Advice for first years

[Imran]

Many new brother's and sister's will be coming to uni at the beginning of next year for the first time-for many it will be a giant step into the unknown(I was one of the few people to come here from my school all my friends went to NSW).

So for starters things u should do

Spend time at university before it starts, walk around get to know the buildings. Sydney Uni is larger than most schools and this is strongly recommended
Join SUMSA(lol sorry had to endorse)
Learn in advance the textbooks and notes u may need-first years often rush into buy textbooks and they buy it expensive, brand new and they don't use it much. Think of what type of a learner u are-lecture or independent(in this case textbook is good)
Join society's but ease into it-don't jump into 20 different society's only to kill ur uni aspirations-have a balance between ur social life and uni-don't go down the wrong road
more to come later..........

[Imran]

Have an aim and goal to work with when u come to uni-u do not wish to be aimlessly floating about-be proactive and not a burden to ur parents. certainly some poeple will work and have to work so plan and manage ur time-what lectures can u attend, what lectures must u attend. It depends because some lectures have the recordings put up(a thing called lectopia where the image of the slide being discussed and an audio recording of the lecturer being available). If the lecturer walks around lectopia will not work-these may be lecturers u have to go to.

If u have 8am lectures weigh up the options-would atending one lecture mean u are tired for the rest? In that case skip that lecture so u are fresh throughout uni

How far do u travel? U can use that travel time proactively, often by studying or sleeping

[Imran]

balance out ur time-often when u come back home it is not a good idea to start studying-just lay back and relax a bit. But studying on the train will prevent any time lost. A long day at uni can also be counteracted by a good sleep leaving u fresh enough to get to work when u get home

Some people prefer weekends over weekdays-but make a plan and stick to it-u do not know when u might get sick or whether ur cram session during stuvac will be enough-but it all depends on what subjects u do

Get in touch with seniors at the musallah doing ur degree-u can ask them questions, what issues u need help with, how to go about preparing for exams for certain lecturers etc. The people at the musallah should be pretty helpful, that's my experience anyway.

[Khanji]

Great stuff Imran. We'll try and get this stuff documented and given out to first years during Oweek.

[subhi]

many kudos to imran :D

[Imran]

alhamdulillah you guys(SUMSA members esp Shura) have been doing a lot of great stuff and there are many aspects I'm falling short-inshallah if we work with each of our different outlooks we can get something done and break away from monotony

Other things to keep in mind
1) We could make a list of available brothers or sisters that can be contacted regarding degrees etc-almost like a mentorship program kind of thing
2) To the first years-when u are told to buy lecture notes or prac notes (esp for science) u will probably have to go to Kopystop(maths lec notes) or Copystore which is next to Co-op(if i got the names mixed up correct me). At copystore u are likely to find lines the length of the great wall of china so I'd advise get there early(really early) or buy the notes as late as u can.
3) U may be able to buy math lecture notes prior to lectures beginning-especially for second semester-this would give u a 1 week or more head start over most people who wait for the lecturer to announce the lecture notes are available.
4)Kopystop is off campus in case u didn't know-have to walk past victoria park through Mount street or something-it's next to a cafe-before u settle at uni walk around and see where u can get what
5)Halal food-a question asked by new people, uni bros in the wentworth building(with the footbridge under which bus stops are) serves halal food. Plus SUMSA BBQs etc

[Imran]

Practicals-
U need lab coats for certain subjects such as chem but for the others u don't really need it(may need it for some human bio sessions)
Lab coats can be found pretty cheap at certain places-if someone with experience could put up the prices-I bought mine from the medsoc bookshop in the blackburn building as science, med or medsci students receive discount there. The newsagent is accessible but may be expensive

What if it's ur first day and u don't have a lab coat or u forgot to bring ur lab coat? U can buy disposable lab coats from the newsagents for much cheaper-stops u buying a brand new 20+ dollar lab coat.

Goggles can be bought from the chem building(back in my days anyhow)

Turn up to labs early and get optimum seats-nothing is worse than turning up laet and the seats are taken-plus arriving early gives u time to talk to people in ur lab and it'll help u relax. Same thing goes for tutes

[Imran]

if u get assignments start them straight away-it'll leave u more time to study later-often study late during semester sticks in ur mind better and it helps if u don't have assignments piled onto u-assignments will take a long time

[Imran]

Print out ur lecture notes before lectures-it seems obvious but I knew some first years that didn't do this-the notes u take at the lecture should complement what the lecturer has provided on their notes

For labs u'll always need covered shoes-keep this in mind, there are so many people that turn up in sandals etc

Tutorials for subjects like phys, chem maths all vary-u have to prepare for them diferently. The most useful are the math tutes-sometimes u may want to do questions outside of tute questions and ask the tutor-this is an ideal opportunity to get help or learn new methods of solving problems

Chem tutes are not as good, the tutors not as proficient and the worked answers are usually sufficient

Study strongly at the end of each week and do a few questions-this will help u get prepared for quizzes-people often underestimate the importance of quizzes which are small in weifght however they add up to a substantial amount and can affect ur rank hence ur grade quite easily. U'll feel better going into a final exam with decent marks-if u leave to much to catch up with in the exams the pressure can get to u and u can end up underperforming

[Imran]

First year is perhaps the year people stuff up the most as it is a new type of environment coming from the HSC. People also tend to become too relaxed and bask in their UAI or ATAR glory. Remember ur up against people of similar or better ATAR than u and it is not ur classroom anymore-u have to step up. You also have to remember passes don't reallly make convincing degrees (unless ur self employed).

