When you’re in first year university you may hear the rumour that second year is the hardest year of all four years. After that it is all downhill. I thought to myself, “First year is not so bad! I don’t have an insane workload, how hard can second year be? And if it’s all downhill after that, well I’ll be laughing!”
When you’re in second year you see how your workload has increased exponentially since first year. It comes as somewhat of a shock after the leisurely pace year first year brought. You begin to envy people in first year for their “easy” work and workload. I just kept telling myself that this was the worst year – next year will be easier! I survived second year and made it to third.
When you start third year, you’re eager and excited that you’re finally past the 3 am reports and the weekend trips to the library. Anything will be better than second year. Then you actually start classes. You quickly realize that something is not quite right, and then it hits you – you’ve been lied to! That wonderful rumour that second year is the worst is completely untrue. Third year is perhaps twice, or maybe even three times the work that second year was. You can no longer get away with three references on a research paper – they want seven, or even ten (all scholarly mind you). Websites don’t cut it, not even by a long shot. But then you hear a rumour: third year is actually the hardest, not second year. You breathe deep and desperately cling to the hope that this is true - especially if you are half a credit in overload like I was. Any more work and you feel like you would lose your mind. Then you begin to reminisce on “the good ‘ol days” in first year when the most work you had to do was one report every two or three weeks and a weekly one page write up of your readings. Oh the days when you had time to do all your readings! Now you pick one or two classes that are the most important and do those but no more. There simply is no time to do them all. But you’ll live to write all of your exams and then the relief of summer comes. And the 60-hour week part-time job that actually does seem like relief after the last two semesters.
This is where I am now. Fourth year is looming and I am still clinging to the rumour that fourth year will be easier than third. It may or may not be – I don’t know. There is one thing I know for sure though – there is a light at the end of the four year degree tunnel. At the end of that tunnel I will have a University Degree, and, best of all, there’s no more school work at the end.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Residence: How Different Could It Be?
The year before I came to this university, I was in the Katimavik program living in a house with 11 other people traveling across Canada on a mere $3 a day pay. Residence ... how different could it be? Well a floor of all guys, a human sized hole in the wall, over $1000 in damage, a smelly man from another continent, and a don who couldn’t handle us ... how wrong could I be? The Katimavik people were all people like me, with at least some similar interests and comparable habits in terms of cleanliness, noisiness ... you get the picture?
Now to University. Of course I knew I was going to have tests in all my courses. But Residence life was definitely a test too. A test of how well my peers and I could function together in close quarters. Hockey nights on TV, late night parties, co-ed washrooms, hygienic differences, extreme music preferences -- residence was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Not always pleasant, hardly ever easy, but interesting.
There's no choice but to become friendly to all different types of characters. Learning to live on my own with an eclectic range of human beings is definitely one of the biggest challenges that I have ever experienced. Selective listening and a simple smile and nod helped me to bite my tongue and make it through situations that I would have rather not been in. There was one good thing: when it came time to go home at Christmas, I appreciated it more than ever I had before.
I say one good thing, but actually there's another one, more important. I was forced to become my own individual being and understand what I believe in as a person. University gives you the opportunity to prove yourself and although temptations are around every corner, you learn how to stand up for yourself and your convictions and standards. I learned better how to deal with different kinds of people, and the limits of my ability to change or even influence what they do. By comparing myself with what sometimes seemed to be almost all the other people in the Residence, I also learned that one of the characteristics most important to me is moderation.
Life can be looked at as a series of doors you pass through, or pass by. Decide when to open them, and when to close them.
Now to University. Of course I knew I was going to have tests in all my courses. But Residence life was definitely a test too. A test of how well my peers and I could function together in close quarters. Hockey nights on TV, late night parties, co-ed washrooms, hygienic differences, extreme music preferences -- residence was one of the most interesting experiences of my life. Not always pleasant, hardly ever easy, but interesting.
