Hints for passing units

[CharlieB]

In light of another thread, ITT we post useful information regarding units we have done. Stuff that lecturers and study guides DON'T tell you, stuff you only find out mid-way through the semester etc...

I'll start:

Accg1a:

Go to PAL! I did most of my learning in PAL. PAL tutors are very friendly and they give tips and hints lecturers don't. They have access to past papers etc...You will not regret this.

Also, if you are majoring in accg, i suggest you try and nail this unit. It provides a solid base for most accounting subjects later on.

Accg1b:

There is normally a really general question on the sufuri prac set in the final: eg. Name two creditors of sufari, Name 3 subsidary ledgers...

Isys123:

Go to ALL of matt's lectures! He tells you everything you need to know about passing this unit. What will be in the quizes, how to pass the final, how to do the assignments! Everything!

Very little information is provided on webct

Law114:

go to law camp! haha



n.b: i'll add more when i think of it.

 

[AsyLum]

Any Media Theory subject: blah blah blah Marshal McLuhan, blah blah Postmodernism blah blah Convergence, blah blah, Simulacra.

 

[CharlieB]

strong input asylum!


Econ110:

If alex is still running this unit, i suggest going to his lectures, there is a reason why his lectures are always filled to capacity with international students.

Know your diagrams! If you know nothing about the question, just bust out a relevant diagram and you will get marks.

No need to buy the latest version of the textbook, i survived using a $12 copy of the 3rd ed, while the lecturers were spruiking the $120 5th ed.


Law104:

Do the 2nd half tute questions on professional conduct. This forms part b of the final. Very important.

You don't really need the ellis textbook, but i suggest getting a copy of essential professional conduct - there is a copy in e-reserve if your a cheapskate like me.

Isys123:


Textbook is expensive and not that essential as long as you go to lectures. Again, if your cheap there is a copy in e-reserve you can photocopy.

 

[AsyLum]

Unfortunately its true

AHST103: Turn up to every lecture, if this is your first Ancient unit at Macquarie, then be prepared for lots and lots of writing. You're covering a ton of information, and its all going to culminate at the end. Having said that, you shouldn't need any other motivation to turn up to these classes as you have Tom Hillard, who IMO is the best lecturer/teacher at Macquarie.

MAS104: Not sure if they're still doing it the same, but if its still Australian Media, then please please please, don't turn up to the tutorials and say "I've only ever watched 7, 9 and 10, and TT/ACA is my favourite program"...because you'll look like the typical North Shore fuckwit. Learn how to reference, how to research, and write an essay, this is your first step outside of High School, and that big ole hand isn't feeding you no more.

MAS105: Again not sure who's taking this now, but its a little more hardcore than 104, read your textbook, and get it into your head that convergence, Marshal McLuhan and postmodernism will be some 'key issues' you'll be discussing. On top of globalisation and internationalisation.

MAS203: Consume as much news media as you can, not just from commercial channels either. Raise serious discussions in class, show that you know more than the TT/ACA garbage, and you should easily pass/get a better mark.

MAS208/209: Quite simply, turn up to lectures as they will cover the vast majority of the content. I've heard that this year a bunch of people didn't even bother, and were subsequently failed because they missed the lecture which told them what would be in the exam. Its fairly easy in workshops as well, don't try to cheat by using Dreamweaver, Steve knows what the code looks like, we'll just laugh at you when he fails you

 

[shhy8029]

ACCG200 - Management Accounting

Throughout the semester, you'll have loads and loads of stuff to do. namely lecture example, tutorial h/w, review questions done in tutes, extra questions, and revision tutorial questions. Do try them during the semester, and be able to solve all of them. Some questions do suck and completely in different format, but don't be afraid and just read the relavent stuff in the textbook. Learn the concept and try to apply them in the questions. If you are only looking at the superficial side of the question you'll never solve it. Repeat at least 2 times of every questions mentioned above.

Final exam has tricks, but was easier than review Qs and revision Qs. Also, lecture not recommended.

 

[Skittled]

Been a while since I've done any psych units people are doing, here, so I'll induce some general rules out of my experiences...

Psych exams.
Many of the psych units run multiple choice exams; you beat these by learning the content, and focusing on the SLIDES, rather than the textbook. However, there will be some questions from the textbook, but they're the fundamental things from it: if you simply read and understand textbook content (but don't necessarily take notes from it), you'll have an unfair advantage. They often test UNDERSTANDING, so you're better off learning the concepts, than rote learning or making up little mnemonics to memorise lists (though, mnemonics are great for memorising concepts that natually form lists, like processes, etc... You'll know it when you see it.)

...and the dreaded;
Psych Essays

1. APA Format. Notice this is the first thing on the list? It's also the first place you'll lose marks.
2. I've always been awarded bonus marks for synthesising theories, even when the question doesn't call for it. Don't mention two competing theories without synthesising them somehow (at least a token paragraph).
3. Watch out for effect vs affect. Big psychological implications.
4. DON'T get jiggy with statistics you don't FULLY understand. They'll poke holes and generally root your Rsq, square your Chi, and generally ruin your Zen till quantum mechanics make alpha levels redundant (or, more conventionally, till the cows come home.. or something else that never happens).
5. Run it through your own BS-o-meter. If you had to defend and elaborate what you're saying infront of an audience of 50 people, would you be able to? If not, cut it. You're probably over the miniscule wordcount, anyway.
6. If you're a business student, panic (Or, alternatively, re-run it through someone elses' BS-o-meter).

