University?

[wooohooo]

Yeah, every first year student thinks that A's are easily attainable. Maybe in some faculties but definitely not science. There's only a certain percent who can get A's, A-'s etc... so even if you did get a 85% that might only be good enough for a B (true story). Out of a huge class of a few hundred, only a handful will actually get the A. I sure got my ass kicked getting my first semester grades back. I guess there's a reason why after you do your 4 years they generally disregard your worst year (usually first).

[troutman]

Originally Posted by fotze

Ha! Thats what every person who takes the first year physics course thinks. It starts out as a recap and you think "What the fata do I need to be here for". I remember grown men crying after the midterm. If you are not at university or this is not the first course then disregard. But I urge every other poster to remind me to ask you about this course in a month or two. You could be those top 3 people in Alberta who were brilliant, but I'm placing my bets on the opposite.

I once handed in a blank physics midterm. I could do the problems in the text book, but that exam would make Isaac Newton cry.

[Shazam]

Wha? First year physics was easy-peasy.

Now second-year math, holy fata, beat me with an integral.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Wha? First year physics was easy-peasy.

Not the one they used to make Engineers take.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by troutman

Not the one they used to make Engineers take.

Ah, that makes more sense. Physics 201/203 (or whatever the hell the numbers are) at the U of C were basically a rehash of Physics 30.

[Shazam]

Yeah, I think they're different. I didn't have any 'geers in my physics classes.

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Yeah, I think they're different. I didn't have any 'geers in my physics classes.

At Waterloo, the first year engineering physics is on a whole new level compared to the first year science physics.

[VladtheImpaler]

I remember my 1st year physics course in Engineering Science at U of T - the prof did not believe in the metric system, so we had to deal with all these units I've never heard of. I decided to concentrate on developing my bridge and euchre skills instead, which eventually led me to law...

[blankall]

Originally Posted by wooohooo

Yeah, every first year student thinks that A's are easily attainable. Maybe in some faculties but definitely not science. There's only a certain percent who can get A's, A-'s etc... so even if you did get a 85% that might only be good enough for a B (true story). Out of a huge class of a few hundred, only a handful will actually get the A. I sure got my ass kicked getting my first semester grades back. I guess there's a reason why after you do your 4 years they generally disregard your worst year (usually first).

It really is unfair for science students.

In my Bio classes the average was B-. In my arts electives it was b+. Getting a B+ in science meant you had to be in the top part of a very competitive class. A b+ in arts just meant showing up and handing in all the assignments. It blew my mind that people in arts classes would just not hand in assignments worth 5-20% of their mark and still be allowed to remain in school.

I have no problem with how tough science was, but they should make arts equally as tough. Especially if schools like Law, which both science and arts students apply, are going to blindly look at marks.

And for anyone doing AP classes, DO NOT TAKE THE ADVANCED CREDIT. I skipped first year chem, taht I would have got an A in and took second year chem in my first year. I was behind in that course and did really badly as a result. Plus first year is not the time to focus on advanced courses. It is the time to get your drinking tolerance up.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by VladtheImpaler

I remember my 1st year physics course in Engineering Science at U of T - the prof did not believe in the metric system, so we had to deal with all these units I've never heard of. I decided to concentrate on developing my bridge and euchre skills instead, which eventually led me to law...

That sounds familiar.

[Knut]

As you may or not know, I am an Optometrist. You will be going through a very similar educational pathway as I did. 2 to 4 years of Undergraduate Studies and then a 4 year graduate program. Some tips from me:

1) Always have a full course load. 5 Courses/semester is nothing compared to the 7 or 8/semester (+labs) that you will be taking in your graduate program. The admission comittee is interested in seeing who is going to be able to manage their time. If you necessary make one of the courses an easy elective (like Pysch 100 or Astronomy 100).

2) Volunteer at least once a week somewhere. It is very important to the admissions comittee. I volunteered at the Hospital playing games with sick children (although you have to go through a lot of hoops to do this). Also, I joined a University comittee (eg. General Faculties council or sports council etc.) Usually these comittee's are once a month for a few hours, and consist of you putting up your hand giving Yeh's to stuff you do not understand.

3) Extra-curricular stuff is very important as well. Sports, clubs etc show a social side of you that is important as well. Also, it gives you an outlet to blow off steam.

4) Find some balance. Go out from time to time with friends. Show up hungover on a Wed morning after Wing night. You need to hone your social skills. Remember, as a Dentist you will be managing staff, dealing with patients and reps all day. They will look for people that can look them in the eye, be friendly and are generally social people. I know for a fact that people with higher GPA's than me DID NOT get in to my program, most likely because of a poor interview. It took me 2 years to find the proper balance. MY first year was way too much partying, my second year was completely opposite (to the point i gave myself an ulcer), and my third year i struck a good balance of study/partying.

5) Seriously give some consideration to moving away for school. This will allow you to break out of your shell and meet people that are not your high school friends. It forces you out of your comfort zone and IMO allows you to mature quicker. Even going to Edmonton or Lethbridge for school will be far enough for you to be out of your element, but close enough to bring a bag of Laundry home for Mom.

