What you learned the hard way first year
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Original post by Beautiful_bae
so basically if you have 40% or above in your coursework youve already passed and dont have to show up for the exam
Different universities/ courses have different policies. But some allow you to fail certain components of the module so long as you pass the module overall.
So say for example you had a coursework worth 30% of the module that you got 70% and another coursework also worth 30% of the module that you got 70% in as well, that would be mean that so far in the module you have scored 42%. And so you have already passed the module even though you have not yet completed the remaining 40% of the module/ exam.
But bare in mind some universities you need at least 40% or above in every module component.
Original post by SophieSmall
Different universities/ courses have different policies. But some allow you to fail certain components of the module so long as you pass the module overall.
So say for example you had a coursework worth 30% of the module that you got 70% and another coursework also worth 30% of the module that you got 70% in as well, that would be mean that so far in the module you have scored 42%. And so you have already passed the module even though you have not yet completed the remaining 40% of the module/ exam.
But bare in mind some universities you need at least 40% or above in every module component.
So say for example you had a coursework worth 30% of the module that you got 70% and another coursework also worth 30% of the module that you got 70% in as well, that would be mean that so far in the module you have scored 42%. And so you have already passed the module even though you have not yet completed the remaining 40% of the module/ exam.
But bare in mind some universities you need at least 40% or above in every module component.
One thing my friends learned was that you have to read the notes carefully like I did and told them to do, as they couldn't do one entire question because they didn't remember a definition and said it hadn't come up on the exam.I still cram though it works well for me working all day from the start of the last term(doing a decent bit of work in Easter as well).
My thoughts on my Maths Degree Course are that the homeworks are often made deliberately more challenging than the exams and they can make you feel like you are struggling because you take so long to do them(I still got As in every one bar my first Analysis one As were for 80%+) but sometimes they would take you more than one day and you don't have time for that in an exam.I'd generally say the step up on the basis of the actual exams is small in general, although its quite a big step up in Probability(Probability actually reminds me of STEP Probability questions the course does tend to go in that direction,all my friends agreed it was a hard exam but I think we did well.) and Programming is quite difficult and for Dynamics I actually feel its a step down in difficulty my friends would probably agree it was certainly easier that Mechanics at A Level.
The step up is obviously greater than from GCSE to AS, I learned the basics of C1 and C2 over the summer between Y10 and Y11 not finding it that hard.The step up to Further Maths AS was very difficult mainly due to Mechanics modules which were incredibly difficult to get your head round at first though thats probably worse than the step up from A Level to University Mathematics.
What I don't like about University Mathematics is the unnecessary abstraction of everything at times and endless definitions it can make lectures quite boring.I think I have found that although I like the logic of Analysis applied Mathematics is more my thing, where you really get to see beautiful Mathematics used to solve real world problems I have really got into Physics which I do as an optional module.
I have gained friends through joining Badminton Society, friends on the same courses/modules as me also including friends of my college friends(4 people including me from the same College Class for Maths/Further Maths/Physics are on the same course as me I only see 2 of these people regularly though they are my main friends).I have not gained any flatmate friends though I didn't even make friends with the person I shared a room with(he decided to leave to go into a single room and I had to go in another single room too).
There is an immense amount of work to be done at University though it will require you to often only get to bed as early as 2pm and not go out that much(I went out for Badminton twice a week that was it pretty much) and despite myths this isn't just for Science courses my friend on an History course had loads of Reading to do and often told me he couldn't go out to the Badminton Society.When revising for my exams in the last term, I worked a lot harder than him I often had to survive on just 3-4 hours of a sleep at night or even missing the nights sleep all together to get my revision done due to my cramming schedule.Close to the exam I made sure I got a decent amount of sleep though.Strangely, I suffered bad nightmares for several nights in this revision period and often woke up just 30 minutes after going to sleep.