(...for the record, I was a business student, too, but Psych beat it out of me )

 

[Peartie]

any german (or language for that matter) unit:

do the work in the workbooks and do the exercises...helps a shiteload

 

[salehhbk121415]

We need more!!

 

[old.skool.kid]

Been a while since I've done any psych units people are doing, here, so I'll induce some general rules out of my experiences...

Psych exams.
Many of the psych units run multiple choice exams; you beat these by learning the content, and focusing on the SLIDES, rather than the textbook. However, there will be some questions from the textbook, but they're the fundamental things from it: if you simply read and understand textbook content (but don't necessarily take notes from it), you'll have an unfair advantage. They often test UNDERSTANDING, so you're better off learning the concepts, than rote learning or making up little mnemonics to memorise lists (though, mnemonics are great for memorising concepts that natually form lists, like processes, etc... You'll know it when you see it.)

...and the dreaded;

Psych Essays

1. APA Format. Notice this is the first thing on the list? It's also the first place you'll lose marks.
2. I've always been awarded bonus marks for synthesising theories, even when the question doesn't call for it. Don't mention two competing theories without synthesising them somehow (at least a token paragraph).
3. Watch out for effect vs affect. Big psychological implications.
4. DON'T get jiggy with statistics you don't FULLY understand. They'll poke holes and generally root your Rsq, square your Chi, and generally ruin your Zen till quantum mechanics make alpha levels redundant (or, more conventionally, till the cows come home.. or something else that never happens).
5. Run it through your own BS-o-meter. If you had to defend and elaborate what you're saying infront of an audience of 50 people, would you be able to? If not, cut it. You're probably over the miniscule wordcount, anyway.
6. If you're a business student, panic (Or, alternatively, re-run it through someone elses' BS-o-meter).

(...for the record, I was a business student, too, but Psych beat it out of me )

Nice. Thanks man. Do you mean that reading the texbook is almost more than enough and there is no point taking any notes from the textbook?

EDIT. Oh didn't notice this was from 2008 and he hastn't been on since Janurary.

Still, it'd be interesting to know how other psych students have been studying for the exam.

 

[Luke!]

My hints:

- Delete Messenger.
- Cancel your Facebook account.
- Block YouTube.
- Stop browsing threads on BOS. - (Heath Ledger voice: "Why so hypocritical?")

I guarantee it will make your study time more efficient.


Furthermore, for budding accountants, make an effort to thoroughly understand debit/credit entries early in your degree (ACCG1A/1B). I never 'really' understood it until I started working in accounting, but once I did I found university accounting so simple.

Understand what all the accounts (revenue/expense/asset/liability/equity) actually represent and learn the underlying purpose of all the accounting statements early in your degree. It will make your degree much easier overall if you have a solid grasp of the basics from the beginning.

 

[*hopeful*]

ACCG310 - do the tute questions over and over again, its the only way you will understand and more often than not thats where the exam questions come from

im sorry every other subject is a big blur :s

 

[salehhbk121415]

STAT170- Go over all those past exam papers which are giving to u at the end of the semester

ISYS123 - For final exam go over the past class tests (all versions). Go to matts lecturers he is a great lecturer.

 

[xeuyrawp]

Choose an enjoyable line of study which means that the work is so engaging, you don't have to worry about passing units?

/contribution.

 

[russs]

MATH135/MATH136 - Do questions from past papers & exercises from textbooks. If you don't have textbooks, passing would be on the verge of impossible unless you are a genius. Look at assignment solutions and try to memorize them. Do quizzes again and again.

ISYS123 - What the hell, you don't need to attend a single lecture to pass.

STAT170 - Be in an assignment group with an asian so you get good assignment marks. Other than that, just study a little bit. Its not hard.

COMP115/125 - If you can't pass these without studying, you will die doing COMP225. COMP115 was the easiest unit I have done (even easier than ISYS123 in relation to workload).

 

[Tonthat]

ACST101: Go through the answers after each weekly quiz and find out where you went wrong because the next week's stuff builds off from the previous week.

 

[Kiim2507]

Unfortunately its true

MAS104: Not sure if they're still doing it the same, but if its still Australian Media, then please please please, don't turn up to the tutorials and say "I've only ever watched 7, 9 and 10, and TT/ACA is my favourite program"...because you'll look like the typical North Shore fuckwit. Learn how to reference, how to research, and write an essay, this is your first step outside of High School, and that big ole hand isn't feeding you no more.

MAS105: Again not sure who's taking this now, but its a little more hardcore than 104, read your textbook, and get it into your head that convergence, Marshal McLuhan and postmodernism will be some 'key issues' you'll be discussing. On top of globalisation and internationalisation.

hahaha mas104...so true

105 I think Sherman Young or someone similar to that name is taking it next semester..I heard he's quite a good lecturer but I'm dreading the course =\

 

[Supra]

ACCG310 - do the tute questions over and over again, its the only way you will understand and more often than not thats where the exam questions come from

im sorry every other subject is a big blur :s

ACCG310 - attend the consolidation lectures or else you guarantee yourself a fail

 

[peter_2]

For ECON200 make sure you listen to i-lecture very weak content can become unclear and difficult to grasp on.
For ACCG253 pretty much do the tutorial question every week as they are almost the same in in the final examination. Is it just me or did this year's ACCG253 exam feel pretty easy compared to how people in past years full said soo many negative things about how hard this subject was?

 

[-may-cat-]

For any unit taken by Ian Plant, don't skip lectures and tell yourself you'll listen to them later on i lecture, you will be dead within the first 10 minutes.

 

[AsyLum]

Haha, Ian's great but yeah he goes through a truckload of content. I struggled through the content for Myth because they ran out of textbooks lol