6) Most Admission tests have preparation guides. It would be a good idea to pick one up in your 1st year of university. Then as you are going through your courses you will be able to put aside the sections that are important for the test. I wasted a good week trying to track down all the notes and text books i needed for my OAT.

7) While you need a high GPA to get in it is important that you show improvement every year in University. Do not worry if your first year marks are under the minimum requirement as the admissions comittee understands that there is an adjustment period. My first year GPA was 2.94. I was able to improve on that each year of undergrad, which was very important to admissions. Declining marks are a big RED FLAG.

8) For Gods Sake... PARTY !! Enjoy your University experience. Meet chicks, play drinking games, go on road trips, do Keg Stands, have a one-nighter.... Get this stuff out of the way when you are young and responsibilities are minimal. Once you are out in the real world with a Job and a family you can not do these things.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by blankall

I have no problem with how tough science was, but they should make arts equally as tough. Especially if schools like Law, which both science and arts students apply, are going to blindly look at marks.

That is what the LSAT is for.

[bizaro86]

I'd just like to put in a vote for actually taking the credit. I took a bunch of IB credits, and it worked out great. Of course, I was taking engineering, so I wasn't as concerned about my first year GPA. I loved the 2nd year classes I took my first year, and my GPA was still good. (3.7+)

I guess it depends on how confident you'll be able to make the transition to university. I actually found the first couple of years of my engineering degree easier than taking full IB at Western. (And I don't think it was objectively easy, lots of people failed). If you're confident you can still succeed, taking less courses (5 instead of 6 for engineering, maybe 4 instead of 5 for science) can be a real advantage, as it gives you extra time to do a great job on your labs.

[IgnitedSoul]

Originally Posted by fotze

Ha! Thats what every person who takes the first year physics course thinks. It starts out as a recap and you think "What the fata do I need to be here for". I remember grown men crying after the midterm. If you are not at university or this is not the first course then disregard. But I urge every other poster to remind me to ask you about this course in a month or two. You could be those top 3 people in Alberta who were brilliant, but I'm placing my bets on the opposite.

Well then I'm glad I'm no man

I am at University--McGill, actually--and it is the first course; as stated, the one which is a rehash of physics 30. Now, "Top 3" is a tad exaggerated, but place your bets where you want. I only got 100% on my Math 30 PF diploma after enjoying a lovely drink at the Flames game the night before.

Like I said, it could just be me.

[FlamesPuck12]

Originally Posted by IgnitedSoul

Well then I'm glad I'm no man

I am at University--McGill, actually--and it is the first course; as stated, the one which is a rehash of physics 30. Now, "Top 3" is a tad exaggerated, but place your bets where you want. I only got 100% on my Math 30 PF diploma after enjoying a lovely drink at the Flames game the night before.

Like I said, it could just be me.

Oh come on, who didn't get a 100% on Math 30P

[Ashartus]

Originally Posted by blankall

It really is unfair for science students.

In my Bio classes the average was B-. In my arts electives it was b+. Getting a B+ in science meant you had to be in the top part of a very competitive class. A b+ in arts just meant showing up and handing in all the assignments. It blew my mind that people in arts classes would just not hand in assignments worth 5-20% of their mark and still be allowed to remain in school.

I have no problem with how tough science was, but they should make arts equally as tough. Especially if schools like Law, which both science and arts students apply, are going to blindly look at marks.

Disparities in marking between different universities is what used to bug me when I was getting close to graduating, much more than how easy arts were compared to science. In a lot of my classes, no one would get an 'A' - they reserved that for someone who truly stood out from the pack. Then when I was applying for grad school, a lot of universities made it clear they'd only look at people with a straight A average or close to it - which no one in my program at U of C got. I later took graduate classes at 3 other universities, and at all of them getting A's was pretty easy (I don't know how much of that was a function of different grading at the graduate vs. undergraduate level and how much from different university policies though). At least US universities put some weight on GRE scores; there isn't really anything equivalent here for most programs.

[wooohooo]

Honestly, if your goal is to get into graduate school, pick the University that you'll most likely get high marks. I think it's stupid to pick it based on ranking as competition is stiffer and marks are harder to achieve. Where you go for Undergrad doesn't matter but graduate school is what counts.

[Knut]

^ Exactly, Grad Schools generally do not care where you went (as long as it isnt like Athabasca or something). They want to see progression of marks and that you have met the course requirements. Also, do not be against doing a Summer night course at Mount Royal or U of C. My weakest subject has always been English, so I did my English courses in the Summer where I could concentrate on them more.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by fotze

What is math 30p?

Math 30 Pure.

If you are the age I think you are, it is pretty much 1-2 years more advanced than the stuff you took in high school math

[VladtheImpaler]

Originally Posted by Rathji

Math 30 Pure.

If you are the age I think you are, it is pretty much 1-2 years more advanced than the stuff you took in high school math

Is that like Math 31 IB?