Ok So the classes I am taking this semester are

Chem 205, Micb 202, Biol 201, Ihhs 200, and Cpsc 110

I’ll go over my thoughts on each course, so far, first week is typically “syllabus week” but didn’t see too much of that this time around.

Chem 205

So I actually just switched out of my mwf section to a tth section due to schedule conflicts bleh.  So the professor I’m going to tuesday will be different.  The prof I had on Monday was… Lets just say I notice that those sections MWF 10-11 tend to be where all the super smart kids are and where the best profs are as well.  [flashback to chem 233 mwf section with Dake class average was 10% higher than my section, and people told me his quizzes paralleled really well to the midterm, makes sense since he wrote most of the midterm/final I hear..smh].  So I made sure to get into that 10-11 section.  Approximately 6 minutes in to the class I was on my phone looking for other sections to switch into!  The guy seemed a bit random and misdirected.  I usually have a gut feeling about profs, like I knew Spiegelman would be my favorite prof ever for Bio 112, and I still felt that way at the end of the course.  He’s not horrible..I just know his teaching isn’t preferable for me.  Regardless I planned to stay in the course because at the end of the day this is a self taught course, all courses at UBC feel like self taught, but this class is definitely self taught and I have lecture slides from previous years (lol) and the slides he presented were virtually the same…  People say this class is easy, and if its anything like the first portion of Chem 123 then it should be my best grade, but you lose once you thought you’ve won, so I’ll still go apecrazy on this course.  Hoping the t/th prof is a bit better..

Micb 202 mwf 1pm

Microbio!  This course is as far as I know my only reading intensive course.  I like to read, reread, and take notes, and this seems like the only course I’ll be going through all of that for.  I had a whole book dilemna, I try and stay away from the bookstore at ALL COSTS.  And due to copyright yada yada we had to buy an associated textbook with the course package making it almost 90 bucks.  You couldn’t buy it separately, well now I hear the profs are selling the course package separate in 2 weeks time – HECK NO I’m not waiting 2 weeks to start reading…So I sucked up and bought it.  Its frustrating because the profs said themselves the midterm is based on the course notes, and the textbook is for “figures” cause of the whole copyright dilemna.  I posted on the UBC textbooks for sale facebook page saying I wanted to buy it, and noone replied, seem like everyone was buying on that page.  I randomnly creeped craigslist and luckily found a girl selling last years for 15 bucks!!  So I met up with her at a Safeway parking lot and got it!  It’s so much better because the Immunology/Bacteria/Virology books are separate and bound unlike the ones at the bookstore.  So I am returning the one I bought Monday morning, glad I never opened it.  I didn’t understand the first two lectures, because I didn’t read.  Nothing I hate more than not reading before lecture, because it feels like a waste of time.  So I’ve been reading this weekend and WOW.  The terminology is pretty intense for first week reading, they are not easing you into it.  I also noticed the first lecture wasn’t very syllabus based, the prof jumped into it, and clearly no one had a clue because its the first class.  Second lecture, same deal, by next lecture I should know whats going on.  Though the terminology is already so detailed, it is really interesting, and I feel like I’m finally learning something really relevant.  I mean all courses at UBC (give or take a few *cough* bio 204 *cough*) are relevant, but this seems relevant for what I want to do in my future.  It’s filled with Microbio students who at this point have shown they have strong averages, hope I can keep up!  First midterm is early Feb I believe, I already found out Chem and Micb are back to back midterms (joy) so I can’t wait to see how that goes!

Biol 201 mwf 3-4

My prof’s notes are the truth.  This is all I ask for, for a prof to explain a topic, WRITE IT OUT (i hate slides) and provide examples.  I could hear a church choir during that first lecture.  Never ever missing a lecture, came 10 minutes late to the second lecture (i get distracted during my breaks..) but I still got the notes and understood everything.  His notes seem familiar too..I found some notes when I was studying for Chem 123 that were 50x better than my profs, and they helped me  a lot.  So far the material seems like a mixture between physical chemistry and organic chemistry.  Exactly why I think Biochem is just a fancier way of saying Chemistry!  I got the course package for the book, and it seems straight forward for the most part..but I wont underestimate it.

Ihhs 200 t/th

It was a gift getting into this course.  It’s my elective this year, and after my tumultuous first semester I needed a good elective.  The prof seems like a jolly sweetheart!  He kept playing with his beard the whole lecture, talking about his dog(he showed us pictures) and he told us he had a 17% average in University… that definitely gives everyone some hope.  There’s only 50 kids in the class, and its mostly 4th years (probably because they have earliest registration and got it first).  He told us the midterm was straight forward, fill in the blank, that it wasn’t gonna be mind games or tricky( *cough* Faculty of Science *cough*).  Besides, you can replace the midterm and paper with community service and a 2page report on how your community service went,etc.  That report is due in April, and a lot of kids in the class are doing community service so they are already set.  He said you can even do a week of it during reading week.  Sounds good to be!  The average last year was in the 90’s, lowest grade 86, I wouldn’t mind being the worst kid in that class…I’ll leave it at that.

Cpsc 110 t/th 

I’m doing a Combined Major so I chose to integrate computer science.  In fact I was thinking of Integrated Science, it’s going to be one of them, regardless I’m doing computer science.  Med school is my dream, and it’s an ambitious goal, but lets say I apply to 30 schools, get into 0, then taking 2 years off to do a Masters in CS can be an option.  I could reapply to med school after that or pursue a CS profession.  It’s good to have a backup plan, a lot of people aiming for med school don’t.  The class was hard to find, I swear as a science student you get use to circling Wesbrook, Hebb, and Chem building.  The room looks cool, the prof seems cool, but I worry.  So many students seem to know more than they should.  It’s an introduction class, yet many kids in there know Java, C++…  I was walking behind some guys after class laughing about how they’ve been doing this since grade 7 (what school did they go to!)  I wish I took AP Computer Science instead of AP Physics in high school now.  I’m just going to work hard to understand the material, practice every day, my dad told me that’s what it’s all about with computer science.  I just love the idea of making programs, designing websites, and all of that nerdy stuff, and by the end of my time at UBC I’m excited to have those skills along with my Science degree.

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UBC First year student. :)

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