Undergrad
How I Aced First Year University Science – Part 4: Studying for Tests
In science, you’re generally going to come across tests that require either the knowledge of facts/material or the understanding of concepts/problem types (and sometimes a combination of both). Biology tests tend to be based more on facts, while chemistry/physics tests tend to be based more on concepts/problem types. Facts/Material – Memorization For knowledge-based tests like [...]
How I Aced First Year University Science – Part 3: Lectures, Readings, Note Taking, and Forming Study Groups
I have been a fan of mixed martial arts for the past two years. I think it’s because I am competitive by nature, and nothing can compare to the raw physical competition between two individuals just duking it out in a ring. There is one quote from mixed martial artist Tito Ortiz that I have [...]
How I Aced First Year University Science – Part 2: How to Think
As a chemistry peer tutor for my past two years in university, I have had the opportunity to not only meet and mentor some really interesting students, but I have also been able to hear about how the first year science classes have been going on a regular basis. For one of this semester’s first [...]
How I Aced First Year University Science – Part 1: The Jump from High School to University
When it comes to the transition from high school to university, an oft-quoted line is that “student averages tend to drop about 10-15%”. Looking at the basic numbers, this initially seems to be a pretty fair statement. For example, at York University, you need at least a mid to high 70s average to receive admission [...]
A Common Question Students Get Wrong on Tests and the Difference Between A and A+ Students
On Tuesday I took my first test for my Molecular Biology course. It was a pretty interesting format. There were 20 multiple choice questions, each with five choices (A to E). All of the questions were “Which of the following statements is correct” or “Which of the following statements is incorrect“, with only one correct [...]
Stop and Think: Don’t Fall into the Trap of Autopiloting
A few days ago, I had my first peer tutoring session of the year. Last year I tutored chemistry to first year students, but this year, I am now also tutoring first year biology and mathematics. I love teaching and helping students succeed in general (this blog itself should make that obvious!), and I am [...]
Course Selection Strategy for Med Hopeful’s
There are lots of things to consider when choosing university courses in general. As a student applying to a professional school, however, your strategy for choosing course electives should be much different than say a student who hopes to work right after finishing his undergraduate degree. Let me preface the article by first saying that [...]
If you aren’t preparing differently for each course, you’re doing it wrong
Getting high grades is a game I have done extremely well academically in school my entire life, and I have done pretty well during my past two years of undergraduate biology. I also probably work less and study less than almost anyone, including students whose grades are as high as mine. The reason I have [...]
MedHopeful @ Premed101