[subhi]

i actually needed to hear this advice :) and im starting 3rd year nxt year inshallah lol!!

You must do all this yourself, right? i certainly hope you do, for surely it would make u the best uni student! Mashallah bro.

Also, one piece of tiny advice i can add is, consistency is REALLY important. Set urself up with something you can do on a regular basis, work with yourself and be your own cheer-squad. Its you that will be tackling all the work. Just you and your mind, so become friends with it :D hehe

[Khanji]

Just you and your mind, so become friends with it :D hehe

lol subhi.

[subhi]

Ahahaha okay okay, i'll add a disclaimer...i DONT advocate schizophrenia, nor multiple personality disorders!! xD

[Imran]

I might also add that good company is vital-hang around with a group of people that have godd morals and academically orriented-u don't want to pick the wrong group and just waste time-it is very easy to become lazy at uni and quickly fall behind-there is no spoon feeding at uni btw as ur teachers won't be here and no truancy notes etc home cos u didn't attend lectures, tutes or pracs

Getting to know the right people is important as when u are doing group assignments etc u don't want to be stuck with a dodgy group and then stuff up-u also don't want to end up in a group where u have to do all the work. It works the other way too, as a muslim u should not let ur group members down-u can't stuff them up

[Imran]

I think u have to mentally push urself-admit ur mistakes rather than making excuses for them so u can improve next time. After first year u start to get the hang of everything more easily

[Imran]

i actually needed to hear this advice :) and im starting 3rd year nxt year inshallah lol!!

You must do all this yourself, right? i certainly hope you do, for surely it would make u the best uni student! Mashallah bro.

Also, one piece of tiny advice i can add is, consistency is REALLY important. Set urself up with something you can do on a regular basis, work with yourself and be your own cheer-squad. Its you that will be tackling all the work. Just you and your mind, so become friends with it :D hehe

Lol some people learn from others and their own mistakes-I think I follow these but to what standard I don't know-these were the ideals with which I entered uni though- I don't think I'm exactly the best uni student-and to be honest I don't think there really isn't anything as the best, there is someone who may become really good only for someone to overtake them and it happens always. Plus there are brothers and sisters at uni who I think are much better than me in the eyes of allah which is what counts. U have to remember this isn't all about u, u have responsibility in the future in terms of looking after ur parents, setting an example for ur siblings and remmebering the sacrifice ur parents have made on the road to u getting to where u are.

I think one's parents would be quite disappointed if after trying to provide for u so everything was the best for ur education, u just rock up to uni do what u like and think yeah this is my rights, i'm over 16 i can do what i want-such an attitude I amount to extreme stupidity ( some other words are available but shouldn't be used lol). Plus other excuses turn up-"Oh but my social life.." "but I gotta relax..", this that. Did ur parents think-"Oh I gotta relax, I can feed the kid later" or "Oh I gotta spend more time on social events so I can't go to my job, my kid can just get stuffed". Islam takes into consideration the needs of the community and people should act considering the community-not what they want to do-if that was the case everywhere and indeed in life u'd have anarchy

[subhi]

Thanks imran, you really touched on many important points that people tend to glaze over. Working for the future and community is a very wise way to live our lives. In one of Dr Abdullah Hakim Quick's lectures he mentions a cultural group of people that always considered the effects of their decisions THREE GENERATIONS into the future!

What i meant in my previous post is that if we all followed this advice of yours to the T then we would all be better uni students. I agree with pretty much everything you said.


P.S. The pic in your signature, too cute!

[Imran]

thanx for the complimetns and make du'a so i can act on what I say-i don't want to become a hypocrite. I'm not exactly the best person but i have to be critical for me to improve-this advice goes for me more than anyone else but I put it in the first year section so they are aware of pitfalls before falling into them.

Lol noone could read the leunig cartoon so I got this instead-everyone's a cabbage patch kid at some stage in their lives I guess

[Imran]

Dissection kits may also be listed as required-the truth is for human bio pracs u only need one or two people in ur group to have dissection kits(that was the case for us) and there really isn't much dissection u get to do

And another random tip from experience, don't fill up sheep lungs or hearts with alcohol and light the heart as I know some people who did and almost were kicked out of the lab

[Imran]

Some subjects may have their individual forums in which previous year's students may upload their notes-have a look at these and go ahead if u can. I can't comment on all the faculties-if someone doing architecture etc or other subjects that have a different structure could contribute here that would be great.

