First year textbooks?!

[playsimme]

Hi! I was just wondering, HOW do we find out the specific textbook titles we need for our units? I can't find this info anywhere and I missed enrollment day/info day etc.

Also, are textbooks necessary for first-years? If it helps, I'm doing a commerce/arts degree and doing all core units plus psychology units under arts. Can I survive off lecturer notes or should I get the 2nd hand textbooks?

[b^3]

Go to https://my.monash.edu.au/ , log in, under quick links on the left go to 'view my booklist' or ctrl+f booklist, click link and

As to the second aprt, I'll let the others answer.

[grevenchorf]

DON'T buy anything until you have got the unit guide for each unit. The unit guide gives you the set readings for each week, you'll be able to see very quickly what you need to buy (depending on how many of the weekly readings are from it) and the ones that you would use once or twice and that's it. Unit coordinators are very good at putting a book on the list that might only be required for an optional reading for a couple of weeks - essentially pointless to buy.

You will probably need to get a few books, but like I said, don't buy everything that is listed.

[domislong]

Most of the Psych questions are lifted from the textbook so I'd recommend buying that... I don't think any book is really 100% necessary to buy, i.e. you can pass just by lecture notes, but of course you should make sure you have access to all the books (through the library, friends, ebook etc.) just to see how valuable they are. For most first year units there will be a heavy demand for texts and it will be difficult to obtain a copy from the library (for more than a night at least).

[slothpomba]

As for buying books http://www.booko.com.au

Depends on the unit, sometimes the textbook is a very handy thing to have (or indeed necessary). Others, you can do fine and maybe even better using lecture slides alone. They're technically only allowed to assess you based on whats in your lectures and tutes i think....readings might count but not every little thing in the textbook for sure. Thats if you just want to learn to pass...if you want to learn to learn textbook cant hurt.

[JinXi]

They're technically only allowed to assess you based on whats in your lectures and tutes i think.

Some lecturers somewhat ignores this completely... Also, last sem, for MAE 1042 (Intro. to aircraft structures and dynamics) me and a friend went to see the lecturer to ask a couple of questions 2 days before an exam. Halfway through explaining a question about linearly distributed loadings on wings, he extended onto unevenly distributed loadings on wings. After a couple of minutes, he realised that he completely lost me and my friend and proceeded to ask "Hold on... didn't I teach this to you before???" We're like "errr... no?" After that he became quite flushed and began looking through his notes franticly and by then we knew that he had actually put the question on the exam... (he probably got confused with the second year unit as they restructured the unit)

Anyway he chased us out quickly after that and the next day, we all got an email explaining the new concept (and it wasn't easy), which wasn't even part of our course, one day before the exams. (Cool lecturer right??) Well I know a couple of friends that totally switch off their mobile phones and cuts off their internet lines during swotvac... sucks to be them on the morning of the exam when we told them that they got to learn this new concept in about 30 mins.

What did I learn from this is that in UNI, you need to study more about your course than what is outlined in your unit guide. Always try to go one more step in depth than is needed and that way, you're less likely to be surprised on the exam. (I've heard that there are some lecturers who are obnoxious for putting stuff that isn't really part of their course on the exams, but they usually wouldn't do that for first year units)

[slothpomba]

Oh don't get me wrong, if you're in uni, you're there to learn. This is it, this is when you're meant to learn this stuff, so you shouldn't be learning things just to pass or following the mantra of "P's get degrees". It reminds me of a quote, "If not now, then when?". This is really the time this stuff needs to be done and your here to become an expert in something, so obviously wider reading is a very good idea, especially if you're taking more than 1 unit in that area.

They really should only assess you on what they've taught you though. Theres also some clause in the legislation that makes it illegal for universities to require any extra charges of you at all (eg. buy your own lab equipment, excursion fees, things like that) the union was trying to tell me textbooks fall under this and thats why they cant assess you on it but i dont totally buy that. Regardless, they really should only assess you on what they covered.

I know for units like chemistry, its probably just easier to totally learn off the notes they give you because you end up knowing precisely what you need to know rather than getting muddled with the textbook. It varies from unit to unit though.

[paulsterio]

So in high school, you pay for excursions, but that's not allowed in uni? :\

[slothpomba]

"Under the Fligher Education Support Act universities are prohibited from charging compulsory fees on top of HECS or tuition fees, without providing them in some way for free (e.g library books)

These fees can include, but are not excluded to materials, complusory excursion fees and equipment- let the MSA! Know report your crime!"



======================

Despite the fact we pay large fees for our degrees many classes come with a string of added costs that must be paid to complete the semester. These fees can often include, but are not limited to compulsory excursions costs, equipment and materials.

If universities do not provide an alternative free option to incurring these costs they are illegal.

Why are these fees illegal?

Under the Higher Education Support Act universities are prohibited from charging compulsory fees on top of HECS or tuition fees. Despite this, we continued to be charged every year.

The National Union of Students are running a 'Campus Crime Stoppers' campaign aimed at abolishing these fees and the MSA is taking part!

If you know of any subjects that have compulsory fees ‘report your crime’ and help shape the campaign!

To report your crime please click the link below:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?hl=en_US&formkey=dHdremYzZUJOcXBBRUxULXotTTVXYWc6MA#gid=0

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According to the MSA

[paulsterio]

I have to buy a stethoscope for MBBS, so that's technically illegal?

[fuzzylogic]

I have to buy a stethoscope for MBBS, so that's technically illegal?

You technically don't -have- to buy one...they have one's you can borrow in clinical skills hahahaha

[mr.politiks]

Someone bought me one as a gift lol - i dont know what to say