I am writing this now because I wish I had it last year. One thing that I found challenging about the Arts One program is the lack of ties one year has to another. I never got to talk to someone who had been through the program, I had only my peers who were just as worried and buried in books as I was. So, for anyone taking Arts One now, or whoever is even thinking of taking in the future (once you get accepted to UBC) here is my own take on the program.
To start off, I’ll have you know that my final grade in Arts One was a 74. A solid B. The lowest mark I received on an essay was a 68, the highest was an 82. The rest of my essays were somewhere in the middle. I didn’t attend all my lectures, or all my discussion groups. I was, in no way, the best student, but I think that is exactly the person you need to hear these things from. My advice will not be the most popular, but what I feel would have helped me last year.
I’ll start with the program itself. It consists of 2 large groups of 100 first year students, each group has a theme. (Mine was Group B, and our theme for that year was “Action vs Inaction, East vs West.”) Each group is assigned something like 20 books, all relating to their theme (these can be philosophical texts, poetry, dramas, epics…anything) These big groups meet once a week for a lecture, lead by one of 5 profs. Each big group is broken into 5 smaller groups of 20 students, and these groups are each lead by a professor. (Mine was Gordan Djurdjevic, a prof of Asian Studies who did not return this year…as they are always mixing around the profs in the program). These groups of 20 meet 3 times a week to discuss the texts. These groups are broken down once more, into 5 groups of 4 people for tutorial groups, which meet once a week to discuss the essays that are written by the students based on the books. In one year you write something like 12 essays, out of which only 10 are counted. There is a final, which is a test, but the essays are the main focus.
(To make this a little bit easier to understand, here’s a visual of the levels:)
- Arts One (200)
- Group A/Group B (100 students)
- 5 Prof Groups (20 students)
- 5 Tutorial Groups (4 students)
(So I was in Arts One / Group B / Prof Djurdjevic / Tutorial 5)
To make this easier to read, I am going to try to give you all of my Arts One Lessons in point form, as those of you who are now in the program are undoubtedly using precious essay writing time to read this.
- Try your best to keep up on the readings, but should you fall behind, do not be afraid to use Spark Notes. This will get you caught up with your group so you can get back on track with the books. Spark Notes can also provide clarity, for any book you might not be understanding. I read all of Plato’s Republic but was still totally lost, after studying the Spark Notes everything clicked, and I used that knowledge to get one of my better essay scores.
- Try to write your essays before Sunday. Granted, 90% of my essays were written somewhere between Sunday night and early Monday morning, I do not recommend this route. Even just a little bit of proofreading will help a lot, and having time to edit will make you feel more confident about your paper.
- Your group mates are not more intelligent than you. No matter how they sound in class, or what they get on their essays. To be blunt, some people are better at faking knowledge than possessing it. I am not saying this applies to all Arts One students, but it definitely applies to some. If you feel like you aren’t getting it in the lectures, your discussions, or your tutorials, talk to your prof. That is the glory of Arts One, you get A LOT of face time. Use it!
- Your essay marks are not everything. I’ve been through the whole range of emotion that Arts One can cause, I’ve cried over a low mark, walked home angry from my expectations not being met, and danced gleefully from doing better than I hoped. In the grand beautiful scheme of things, your marks will even out. You will do better than you may think.
- Arts One is really hard. Seriously. They ask a lot of us as first years. Do not let this course give you a bad idea of university itself. Things are easier on the outside. In fact, some of the essays I have turned in this year were of a lower quality than my Arts One essays, but I received a higher mark. Arts One is difficult for a reason, it prepares you for bigger and better tasks in the years to come. I know English Honours draws a lot from the Arts One groups, and, if anything, spending a whole year on your writing is bound to improve it.
- Do not be afraid to criticize. I remember the first meeting of my tutorial group; no one had anything bad to say, besides the prof, who had a great deal of bad things to say. We found quite quickly that the more criticism we received from our peers, the less time we left for the prof to say anything negative. It’s also easier to hear negative comments from your fellow students, who happen to be in the very same boat as you. Besides the social context, realize that this is a great opportunity for you to learn the skill of constructive criticism. You will use this skill again and again from now on. Just be kind, and match your criticism with honest compliments, and no one will hate you for it.
- Do not be intimidated by the lofty essay topics. They may be worded a bit extravagantly, but they all ask questions that can be fairly easily answered by your readings. If you are struggling to choose a topic, go through an eliminate the ones you have no interest in, once you get down to 2 or 3, try to form a thesis for each one, if you can’t, cross it out. Only write the essay you feel you have the best chance of writing well. If you get stuck in the actual writing process, try explaining the essay (and the work) to someone outside the program. This helped me greatly first year, as it helped me to better focus my ideas.
- Never underestimate the power of peer editing. The more editing your essay goes through, the less likely it is that it will be torn apart in your tutorial. This is a fact. And last, but definitely not least…
- Get to know Rose and Paul in the Arts One office. They are the back bone of Arts One, and some of the nicest people you will meet. They usually have candy for days when your essay mark is more dismal than you predicted, they also have staplers for the great Monday essay rush. They are always helpful and always nice, and definitely worth getting to know.
Wow. This is almost the length of an Arts One Essay in itself! I apologize for the length, I just wanted to make it as clear as possible that, while Arts One is a hard circuit to take on first year, it is well worth it. If you stick to your guns, open your mind, and read at all times possible, you will make it out unscathed. And, hey! You’re getting 18 credits for 12 essays! Don’t get too caught up in the drama to realize how lucky you are.