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Author Topic: how to get high distinctions?  (Read 16232 times)  Share 

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DeezNuts

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how to get high distinctions?
« on: December 29, 2015, 12:48:16 pm »
0
Hey guys!

Entering my first year into monash uni next year, possibly doing Arts or Science/Arts. Just wondering if there are any tips, routines or advice to get a D-HD average, because I am thinking of possibly doing law in my second year.

Also is a Science degree harder to get D's/HD's than an Arts?

Which art units are less subjective and easier to get D's/HD's in?

thanks alot guys ;)
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SlothPlays

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2015, 01:41:12 pm »
+6
Hey guys!

Entering my first year into monash uni next year, possibly doing Arts or Science/Arts. Just wondering if there are any tips, routines or advice to get a D-HD average, because I am thinking of possibly doing law in my second year.

Also is a Science degree harder to get D's/HD's than an Arts?

Which art units are less subjective and easier to get D's/HD's in?

thanks alot guys ;)

You can get HD in anything if u work your ass off

Rishi97

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2015, 02:03:44 pm »
+3
Hey guys!

Entering my first year into monash uni next year, possibly doing Arts or Science/Arts. Just wondering if there are any tips, routines or advice to get a D-HD average, because I am thinking of possibly doing law in my second year.

Also is a Science degree harder to get D's/HD's than an Arts?

Which art units are less subjective and easier to get D's/HD's in?

thanks alot guys ;)
Hey :)
I think the biggest tip I could give you, is to stay up to date with the workload lol. During the first couple of weeks of uni, I was so relaxed and didn't realise how much work you had to put in to do well..thats when the cramming sessions began haha
But yeah, as SlothPlays mentioned, you have to put in a LOT of work to get a D-HD average. I'm sure you'll ace it :)
Best of Luck and feel free to PM me if you have any more questions :)
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2015-2017: BSc at Melb Uni

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DeezNuts

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2015, 02:05:46 pm »
+1
that is true, Sloth plays

but I just wanted some specific feed back

I believe top students study smarter not harder, hence why it is so hard to top them by sheer brute work and why they seem to manage their time well enough for extracurricular activities.
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DeezNuts

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2015, 02:07:30 pm »
0
Hey :)
I think the biggest tip I could give you, is to stay up to date with the workload lol. During the first couple of weeks of uni, I was so relaxed and didn't realise how much work you had to put in to do well..thats when the cramming sessions began haha
But yeah, as SlothPlays mentioned, you have to put in a LOT of work to get a D-HD average. I'm sure you'll ace it :)
Best of Luck and feel free to PM me if you have any more questions :)

thanks for the motivaitonal boost man :)

Im definitely planning to work my ass off, but I always feel like theres more to it than just that

thanks for ur help, I might PM you further :)
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EspoirTron

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2015, 02:26:24 pm »
+6
that is true, Sloth plays

but I just wanted some specific feed back

I believe top students study smarter not harder, hence why it is so hard to top them by sheer brute work and why they seem to manage their time well enough for extracurricular activities.

I believe that maintaining a D-HD average does require a bit of both. Of course you have to study smart and not necessarily harder. Some general tips would be staying up-to-date as much as possible and making concise summary notes (I found this to be helpful towards SWOTVAC). Being persistent is key, 12 weeks doesn't sound like a long time, but during semester it feels more like 30 weeks. Just be persistent and keep a positive attitude.

The key to doing well is not to necessarily devote every single living moment to studying, but to learn how to balance everything, and keeping fit really does help in the grand scheme of things. Don't forget to go out and have fun, after all, uni is a lot more than just grades!
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Joseph41

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2015, 02:40:54 pm »
+20
tl;dr: It doesn't require anything special. Be attentive, work hard.
Source: 24 units, 24 High Distinctions.

I'm afraid I can only speak for Arts, having just completed a straight Arts degree. But here are some general tips:

Organisation

In my view, the number one factor. You're obviously cluey enough to do well by virtue of getting into uni in the first place. The only thing stopping you from doing so, really, is not being on the ball (from a simplistic view, at least). Personally, I use religiously to-do lists. Practically every day, now that I think about it. I just feel so much better about the world when I know what I have to do exactly, rather than having a whole bunch of stuff sitting over my head.

So a to-do list of mine might look something like this:

Spoiler
- Psych readings
- Psych summary for assessment task
- Linguistics readings
- Finish Linguistics essay
- Contact faculty re: exchange
- Finish email for work
- Re-read History essay
- Submit History essay

Just that sort of thing. Simple, specific tasks that can easily be ticked off one by one. And the ones that I don't achieve go straight onto tomorrow's list.

Follow the ną2 rule

This is something that I have always really done, but I've stolen this terminology from Brenden. Basically, it proposes that you work ahead of where you need to be. If something is due in five days, consider it (and really consider it) due in three. That gives you a buffer of two days, should anything go wrong.