There's no choice but to become friendly to all different types of characters. Learning to live on my own with an eclectic range of human beings is definitely one of the biggest challenges that I have ever experienced. Selective listening and a simple smile and nod helped me to bite my tongue and make it through situations that I would have rather not been in. There was one good thing: when it came time to go home at Christmas, I appreciated it more than ever I had before.
I say one good thing, but actually there's another one, more important. I was forced to become my own individual being and understand what I believe in as a person. University gives you the opportunity to prove yourself and although temptations are around every corner, you learn how to stand up for yourself and your convictions and standards. I learned better how to deal with different kinds of people, and the limits of my ability to change or even influence what they do. By comparing myself with what sometimes seemed to be almost all the other people in the Residence, I also learned that one of the characteristics most important to me is moderation.
Life can be looked at as a series of doors you pass through, or pass by. Decide when to open them, and when to close them.
5 Things a University Student Must have
5: Shower shoes -- you never know what other peoples' feet are breeding
4: Speakers -- the bigger the better
3: Earplugs -- for those late night parties
2: Mini fridge -- being able to have your own food in your room, for days when you just can’t handle the caf food
1: Something that reminds you of home -- for those days when you just feel like giving up
4: Speakers -- the bigger the better
3: Earplugs -- for those late night parties
2: Mini fridge -- being able to have your own food in your room, for days when you just can’t handle the caf food
1: Something that reminds you of home -- for those days when you just feel like giving up
Partying
Every university seems to have a night of the week that is the "big night" to go out. This is aside from Friday and Saturday, which are also big nights. You may even find that there are different drink specials at different bars every night of the week that you get invited out for. The key is to choose a few nights to go out to truly enjoy yourself as opposed to partying every night in fear that you might miss out on a great time.
I remember Halloween weekend I had some work to catch up on: readings and essays to write, not to mention a second set of midterms quickly approaching. I had already gone out one night that weekend and had a great time. But my friends insisted that I join them in some festivities again, and I gave in. I woke up late the next day and somewhat regretted going out. I had spent the morning sleeping and didn’t have much energy to get back into homework mode.
There is always fun to be had and there is always work to be done. So I was confronted with similar situations several times throughout the year. My experience taught me that sometimes you have to stay in. You have to start that paper tonight or get uncontrollably far behind. Then, when your friends come around again, you can say yes, go out, enjoy the evening, and end up with a good feeling about what you've done. You've earned a break, taken it, and enjoyed it.
I remember Halloween weekend I had some work to catch up on: readings and essays to write, not to mention a second set of midterms quickly approaching. I had already gone out one night that weekend and had a great time. But my friends insisted that I join them in some festivities again, and I gave in. I woke up late the next day and somewhat regretted going out. I had spent the morning sleeping and didn’t have much energy to get back into homework mode.
There is always fun to be had and there is always work to be done. So I was confronted with similar situations several times throughout the year. My experience taught me that sometimes you have to stay in. You have to start that paper tonight or get uncontrollably far behind. Then, when your friends come around again, you can say yes, go out, enjoy the evening, and end up with a good feeling about what you've done. You've earned a break, taken it, and enjoyed it.
Student Loans
When I headed off to University, all I could think about was all that money sitting in my bank account that had never existed before. I was really lucky because I got almost $7000 in scholarships and bursaries as well as the maximum possible loan. All I could think about was money. I was rich.
Not so fast, though, kid.
The way the loans were handled at my school was that we paid a certain percentage of the school fees in September and the rest in January. So I figured that if I budgeted really well, I’d have tons of money to play with. What I didn’t realize was that no matter how well you think you’ve budgeted your money, you get screwed over in the end.
You see, I didn’t realize that I should be checking my loan account every month or so to make sure they hadn’t changed anything. Because they do. When I returned home in December I was ecstatic to find a letter telling me they had reassessed my mother’s financial situation and that they were giving me $1983 in January. What I took from that letter was that I was getting an extra whooping two grand to spend.