I have really got into Physics at University as previously mentioned the course is so interesting it is very hard due to the challenging problems and all the content to the learn but it is so interesting to see Mathematics used so beautifully on Physics problems and lectures were often just Mathematics derivations.The tutorials were very engaging and unlike the tutors in Mathematics who would just go through questions you understood(tutorials were generally a waste of time apart from occasional insight as I knew most of what they were talking about), these tutors would really push your understanding all the time testing whether you really understood things-it is entirely normal to be completely confused in a Physics tutorial as Physics is very hard.The Modern Physics course is particularly great the lecturer was brilliant and clearfully explained the concepts and the course is extremely mathematical(in fact I learned a Mathematical method in this course about a week before I learned it in my Mathematics course so it was new for me) and the concepts of Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are very interesting.
My thoughts on my Maths Degree Course are that the homeworks are often made deliberately more challenging than the exams and they can make you feel like you are struggling because you take so long to do them(I still got As in every one bar my first Analysis one As were for 80%+) but sometimes they would take you more than one day and you don't have time for that in an exam.I'd generally say the step up on the basis of the actual exams is small in general, although its quite a big step up in Probability(Probability actually reminds me of STEP Probability questions the course does tend to go in that direction,all my friends agreed it was a hard exam but I think we did well.) and Programming is quite difficult and for Dynamics I actually feel its a step down in difficulty my friends would probably agree it was certainly easier that Mechanics at A Level.
The step up is obviously greater than from GCSE to AS, I learned the basics of C1 and C2 over the summer between Y10 and Y11 not finding it that hard.The step up to Further Maths AS was very difficult mainly due to Mechanics modules which were incredibly difficult to get your head round at first though thats probably worse than the step up from A Level to University Mathematics.
What I don't like about University Mathematics is the unnecessary abstraction of everything at times and endless definitions it can make lectures quite boring.I think I have found that although I like the logic of Analysis applied Mathematics is more my thing, where you really get to see beautiful Mathematics used to solve real world problems I have really got into Physics which I do as an optional module.
I have gained friends through joining Badminton Society, friends on the same courses/modules as me also including friends of my college friends(4 people including me from the same College Class for Maths/Further Maths/Physics are on the same course as me I only see 2 of these people regularly though they are my main friends).I have not gained any flatmate friends though I didn't even make friends with the person I shared a room with(he decided to leave to go into a single room and I had to go in another single room too).
There is an immense amount of work to be done at University though it will require you to often only get to bed as early as 2pm and not go out that much(I went out for Badminton twice a week that was it pretty much) and despite myths this isn't just for Science courses my friend on an History course had loads of Reading to do and often told me he couldn't go out to the Badminton Society.When revising for my exams in the last term, I worked a lot harder than him I often had to survive on just 3-4 hours of a sleep at night or even missing the nights sleep all together to get my revision done due to my cramming schedule.Close to the exam I made sure I got a decent amount of sleep though.Strangely, I suffered bad nightmares for several nights in this revision period and often woke up just 30 minutes after going to sleep.
I have really got into Physics at University as previously mentioned the course is so interesting it is very hard due to the challenging problems and all the content to the learn but it is so interesting to see Mathematics used so beautifully on Physics problems and lectures were often just Mathematics derivations.The tutorials were very engaging and unlike the tutors in Mathematics who would just go through questions you understood(tutorials were generally a waste of time apart from occasional insight as I knew most of what they were talking about), these tutors would really push your understanding all the time testing whether you really understood things-it is entirely normal to be completely confused in a Physics tutorial as Physics is very hard.The Modern Physics course is particularly great the lecturer was brilliant and clearfully explained the concepts and the course is extremely mathematical(in fact I learned a Mathematical method in this course about a week before I learned it in my Mathematics course so it was new for me) and the concepts of Special Relativity and Quantum Mechanics are very interesting.
Original post by spotify95
That's also exactly how DMU do it. After the original deadline, but no more than 2 weeks late, capped at 40%. After 2 weeks late, mark will always be 0%.
