Tag: semester

First Year Courses- Term 1

BIOL 112: Biology of the Cell

This course is required for a major in Biology and looks at topics such as cell replication, protein transcription and translation, enzymes and membranes. This class is essentially an elaborative version of Biology 12, and goes into some greater detail. Overall, the class was not extremely difficult, but does require time commitment to ensure material is understood as it does build upon itself relatively fast. The material is more applied and not simply memorization. The examinations are multiple choice with some short answers.

The first midterm is written in-class (50 minutes) and are allowed to bring in a review sheet with hand-written notes. The second midterm was longer and was therefore written at night, but a review sheet was allowed again. The final is written during the formal examination period, and is in similar format to the midterms. Organization of your review sheets is key to having success in the course and finding information as needed!

The rest of the marks are made up through lecture activities. The iClicker is based on participation but can be helpful in determining your understanding of the material. The in-class activities usually consist of drawing a mechanism or picture alongside the class, or writing down some ideas pertaining to a particular question. There are pre-class quizzes based on the reading, which also consists of multiple choice questions.

Marking:

Midterm 1 (10%), Midterm 2 (30%), Final (40%)

iClickers (3%),  In-class activities (4%), Pre-class quizzes (10%)

CHEM 121: Structure and Bonding in Chemistry

Lots of focus on the periodic table and the particular characteristics associated with the numerous elements. There is a look at orbitals, molecular bonding, VSEPR and quantum mechanisms. This course also has a corresponding lab which takes place bi-weekly. This means one week you are able to prepare for your lab, and the other week you come in and actually do the experiment. There is thus pre-lab prep work, and post-lab submissions of observations and findings. The lab itself is quite challenging as you are doing experiments alone, and are not given clear instructions (this is left for you to do during the pre-lab)! Every lab has a pre-lab quiz to ensure students know what is expected, there may also be a calculation pertaining to the experiment. And at the end of the lab, there is a lab exam to ensure that students learned basic chemistry lab skills.

There are two midterms each worth 10% and a final which is worth 50%. These exams can be very challenging and test knowledge beyond those questions seen in the student textbook (ChIRP), thus ensure you ask your professor for help as needed!

Marking:

Midterms (20%), Final (50%)

Lab (20%), Lab Quizzes/Prep (10%)

ENG 110: Approaches to Literature

This course consisted of reading numerous novels, poems and short stories, and understanding and analyzing their structures. This course has a tutorial in which participation is important. This allows your TA to understand that you have read the assigned chapters and have put thought into the analysis. The tutorials are also where the in-class essays are written. This course will provide you the skills to think more critically about literature and understand basic concepts and different genres. Each professor may have a different theme, my class focused on the interplay between social media and literature in a theme denoted as “Texts and Technology”.

Marking:

Participation (10%), In-class essay (20%), In-class essay (30%), Final Exam (40%)

The Beginning of a New Year

The new semester is starting up, meaning it’s a fresh start on a new set of courses. If you are just finishing your first year then you may be experiencing some discouragement after the dreaded release of marks on SSC. However, it is important to stay positive and take action on the tasks that you may not have taken advantage of last semester! Some suggestions:

  1. GET HELP: If you feel you are not grasping the material reach out to the TA or Professor as early as possible. They are there to help, and they really do appreciate getting one-on-one interactions with their students! Also, these interactions may be beneficial down the road when looking for volunteer opportunities or references.
  2. RELAX: maintaining a balance between studying and relaxation is extremely important. This can come in numerous different ways such as exercising, meditating or even getting active in the community such as volunteering… or don’t be afraid to take a nap! I personally found that I was able to succeed further by incorporating yoga into my daily routine.
  3. SET DEADLINES: this small task allows you to stay on task. I have found that writing deadlines and test dates on my calendar, and checking them off as they are done allows me to visualize my accomplishments and stay on track.
  4. FIND USED TEXTBOOKS: nothing feels better than saving some money on textbooks. There are numerous of students who were once in your shoes and can offer textbooks at a discounted price. Join clubs on Facebook such as “UBC Textbook Exchange”.
  5. DON’T CRAM MATERIAL: space out the studying as best as you can in smaller chunks, this allows the material to be more manageable and will likely allow it to stick better. My motto is: study smart not more.
  6. USE RESOURCES: UBC offers a tremendous number of free resources that often go unnoticed. Take advantage of tools such as the UBC Library, study spaces, Speakeasy, Peer tutors and UBC Careers Online. Also, take advantage of the time you have as a UBC Student to get involved with volunteer opportunities in labs!
  7. TAKE NOTES: I find the easiest way to understand the material is to resort back to good ol’ note-taking by hand. This allows you to understand the material as it is being spoken!
  8. SOCIALIZE: make friends in your new classes, this acts not only as a source of relaxation. It also allows you to work through problems with others who are going through a similar thought process. Use each other as study partners and help keep yourself on track!

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