep in mind that many different clubs and societies set up stalls to give new students the opportunity to talk to existing members and sign up. If you’re looking to get involved, make sure you hit up these stalls.
[HR][/HR]

Also, at MQ lectures run during o-week; it is technically the beginning of session.

 

[OMGITzJustin]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

calm down.. not everyone will be going to Macquarie, it's a general guide, not uni specific

 

[-may-cat-]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

I'm perfectly calm..?

Was simply mentioning some things that deviate from the norm at MQ for the benefit of future readers.

 

[OzKo]

Re: A First Year's Guide to University

I'm perfectly calm..?

Was simply mentioning some things that deviate from the norm at MQ for the benefit of future readers.

Thanks for the update.

We didn't have anyone from MQ contribute to this guide so we weren't aware of these differences.

I'll have it updated tomorrow.

 

[Peanuts101]

Wow that was really good and thorough! Thanks heaps, i will keep all of this is mind


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