But sadly, no. What they had done was fiddle with some numbers and decided that I didn’t need the $4000 dollars that they said I would get in January. Apparently, I only needed half that. The $1983 was instead of the $4000, not in addition to it. So when I got back to school and dropped a grand to hold my apartment for the summer, I knew nothing of the $1500 that I still owed the school after the remaining loan was handed over to them.
Thank god for VISA. And for Mum.
Not so fast, though, kid.
The way the loans were handled at my school was that we paid a certain percentage of the school fees in September and the rest in January. So I figured that if I budgeted really well, I’d have tons of money to play with. What I didn’t realize was that no matter how well you think you’ve budgeted your money, you get screwed over in the end.
You see, I didn’t realize that I should be checking my loan account every month or so to make sure they hadn’t changed anything. Because they do. When I returned home in December I was ecstatic to find a letter telling me they had reassessed my mother’s financial situation and that they were giving me $1983 in January. What I took from that letter was that I was getting an extra whooping two grand to spend.
But sadly, no. What they had done was fiddle with some numbers and decided that I didn’t need the $4000 dollars that they said I would get in January. Apparently, I only needed half that. The $1983 was instead of the $4000, not in addition to it. So when I got back to school and dropped a grand to hold my apartment for the summer, I knew nothing of the $1500 that I still owed the school after the remaining loan was handed over to them.
Thank god for VISA. And for Mum.
Textbooks: To Buy of Not To Buy
Textbooks are so expensive. However, there are ways to get around their high costs if you’re patient and resourceful. Look first for used texts, of course. There's a better chance of finding one if you begin early. But wait! Read on.
As a general rule, I never buy any books until I have sat through at least one lecture. Only then is it possible to get the true sense of what the profs expect in terms of readings, and if they felt that the textbook was truly a necessity. For example, if all or most of the information is presented in lecture and on the slides, and the textbook is simply for clarification, I would suggest not making the purchase. Often, profs will put at least one copy “on reserve” at the library. Here, you can sign the text out for a couple of hours at a time.
It's also possible to share texts. My first point, waiting until after the first lecture is also a good idea because you can see if you know anyone in your class who you might be able share books with. I've never done it myself, but it would be possible to organize a group of three or four people at the end of the lecture to share a book.
Sometimes, though, you should buy the textbook. Even at the ludicrous price they charge for them. For instance, if you are a biology major like me, a first year bio text will always be relevant and serves as a good tool to refresh the basics. Also, if you do your research, you may get lucky and be able to use a text multiple times. I purchased a biochemistry text which ended up being a required text for four additional courses!
Happy hunting.
As a general rule, I never buy any books until I have sat through at least one lecture. Only then is it possible to get the true sense of what the profs expect in terms of readings, and if they felt that the textbook was truly a necessity. For example, if all or most of the information is presented in lecture and on the slides, and the textbook is simply for clarification, I would suggest not making the purchase. Often, profs will put at least one copy “on reserve” at the library. Here, you can sign the text out for a couple of hours at a time.
It's also possible to share texts. My first point, waiting until after the first lecture is also a good idea because you can see if you know anyone in your class who you might be able share books with. I've never done it myself, but it would be possible to organize a group of three or four people at the end of the lecture to share a book.
Sometimes, though, you should buy the textbook. Even at the ludicrous price they charge for them. For instance, if you are a biology major like me, a first year bio text will always be relevant and serves as a good tool to refresh the basics. Also, if you do your research, you may get lucky and be able to use a text multiple times. I purchased a biochemistry text which ended up being a required text for four additional courses!
Happy hunting.
Revenge is Best Served Cold
I’ve learned that people either stand out in class, mostly because they are supremely irritating, or they simply fade into the masses that first year lectures are made up of. There was a particular male from first year “killer” chem that my friends and I remember very distinctly. He was the biggest suck up/know-it-all of all time. No modesty here! He was one of those who always sat front row centre, had no social skills, and inevitably had his hand up to answer every question posed by the prof.
Around the middle of the semester, we received our midterm marks. The average was rather low, but the prof mentioned that a few people in the class were awarded marks of 100%. My friend turns to me, gestures at "Mr. Chemistry" and says “you know that face that babies make when they crap their pants?” I look over and there he is with the goofiest grin on his face. As if we couldn't have guessed who got the perfect mark?