I'm surprised that some universities give a mark of 0% even after the original deadline... then again I am surprised that some universities only knock 10% off for being late. After all, it's not supposed to be like in secondary school, where handing in work late just gives you a 10 minute or 30 minute detention...
I'm surprised that some universities give a mark of 0% even after the original deadline... then again I am surprised that some universities only knock 10% off for being late. After all, it's not supposed to be like in secondary school, where handing in work late just gives you a 10 minute or 30 minute detention...
We only had a week to finish it at the lower grade and it had to be in at 4 otherwise it's no it a bit harsh when you get to the window they take it to stamp it and then before it's stamped an alarm goes off and it's marked late because they were slow
Original post by corax
Open yourself up as much as possible in order to get to know people.First few months of Uni were really hard for me due to dealing with home sickness, which resulted in me sort of coping through accidentally shutting myself away. I'd never been away from home by myself without family and found it really overwhelming.During this time I missed out on a lot of close bonding, I didn't open up at all about how I was feeling so flat mates found it hard to get to know me.So yeah, as hard as it may seem, put as much effort in as possible, especially if you like myself can be a rather guarded when it comes to sharing yourself with people you've just met.
I did exactly the same thing. First few days at uni I locked myself in my room and cried because I missed my parents. My flatmates tried to invite me out to socialise, but I was scared that I would burst into tears at any moment so I came up with many excuses
However, I managed to find friends on my course when uni actually started so it didn't turn out too bad.
Original post by jonathanemptage
We only had a week to finish it at the lower grade and it had to be in at 4 otherwise it's no it a bit harsh when you get to the window they take it to stamp it and then before it's stamped an alarm goes off and it's marked late because they were slow
Likewise, at DMU, they don't usually accept coursework submissions after 4PM, though if you're a few minutes late they will still accept it. Obviously, it'll be stamped as late, but most lecturers won't deduct marks for being a couple of minutes late. They'll deduct marks if you're late enough to have to hand it the next day (as the submissions area doesn't allow submissions after 4pm), though.
Thankfully, I haven't had any issues with regards to handing things in late.
Having been on an acting course for three years my experience has been very different from a normal university degree, especially since it was a practical based course which has on-stage, performance based assessments.
As it has been stated in another post, do not be afraid to "pop people's bubbles" it's only by going through this that you will grow up. One person on my year was very depressed by Christmas of 1st year because he was facing persecution from his flat mates (two of who were also in the year!). By the end of that year she had left and he stayed. He said before we finished our degree: "that [situation] changed me" as a person, and he did develop over the three years, but there is still some issues he needs to work out.
As we were on an acting course, this did not benefit the dynamic of the group, or those individuals involved. When the girl who started the persecuting left, second year was much better and there was a lot of growth between us, but in the third year we had 9 new people join the course and everything we had done melted away, because we quickly had to change the dynamic of the group and we didn't give any thought to the quality of the work we had to complete, they just wanted to get 3rd year completed and over with.
Maybe I was unfortunate to start my degree with a group of people who were unwilling to change or grow as individuals in order to get the most out of our course. I was the oldest in our year, but I realised after first year that I was dealing with teenagers. So we stuck to our own ideas with the people that we worked best with for the sake of a good grade, and I'm sorry if that scares anyone, but in your third year that's not good enough! By this point, if you are doing acting, your plays/stories need to be layered with hidden meanings and metaphors if you have even the slightest ambition of going professional. Obviously a lot of you are not going into media, but the same rule applies to working professionally in other industries. You need to be able to work and communicate effectively (something I did learn the hard way). Outside of the rehearsal room we had great fun, but for some reason it was not the same inside the rehearsal room, the walls went up and the bubble was rebuilt.
