Freaking out D:

[Destiny]

Is uni so hard that it would be worth grabbing the textbooks recced by ATARnotes in the subject reviews thread and reading over them in the holidays right now? I mean, I've just had VCE and have a fairly good chance of getting into biomed (I think? Having reached an atar of 99.35). I don't want to cram at Uni and I've always started studying in the holidays... Would this be necessary? I have copies of most of the textbooks already.

[JinXi]

Of course it doesn't hurt to do some light reading on your uni subjects before unit starts. Also, if you're really keen, you can email the lecturers for the units that you're doing next year and ask them for a reading list.

However I would recommend against doing too much work before uni even starts. Burning out is extremely common amongst uni students and you wouldn't want that to happen to you. Uni is tough but only as tough as you want it to be.

[DisaFear]

You'll probably forget 80% of the stuff you read now
I borrowed the second year chem book from my local library, just to see what I can expect next year

Now it is just obediently sitting on my shelf. Chem was my best subject, but that stuff looks insane

If you are really keen, start in February XD

[Russ]

Assuming you don't have a particular reason (eg haven't studied maths for 2 years etc.) then don't do any reading until the last couple of weeks of February and that's only if you're particularly keen.

[Furbob]

you do have more free time at uni as most of its all about self-learning... if you do some study every week you wont need to "cram" really

I guess this mentality comes from VCE where most of your day is taken up by classes and you dont get as much time to study on your own

[Starlight]

I agree with Russ.

If you're going to do some pre-reading before the uni semester begins, i'd abide by lecture notes/ current chapters of the relevant textbooks when your subject pages are up (in feb).

Just remember though, the lecture notes are 99% of the time what is examined in the EXAM, the textbook is for clarification or extra information on particular concepts covered through lectures.

I think your main concern is one that relates to organization really. Grab a nice diary that has a decent amount of space to write your uni tasks/ assignments daily, it's just a matter of keeping on track

[Destiny]

ok, thankyou guys for your input. I wasn't really aware that the situation was kinda different in Uni. Textbooks have become my bible over the VCE years >.<

[Fantasia94]

Quick question. When and where can u actually purchase the uni books if ur planning to go to melb unii?

[DisaFear]

The bookstore on campus as well as other bookstores (not all though, saw some at A&G though)
Online book stores (Book depository, etc)
Past students

I don't know about other Unis, but Monash has a place on the portal called "Monash Marketplace" where past students sell books, among other stuff. You have access to this if you are a student

If interested, I am selling some BSc books here

[QuantumJG]

Quick question. When and where can u actually purchase the uni books if ur planning to go to melb unii?

Just some advice. Uni isn't like VCE where you MUST have the textbook in order to do the work. As others have said, you only use the textbook for clarifications (some problems in there may be set during the semester). Also, uni textbooks are expensive (for me the average cost is $100), you can save that (and hence put it to better use) by going to the library and photocopying pages.

[Fantasia94]

Okay so I'm planning on doing Bach of science at melbourne to then do masters of civil eng. so, my question is, while I'm studying for Bach of science do I study the same exact material as someone who is doing science as well but wants to then do medicine after finishing the science degree? I'm not sure if my question makes sense but ill give it a go anyway 

[Russ]

No, you pick subjects that are based around what you want and what you're interested in. So, for example, you might study some engineering design subjects, some maths subjects and some physics. Someone who wants to do medicine is going to be picking biology, anatomy, chemistry etc.

[Fyrefly]

I think your main concern is one that relates to organization really. Grab a nice diary that has a decent amount of space to write your uni tasks/ assignments daily, it's just a matter of keeping on track

One thing that really helps me is to, at the start of every semester, go through and collate a list of all assignments/tests/assessments and their due dates into one list in my diary. It really helps to have everything together there in front of you on the one page.

[slothpomba]

Quick question. When and where can u actually purchase the uni books if ur planning to go to melb unii?

Don't just go straight to the bookdepository, that would be a big mistake. Often they are the cheapest but sometimes they're not.

Use http://www.booko.com.au . It compares all the book websites including book depository.

A lot of uni's have online portals but since you're not in uni yet, you won't be able to access it.

http://www.textbookexchange.com.au has served me really well so far as well.

One thing that really helps me is to, at the start of every semester, go through and collate a list of all assignments/tests/assessments and their due dates into one list in my diary. It really helps to have everything together there in front of you on the one page.

Organisation is key. I'm really crappily organised and i've missed so many 1-5% online quizes (easy marks) because of it. For those not in uni, its so easy to just not hand in stuff or hand it in late, so, i cant stress enough how good of an idea it is to be organised (take it from someone who got burnt markwise by not being organised).

I use the task pane of outlook

[pi]

You will be able to find many e-copies of your textbooks through google too