any advise to a freshman

[valeriek]

Hi, I will be entering my first year into U of T business program, can you give me any advise for my first year?

[Curium]

Not specifically for UofT, but advice I wish I had gotten before I started university:

1) GO TO CLASS. There will probably be a bunch of classes where you think you don't need to go to class because the prof teaches straight out of the text book, or you can get lecture slides online, blah blah blah. In many cases you can probably get the same mark not going to class as you can going, but a lot of the time this won't be true. Go to class as often as you can. You'll get way more out of the class and it's never a bad idea to get to know a prof.

2) Get involved. If you're living in residence, participate in orientation as much as you can. Do stuff early and often. The more people you meet and build relationships with, the better off you'll be for help with school, people to talk to about anything, whatever else. It's important to have friends in university.

3) Keep up. You can't afford to get behind in all your classes. On Mondays make a checklist of readings you have to do, assignments you have to finish and exams coming up. Get all of it done before Friday and your weekends will be a lot less stressful and your marks will reflect how organized you are.

I don't go to U of T so I can't give you any more specific advice, but this stuff is true. Take it for what it's worth.

[steevee]

Spelling counts in business!

[EARTHY]

Not specifically for UofT, but advice I wish I had gotten before I started university:

1) GO TO CLASS. There will probably be a bunch of classes where you think you don't need to go to class because the prof teaches straight out of the text book, or you can get lecture slides online, blah blah blah. In many cases you can probably get the same mark not going to class as you can going, but a lot of the time this won't be true. Go to class as often as you can. You'll get way more out of the class and it's never a bad idea to get to know a prof.

2) Get involved. If you're living in residence, participate in orientation as much as you can. Do stuff early and often. The more people you meet and build relationships with, the better off you'll be for help with school, people to talk to about anything, whatever else. It's important to have friends in university.

3) Keep up. You can't afford to get behind in all your classes. On Mondays make a checklist of readings you have to do, assignments you have to finish and exams coming up. Get all of it done before Friday and your weekends will be a lot less stressful and your marks will reflect how organized you are.

I don't go to U of T so I can't give you any more specific advice, but this stuff is true. Take it for what it's worth.

It's important to have friends in university.

How come?
What's wrong with going to class and going home?

[valeriek]

ok, how much time do you spend studying each day?

[Error916]

How come?
What's wrong with going to class and going home?

A big part of success in University if you want to have any value is networking with people. Not just anyone, but people with "worth" (lol).

[Iterator]

Always go to the professors' office hours for help. Speak to TA's. They are there to help!

Trust me, this is really beneficial. I have heard from many first year students that they do not do either because "they fear that the professor will fail them if they do not know the material". They will NOT fail you for asking questions during their office hours. They WILL fail you if you do not know the material by the final exam.

I've gone to professor's office hours many times. Even during unscheduled hours. Its helpful. It also shows them you are learning and are dedicated to the course.

If you want to go to graduate school, knowing your professors will help in getting you references.

Now what I am about to say probably isn't the best thing to say, but it may help you in passing the course. If the prof knows you and knows how hard you work it may mean a difference between an 84 and 85, 49 and 50.

For me, I needed 40% on CSC165 final exam to pass, I got 36%, but the prof passed me anyways since I always went to office hours and he knew how hard I tried.

That is probably not a good thing to tell you, but trust me, they are there to help. Don't be afraid of them, unless you get Friedlander for any Math course, stay away from him.

[Phlegmbot]

ok, how much time do you spend studying each day?

as much as you need to so that you feel comfortable with the material.

Also, you seem to be a girl. Don't get date raped. Find the nice guys, and bang them (or, I guess, get banged). Just don't forget to have fun.

[EARTHY]

A big part of success in University if you want to have any value is networking with people. Not just anyone, but people with "worth" (lol).

You mean for finding jobs afterward or for in school success?

[Iterator]

You mean for finding jobs afterward or for in school success?

Probably both, its good to form study groups so you can share ideas.

[valeriek]

do you know how much a person with really good grades studies per week?

[Phlegmbot]

do you know how much a person with really good grades studies per week?

This really isn't a good question.

I had really good grades, and I worked very hard to get them. I studied maybe 60 hours a week (seriously). Some of my classmates had very good grades (better than me) and studied maybe 10 hours a week.

Everyone is different. Just figure out what works for you.

[RiCHC3]

From what I've seen, time management is key.

I was never one to use a planner / calendar, I just showed up. However, sometimes you don't think about projects / tests until you have about a week (or less) to prepare for it. That combined with multiple classes can lead to serious "crunch" times that'll drive you nuts and generally result in a weaker performance on each task.

Case and point: My infamous 4 term papers in 4 days... one semester.
(ironically as I mention this I have a paper I should be doing due tomorrow.... guess I haven't learned my lesson, yet.)

[valeriek]

what is the most important thing you learned in your 1st year?

[UWO Engineer]

what is the most important thing you learned in your 1st year?

How to balence your schedule. If you have 5 classes, you might need to go to 1 or 2, and during scheduled class hours that you dont attend you can find the best allocation of your time. (i.e. sleep, gym, sports or studying for another course, etc).

I had 7 courses first year and only went to one class (calculus for engineers) regularly. I found that sleeping and studying during the class hours I missed lead to the best results.

Obviously, everyone is different and I'm not telling you follow what I did...what I am telling you is find out what works best for you, in terms of time management/class participation, and run with it. This is the single most important thing I learned.

Also...instructors solutions manuels...get as many as you can! They are invaluable and will allow you to sift threw a lot more questions then you regularly would be able to digest in a given study period.