Well, in second year, I took Analytic Chemistry (fondly referred to as Anal Chem). This class was super intense and the majority of our final marks were determined from the precision of our laboratory work. During one particular lab, we were carrying out titrations. Since accuracy in measuring titrations depends on detection of subtle colour changes, “Mr. Chemistry” let his colour-blindness affliction be known. The TA simply told him to ask for help from some fellow classmates.
Oh we helped all right. Helped the titration go way past the correct volume for the end-point. Experiment ruined. Oh well, begin again.
Around the middle of the semester, we received our midterm marks. The average was rather low, but the prof mentioned that a few people in the class were awarded marks of 100%. My friend turns to me, gestures at "Mr. Chemistry" and says “you know that face that babies make when they crap their pants?” I look over and there he is with the goofiest grin on his face. As if we couldn't have guessed who got the perfect mark?
Well, in second year, I took Analytic Chemistry (fondly referred to as Anal Chem). This class was super intense and the majority of our final marks were determined from the precision of our laboratory work. During one particular lab, we were carrying out titrations. Since accuracy in measuring titrations depends on detection of subtle colour changes, “Mr. Chemistry” let his colour-blindness affliction be known. The TA simply told him to ask for help from some fellow classmates.
Oh we helped all right. Helped the titration go way past the correct volume for the end-point. Experiment ruined. Oh well, begin again.
Choosing Courses
I made this mistake once and never again. Don’t do it. I mean do not choose courses based on their title alone!
I am in science and had to take a number of arts electives. I thought that “Couple and Family Relationships” would be an interesting course. Boy was I wrong. It was deadly boring; going to that class was more painful than having teeth pulled.
I quickly learned to do my research before picking a course which consisted of either bugging profs for syllabi or asking others who had taken the course beforehand. This gave me a much better idea of the content of the course, how hard it would be, and what was expected assignment-wise.
And, most important of all, if it was any good.
I am in science and had to take a number of arts electives. I thought that “Couple and Family Relationships” would be an interesting course. Boy was I wrong. It was deadly boring; going to that class was more painful than having teeth pulled.
I quickly learned to do my research before picking a course which consisted of either bugging profs for syllabi or asking others who had taken the course beforehand. This gave me a much better idea of the content of the course, how hard it would be, and what was expected assignment-wise.
And, most important of all, if it was any good.
Placements
When you attend College or University there are many programs that offer placement opportunities: co-op programs, summer placements, and so on. It all depends on the program and the university.
I had the chance to participate in two placements, and they were amazing learning opportunities for me. The problem with attending a conventional post-secondary program is that you get the education, and then when you go for an interview after you graduate, you don’t have the experience. With a placement you can get both
I had friends who never thought of where they wanted to work when they finished school. When they picked their placements they didn’t give it much thought; they just wanted something easy. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I would like to work when I finished school, and did placements that were within my top two choices. I figured it would give me the edge for when I went to get a job. During my last semester, I did my second placement and was hired by my current employer immediately afterwards for a contract position. I was stunned, amazed, delighted. There's even a good chance of my contract being renewed or the position becoming permanent.
Two friends of mine took courses where there were no co-op placements available but achieved the same result in a different way. They were in Social Service programs and both applied for positions in summer camp programs, one for children, the other for disadvantaged and challenged older kids. Their leg up was the prof, who wrote letters of recommendation for them, which both my friends deserved big time. So now, when they finish and the time comes to apply for a permanent job, they'll have good experience and another recommendation: one from an employer to add to the prof's. Only trouble was that they made minimum wage all summer, so both were even more short of money than they could have been. Well, for the one person, it didn't really matter because her parents are well off. But for the other, she's putting herself through school with work and loans; she gave up the high-paying road-crew job she'd had in previous summers, and then the loan people harassed her for doing that and reduced her loan. She'll survive, though, and will be in a much better position to apply for a job in the field when she graduates.
