Hi All,
How are you guys doing? Hope doing well
I have not been participating in this forum for an ages. The university workload seem to much to handle. The lecture appear to ignore the fact that as a student, we do need to attend other subjects as well. This system is completely difference from my former College in Malaysia, where we only need to spent less than 10 hours per week to catch up with class. In Indonesia, we also have a ease system, where you only need to put effort for final exam only. Not much assignment and project.
How is/was your study life? Do you have a time to hang out and drink with your buddies? Do you have a time to chase or attract the a girl?
Are you doing in a joint programme BE? If you are, than I think it is only natural to have less hours to do in our first/second year.
And I think it varies a lot on courses. My seniour who was doing Economy has to attend 2 or 3 classes per week, so were the other art stream kids. I used to envy her because I have to attend classes from 8:40 a.m. to 5:50p.m. Among engineering departments, mechanical students have to cram in the most, because our course is the toughest one. Worse, every week, for drafting tutorial, my professor made me stay until as long as possible until I get the drawings right. Because I learnt everyhting in Japanese, I had to work 5 times harder than other students. The first year and the first semester in second year were honeymoon years for many but I don’t think I had a social life.
The cruelest part is the exams, the system in Japan really pushed you to perform. When we were lucky, we get to finish the exams in two weeks, but most of the time, our semester evaluations were done within a week.
And the only time we get to party and go crazy until up in the morning was after the exams. For some reason I didn’t enjoy it but I kinda understand the circle. In a way, they were celebrating on how hard they have worked.
I remembered I was the busiest when I was in the second semester in the third year where I had to take 15 subjects with 13 heavy subjects and other 2 stupid subjects. I remember one of them is about “What is University?” At the time I really hated the system that made me take such subject. Like I had nothing better to do, I thought.
Now, I think the system is created to really push you to your limit and to prove that man is capable of doing anything.
So, I think it’s better to think this that way. In the end, it was all WORTH it!
In college (Wisconsin – undergraduate) I did not study nearly as much as I should have, and when I did study my habits were terrible: I crammed a lot. Cramming is when you start studying a day or two before the exam after not having studied at all (or very little) before cramming.
I spent more time partying at Wisconsin than I did studying, and while my considerable powers of recall and a grand ability to B.S. on bluebook exams (hehe) allowed me to keep around a B average, I did not maximize my education. I sort of feel like I let myself down a little bit.
I did study much more for my MBA coursework, and as a result had about a 3.7 GPA – and no C’s!
hehe
If I ever have children who go off to college, I will give them the following advice:
- Go to class
- Go to discussions/labs
- Actually do read the assigned text
- Take good notes in classes/discussions/labs
- Go over your notes/text each week night – at least spend half an hour on each subject, maybe 2-2.5 hrs total.
- Begin working on assignments/papers well before they’re due
- Save your partying for the weekend
Call it the Seven-Step Program For Collegiate Success. hehe
Good advice, Tom.
On studying methods, I also find studying before the subject is discussed helps a lot. You’ll remember things easier. And oh yes, keep a good rapport with the professors.