Why you should attend your lectures!

Many students will attend tutorials because tutorials will not repeat itself, it's compulsory and in some units the attendance is marked! So we don't need to tell you to go to your tutorials. However lectures is something that has not received as much importance as tutorials as most students believe that it is easy to miss and catch up. Many students have this mindset but it is a bad mindset to have...

This is a bit of a no-brainer and you must of heard this many times but you must attend lectures! This is because it's easier said than done. Many of you will probably start off your first semester all pumped and ready to attend all your lectures and tutorials. You'll probably attend lectures for the first few weeks, then perhaps you'll start to lose motivation and start skipping some lectures. This is VERY common for a lot of uni students. Many students start to skip lectures because: 

They lack motivation 
It's easy to lack motivation so try to find a friend to go to lectures with you or think about the bigger picture, about how worth it going to the lecture will be. 

They think they can catch up (typical saying, i'll just echo it) 
It's easy to think that skipping a 1 or 2 hour lecture is nothing and that you'll easily catch up but be careful with this mindset. It is very easy to go from catching up on one lecture to catching up to a whole semesters worth of lectures! Be careful not to fall into this routine. 

Their friends aren't going anymore (peer pressure) 
If your friends/classmates aren't going to a lecture and rather hang out, it's hard not to say yes to the hang out because you want to make friends and not feel embarrassed. It is true that you should spend time making friends however you should not jeopardize your studies for it! Think of yourself, at the end of the semester you're the only person who is responsible for the grade you got.

It is also so important to attend lectures because: 
- Some lectures may not have echo recordings! 
- You may not be as engaged with the lecture watching it online than in person 
- You may not be able to catch up and fall behind 

It's understandable if you're sick or have other commitments and can't attend one week however if you're not sick, attend all your lectures s you don't fall behind! When it comes to final exam period you'll thank yourself for attending every week and getting those extra notes from the lectures. You learn a lot better by consuming information gradually rather than being those students who try to cram a whole semesters worth of information before the final exam!

Reference: 
Image: http://students.mq.edu.au/custom/files/media/students_lecture_theatre_holimage.jpg 

Navigating around iLearn

Being new to Macquarie, finding your way around iLearn can be difficult. Don't worry though, you'll get the hang of it soon enough, so you can easily locate unit guides, assignment briefs, lecture notes, lecture recordings, online quizzes and more.

Start by logging in to the iLearn home page using your student ID number.

Your own personal home page will show up, displaying your current units of study at the top as links. Each unit link provides you with all the information you need for the subject in one convenient location! The unit guide, along with other crucial resources are displayed at the top of the page, along with a helpful, brief introduction to the unit.

Along the right hand side of the page includes consultation details and times of relevant staff for the unit, as well as recent activity on class forums, announcements and very importantly, lecture recordings under the name 'echo'. This is very difficult to find being a new student, so knowing this in advance will save you a lot of time in the future.

Another useful link to be aware of is your 'Grades' link to display your grades and progress throughout your semester so far. This is hard for most students to find so don't worry, I had to ask too! It's located under the tools tab at the top of your navigation bar. Through this link you will find your user report with grades of each marked assignment in each unit, with an overall mark of your progress displayed also.

We hope that this will help you as a starting point to navigate around iLearn Macquarie!!



Reference: Screenshots retrieved from http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/my/

How to deal with Assessmemts and Academic Support

"It's mid-semester, and you got assignments due soon!"

Assessments & Coversheets
Most assessments will require you to attach a coversheet on your work. Avoid being penalised by getting one before you submit!

You can find helpful links to make one for your relevant faculty below!
Arts: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/coversheet
Business and Economics: http://www.businessandeconomics.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/assignment_coversheets
Human Sciences: http://humansciences.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/assignment_cover_sheet
Science: http://web.science.mq.edu.au/intranet/lt/barcode/coversheet.php

How to ask questions about your Unit
As the due date for an assessment nears, lots of students will have questions. If you have a question, first check the unit guide. If it doesn’t answer your question, it will have contact information for the best person to ask – this may be your tutor, or your lecturer, depending on the unit.
If your question is admin related (e.g. I am sick, what I need to do?) ask any Teaching Assistants or administrative staff which will be indicated in your iLearn page or contact the relevant Faculty Student Services!

If you are emailing a tutor or lecturer, remember they may be teaching 100+ students this semester, and more than one unit. Use a unique subject line that will help them out – if your tutor receives 20 emails with the subject line ‘Essay Question’ their inbox is going to be very confusing. Put the unit and the day of your class in the subject line, so it is easy for them separate emails from different students.
i.e. instead of ‘Essay question’ try ‘Essay Question – from Lucy, Tues 6pm tute MKTG111’.

