Zabooomafooo Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 These are the tips of the trade that I have learned over the years. 1) Take courses that you are interested in. The only thing you should go by is the course description. If it sounds interesting, take it. Don't worry about the prof ratings, what your friends think, etc. If you like the material, you'll care about it, and you'll get good marks. 2) Don't take "bird" courses. This is looked down upon in the eyes of adcoms, first of all. My buddy was once asked at a U of T interview, why he was majoring in computer science, but took "Search of Life in the Universe," an obvious bird course. Needless to say, he wasn't accepted at U of T. What courses are bird courses tends to be a rumor anyway. The fact is that if you aren't interested in the material, it doesn't matter what the reputation of a course is, you won't get good marks. You still have to work hard at bird courses to get good marks anyway. 3) Live a balanced life. You need to do ECs to get into medical school, so even if you focus everything on your studies and get good marks (if this was possible), you'll still not get in to medical school. If you focus too much on your studies, you will burn out. Try to take at least one day off of studying every week. 4) Pay attention in class, then cram your ass off before the exams. Don't bother trying to memorize every little detail - just UNDERSTAND the main ideas, since this is what is tested anyway. Don't study too soon in advance before the exam - you will tend to forget the information and waste your time. There's nothing more frustrating/stressful than studying for 4 hours, then having to re-study the same material the night before the exam because you forgot it. 5) Don't get stressed! Have a life. 6) Challenge yourself. Taking courses that aren't a challenge to you will cause you to get bored. Paradoxically, taking so called "easy" courses can cause you to get WORSE marks for this reason. These are my tips - let's share the others! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronjw Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 bribe, buy, or extort Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zabooomafooo Posted March 26, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 One great piece of advice: Study on an ongoing basis. Even if it means a couple of hours a day, it's still effective. You'll be surprised at the amount of people who don't study or barely study at University. Ongoing studying gives you more exposure to the material. Ongoing exposure to the material being learnt has been proven to show better results on exams. Most people who don't study frequently or barely study often end up cramming and that leads to poor results - once again it has been proven. I find I get bored as hell and stop caring if I do this, but everyone's different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamIDP Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 1) I completely agree. I took a "bird" course this year and I hate it. I might be able to get an A+ but I have learned absolutely nothing in this course. 2) Disagree, bird courses are not looked down upon unless every course your taking is a bird course. Realistically you want to manage your time, it's good to take 1 course every year that will ease your pain. And to counter your point, how can the admissions committee determine if a course is bird or not? It's impossible to tell how hard a course is by looking at its name. P.S. Your friend got rejected because of something else he said in the interview. 3) I agree, I know many people who were rejected with very high GPAs but they had very bad ECs. Hospital volunteering and research is not enough to cut it based on what I've seen on people getting rejected. 4) Disagree, pay attention and study in advance if you can so you dont have to cram before an exam. In biology, upper years it's understanding + huge core of memorization. 5) Don't get stressed! Have a life. Agree 6) Agree, if you want to do medical school, don't run away from every course, especially core courses. For example, biochem and cell bio are needed for upper year courses for a reason. They are also vital in medical school and learning them in 1-2 months....you'll screw yourself over in the long run. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charmer08 Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 2) Don't take "bird" courses. This is looked down upon in the eyes of adcoms, first of all. My buddy was once asked at a U of T interview, why he was majoring in computer science, but took "Search of Life in the Universe," an obvious bird course. Needless to say, he wasn't accepted at U of T. What courses are bird courses tends to be a rumor anyway. The fact is that if you aren't interested in the material, it doesn't matter what the reputation of a course is, you won't get good marks. You still have to work hard at bird courses to get good marks anyway. Maybe that is the reason why he was asked that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alxdude Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 hmm This is an interesting bit of advice. =) It definitely challenges the conventional wisdom. I think this advice might be good for someone who has psychological difficulty with school. For example procrastinating, feeling stressed, feeling depressed, lacking motivation, etc. However, for people who are psychologically doing great but have intellectual difficulty with school, following this advice might be a hindrance rather than a help. What are your thoughts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupacandbiggie Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 These are the tips of the trade that I have learned over the years. 1) Take courses that you are interested in. The only thing you should go by is the course description. If it sounds interesting, take it. Don't worry about the prof ratings, what your friends think, etc. If you like the material, you'll care about it, and you'll get good marks. 2) Don't take "bird" courses. This is looked down upon in the eyes of adcoms, first of all. My buddy was once asked at a U of T interview, why he was majoring in computer science, but took "Search of Life in the Universe," an obvious bird course. Needless to say, he wasn't accepted at U of T. What courses are bird courses tends to be a rumor anyway. The fact is that if you aren't interested in the material, it doesn't matter what the reputation of a course is, you won't get good marks. You still have to work hard at bird courses to get good marks anyway. 3) Live a balanced life. You need to do ECs to get into medical school, so even if you focus everything on your studies and get good marks (if this was possible), you'll still not get in to medical school. If you focus too much on your studies, you will burn out. Try to take at least one day off of studying every week. 4) Pay attention in class, then cram your ass off before the exams. Don't bother trying to memorize every little detail - just UNDERSTAND the main ideas, since this is what is tested anyway. Don't study too soon in advance before the exam - you will tend to forget the information and waste your time. There's nothing more frustrating/stressful than studying for 4 hours, then having to re-study the same material the night before the exam because you forgot it. 5) Don't get stressed! Have a life. 6) Challenge yourself. Taking courses that aren't a challenge to you will cause you to get bored. Paradoxically, taking so called "easy" courses can cause you to get WORSE marks for this reason. These are my tips - let's share the others! Troll? I think i know the answer. Terrible advice. People with a normal brain will not follow those. U think u r clever by adding a few common sense in there mixed with absolute wrong info? U ain't gonna fool no one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IamIDP Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Troll? I think i know the answer. Terrible advice. People with a normal brain will not follow those. U think u r clever by adding a few common sense in there mixed with absolute wrong info? U ain't gonna fool no one. It's funny because some of the stuff he said makes sense, like balancing everything. But the rest are...