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First Year University Impressions

hey ! (: has anyone done first year university (especially first year science) and would like to share their experiences with people who's entering their first year in a few days?
as well as answering some questions like, how do you maintain/ get a high GPA (in the 90s), should you ever cram, is first year university easier than high school, is is true that people drop their averages by 10-15% from high school to first year university?
thanks !

September 2, 2012

8 Comments • Newest first

Outkast

I go to U of T. I finished off my 1st year 2 weeks ago. It can be hard when the professor decides to teach easy things and you have to write the midterm or exam.

Reply September 2, 2012
Gemeinhardt

Grade Point Average

It's basically just an average of all accumulated grades based on a point system.
A = 4
B = 3
C = 2
D = 1
F = 0

Keep in mind though that for most schools if you get anything lower than a C- in any of your major coursework classes, it doesn't count as passing and you get 0 points for that class.

Calculating your total is very easy. All you have to do is multiply how many units your class is worth by your letter grade number representative.
i.e. Tonal Harmony - 3units x Grade received B+ = 9

After you've calculated all of your points for all of your classes, you divide by how many UNITS you took.

Tonal Harmony 3 units x Grade received B+ = 9
Orchestra 2 units x Grade received A = 8
Lessons 1 unit x Grade received A = 4
-------------------------------------------------------------
Total: 21
Divide by 6 (3+2+1) = 3.5 GPA

Reply September 2, 2012
Amuro

[quote=DiceyLove]Thanks for the responses
sort of a dumb question but I relentlessly used the word GPA without knowing too much about it...
I'm studying abroad and I went to orientation and they used the word GPA quite a few times and I'm like whaaa? so...what is GPA? (i'm from Canada, I don't think we use that a lot)[/quote]

GPA is a grading system that varies between universities. It's basically a mark/grade (average) translated into a number (usually between 0 and 4). At my college, anything under 50% equates to a GPA of 0. A 63-66% (C) equates to a 2.0 GPA, and an 85+% equates to a 4.0 GPA.

Edit: [url=http://www.artsci.utoronto.ca/current/undergraduate/transcripts/guide/]Here's a general GPA table.[/url]

Reply September 2, 2012 - edited
Shroomsly

Pretty girls will distract you.

This is not directed at any particular gender.

Reply September 2, 2012 - edited
Amuro

[url=http://www.basilmarket.com/forum/2468105/#gen]Here are my general tips for first year university/college students.[/url]

Reply September 2, 2012 - edited
DiceyLove

Thanks for the responses
sort of a dumb question but I relentlessly used the word GPA without knowing too much about it...
I'm studying abroad and I went to orientation and they used the word GPA quite a few times and I'm like whaaa? so...what is GPA? (i'm from Canada, I don't think we use that a lot)

Reply September 2, 2012 - edited
Gemeinhardt

I'm currently in my second year at university so I'll basically tell you things from my experience.

[b]1. It's okay to talk to people[/b]
During my first semester I hardly talked to anyone because I felt like maybe I wasn't good enough or something. Plenty of people tried to make friends with me but I wouldn't budge.

[b]2. Manage time between work and friends.[/b]
My second semester I started getting more comfortable with the people around me so I started making friends. But that meant I was also being invited out to dinner or lunch a lot more and even if I had work I would say yes. THIS IS THE WORST THING YOU CAN DO. I thought that if I said no people wouldn't ask me to do things anymore. WRONG. I got so behind on work and it was bad. If you have tons of work to do and a friend asks you to do something it's okay to say no. People don't actually get bothered by it.

[b]3. High school vs University[/b]
Depending on what courses you take- your first year of University can be very relaxing in comparison to high school. Your courses will most likely be spread throughout the week and you will be taking under division GEs and major courses. These courses aren't strenuous at all but they can get pretty crazy if you don't keep up with them. The key is time management. Work first- then you can do whatever the hell you want.

A side note about "cramming". I personally don't like to do it because you don't actually learn anything by doing it. But some light reviewing the night before is always good. Just don't try to learn everything in one night.

[b]I forgot to mention that if you are ever having trouble with anything, your professor is a good person to ask always.[/b] They have office hours for a reason. USE THEM.

Reply September 2, 2012 - edited