Review Sessions Anyone?
Make the most of a review session by paying attention, asking questions, and paying attention to hints. Image courtesy of xkcd, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.5.
Quickie: Making the Most of Extra Time on an Exam
Don't forget these things at the end of the term! Image courtesy of Flickr user cocoachuchu.etsy.com, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.
7 Types of Exam Markers
Learn how to differentiate between the types of exam graders to get better marks! Image courtesy of Flickr user PNAS, licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Apr 12
13
Review Sessions Anyone?
Review sessions from profs or TAs are useful for revisiting tough topics, obtaining answers to difficult questions, getting a feel for what the profs or TAs consider important, and gauging how well you’re prepping for a particular exam. So you’d think that everyone would attend and pay attention at these sessions… right?
Nope. Yes, lots of people come to review sessions, but then spend the entire time on Facebook, twitter, or 9gag. Others don’t look at the board or take any notes, and some don’t even come with a pencil or pen! If you’re one of those people, you might be thinking “oh, but I’m still there and listening, so it’s all good”.
Posted in Beyond First Year featured First Year Learning by .
One question I get a lot goes something like this:
I finish an exam with 5 or 10 minutes left. I’m really tired and don’t have the energy or time to check the entire thing over, so what could I do in these few minutes?
Before you get to this stage, on your first run through the questions, annotate your exam. Put these symbols besides each question.
-: for questions you have no idea how to do.
+: for questions you aren’t sure about or that are tricky.
nothing: for questions you are fairly confident about.
Posted in Beyond First Year featured First Year Quickies Reader Input by .
Mar 12
28
End of Term Reminders
Ahhh! It’s almost April! It’s hard to believe with the crappy weather, but as year comes to a close, here are some things to keep in mind as you head into the (very stressful) exam period:
- Quadruple check your exam schedule. Be paranoid. A couple of years ago, I had a biology exam on a Tuesday. But for some strange reason, I thought it was on Wednesday. Luckily, I was being paranoid and checked the schedule on Monday night. If I hadn’t, I would have missed my exam. So yeah… check the schedule (multiple times), just in case.
- Don’t forget any last minute assignments. It’s easy to get caught up in the parties and the fun stuff right now, but don’t forget those last minute homework assignments, reports, or papers that are usually worth a good chunk of marks.
Posted in Beyond First Year First Year Health + Wellness Learning by .
Mar 12
22
7 Types of Exam Markers
I recently messed up a biochem exam. During the exam viewing session, I was appalled at how many marks I lost because of silly mistakes. This exam was marked based almost strictly on the final answer for each question. It didn’t matter that I got the process and 90% of question right – one silly mistake would throw off my final answer and blow the entire question. This experience reminded me about how important it is to take the marking of a question into consideration when formulating my answer.
It’s important to know how a grader grades the exam so that you can best display what you know. For example, you wouldn’t bother writing down all your thought process in the neatest hand possible for a multiple choice exam, would you?
Posted in Beyond First Year featured First Year Getting Oriented by .
Mar 12
10
Quickie: The Toilet List
Shit happens. Ever bombed or missed an exam? Failed a course? Left your assignment at home? Got dumped? Got rejected for a job? Missed course registration? Waited five hours in the rain for your favourite band, only to have them cancel at the last minute?
Yeah.
And it’s not just the big stuff either. If the weather is terrible, you have a tiny cold, and you meet a nasty person at volunteering or on the job, the day can feel pretty crappy.
I was having a string of bad days, and after wallowing for a bit (though thankfully not as dramatically as these Adele fans on Saturday Night Live), I decided to create a Toilet List (TL).
What is the TL?
… I’m not sure what electives to take. There are lots of different requirements, I don’t know what I like, and I don’t know what to take…
Every degree requires taking certain electives. Be they credits from a different faculty, English or other language requirements, or breadth requirements in your faculty, electives are an important part of your undergraduate degree. However, if you’re overwhelmed by the choices, don’t know what you’re interested in, and/or can’t decide what to take, this guide might help you.
Posted in Beyond First Year Degrees + Careers First Year Reader Input by .
Getting up in the morning is hard, especially if you make an effort to get up early every day. It’s so tempting to just disable the alarm and go back to sleep. On most days, the worst that can happen is you miss your bus, a class, or a meeting with friends. On other days, for example if you have a midterm, presentation, or interview, going back to bed can have disastrous results. Being somewhat paranoid about oversleeping, I developed a simple brain hack…
A few years ago, I set the intro to my favourite song as my ringtone. It was unique, so I never confused my phone anyone else’s. Unfortunately overtime, I developed an almost Pavlovian response to that song. If I have my iPod on shuffle and the song comes on, I will automatically reach for my phone. Even when I realize it’s my music player, I still double check my phone anyway. *Doh.*
Posted in Beyond First Year First Year Health + Wellness Quickies by .
Feb 12
15
What to bring to an exam
Image "Exam Hall" courtesy of Flickr user non-partizan (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
It was my last exam. Another 2.5 hours and I would be free. FREE. The exam was multiple choice with a Scantron sheet. Sitting down at my desk, I whipped out my Ziplock bag pencil case, rifled through it, and had an “oh crap!” moment. I had forgotten to bring a pencil. *head desk* much? Luckily, someone sitting near me loaned me a pencil and it all worked out. However, this situation was especially ironic because I had written extensively about bringing the necessary tools to each exam! As well, I almost didn’t get in to this course because I wasn’t paying attention to the prereqs. Doh!
Posted in Beyond First Year First Year Templates + Examples by .
Jan 12
25
How to Properly Use a Textbook
Image "Studious Andrea" courtesy of Flickr user Robert Wallace (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0)
Student: I failed my midterm(s).
Me: I’m sorry to hear that. Why do you think you failed?
Student: I don’t know! I’ve been studying really hard.
Me: So how do you study?
Student: Well, I read the textbook…
On a good day, I inwardly sigh. On a bad day, I want to *headdesk* and *ragequit* (yes, I just said ragequit). Why? Because reading the textbook is NOT a study technique!
Why not? Because deliberate practice is the best way of understanding or getting good at something. Deliberate practice is:
1. Studying with focus and without distraction…
2. With a goal in mind…
3. While being challenged by the contents (of what you’re studying)…
4. And using feedback to make adjustments in approach…
(repeat)
Posted in Beyond First Year featured First Year Getting Oriented Learning by .
Jan 12
17
Quickie: Tick Tock Goes the Clock
“Quickies” is a new column on SotN for short or niche tips. These topics are interesting or important enough to warrant their own post, but are too short for a full length one. If you have a “quickie” you’d like to share, contact us! Enjoy!
I get up at 7:30 am every morning. On Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays, this is reasonable as I have class at eight. However, I get up at this time on Tuesday and Thursdays even though I don’t have class until 11 am.
This is not a post about my strange sleeping habits (and how to annoy a roommate). Rather, it’s about knowing oneself. I know two things about my productivity:
Posted in Beyond First Year First Year Health + Wellness Learning Quickies by .
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