Now, with my graduation looming and my first step into a career looming, I wonder what they are doing. Applying for auditions, or still working in their part time jobs? There is a good lesson in all of this shpiel - If you are unwilling to change and better yourself while at university, don't go. If you don't show your potential employers at the end of your degree that you are not a mature adult who can handle pressure, don't bother. I can tell you first hand they are not interested in your drama.
So in summary: year 1 - Get comfortable with each other, if you don't like the way someone acts, tell them! You may come from a rich background or a poor one, but now you need to fend for yourself, so help each other, and learn to share your ideas so that everyone benefits from the work you are creating.
Year 2 - use what you learnt in first year to create a better piece of work for this year, your lecturers will expect you to complete more during these modules.
Year 3 - take everything from last year and prepare to apply it to your future career. By now you should be ready to look at companies you will be able to work for* because you have been/will be doing similar work on this final, most important year of your degree.
Even if you choose to work for a different industry when you complete your degree, you will need to show off how much work you can accomplish for them, because now you are worth a lot more money than you were without a degree.
*Look for the careers officer at your university, they should be able to help shape your CV and covering letters inbetween modules. Then you can apply to companies that interest you when you finish all of your modules and are ready to start professional work AKA: your career.
As it has been stated in another post, do not be afraid to "pop people's bubbles" it's only by going through this that you will grow up. One person on my year was very depressed by Christmas of 1st year because he was facing persecution from his flat mates (two of who were also in the year!). By the end of that year she had left and he stayed. He said before we finished our degree: "that [situation] changed me" as a person, and he did develop over the three years, but there is still some issues he needs to work out.
As we were on an acting course, this did not benefit the dynamic of the group, or those individuals involved. When the girl who started the persecuting left, second year was much better and there was a lot of growth between us, but in the third year we had 9 new people join the course and everything we had done melted away, because we quickly had to change the dynamic of the group and we didn't give any thought to the quality of the work we had to complete, they just wanted to get 3rd year completed and over with.
Maybe I was unfortunate to start my degree with a group of people who were unwilling to change or grow as individuals in order to get the most out of our course. I was the oldest in our year, but I realised after first year that I was dealing with teenagers. So we stuck to our own ideas with the people that we worked best with for the sake of a good grade, and I'm sorry if that scares anyone, but in your third year that's not good enough! By this point, if you are doing acting, your plays/stories need to be layered with hidden meanings and metaphors if you have even the slightest ambition of going professional. Obviously a lot of you are not going into media, but the same rule applies to working professionally in other industries. You need to be able to work and communicate effectively (something I did learn the hard way). Outside of the rehearsal room we had great fun, but for some reason it was not the same inside the rehearsal room, the walls went up and the bubble was rebuilt.
Now, with my graduation looming and my first step into a career looming, I wonder what they are doing. Applying for auditions, or still working in their part time jobs? There is a good lesson in all of this shpiel - If you are unwilling to change and better yourself while at university, don't go. If you don't show your potential employers at the end of your degree that you are not a mature adult who can handle pressure, don't bother. I can tell you first hand they are not interested in your drama.
So in summary: year 1 - Get comfortable with each other, if you don't like the way someone acts, tell them! You may come from a rich background or a poor one, but now you need to fend for yourself, so help each other, and learn to share your ideas so that everyone benefits from the work you are creating.
Year 2 - use what you learnt in first year to create a better piece of work for this year, your lecturers will expect you to complete more during these modules.
Year 3 - take everything from last year and prepare to apply it to your future career. By now you should be ready to look at companies you will be able to work for* because you have been/will be doing similar work on this final, most important year of your degree.
Even if you choose to work for a different industry when you complete your degree, you will need to show off how much work you can accomplish for them, because now you are worth a lot more money than you were without a degree.
*Look for the careers officer at your university, they should be able to help shape your CV and covering letters inbetween modules. Then you can apply to companies that interest you when you finish all of your modules and are ready to start professional work AKA: your career.
(edited 7 years ago)
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