First Year of University?

[Guest thegreatone09]

Hey! I was just wondering how much workload can one expect to have in theit first year of university, taking into consideration they are thinking about med school. How much time do you spend on studying and doing academic work? Thanks in advance!

[Guest aneliz]

That depends on your program, how much time you devote to studying, and the elective courses that you pick...

 

On average, the typical first year science student spends ~21-24 hours per week IN CLASS. As a general rule, one should expect to spend AT LEAST one hour per hour of class time reviewing/studying/writing lab reports etc. So, that would be another 21-24 hours...as a minimum. Add the two together = 42-48 hours per week either in class or sitting down doing work.

[Guest syim]

I'm in first year right now. and i'm dying. I spend 10 hours a day in classes and then study like crazy all day..and i'm still getting a lousy average

 

Is this normal? My mom tells me it's because it's a big transition coupled with the fact that i'm so far away from home for the first time..but I dropped something like 20-25 percent..it makes no sense

[Guest 007]

I too studied almost all of the time in first year - or at least in first semester. By second semester, things just seemed to go so much more smoothly and I found that I didn't need to put in as much time to get the same grades because I learned not to over study and I knew what the expectations were (how to study for that particular prof/class/exam more efficiently). I think it is really important to get to bed at a reasonable hour every night. You will be that much more efficient during the daytime. If you can't get all of your work done and get at least 7 hours of sleep most nights, I would suggest getting some help. Most schools that I know of have really great resources for first years to help them cope with the work load and create a manageable study schedule. If you're in residence, talk to your Don or if not, there should be some student services facility that you can contact and they can direct you to the appropriate resources.

 

My final piece of advice is not to panic!!! If you are panicking as you are trying to study, you won't really learn what you're studying or do anything well. I found that it helped a lot to get the little things I had to do done first and then cross them off in my agenda so that I felt as though I was getting somewhere. I then moved on to the more time consuming stuff. If you're taking a physics or chemistry or calculus course, I found that doing those assignments made me feel better because once they were done, they were done and I felt productive. Improving and editing lab reports and essays can take as much time as you have, so time limit them.

 

I would also suggest doing some other activity or extracurricular (it doesn't have to be huge) so that you feel as though you have a life beyond your desk. It will make you a healthier person, and you won't resent school as much in general. Good luck!