Believe it or not, I have never submitted a single assessment task at uni on the day that it was due. In fact, I don't think I've even left it as late as the day before it was due. Silly? Sure, maybe, but it's served me pretty well. Stress levels decrease, marks improve, what's not to love?

Be a perfectionist, even if you're not

Be absolutely sure that you follow referencing requirements. Re-read your work a number of times. Be professional in your presentation. I tried to do all of the above and, funnily, I think it will actually help me as I go into Honours next year. Make being professional, clean and accurate a habit, and you will be rewarded in the future.

Do the readings

Arts. Lots of readings. Many are long. But do them, and take good notes. There's no point reading if you're not taking anything in, and this is what will set you apart from your peers. Doing the readings means that you can discuss with purpose the content in tutes and the like, and actually learn something from your uni experience.

You won't do every reading you're ever assigned. I'm sort of strategic in this way; in the first week or two, you can usually tell what sort of unit it is. Some rely heavily on the readings; I do the readings for this unit. There are many units in which I've not touched a single reading, but you need to be sure that you can get by without them. This will probably come with experience. In first year, I would certainly err on the side of caution.

Take advantage of easy marks

I read one of Brenden's posts along these lines one time. It was very good. In some units, you might have online quizzes, or attendance marks, or other such things. It absolutely blows my mind that people look at these in such a way that they end up not caring about losing the marks. Maybe you have ten online quizzes across the semester, worth 2% each. So many people don't bother because they're only worth 2% each; "what's the point?" they ask. But if you had an essay worth 20%, would you be saying the same?

It's absolutely crazy. Usually you can get gimme marks just from going to class, pitching in with an idea or two, and doing what should, in my mind, be the absolute minimum of at least getting each assessment in on time. Including the ones worth practically nothing, because they do add up.

And lastly - perhaps unexpectedly -

Make friends, be social

Uni is a life experience. If you don't like uni, you won't be motivated to learn, and your results will reflect that. The more I've become involved with uni, the better I have done academically. So get out there, try to make some friends, join some clubs (though, admittedly, I'm not directly involved in any), and have some fun.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

All the best,
Nick. :)

I believe that maintaining a D-HD average does require a bit of both. Of course you have to study smart and not necessarily harder. Some general tips would be staying up-to-date as much as possible and making concise summary notes (I found this to be helpful towards SWOTVAC). Being persistent is key, 12 weeks doesn't sound like a long time, but during semester it feels more like 30 weeks. Just be persistent and keep a positive attitude.

The key to doing well is not to necessarily devote every single living moment to studying, but to learn how to balance everything, and keeping fit really does help in the grand scheme of things. Don't forget to go out and have fun, after all, uni is a lot more than just grades!

Absolutely this. Great post.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2016, 01:21:33 pm by Joseph41 »

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Syndicate

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2015, 02:58:58 pm »
0
I believe top students study smarter not harder

Study harder (well, if you wont, then you are basically saying you don't give a shit) and smarter  :P
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DeezNuts

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2015, 03:05:55 pm »
0
tl;dr: It doesn't require anything special. Be attentive, work hard.
Source: 24 units, 24 High Distinctions.

I'm afraid I can only speak for Arts, having just completed a straight Arts degree. But here are some general tips:

Organisation

In my view, the number one factor. You're obviously cluey enough to do well by virtue of getting into uni in the first place. The only thing stopping you from doing so, really, is not being on the ball (from a simplistic view, at least). Personally, I use religiously to-do lists. Practically every day, now that I think about it. I just feel so much better about the world when I know what I have to do exactly, rather than having a whole bunch of stuff sitting over my head.

So a to-do list of mine might look something like this:

Spoiler
- Psych readings
- Psych summary for assessment task
- Linguistics readings
- Finish Linguistics essay
- Contact faculty re: exchange
- Finish email for work
- Re-read History essay
- Submit History essay

Just that sort of thing. Simple, specific tasks that can easily be ticked off one by one. And the ones that I don't achieve go straight onto tomorrow's list.

Follow the ną- rule

This is something that I have always really done, but I've stolen this terminology from Brenden. Basically, it proposes that you work ahead of where you need to be. If something is due in five days, consider it (and really consider it) due in three. That gives you a buffer of two days, should anything go wrong.

Believe it or not, I have never submitted a single assessment task at uni on the day that it was due. In fact, I don't think I've even left it as late as the day before it was due. Silly? Sure, maybe, but it's served me pretty well. Stress levels decrease, marks improve, what's not to love?

Be a perfectionist, even if you're not

Be absolutely sure that you follow referencing requirements. Re-read your work a number of times. Be professional in your presentation. I tried to do all of the above and, funnily, I think it will actually help me as I go into Honours next year. Make being professional, clean and accurate a habit, and you will be rewarded in the future.

Do the readings

Arts. Lots of readings. Many are long. But do them, and take good notes. There's no point reading if you're not taking anything in, and this is what will set you apart from your peers. Doing the readings means that you can discuss with purpose the content in tutes and the like, and actually learn something from your uni experience.

