how to study for specific courses at ubc!

hi there! so im in my first year in the faculty of science and i am having a really hard time with time management and like finding study methods that work for me because i always feel limited on time and always end up doing things last minute = crappy grades, and i don't know how to study for exams anymore since its so different from high school. Back in the day we could get away with studying last minute and still do fine but now its totally different im taking english 112, bio 112, chem 121 and math 102, if any one can offer advice i'd really appreciate it! thank you so so much LOL


sincerely,
suffering freshman

You are given a syllabus that tell you when things are due, midterms are, etc. They also list your professor's office hours and their contact information. You're only taking 4 courses. I'm sorry it's not cookie cutter or spoon fed to you that LAST MINUTE doesn't work unless you're some genius who comes up with original ideas and doesn't regurgitate and that's why high school grades are so inflated. It was swallow and spit back out.

Are you doing anything else aside from school like work or volunteering? I find 4 courses really do-able, it's 5 that annoys me.

English is easier imo to get ahead in, read stuff ahead of time. Do your paper a week before it's due.
Bio112 is something you should read everyday for even just 30 minutes. This course is all multiple choice and asks you very detail oriented questions.
Chem 121 practice practice practice
Math 102 same thing.

If it helps you, you might want to write a daily schedule out for yourself.
i.e.
During your breaks at school if they're an hour or more: "read chirp p. 10-15" and if you finish early then just relax. **it's up to you to decide how much reading you can get done in an hour. Don't overdo yourself and say you can read 100 pages when you can't.

2-3 p.m.: Read bio 112, ch. 2
3:30-4:30 Read bio 112 ch. 3

Give yourself a 30 min. break and if you finish early then good for you, you can choose to continue or just take a longer break =) I usually choose the latter.


READING YOUR TEXTBOOK =/= STUDYING FOR EXAM (varies per person, if you've only read your textbook once then it won't stick)
RE-READING AND MAKING NOTES+DOING PRACTICE QUESTIONS = STUDYING FOR EXAM

**make study groups with people in your class. It really helps because sometimes you don't know if you don't get something. If you can't explain a concept to a classmate then it means you don't fully understand it.

Thanks for the quick reply! yeah I realize that last minute doesn't work but that wasn't my intentions in the first place, things just end up piling up. And no I don't have any other commitments besides school which I why I find it so frustrating that I am having a hard tint handling 4 courses, the transition to first year has just been rough. I feel like I am always doing hw and even getting 4 hours of sleep on weekdays just to get work done and it seems never ending. I've started making schedules for myself everyday recently and it does help to keep me on track, just sometimes things take longer to do then I intended.

I understand what I should be doing, like pre reading and keeping up with hw and lectures, now I just need to play the catch up game haha btw what faculty are you in? Thanks for all advice! I'll try to apply it

if your prof has "learning objectives" or your textbooks have them... use it to make notes/study guides with... i took PSYC 100 last year with catherine rawn, i have her for 217. i always use them to study and they are usually things that end up being on midterms/finals. my health psychology textbook also has them, so i use those to make notes too. if your prof or books doesn't provide them, i just note all the bold words or things that overlap in lecture & textbook material