Biol 103

First-year students seldom do as well in courses as they expect, for reasons ranging from the pressures of life away from home, to the fact that Queen’s courses are full of students who were ALL academically outstanding in their high school! Doing well in university is about making smart choices and learning to balance academic and non-academic pursuits. This means organizing one’s time with minimal outside help, and learning how to study efficiently, so you can achieve academic goals but still have time for other activities. Self-discipline is crucial, but you also need to learn ‘tricks of the trade’ for each type of course, prof, and assignment you encounter. This doesn’t come by osmosis; you have to investigate the options available, observe what works for peers, and when things aren’t going well, seek help promptly. There are many options depending on your needs: peers, residence dons, profs or the many services for students available at Queen’s ( e.g. the Counselling Service http://www.queensu.ca/hcds/ , the Learning Commons http://www.queensu.ca/qlc/index.html , and the Learning Strategies Development program http://www.bewell-dowell.org/sos/index.html ).

University biology requires you to learn a vast body of background information and a new language, full of specialized terms and concepts. The amount of material forces you to read quickly, to take concise notes from books and lectures, and to identify key items you need to focus on. When it comes to tests and assignments, it is essential to understand what is expected of you; read every instruction carefully and ask questions before assuming you know the answer. You also need to practice skills such as lab report writing and answering multiple choice questions. In addition to the profs, lab instructor and TAs who teach Biol 103, there are many other sources of help available:

1. Use the tools in your textbook; read the ‘Chapter Summary’ and do the 'Test Yourself' quiz after each chapter. Check out additional information and quizzes for each chapter available at the textbook web site which has additional study aids (e.g. flash cards).

2. For many years Corey Goldman has run first-year biology at UofT, and he maintains useful web pages with tips from students as well as his own recommendations on taking tests.

3. Multiple choice tests are a fact of life in large classes, and apart from knowing your material it helps to learn how MC questions are created and the different ways to prepare for and take MC tests (for more on MC tests see advice from U Calgary counselling and UVic counselling).