So if you do have the chance to do a placement, pick something related to where you might want to work afterwards. That way you are getting the experience to add to your education. Also, if there are no opportunities for placement at your school, try working or even volunteering for a related organization that interests you; this will give you experience that may set you apart from others when you start searching for a job.
I had the chance to participate in two placements, and they were amazing learning opportunities for me. The problem with attending a conventional post-secondary program is that you get the education, and then when you go for an interview after you graduate, you don’t have the experience. With a placement you can get both
I had friends who never thought of where they wanted to work when they finished school. When they picked their placements they didn’t give it much thought; they just wanted something easy. I spent a lot of time thinking about where I would like to work when I finished school, and did placements that were within my top two choices. I figured it would give me the edge for when I went to get a job. During my last semester, I did my second placement and was hired by my current employer immediately afterwards for a contract position. I was stunned, amazed, delighted. There's even a good chance of my contract being renewed or the position becoming permanent.
Two friends of mine took courses where there were no co-op placements available but achieved the same result in a different way. They were in Social Service programs and both applied for positions in summer camp programs, one for children, the other for disadvantaged and challenged older kids. Their leg up was the prof, who wrote letters of recommendation for them, which both my friends deserved big time. So now, when they finish and the time comes to apply for a permanent job, they'll have good experience and another recommendation: one from an employer to add to the prof's. Only trouble was that they made minimum wage all summer, so both were even more short of money than they could have been. Well, for the one person, it didn't really matter because her parents are well off. But for the other, she's putting herself through school with work and loans; she gave up the high-paying road-crew job she'd had in previous summers, and then the loan people harassed her for doing that and reduced her loan. She'll survive, though, and will be in a much better position to apply for a job in the field when she graduates.
So if you do have the chance to do a placement, pick something related to where you might want to work afterwards. That way you are getting the experience to add to your education. Also, if there are no opportunities for placement at your school, try working or even volunteering for a related organization that interests you; this will give you experience that may set you apart from others when you start searching for a job.
Prioritizing
I'm currently taking 5 classes which makes up15 credits; all 5 of these classes are for my major - public relations/journalism - and 4 of the 5 classes are writing intensive courses. On top of this I am the President of The Inter-Greek Council, the PR Director of a major club at our school, on Student Senate, a sister of Phi Sigma Sigma and a dj for our school radio station. So for me, there is no alternative to a fairly rigorous and unyielding prioritization regime.
There are days when I have to prepare for three tests, and I also have a paper due. Then two days before, we have a quiz sprung onto us in another class. Of course, part of the answer is to have had the paper already written the previous month, and half the test-prep done over the weekend. But last month was completely spoken for, and so was last weekend. Major overload is bound to occur.
Here's a typical example: I was pressed for time and had to make the decision of which test to study for. I had important tests in mass communication and in math. I chose to study for mass comm because it is a class for my major, and math is not. If I had studied for both tests, it would have been too hard to retain the information and I would have gotten a bad grade for both classes. So I had to choose which to focus on.
This kind of thing happens a lot. As a college student, you must make the choice of what is most important. Accept that something has to give, decide what it is, and be ruthless. Do what you decided to do, ignore what you decided not to do, and move on.
There are days when I have to prepare for three tests, and I also have a paper due. Then two days before, we have a quiz sprung onto us in another class. Of course, part of the answer is to have had the paper already written the previous month, and half the test-prep done over the weekend. But last month was completely spoken for, and so was last weekend. Major overload is bound to occur.
Here's a typical example: I was pressed for time and had to make the decision of which test to study for. I had important tests in mass communication and in math. I chose to study for mass comm because it is a class for my major, and math is not. If I had studied for both tests, it would have been too hard to retain the information and I would have gotten a bad grade for both classes. So I had to choose which to focus on.
This kind of thing happens a lot. As a college student, you must make the choice of what is most important. Accept that something has to give, decide what it is, and be ruthless. Do what you decided to do, ignore what you decided not to do, and move on.
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