Tips for success in Arts subjects

[jejak]

Hoping to hear from successful Arts students on how to achieve good marks in a first-year Arts subject - or, alternatively, what not to do. Of course I intend to attend (...) all my lectures and tutes, but surely there must be more to it.

Any responses would be most welcome... Come on, folks, I'm desperate!

edit: Sorry, I'm not usually so careless with my definitions! I'll be upfront and say that a "good mark" would be a D, at least. I need an HD average to remain in my elected course at ANU.

[ninwa]

What subjects are you doing?

And what do you define as a "good mark"?

[kendraaaaa]

Oh I'll subscribe to this too. I'm doing International Studies, European Studies, French and Ancient History.

[ninwa]

French:
- have an exercise book set aside and write new vocab in it whenever you come across it, and go over it regularly. You don't get a dictionary in the exams and you'll get more marks if you can use a wide range of vocab in your essays.
- if you plan on keeping French for a few years and have money to spare, these books are really really really really really great books:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bescherelle-Complete-Conjugating-French-English/dp/2218065916
http://www.amazon.co.uk/French-Grammar-Context-Analysis-Practice/dp/0340807601
- as shitty as the culture component will be, it'll be to your advantage to at least attempt to try to maybe study a tiny bit for it - since it's worth 25% of your mark.
Alternatively, if culture kills your soul too much (like it did for me), you could just do really really well in the grammar component and make up for it (I know someone who rarely showed up to culture lectures, started the essay at 3am the night before it was due, didn't watch any of the films or read any of the literature, and still has a HD average because he worked REALLY hard for grammar)

International studies:
- stay up to date on your readings or you'll fall behind very quickly (there is usually quite a bit of reading to do for each week)
- don't be shy to speak up in tutes! I think you get participation marks - these marks are pretty much handed to you on a silver platter so grab them. Contrary to common views on arts subjects (), int studies isn't that easy to do well in. When I did it in 2008, out of ~850 students (in Clayton, Caulfield, Malaysia and South Africa) only 9 got a 90+ mark.

[jejak]

What subjects are you doing?

Not quite sure yet, but intending to do either:
 Linguistics, French, and Philosophy
 Linguistics, French, and "Traditional Grammar" (Latin/Ancient Greek)

 Might do German instead of French. My fourth unit is a weird research-unit thing, so haven't listed it here.

And what do you define as a "good mark"?

Have edited my first post to clarify this.

[ninwa]

Ahhhh you go to ANU so I wouldn't have a clue. I suppose the above advice sort of applies to you too (though I'm not sure if ANU has a culture component, I hope for your sake it doesn't).

For German, the vocab book advice still applies. If you plan on continuing it, this is the best grammar book I've ever come across:
http://www.amazon.com/Practice-Grammar-German/dp/3190272557
(which is partly on Google books http://books.google.com.au/books?id=CeGTu9iB4aMC&printsec=frontcover&dq=a+practice+grammar+of+german&source=bl&ots=WdihAjT_1K&sig=_OZlQ9h8NKD2hIa5TuS22QsMWcY&hl=en&ei=8UJqS5OkIYzU7APN6NDGBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA0Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false)

[jejak]

Thanks for the grammar book recommendation, ninwa, and I will take your advice on compiling a separate book of vocab. I had always meant to do that for Indo + Chinese throughout year 12, but I fell off the wagon very quickly. Would have been helpful for exam revision.

If I recall correctly, you started studying French from scratch. Would you recommend studying the target language before beginning formal classes at uni? I have never studied French or German in school, so I thought maybe I should do some studying. I know French pronouns, some conjunctions, and passé composé - that's about it :p Any advice would be great.

[ninwa]

I know French pronouns, some conjunctions, and passé composé - that's about it :p

Would you be doing French from scratch? Because that knowledge would put you ahead of pretty much everyone else if I recall correctly, passe compose was pretty much the hardest thing we learned for level 1 French. So if you want to do some advance study, there's nothing wrong with that, but you're already ahead as it is

[ninwa]

Oh I'll subscribe to this too. I'm doing International Studies, European Studies, French and Ancient History.

One last thing for int studies - you'll get a course reader (and a textbook for INT1020), but try to read some other sources. Because hundreds of other students will also be reading from that and writing their exams based on that, so if you can get a fresh perspective in your exam essay / responses, I think the examiners would really appreciate that (imagine reading hundreds of exam papers all basically saying the same thing...)

[kendraaaaa]

Oh I'll subscribe to this too. I'm doing International Studies, European Studies, French and Ancient History.

One last thing for int studies - you'll get a course reader (and a textbook for INT1020), but try to read some other sources. Because hundreds of other students will also be reading from that and writing their exams based on that, so if you can get a fresh perspective in your exam essay / responses, I think the examiners would really appreciate that (imagine reading hundreds of exam papers all basically saying the same thing...)

Yeah I did History: Revolutions last year, and that strategy was pretty much the only way to get better than a C so I've become acustomed to hunting for extra resources. God I'm glad I took that subject, as hellish as it was!

Also, about starting French from scratch. I'd like to do some study this month, what should I do in terms of French? 'Cause I really have no clue where to begin haha.

[jejak]

Would you be doing French from scratch?

I'm hoping I can test out of it, but yes, on the basis of my high school record, I would be doing it from scratch. From what I hear though, the PhB people are pretty lenient with this kind of thing.

Because that knowledge would put you ahead of pretty much everyone else if I recall correctly, passe compose was pretty much the hardest thing we learned for level 1 French.

Really? Well, even though I know passé composé, the future-tense-with-aller-thing, and so on, I still lack really basic vocab in some areas. I also really struggle with numbers, all of which, I imagine, would be more important in a basic conversation class. But anyway.

[steph753]

One last ting for int studies - you'll get a course reader (and a textbook for INT1020)

What is a course reader??

[jejak]

Also, about starting French from scratch. I'd like to do some study this month, what should I do in terms of French? 'Cause I really have no clue where to begin haha.

Kendraaaa - this book is hard to find, but it is absolute gold: [i]French for Reading[/i] by Karl C Sandberg. (The link goes to amazon.com). Basically, it is supposed to teach you everything you need to know to read academic French with ease. I haven't finished it - I'm only about a third of the way in - but even at this stage, it has been quite useful. I tracked down one lone copy at Borders in Melb Central, but they don't seem to carry it anymore.


edit: fixed your link

[ninwa]

What is a course reader??

It's a book of reading for each week produced by Monash. You can buy them at the bookshop.

jejak and kendra - I'll see if I can find a copy of the level 1 French syllabus when I get home (am at work atm)

[kendraaaaa]

What is a course reader??

It's a book of reading for each week produced by Monash. You can buy them at the bookshop.

jejak and kendra - I'll see if I can find a copy of the level 1 French syllabus when I get home (am at work atm)

Cheers <3