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Prepare me for University
TheNomadicCircle
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Registered User, __BANNED USERS regular
So my university starts on September 13th, I'll be going to York University here in Ontario. A bit on my background, I am 26 will be 27 this year and I've completed two previous diploma's from Sheridan college, Computer Programming and Systems Analyst. I've been working since 2006. Once the recession hit, its been hard making ends meet and I've been out of work. While thinking about my future I decided to go back and instead of college do University and do something different rather than programming/computers all day. So I applied and am now in Enviromental Studies.
I've been out of school for 4 years and I assume what went on in college no longer applies since it was mainly computer work. I'm a bit scared as I do not know how one should take notes, buy books or even do their classes. If someone could explain a good way of taking notes, how to participate and generally do well in University I would appriciate it.
I've been out of school for 4 years and I assume what went on in college no longer applies since it was mainly computer work. I'm a bit scared as I do not know how one should take notes, buy books or even do their classes. If someone could explain a good way of taking notes, how to participate and generally do well in University I would appriciate it.
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That metaphor probably falls apart, but really, what are you expecting? Go to class, buy books from the bookstore/internet resellers, take notes, do assignments, pass classes.
Other than that, it'll be the same. College doesn't really change much, in all honesty.
If you want to know where to buy books, there's a thread made nearly every two weeks here in H/A that has all that info, so find one of those. The information there pretty much gets repeated in each thread.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
1) If you think you can "tolerate" taking a class at a certain time... don't. You'll tolerate it for a month then hate yourself for the rest of the semester.
2) Be mindful of difficult courses. Know your limits in a given semester.
3) Don't take "easy" professors if they are teaching prerequisites to 300/400/graduate level classes. Take easy professors only when you're knocking off unrelated undergraduate courses that are required to graduate.
Honestly though, getting a BS/BA is a cakewalk. Just don't get people (or yourself) pregnant and do your best to not get ~10k worth of credit card debt.
I'm going to try and answer your questions as specifically as I can, but if you'd like, I'd be willing to meet up with you at York and show you around or just chat about any other concerns you might have. If you've got MSN, I can also PM you that contact info, if you'd like.
You've got a couple of options in terms of books. You can pick up used books at a discounted price at an off-campus location. I've never used their service, because I lack a car with which to do so conveniently, but I've heard it's worth doing if you can find the correct edition of the textbooks you need.
If you're taking the used bookstore path, check out the YorkU Bookstore website. That way you can write down all the correct edition information you'll need. http://bookstore.yorku.ca/
On the main site, click on 'Textbooks' and then on 'Print Your Course List'. Follow the instructions on the following page to add all the courses you're taking in the fall and winter. If you're buying used textbooks, you'll want to pre-buy your year's worth of textbooks, because they get snatched up fast.
If you've got the money to buy your textbooks new, I'd suggest only buying books for the current semester. Who knows what could happen from month to month, and re-selling a bunch of books (even unopened) if something comes up and you shuffle your courses will be a serious pain. Write down your list of courses in the following format: Four letter program description (ADMS, ECON, etc.), followed by the four digit course code (1200, 1000, etc.), and then your section letter (A, B, C, etc.).
The YorkU bookstore has little tags in their textbook section for each course (and each section, if textbooks differ between them), with instructions on where to find them. If you're lost, there are plenty of bookstore employs in the first couple weeks of classes that'll help you out if you ask, and most students will lend you a hand. I try to keep my eye out for looks of distress when I'm buying my stuff, because I remember it being pretty overwhelming my first time. :P If you can, buy books with a "used" sticker on them. Just be careful about it, because they're final sale, as far as I know.
As for general advice for how to do really well in University, I do this. Make sure you've read the material that will be covered in class before you get there, and take notes as you do. If there are any voluntary problems or questions suggested by the prof, do those to the best of your ability, also before class. This way, when you're in class, you'll have a context for the material in the lecture, and you'll only need to take small notes when the prof provides additional material not covered in the textbook. Also, you'll be prepared to answer questions and contribute to class discussion (depending on the format of your lectures). Even more importantly, you'll be able to ask for clarification on any parts of the week's material you don't have a good grasp of (either during class when the subject comes up, or prior to class, or after class, or during the break in lecture, depending on your prof's preference).
Most importantly though, is to know your own study preferences and strengths. Writing stuff down helps me retain information, so I take a lot of notes as I read the text, essentially doing a Coles' Notes of the important material. I've rarely re-read my own notes, but taking them makes me mull the stuff over in my head. It's what works for me. Some classes and some profs require a different approach. Sometimes the best thing to do is print off the powerpoint slides for the coming class and make notes on that. Whatever you find works best for you, do that.
Another random piece of advice I can give, is to make small talk with the people sitting next to you in class, if you get there before lecture starts. Having someone you can talk to if you miss a class is always good. Having someone who may know the material better than you is always good. Even better though? Being someone who can fill a peer in on a missed class, or being asked to explain or illuminate material you know to someone who doesn't.
