toulalan Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rext Posted May 25, 2011 Report Share Posted May 25, 2011 Hey Commando! I just recently finished my 2nd year at UTSG Life Sci and was in a similar position as you two years back. My first piece of advice for you is to not fret and enjoy the summer Your university summers are most likely going to be filled with research/MCAT/volunteering so you may want to take this "last" summer so to speak for yourself and take some R&R. The biggest thing that gets people down in first year is poor study habits. You're going to meet a lot (A LOT!) of people coming into first year with 90+ average from high school expecting to put in the same amount of work and maintaining their previous grades - this is most likely not going to happen (unless you went to a super tough high school...not even IB is comparable to the intensity and difficulty of university level work). So don't underestimate the work you're going to have to put in. Make sure to hit the ground running. Review your notes within 48 hours of going to class. I personally started 1st year really, really well but then sort of let myself slip because I thought that I could afford to do so - you can't. Keep up the work throughout the entire year and remember, if you plan to attend med school right after a 4 year undergrad, you only get 3 years to make your gpa what it should be so a bad first year can really limit your choices. Other than that, just stick to the "classic" advice given by people - don't fall behind, go to office hours to get to know your prof, go to class, etc. If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peef Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Welcome aboard! I just finished up my second year and will be in the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology for 3rd year. Work hard and you will be rewarded, slack off and die. Are you living on campus, you should! TRINITY REPRESENT:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 The FAQ on top will help you with your questions commando. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toulalan Posted May 26, 2011 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 - Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hking03 Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Thanks Rext! That was pretty helpful. I am living on campus peef. What do you think of St. Mike's? I tried to get in to Trinity but they rejected me (ouch! - probably transfer in second year if I don't like St. Mike's). tooty, that flowchart was printed out and stuck on my wall a long time ago . Does anyone else have something to add? Edit: Also, is it possible to maintain a healthy social life while attaining a good GPA? This is something that worries me particularly about UoFT . all of your questions are subjective my friend... it depends upon what you define as a healthy social life. i'm going to assume that a good gpa for you is something around 3.7-3.9... which is doable if you work to your strengths and study effectively. if a healthy social life to you is going out once every couple of weeks, or hanging out with some buddies then that should be pretty easy to attain. if a healthy social life is getting gooned every other night... well, that might not work so swell. unless you're a genius, in which case you don't need advice. don't worry so much- just go out and do your thing. take classes you want to take, volunteer when you have time after first year, get used to university life. get a job in the summer, do research or whatever you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyanMaverick Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 all of your questions are subjective my friend... it depends upon what you define as a healthy social life. i'm going to assume that a good gpa for you is something around 3.7-3.9... which is doable if you work to your strengths and study effectively. if a healthy social life to you is going out once every couple of weeks, or hanging out with some buddies then that should be pretty easy to attain. if a healthy social life is getting gooned every other night... well, that might not work so swell. unless you're a genius, in which case you don't need advice. don't worry so much- just go out and do your thing. take classes you want to take, volunteer when you have time after first year, get used to university life. get a job in the summer, do research or whatever you want. I beg to differ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 tooty, that flowchart was printed out and stuck on my wall a long time ago . check again. it answers your research question in detail. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shikimate Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 Welcome aboard! I just finished up my second year and will be in the Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology for 3rd year. Work hard and you will be rewarded, slack off and die. Good luck. The LMP program is filled with smart people, so you'll definitely get to meet the top crops there. And remember, GPA first, MCAT second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apache Posted May 26, 2011 Report Share Posted May 26, 2011 coming from someone who did crappy in high school and no confidence in my ability coming into university is work like you don't deserve to be there (which to me was insanely hard, i didn't study until so and so o'clock, i studied until i knew the ****, cold), believe me all the people who got high marks or did ib in hs will take uni for granted and get it handed to them in their first year, etc. Hey Commando! I just recently finished my 2nd year at UTSG Life Sci and was in a similar position as you two years back. My first piece of advice for you is to not fret and enjoy the summer Your university summers are most likely going to be filled with research/MCAT/volunteering so you may want to take this "last" summer so to speak for yourself and take some R&R. The biggest thing that gets people down in first year is poor study habits. You're going to meet a lot (A LOT!) of people coming into first year with 90+ average from high school expecting to put in the same amount of work and maintaining their previous grades - this is most likely not going to happen (unless you went to a super tough high school...not even IB is comparable to the intensity and difficulty of university level work). So don't underestimate the work you're going to have to put in. Make sure to hit the ground running. Review your notes within 48 hours of going to class. I personally started 1st year really, really well but then sort of let myself slip because I thought that I could afford to do so - you can't. Keep up the work throughout the entire year and remember, if you plan to attend med school right after a 4 year undergrad, you only get 3 years to make your gpa what it should be so a bad first year can really limit your choices. Other than that, just stick to the "classic" advice given by people - don't fall behind, go to office hours to get to know your prof, go to class, etc. If you have any other questions, feel free to pm me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.