I Survived First Year in a Pandemic: Medical Sciences at Western University — Strategies for Academic Success
In this article, I talk about specific strategies that helped me achieve my best and improve substantially from first to second semester. To read more about What to Expect in Your Five Online Courses and How Covid-19 Affected Campus Life, click here.
You might be starting to prepare yourself for the academic vigour you’re about to be thrown in. You’re probably feeling eager, slightly nervous, and not sure what to anticipate. I’ll highlight some strategies I utilized to secure the marks I wanted, as well as things that I wish I knew before I started!
Staying on Schedule with Asynchronous Online Courses
When you don’t need to attend classes in person to receive the same lecture material or professor specific content, it may become easy for you to skip online zoom tutorials or leave recorded lectures to the last minute. I get it. It’s discouraging, uninspiring, and you feel isolated because it’s difficult to get assistance from instructors.
The reality is you just need to … do it. Literally. It’s hard to start, but as you get into the motion, it gets easier and easier. You may like to do a little bit of each subject or focus on only a couple subjects per day. I personally liked chunking my time to only a couple subjects a day. This allowed me to remain focused on one task at a time for extended periods. My suggestion: finish at least half of two subject’s coursework for the week each day. For example, I would finish at least half of the lectures for chemistry and half of the lectures for biology in a day plus appropriate practice questions. After about a month or so, it was much easier to get more and more work done. I had overcome the initial academic “bump” and gotten into the motions of an asynchronous schedule!
You may already know that some subjects are more “practice question heavy” than others. I recommend chunking a heavier practice course with a heavier conceptual course. For example, I would be able to finish all the lectures for biology and physics in a day, get started on practice questions, and then dedicate entire days later in the week to more practice questions/tests or YouTube resources. This allowed me to get ahead before the storm really hits (as midterm season lasts about a month long) and dedicate more time to studying for the actual exams during exam week. Because everything is asynchronous, the schedule you make is entirely up to you — while this is intimidating, it can be tailored entirely to your success if you commit to getting the work done.
Keep track of your assignments, labs, and upcoming quizzes. No one will remind you when things are due, especially since everything is online. Using a planner that includes a monthly calendar as well as daily spaces allows you to keep track of important academic and extra-curricular dates. This also lets you see which weeks are busier — you can plan to get ahead more easily when everything is laid out clearly. Every day, I ensured that I wrote a rough plan or checklist of things that MUST get done. Whether you check off actual assignment submissions, or maybe just end of chapter questions, you need to keep yourself accountable for your own success. Focus on self-learning, discipline, and remember the goal at hand (to learn something new!).
Taking advantage of extra resources
I don’t mean to slander the way online courses were run this year… but just depending on their recorded lectures/given resources will NOT yield success. The first step is to identify your weaknesses. For me, it was physics. Since I had absolutely zero background, I knew I had to put in more work to achieve desirable results. In first semester, I kept up with lectures, did all the textbook questions, and web-assigned weekly quizzes. However, I still didn’t perform as well as I thought my work input would yield.
I realized a core issue: I was practicing the same type of problems repeatedly without understanding the core concepts. To do well in these logic-based courses, you must acquire the ability to apply your understanding of course material to solve novel problems. I wish I knew that unlike high school, asking professors or TAs for help do not assist with your core understanding. They may assist you with solving a specific problem, but unless you understand why they chose that strategy, it’s of no help!
I watched YouTube playlists from free teachers (like Khan Academy and Organic Chemistry Tutor) whilst taking notes and pausing to try a new problem. This filled the gaps in my learning from the lectures. When you are equipped with root knowledge, every problem can be approached with a bit more ease. Professors explain concepts very briefly — so it’s up to you to chase that in-depth understanding WHILST learning rather than cramming a couple days before the exam. When second semester came around, applying these strategies to my learning process yielded immense improvement.
Finding an Effective Study Group
I can’t stress enough how critical this is to your success. Having an effective study group stimulates active learning and active recall, ensures that you understand core concepts, and provides you with a convenient outlet to ask questions. You’ll likely be added to several group chats for your courses (and if not, find them on Facebook or Instagram) and you should reach out to peers online! This is how I became friends with some of the best study buddies in my program. The key to an effective group is to find peers that have the same work ethic as you and are around a similar level of understanding. By default, you will improve as a group by trying to explain concepts to each other, make sense of difficult material, and practice together in real time. Do not be afraid to ask questions, give difficult problems your best shot, and continue trying after you fail the first time. Being able to explain concepts to others is a very strong indicator that you know your stuff. So have fun, make some friends, and bring each other up!
Summary
I hope you were able to takeaway something useful from my personal experience! Everyone learns and studies differently, so remember to remain open minded throughout your first year. You will learn what works best for you, how to avoid previous mistakes, and better structure your time.
If you want to read more about how COVID-19 affected Campus Life, click here.
