3 Things a Keener Wish She Knew In First-Year
June 29th, 2012 by feliciaBefore I begin my post, I would like to clarify two things:
First, I was identified by others as a keener. Prior to coming to Canada, I thought there were only nerds. Apparently there were also over-achievers who were “fondly” nicknamed “keeners” by the general populace. Thus I am one of those. Second, please do not judge the keener community. To me personally, I enjoy slaving and overstudying. So before you think about how “life-less” or “weird” I am, I’d like to say for myself that going to Gernstein and reading my textbook on a Tuesday afternoon is pleasant. So it’s like vacationing in the Maldives, only in Toronto (saving money and time).
Most comments on online forums and websites are about how hard U of T is. So to keeners, I’d just like to say, if you worked your butt off in high school, then UT is not that bad. In fact, for me, it was easier. I actually get 8 hours of sleep per night, as opposed to the six in high school.
#1 It’s not that hard
Trust me. Having to not take courses I disliked such as the sciences, everything in university is much easier. With a wide array of classes and a lot of time to study for it (which, as keeners, I’m sure you will), then getting a 3.7+ should not be a problem.
#2 Don’t trust the ASSU
That was my biggest regret. I wanted to have a relaxing course in my first semester, so I took a super duper easy seminar course. It was super duper easy, except there was one problem: the teacher curved all our grades down since it was THAT easy. Being a naive first-year, I did not know this could happen, so I was super sad when my grade was lower by two grades. It turned out to be my lowest grade and a source of some mourning.
For all the courses that people warned me about, I did swimmingly because I put a lot of effort into them. ASSU is good to gauge the difficulty of the course, but somehow, I managed liking the courses that people gave the lowest rankings to just because I was willing to put in the extra effort.
#3 Take more courses in your first year
There are so many second-year classes you could take that don’t have any prerequisites, so do it when you have time and when university hasn’t fatigued you. I only wish I explored more elective options, such as religion courses with really fun names (Death and the Afterlife? You got me!).
To the keeners out there reading this, you’ll enjoy UT. Even though Urban Dictionary and eons of people bash it, you will be able to manage both your grades and a social life. There are so many opportunities that are just waiting for you to explore, so be excited. If you worked hard in high school, continue. If you didn’t, start now. If you still don’t find the motivation…party hard.
July 2nd, 2012 at 11:05 am
As someone who also did extremely well at UofT, I would advise against #3 for most people, including many “keeners.” First year is typically when most students have their worst year academically, and there is a reason for that: it isn’t because it is harder than other years (though you certainly shouldn’t underestimate it), it’s because most struggle to adapt to the University lifestyle. Overloading yourself with extra courses is only going to compound your first-year anxiety, and make that transition from high-school more difficult.
I would actually advise the opposite for most people: Take 4 courses in your first year, if possible, especially if you have the opportunity to makeup credits in the summer.
I also take a bit of issue with #1: it is hard. Many people do poorly because they don’t realize the amount of work you have to put in to be successful. If you are smart, you can do well in high-school without much effort. It’s not that easy in University. That said, if you do your work and put in the time, you don’t need to worry.
TL;DR: Unless you genuinely enjoy spending entire days studying, avoid taking more courses in your first year.
July 2nd, 2012 at 11:35 am
Thanks for your comment!
I was taking another side of the picture. Prior to first year, online forums and advice were inundated with omments on how hard ut is. That made me grossly overestimate everything. I thought i would struggle to scrape by, so I only took 4.5 courses. Yes, i was able to do well, but i had to sacrifice interesting courses just because i was so wary that it would be crazy hard.
Point is, don’t be scared. You get what you put in.
Furthermore, the transition into university was exaggerated for me, too. Honestly, it only took max one month for me, and i’m considered “international.” i hope freshmen won’t be intimidated and pass on some opporunities like i did.
July 2nd, 2012 at 3:25 pm
I have a lot of friends studying Political Science, trying to get into law, so really giving it everything they can, they can’t manage to get more than 3.5 GPA. It’s not that easy. If you’re new to U of T, don’t think it’s going to be easy, even if you give everything. There are lots of factors you can’t control: your TA, for example.
July 8th, 2012 at 3:03 pm
I think, at the end of the day, it really depends on the courses you take. People all try to make the sciences seem difficult, but really, to get a good mark in science you just have to know the right answers.
Whereas in other courses, like the social sciences and arts, the marking is far more subjective since there’s never a ‘right’ answer. So how do you get that 4.0 if the very subject you were learning doesn’t even know what’s right and wrong?
Let’s not think that keening can get you everywhere in everything; different situations call for different techniques.