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Bachelor of
SCIENCE by Bec Carra
Welcome to Janet Clarke Hall and the
Bachelor of Science! You now have just a
few days to shake off your holiday lethargy,
prepare to say goodbye to sleep-ins, and find
where you left your brain over the holidays.
Starting at university can be a daunting
experience, but don’t stress! This quick guide
is full of things I wish someone had told me
when I started my course.
The BSc (and majors)
In the next few weeks, be prepared to get
asked about your course major. Some of
you will know exactly what you want to do,
and others not so much. Don’t worry if you
aren’t sure, it’s okay to not know your final
major! The great thing about having a general
Science degree is that you’re not locked into
one path; you’re free to explore different
subjects and work out where you want to
go. I highly recommend taking a broad range
of subjects from different fields in your
first year so as to keep your options open.
But, be aware! Many second-year subjects
have prerequisites. For example, second-
year maths subjects tend to require you to
have completed both Calculus 2 and Linear
Algebra (or, the equivalent Accelerated Maths
classes).
If you already know your major, that’s
fantastic! Make sure you check the Course
Planning page for your major and figure out
which subjects you’ll have to do. Aside from
that, make sure you pursue a few different
interests. It’s very common for students to
change their mind during their degree, and
that’s alright!
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completing assignments and passing exams.
As you all should (hopefully!) know, each
subject usually consists of 2-3 lectures, a
practical, and a tutorial per week. However,
the classes and format differ depending on
the discipline of science and specific subject.
Lectures
Please, please, please keep on top of your
lectures!!! Most science lectures are recorded
– but beware the trap of watching Lecture
Capture! If you find the lecturers go too fast,
have a timetable clash, or prefer to watch
lectures at your own speed (…or you fell
asleep in class), it’s a fantastic tool. But I
really recommend watching them the same
day if you choose to not attend lectures, as
it’s incredibly easy to fall behind. It can be
stressful if you have an assignment or exam
approaching and you realise you haven’t
even seen the last 12 lectures covering that
module... And trust me, you do not want to
be the person who lucks their way through
their assignments but gets to SWOT Vac and
realises they haven’t seen a single lecture
since week one… (there will be one person,
trust me)
Tutorials
You might hear different things about
tutorials, but I found them really helpful.
Tutorials go through lecture content a little
slower, give you exam problems to work
through, and of course, you get to meet
other people doing the subject. They’re also a
great space for asking questions if you don’t
understand the course content, and often
can contain helpful student tips for
Assessment:
Not all science tutorials have an attendance
requirement, so make sure you check Part of the joy (haha, not really) of picking
the subject information in the University Science is that the exams will determine the
Handbook. Your attendance might also mark you receive. Keep this in mind, as it’s
directly affect your results - lecturers aren’t a good idea to be prepared early and make
impressed with students who don’t go to cue cards or study materials regularly so you
class. don’t leave it all to SWOT Vac. During SWOT
Vac, it’s better to sit practice exams and
answer practice questions. Most faculties will
release past exams for practice and some
are available at the libraries, but it’s also a
good idea to revisit questions and ideas from
lectures to further text yourself.
The rest of your grade will be made up
of smaller assignments and marks from
practicals. Most subjects have regular
multiple-choice tests. Definitely study for
these, as they tend to ask harder questions
to prepare you for exams. Assignments will
test your understanding and may need to be
submitted in person. Maths assignments,
Practicals for example, must be placed into a particular
locker within the Peter Hall building. Be
Practicals differ depending on subject, so familiar with your subject’s requirements, and
be familiar with your timetable. For fields all will be well.
like Earth Sciences and Maths, you will work
through problems and activities in groups, Have fun and best of luck!
while in Biology, Chemistry, and Physics you
will be in the lab. Lab practicals often require
some form of preparation: usually reading the
textbook and lab procedure, and completing My first year goals
a pre-prac test (which are quite important,
as they are compulsory and count towards
your grade). Practicals are also very rushed,
so being prepared is never a bad option. You
will require safety wear and notes for labs, so
a good tip is to always make sure you have
your things ready (especially spare hair ties
if you need them) the night before. You’ll pick
up tips for doing well in labs as the year goes
on - talk to older students to find out what
worked for them. As mentioned, do as much
as possible before each lab, to conserve time
within the labs themselves
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