Any Tips for a Scrub going to University? - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Ozy_Flame · 08-13-2009, 12:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icarus

I spent 7.5 years in university and wish I was there now. Life's a piece of cake when you're a student and really you don't have too many responsibilities. You can get trashed on a school night with relative impunity. That goes out the window in the real world (although I have done it twice this week)

Hey now, it's not all bad. I hated being a starving student with an f'ed up schedule....And although I'm going back to full-time student status in the fall, I'm still going to work full-time.

I loved being a student, much like most people, but I can do without the constant financial crisis, especially since I wasn't one of those rich kids who got everything handed to them during my university days.

icarus · 08-13-2009, 12:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

Hey now, it's not all bad. I hated being a starving student with an f'ed up schedule....And although I'm going back to full-time student status in the fall, I'm still going to work full-time.

I loved being a student, much like most people, but I can do without the constant financial crisis, especially since I wasn't one of those rich kids who got everything handed to them during my university days.

I work full-time and I am still in constant financial crisis! The one good thing about work is, depending on where you work, you can go home and switch your brain off if you want. As a student, there is always somewhere in the back of the mind the nagging feeling that you're behind in your readings and maybe you should be doing that. Of course that feeling can be ignored with experience, alcohol and cute young girls.

Bagor · 08-13-2009, 12:47 PM

Buy a ski mask for when you come home from the pub with the munchies and want to do a fridge raid.

troutman · 08-13-2009, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kybosh

I disagree with this. Any faculty does this but it isn't a matter of being "good enough". It is more about getting rid of the people that don't want to be there to begin with. Also, as an aside, from an official standpoint . . . there is NO SUCH THING as a weeder course. That is a concept invented by students.

When I did engineering, 400 were admitted, and 200 went on to 2nd year. That is "weeding".

troutman · 08-13-2009, 12:50 PM

If you have essay courses, do your essays as soon as they are assigned. Too many students try to do it all the night before they are due. By then, I hid all the good books in the library.

Ozy_Flame · 08-13-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by icarus

Of course that feeling can be ignored with experience, alcohol and cute young girls.

True!! And I'm looking forward to being that old codgery grad student that sits in the shadows of the Den by myself and scouts the freshmen and sophomore chicks...I'll become exactly like the creeps that I loathed when I was young and doing my undergrad, and promised never to become myself...Good times!

Cowboy89 · 08-13-2009, 01:05 PM

My advice: These will be the best years of your life period. You will regret it if you become one of those people who lock themselves in their room and study the whole time. If you have good time management skills then you can do both.

Cowboy89 · 08-13-2009, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ozy_Flame

True!! And I'm looking forward to being that old codgery grad student that sits in the shadows of the Den by myself and scouts the freshmen and sophomore chicks...I'll become exactly like the creeps that I loathed when I was young and doing my undergrad, and promised never to become myself...Good times!

The only thing worse than the old codgery grad student is the old codgery mature student who is in undergrad courses. In my classes in first and second year there was always some balding dude trying to hit on the 18-20 years olds.

Ren · 08-13-2009, 01:08 PM

I guess I'm one of the few who didn't enjoy undergrad. Then again, I was double-majoring in physics and biochem, hated a lot of my courses, never talked to anyone save when I had to in labs, and still lived with my parents and had to go straight home after class or I would start getting phone calls asking where I was, when I would be home, etc. I also had to live like a monk for those 8 months a year otherwise my dad would start getting on my case about not taking school seriously.

Ren · 08-13-2009, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fotze

Are you or your family a recent immigrant?

No, my family is white and privileged.

wooohooo · 08-13-2009, 01:14 PM

That sucks Ren. That's why a lot of us look forward to University. You get the full out freedom. I am really enjoying my experience in University and I don't think it would be half of what it is if I stayed at home.

Also, don't be the old man that always asks questions and tries to answer everything. They drive everyone crazy. If you're really that much of a keener, go email the prof or ask him in office hours.
There was this old man in a couple of my classes like microbiology, ochem... and every class he would ask about 5 questions. The best part was, people would keep making fun of him and finally the teacher told him to just ask questions after class as they were dumb questions.

No, I have nothing against old people in University. I don't think many of us do, just don't be the keener jackass.

Ozy_Flame · 08-13-2009, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowboy89

The only thing worse than the old codgery grad student is the old codgery mature student who is in undergrad courses. In my classes in first and second year there was always some balding dude trying to hit on the 18-20 years olds.

True that....There were definitely a fair share of those types, although I never minded partnering with the older students on group projects because I could rely on them to get done (most of the time).

Also, word of advice to the OP, and as someone else pointed out...Don't be "that guy" that interrupts the prof's teachings to ask a ridiculous question or something that has an obvious answer. Keep it to yourself until after class, otherwise you're going to find yourself public enemy #1 on campus.

Sainters7 · 08-13-2009, 01:19 PM

I'm going into my final year at the UofA. Damn I miss freshman year! You'll get to know the R.A.T.T. pretty well this year I'd imagine.

Kybosh · 08-13-2009, 01:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by troutman

When I did engineering, 400 were admitted, and 200 went on to 2nd year. That is "weeding".

I'm just saying that I've taught some of the so-called "weeder courses" and nobody from the department or faculty ever gave me a quota for how many should pass and how many should fail. Profs aren't out to get students kicked out of university. If anything the university wants to keep students enrolled because of all the extra tuition money they get.

Edit: I'll also add that for something crazy like a 50% (or even a 20%) fail rate the prof does have to be able to prove that the assigned grades are justified. There are many steps that are set in place to ensure that everything is as fair as possible to both the prof and the students.

Peanut · 08-13-2009, 01:25 PM

I went to U of C and actually found years 3-6 to be better than the first and second. First year I was in Science and hated it. Second year I switched to engineering and had a bit of trouble figuring out the balance between partying and studying (the "weeding"... it is real).

But by the 3rd year I had the balance figured out, so I could party whenever I wanted and still stay on the Dean's list for grades. The internship/work term year was probably the best though - you start making money but you really have no responsibilities yet, no studying to worry about, and you're still young enough that you don't care about coming into work hungover all the time.

Sparks · 08-13-2009, 01:27 PM

Don't expect anyone to hold your hand - you're the only one who cares if you sink or swim, so take the initiative on your own. Don't waste the profs time with questions you can easily figure out on your own. They're professionals in their fields, not high school teachers.

Sly · 08-13-2009, 01:43 PM

Jeez.. I'm scared for my 2nd semester which has 2 english courses - I ****ing hate english.. only reason why I'm taking it is because it's the prereqs for BCom. Did anyone find first year english a challenge??

red sky · 08-13-2009, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sly

Jeez.. I'm scared for my 2nd semester which has 2 english courses - I ****ing hate english.. only reason why I'm taking it is because it's the prereqs for BCom. Did anyone find first year english a challenge??

Poerty? Nope, easiest B+ of my life

wooohooo · 08-13-2009, 01:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sly

Jeez.. I'm scared for my 2nd semester which has 2 english courses - I ****ing hate english.. only reason why I'm taking it is because it's the prereqs for BCom. Did anyone find first year english a challenge??

Yes. My first and only C+ in my life. I thought I wrote pretty good essay's, have english major's edit it for me and still got C's. Highly dependent on your teacher.

Had a friend who had a class average of a B+... wtf.

Locke · 08-13-2009, 01:55 PM

I'm going to tell you something that is very important, it will challenge everything you have come to believe in in your life but its a sad and simple fact of life.

The Calgary Flames are a good hockey team. They will be in the playoffs.

The playoffs tend to coincide directly with final exams.

The Flames dont win the Cup every year, and you can always re-write a final.