It's important that u familiarise urself with the exam questions as u go along-for the phys tutes it's important u know how to do the questions as often the exam questions are based on those tute questions-chem tute q are actiual past paper questions.

But going through past paper q(u don't have to be doing past papers in the first week lol) as u learn thru semester will increase ur confidence and allow u to assess any weaknesses u may have-that way u can ask questions, search stuff out before it's too late in stuvac

[Imran]

For the first years I would also advice using some time in these holidays to familarise urself with some first semester subjects and start studying(just skim reading without the presure)-this will inshallah help u overcome the lag phase people may have when getting used to uni-after the HSC the massive holidays can make one lazy and that can really affect how u pick things up and progress during semester-too many people take too long to start up rigorous study again and end up leaving it too late within the semester-keep ur brain active without stressing it out and it'll help u get into the flow of things(this applies to 2, 3 4 or 5th etc years as well i guess).

U can easily get the extbooks etc from fisher and have a look tho=rough them-don't buy them just yet-plus the topics are pretty clearly illustrated and most are covered in the syllabi at usyd(u can get the syllabi from the faculty web pages)

[Imran]

For some general advice on studying for individual subjects
1)Maths-the usual tips that u get during HSC or any other examination, go ahead if u can, do exam q as u go and make sure u can finish exam and quiz questions with at least 10-15 minutes to spare-this acts as a buffer just in case u get a mind blank or make a mistake which u have to correct
-some people do study just before the exam, it may have worked for them but in my opinion u should be ready a few days before and u should not be looking at notes etc or indeed maths just before a quiz or an exam(unless u have to memorise proofs etc see the real and complex analysis thread).
-Don't dwell on a question-at usyd the maths qs are long and suficient enough that in the set time u can still get decent marks without actually completed all the questions(not for quizzes tho). DO the qs u think u can do-use ur reading time wisely-plan during this period see if u can do the method of solving the q in ur head.
-Practise at home in great amounts-just simply knowing ur stuff isn't good enough, u must be able to do it without having to think too hard as in trying to remmeber formulae etc. it should come to u straight away-u can also look at the first year math threads, I might put up a stats on soon but that was 2nd sem so it's alright
-make sure u understand the prrofs and how each theorem is applied to it-the harder questions will most likely be prove questions-btw at uni u have varying levels of maths. For actual purely maths subjects not just maths within another degree u will be required minimum assumed 4u knowledge to do well
-Speed and writing and thinking quickly is vital, if u get an idea or solution, jot it down quickly, don't wirte it slowly or lazily as that will ultimately disturb ur flow of thought and caus eu to forget stuff
-For any exam u will be tense, the body's sugar levels will be directed more than usual towards ur muscles as in fight or flight responses, eat something sweet before the test to come u down and to make sure ur brain has plenty of sugar to operate

[Nebal]

Hmmm very interesting post jazaks bro!

One piece of advice...enjoy the experience and challenge urself as much as u can!? get involved in spreading ur deen and being a great muslim rolemodel...dont try to go with the flow in an aim to fit in. Many sutdents think that once school is over, this pressure to fit in will disappear, but as soon as u enter uni thats when u realise...life is all like that! So stay true to yourself, and as br imran said, have a goal clearly set of what u want to get out of ur time studying at university. :)

[Imran]

yeah thanx for that, good advice-could the pharmacy students with experience in their degrees provide advice related to their subjects for prospective first year pharmacy students as well? I think everything is a great unknown especially the style of study at uni for first years

For physics, I wouldn't advise u to start reading the textbook from front to back-Mastering Physics is a pretty big textbook and the best way would be to actually practise doing the examples in the textbook-the examples are the questions on which exam and asignment questions are based and doing questions will proably help u more than simply reading-physics is more conceptual than biology based subjects which require more memorising. U can also get past physics papers with worked solutions unlike maths which only has past exams.

Attend and participate in the tutorials-it'll help u remmeber and the tutorials in pysics are more important than perhaps any other subject. U are expected to remember some proofs as well but they are quite basic and if u have a strong maths base it shpouldn't be much of a problem-the physics at uni isn't like the literacy based physics of HSC and you can really leap ahead of people without the conceptual understanding-memorising in this subject won't get u very far-the physics at uni is more maths based and if u've done olympiad style physics then this is more in your league.

Think realistically and practically-you are at uni to do your degree, how much time you spend doing other activities will vary according to your aims and goals. A muslim can be a good role model without trying anything spectacular-simply turn up to tutorials on time, help out your groups and lab partners, don't be slack when it comes to various areas of study. When you complete your degree you will be inshallah in a better postiion to help out the ummah-activities don't just end once u finish uni.

[Imran]

I can say alhamdulillah doing the stuff I've mentioned has helped me through uni as it did during HSC in case ur wondering about the credibility of such advice