And of course, always use your Student Email Address to send an email, otherwise academics may not respond!

How To Effectively Take Lecture Notes

In your lectures it is crucial to take notes during lectures as you may need to refer to them later for assignments or to study for end of semester exams.
Firstly many students like to bring their laptops and read the lecture slides off there however we have found that is more effective to print out the lecture slides. This is because you can write notes on the lecture slides and writing makes you absorb the information better than if you were typing. Having your lecture slides printed out also allows you to keep a hard copy on hand and refer to them in the future for revision.

Now when you first attend a lecture you may be tempted to write down every single thing that the lecturer says so that you don't miss anything which is what a lot of students the first time. However this can be a mistake!
Yes it is crucial to take down what the lecturer says but if you're too busy writing down everything they say, you're also not giving yourself enough time to actually listen, absorb and understand what the lecturer is saying. Only write things down that add value to your notes and if your lecturer stresses it's importance.

To effectively attend your lectures, listen to what the lecturer is saying to try and understand the content and if they mention anything important not listed on the lecture notes, then you may write it a brief summary down.

Making Sense of it All

It's all a little bit confronting walking around uni for the first time. There's so many different faces, there's so many different buildings, and it's pretty tricky making sense of it all.
But do not fear because there's perhaps too many people that can help! Have you tried looking on the Macquarie University website for starters?
They have everything you need to know about getting around uni in the easiest possible way; from finding the gym, to discovering the vast resources of the library, to joining endless awesome clubs!
Next up, you could always try heading down to Student Connect if you have any questions about how to get prepared for uni. The guys down there are always willing to help out and can give you further information on what fun, new things Macquarie University has to offer.
And don't forget, everyone you see around you has been in your position, so don't be afraid to ask for some advice whether it be getting to a lecture or getting to the bus stop. We're all happy to help! :)


Reference: Image retrieved from https://airport.unimelb.edu.au/first_year/ 

Developing A Network

A university campus is filled with thousands of students so it can be easy to feel disconnected when you start uni, especially if you don't know anyone yet. It is normal to feel lonely or even a little bit scared but remember, many other first year students starting out are also in your boat!

Developing a network of friends and acquaintances on campus is not a luxury, it's a necessity—an important aspect of successful study and university life. To establish a network of friends it is important to be proactive and open to the idea so that you are approachable. This makes making friends a lot easier than if you are hiding in the dark. 
It's important to make a positive effort to meet new people. 

Some tips to be proactive: 
• Attending O-week and signing up to societies that interest you and meet other students on campus with similar interests

• The first few weeks are the best time to meet other people in your courses. Exchange phone numbers or email addresses with at least one student in each of your tutorials and lectures. Simply say hi and introduce yourself to the person sitting next to you in your lectures and tutorials.

• Greet people that you recognize from your classes when you meet them on campus. It's a polite gesture and also improves your bond with that person so that future interactions are not awkward..

• Try not to rush off straight after class; find the time to have lunch or a coffee with classmates during the breaks.

• Don't wait for someone to include you. If everyone waited for someone else to make the first move then nobody would ever get to know anyone. If you see a group in class you want to join, don't be scared to introduce yourself and ask. (People at uni aren't going to bite you)

It isn't like high school!

This one is fairly obvious however it's good to throw this in as a little reminder for those starting university fresh out of high school. It is important to remember that is definitely not the same as high school! Now we don't mean this in a bad way, what is mean is that you have to be more independent at Uni. At uni you need to organised; check your timetable and make sure you don't miss those important lectures and tutorials. 

You also need to be on top of all of your assignments, making sure you check the outline for when they are due or how much research is required so that you give yourself enough time to start it early (saving yourself from a really bad allnighter). It's not like high school where your teachers practically spoon-fed you information and reminded you each week when something is due. At Uni you must learn to check these things yourself and if you need extra help, to take the initiative to learn the extra work outside of class hours and ask for help. Most tutors and lecturers at Macquarie University have consultation hours so see them and make the most of that service!

Welcome!

Hey all! Welcome to our MQunitips blog! Here in our blog, current students; Boris, Sarah and myself (Sally), aim to support and advise first year university students with their transition into their tertiary life! 

We all know how daunting the first year of university can be transitioning from high school and there may be some things that your friends or tutors won't tell you. Our guide will include existing Macquarie University Students sharing their experiences, events and societies on campus, preparing for assignments and exams and other general tips. Enjoy and we hope this helps prepare you for your journey at Macquarie University.

From your friendly neighbourhood campus buddies! Till next time...