You won't do every reading you're ever assigned. I'm sort of strategic in this way; in the first week or two, you can usually tell what sort of unit it is. Some rely heavily on the readings; I do the readings for this unit. There are many units in which I've not touched a single reading, but you need to be sure that you can get by without them. This will probably come with experience. In first year, I would certainly err on the side of caution.

Take advantage of easy marks

I read one of Brenden's posts along these lines one time. It was very good. In some units, you might have online quizzes, or attendance marks, or other such things. It absolutely blows my mind that people look at these in such a way that they end up not caring about losing the marks. Maybe you have ten online quizzes across the semester, worth 2% each. So many people don't bother because they're only worth 2% each; "what's the point?" they ask. But if you had an essay worth 20%, would you be saying the same?

It's absolutely crazy. Usually you can get gimme marks just from going to class, pitching in with an idea or two, and doing what should, in my mind, be the absolute minimum of at least getting each assessment in on time. Including the ones worth practically nothing, because they do add up.

And lastly - perhaps unexpectedly -

Make friends, be social

Uni is a life experience. If you don't like uni, you won't be motivated to learn, and your results will reflect that. The more I've become involved with uni, the better I have done academically. So get out there, try to make some friends, join some clubs (though, admittedly, I'm not directly involved in any), and have some fun.

Please let me know if you have any questions!

All the best,
Nick. :)

Absolutely this. Great post.

thankyou all of you :)

amazing post joseph!
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mahler004

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2015, 10:31:05 pm »
+7
I believe top students study smarter not harder, hence why it is so hard to top them by sheer brute work and why they seem to manage their time well enough for extracurricular activities.

To be honest, I've always hated this phrase. The top students have figured out what works for them study-wise (be it religiously taking notes, flash cards, interpretive dance, etc,) and work really, really hard. There's probably a bit of innate intelligence in there too. There's not some secret to 'working smart,' that the top students have monopolised and hidden, they've figured out what's worked for them, then worked really hard.

All that said, I think the real secret is time management. Top students simply use their time well (and, yes, taking a break counts as time well spent).

Completely agree with what Joseph41 said again. Especially the point about not missing easy marks. Take a subject where you have a 70% exam and three 10% assignments. You forget about one of the assignments (it's only worth 10%, right?) To get a H1, you now need 88% in the remainder of the unit. To pass, you need 55%.

Putting it another way, say you work really hard, and ace all three of the assignments. You get 90% across all three. Now, you only need 75% in the exam to get a H1! This takes a lot of pressure off come in exam time.

You don't say if you're a science student, but what's really key in science is keeping up with the material. You have 13 weeks in the semester (including a week of mid-semester break), and another 1-3 weeks in the exam period. You need to know the material fairly well before you get to the exam period. This means going to every lecture, and spending 2-3 hours each week (or more!) per subject, revising the material. You won't remember everything, but come exam time, the fundamentals will be there.

Likewise, work hard at those mid-semester tests. As I've said above, that 10% could be the difference between a H2A and a H1 come exam time, but, more importantly, it will cement the material in your head prior to SWOTVAC.

With writing, the difference between good writing (H2 standard) and great writing often comes down to proofreading. Speaking from experience, plenty of science students can't write. If you've got the ideas there, you'll get a H2. If the ideas are there, and your writing is clear and with no major formatting or referencing errors, you'll get a H1. Finish a first draft at least a week ahead of the due date for major assignments, and spend at least a week religiously hunting typos and making sure the writing is clear.
« Last Edit: December 29, 2015, 10:33:09 pm by mahler004 »
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spectroscopy

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Re: how to get high distinctions?
« Reply #10 on: December 30, 2015, 02:49:22 am »
+5
i reckon in your first year its about trying different things and different strategies to see what works for you. i tried lots of different stuff in first year trying to see what works best for me in terms of note taking, how to approach assessment tasks, how i study for tests, time planning, memorisation methodologies etc. in the end my best performance this year was a subject i never made notes for or rocked up to anything but it had a very very heavily weighted exam. i had like 5 days to study for it in the exam period but it was a ridiculously content heavy subject with a reputation for being dry and difficult. i figured i was pretty fucked anyway and i always wondered if i would be more productive being nocturnal LOL because i always get distracted by facebook and the like but dont really want to deactivate. so i literally started waking up at 5pm and sleeping at 8am and my productivity shot through the roof because my biggest distractions are dead overnight (nothing new on facebook, no new threads on atarnotes) and i actually smashed through the content really well and got a h1. i had also planned it so my sleeping/waking hours had gotten pushed back to like 8pm-11am by exam day as it was a really early in the morning exam HAHA obviously you cant do something like that all semester for every subject, this was just an anecdote to show different people do well by doing different things.
your thing might just be a different way you structure your breaks or take notes or use your time in lectures but the point is the biggest key to getting consisted HDs/h1s is to figure out what works best for you and then apply that to your subjects

if you were talking about on a more micro scale how to get HD's then Joseph41's post covers the principles pretty well, good luck