Lemme know if you want my MSN contact or meet up at York sometime, eh? Cheers.
I've had classes with $150 "mandatory" textbooks that you didnt even need at all!
I've had classes that you "had" to buy the newest version of the book for $120 - when last years nearly identical copy can be found for $20 or less, used.
However I've also had classes that were open book finals, meaning you NEEDED the exact copy they wanted you to get... which, surprise surprise, were also the most expensive textbooks I ever purchased.
Basically.... if you blindly buy every book they tell you to, you will lose out on a lot of money. At the same time you cannot restrict yourself to the materials you need for your programs. But you don't need to break the bank they way they want you to.
One thing you should keep in mind about the knowledge you gain from university, or any knowledge at all, is that you will only be able to retain it if you regularly study. I realized this the hard way as I'm finding that I have forgotten concepts that I learned last year after not studying at all during the summer.
You might get ripped off if you buy textbooks from the YorkU bookstore, so I would suggest that you first check out Amazon.ca and the used book store already mentioned in this thread first. Be aware that the used bookstore might not have the required edition of the textbooks you're looking for.
EDIT: Oh and since you're also a Mississauga citizen, I would suggest investing in a monthly GO Bus ticket. The York administration increased parking costs significantly to deter people from driving and instead take public transit, and the GO Bus is probably the most economical way for you to get to the campus (as long as you are going to the Keele campus and have classes at least 3 days every week).
Steam: CavilatRest
Supergood point. Get one of these for discounts on 10 ride tickets or monthly passes. Cheers! http://www.yorku.ca/trnsprt/go-studentcard.htm
Someone has obvious not lived the life of an undergraduate in engineering AND/OR a student-athlete.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Another reason to avoid books on the first - Most universities are in flux the first 1 - 2 weeks, you may drop one class and add another because the professor sounds like elmer fudd and you can't stand to listen to him talk.
Wait. What school did you go to where engineering students got laid?
George Mason University, Fairfax VA. 2 to 1 women to man ratio...Big Nursing Program...No major athletic team except basketball (they can only take so many of the women) = opportunity.
Hello School of Engineering! Thanks for the intro to my wife!
No, I meant engineering/athletics was not a cakewalk. I just included the second part of his quote for context.
Goddammit, me.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
Touche;
OP is going to school in Ontario, so you make a relevant point.
In the US they award a Bachelor of Science in Engineering. It's fucking hard as nails.
Let 'em eat fucking pineapples!
My advice: Use binders with sheets of paper for notes. That way you can easily re-organize them, you can borrow them to classmates, and if you miss a day you can get eventually borrow some notes and stick them in the proper place. Im a pretty sloppy note-writer, but its the one area i focus to get better at, and it makes every class a lot easier.
I should mention that you can get a good deal for Office 2010 here. All you need to do is input your york email address. Microsoft also offers a good deal for a Windows 7 upgrade if you don't have it yet on the site as well.
Steam: CavilatRest
May not apply to you, but if you're using a Mac and Microsoft Office for it, do not try to record an entire terms worth of lectures with the audio recording feature. It screwed up my notes and was a real pain in the ass to fix once the files hit about 500mb for each class.
Buy your books on Amazon.ca, check the marketplace because you can usually save $150 - $300 a year by buying them there.
source a number of articles for later, do a couple of paragraphs, some days you can do a lot more than others, but you have to have done something worthwhile every day, for your sanities sake
Yeah, I just got a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering so yeah, it is a science degree (I guess it's not elsewhere?)
Also, about that whole "3 hours of prep for 1 hour of class" is complete nonsense. Sure, it's a good rule to follow if you are just starting out, but once the semester starts rolling i highly doubt you will be spending that much time outside of class doing work. So if that mantra was starting to freak you out, don't worry about it because it is almost never true.
For senior capstone year though.. oh man I put in probably 60 hours per week on 9 hours of class. That was engineering though, and not typical.
I finished my undergraduate in Computer Science in four years. Got married after my sophomore year as well. Way down the list on the golf team (as if that counts as real athletics...).
Computer Science is a BS where I went to school. I suppose I don't *really* know what a BA entails in comparison.
Apart from that, learning to deal with scientific papers if really the only thing, because a lot of your coursework will involve collating them. Learn to skim for keywords is all I'm saying, because scientists are shitty writers. Its tempting to just read the abstract, but that isn't always where the gold is. That said, you still can't go past a notepad and pen (plus web bookmarks) for recording search results and your impressions of what you read. Don't get too caught up in new tech
Just realize your there to study and work, but don't be afraid to find some time to have some fun. I found one of the smartest things I ever did in University is find those people that are taking the majority of classes that you are taking and make friends with them. Going to class, studying, getting homework done and prepping for finals seemed so much easier to me once I got that group going.
Bhhhaa no.
October and March = hell. Rest of year = pretty awesome.
(You may end up with profs that spread work out or your busy time may fall in other months, but this is how it's worked for me every year so far.)