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupacandbiggie Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 It's funny because some of the stuff he said makes sense, like balancing everything. But the rest are...... Well I spotted his conspiracy there. The things he mentioned like having a balanced life is a no brainer. Really who DOESNT know? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB. Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 What works for one person will not work for everybody. Part of university is learning what makes you successful. If there was a cookie cutter formula for success we'd all be millionaires. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axialpac Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Troll? I think i know the answer. Terrible advice. People with a normal brain will not follow those. U think u r clever by adding a few common sense in there mixed with absolute wrong info? U ain't gonna fool no one. I think the OP knows what he's talking about since he has a 4.0. But like the person said above me what works for one person may not work for another, so take his/her advice or leave it (if you don't agree). Simple as that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a1b1 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 1) Who asked for your advice?2) WTF do you know about anything, aside from the experience of one friend who didn't get into U of T for reasons you couldn't possibly know? 3) I never took a bird course, I don't advise taking bird courses, but adcoms outside of U of C and maybe U of T could care less what courses you take! 4) Spend more time reading and less time making threads trollio. Will have to agree with this. The OP's opinion seems very biased. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axialpac Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 How do you know he has a 4.0 for real? And besides who cares if he does, half the people on this board have a 4.0 and study strategies are personal and don't work for everyone. That's why the OP said at the end of his/her post "These are my tips - let's share the others!" -- Those tips is what worked for him/her, if you don't agree with them, then list what worked for you. I read in one of his/her previous posts that they have a 4.0. EDIT: yeah I don't know a 100% that's his GPA, but I'm just going off of what she/he writes in their posts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tooty Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 2) Don't take "bird" courses. This is looked down upon in the eyes of adcoms, first of all. First of all, no, they're not. Your buddy ****ed up his interview and you attributed that to his bird course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupacandbiggie Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 First of all, no, they're not. Your buddy ****ed up his interview and you attributed that to his bird course. OP has already been proven to be a troll in the other thread asking about his chances. Don't feed him no mo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupacandbiggie Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 That's why the OP said at the end of his/her post "These are my tips - let's share the others!" -- Those tips is what worked for him/her, if you don't agree with them, then list what worked for you. I read in one of his/her previous posts that they have a 4.0. EDIT: yeah I don't know a 100% that's his GPA, but I'm just going off of what she/he writes in their posts. Use your judgement. Even though he said it's his method that worked for him what if I tell u I had to jump down from a 2 story building everyday in order to achieve a 4.0. Would you think I know what I am talking about because I have a 4.0 and got into med school? (for your info i did have a 4.0 in undergrad but i didn't jump off buildings it's just an example trying to make a point). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mm88 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I would suggest that you take as many bird courses as you can, for there appears to be no tangible benefit to taking difficult courses just for the sake of it. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I LIKE TO TAKE THEM JUST TO PROVE THAT I'M BETTER/SMARTER/MORE MORAL THAN EVERYONE ELSE!!! Okay, jokes aside. I think everyone can agree that bird courses = AWESOME. This guy should go back to swinging from branches with his lemur friends and leave the (pre)med advising to real people. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Taking bird courses will help your application much more than not taking them (unless you live in Quebec). Do you think adcoms know about all the bird courses? Also, a course can be a bird for some and not others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Does anyone have tips about how to survive math? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aaronjw Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Does anyone have tips about how to survive math? practice practice practice and these days, khanacademy.org can help as well (wish they had that when I was taking mathematics at western ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blizzah Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Take similar courses so studying for one helps you study for the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 practice practice practice and these days, khanacademy.org can help as well (wish they had that when I was taking mathematics at western ) Merci! I forgot about this. But Discrete Math is not here. :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robin Hood Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Take similar courses so studying for one helps you study for the other. I don't think I can have this at my university. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seeking1 Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 ARE YOU KIDDING ME?! I LIKE TO TAKE THEM JUST TO PROVE THAT I'M BETTER/SMARTER/MORE MORAL THAN EVERYONE ELSE!!! You would be disturbed at the number of people in sciences who legitimately hold this view and will argue you to the bitter end about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ditde Posted March 28, 2012 Report Share Posted March 28, 2012 Taking bird courses will help your application much more than not taking them (unless you live in Quebec). Do you think adcoms know about all the bird courses? Also, a course can be a bird for some and not others. I live in Quebec. What makes you say this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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