McGill Undergrad

[Animatus]

Hello everyone,

 

I have a question about McGill B.Sc. undergrad courses. I asked for some tips on how to setup notes for any science class, and I received some really good advice (http://www.premed101.com/forums/showthread.php?t=28217.)

 

What I did not mention in the other thread is that I am a computer science graduate who didn’t take science above grade 12, so I’m getting somewhat anxious about what to expect.

 

I took the University of Western’s Biology 1125 summer course and received a 91% (class average was 75%,) but the great thing about summer courses are how much time you have to focus on one subject. Having biology, chemistry, calculus, anatomy, and psychology (perception) in one semester is another thing.

 

Obviously nobody can teach me chemistry or calculus; I’ll have to do that on my own. But what I would appreciate is any advice from students who have taken the courses—what to focus on, what to look for, what the professor looks for.

 

I realize the near futility of asking such a question, but if something can help just a little, then it’s worth asking.

 

Thanks

[ouchitburns]

when I started biochem, I was extremely afraid.

 

it worked out okay though because of two things:

 

1) as register said, doing past exams

2) working through problems

 

1 is obvious. 2 involves never cheating on homework (by looking at the back of the book) and doing every question. For my first few years I would work half-heartedly on a problem, get to somewhere near the answer, check the back of the book to see if I was in the right ballpark and then move on. bad idea.

 

with biochem I would take over a classroom and write out the answers and pathways on a big whiteboard and would keep doing it until I could get the right answer. If I got something wrong I would write down the question and make sure I came back to it.

 

so, yeah, effort. it might have been too much, but I felt really good during exams.

[Animatus]

when I started biochem, I was extremely afraid.

 

it worked out okay though because of two things:

 

1) as register said, doing past exams

2) working through problems

 

1 is obvious. 2 involves never cheating on homework (by looking at the back of the book) and doing every question. For my first few years I would work half-heartedly on a problem, get to somewhere near the answer, check the back of the book to see if I was in the right ballpark and then move on. bad idea.

 

with biochem I would take over a classroom and write out the answers and pathways on a big whiteboard and would keep doing it until I could get the right answer. If I got something wrong I would write down the question and make sure I came back to it.

 

so, yeah, effort. it might have been too much, but I felt really good during exams.

 

I guess you're right--just keep my head down and go at it.

 

Thanks for your help.