Uni life thread

flamshmizer

Likes Dirt
1st year civil engineer. I don't know if all the electric engineers are weird, but i think you'd have to be to do it. I HATE with a passion electrical diagrams.

On the other hand, most of the civils seem to be the study nerds who want nothing but high marks, and most of the mechanicals seem to be the average every day blokes who probably won't make it to second year.

I started last year second semester and met this other girl in second year doing civil who has turned into a really cool friend, and she knows some awesome people so my friends group has expanded from there. Definitely no regrets knowing her.

I see the people who live on campus and envy them, they seem to have so much fun every day. On the other hand, I'm certain my marks would suffer because of it.

I also wish USQ had a decent food hole, the refectory sucks ass. I'd kill for a subway on campus.
 
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JaRedy

Guest
[/RANT]

I hate group assignments.
Can they seriously not bring them in until 2nd year? That way they can weed out all the people who dont care about the course, which is what is causing me crap right now.

Four group assignments for four subjects. For all my subjects I have been getting 6's and 7's on all individual assignments, tasks and quiz's. Now these group assignments are causing me major grief and cancelling out my efforts made earlier in the semester.

Group assignment one. I ended up doing most of it because only one of the other three members put much effort into it. Because of this I got very stressed out and ended up neglecting group assignment two.

Group assignment two (due today). One group member has done hardly a thing, the other has provided some good content up until this week. Over the weekend I realised that they clearly diddnt know how much work was left to be done, so I had to do most of it myself over sunday, monday and tuesday night. Meanwhile they both stopped replying to any messages or emails I sent them. This entire week I have been stressing the fact that on Wednesday I wont be able to work onthe assignment as I am doing 12 hours at work. I left them clear instructions on what was left to be done to the assignment. A slideshow for the speech also had to be made and I left them resources and pictures to use for this. Seriously not that hard. I got home from work during the night to find I still had no reply or work sent to me. WHAT THE HELL. I have ended up doing it all myself, and it's probably half crap because it hasnt been reviewed by the group. To add to this, the tutorial when we present today is at 9:00am. I have given up all hope contacting them, we dont have a time organised to practice, they dont know what they are reading (In fact as far as they know it isnt even finished yet and we dont have a slideshow presentation yet). Like seriously what the hell are they thinking!? I am so freaking angry. If I could I would tell them to just not bother turning up.

Group assignment three. I am having to re-do and re-research all information sent to me from the other group member because half of it contradicts itself. I sat down to do new work and ended up re-writing theirs for 4 hours. They have also recently expressed the fact that they are "happy just to pass". I am aiming for a 6 or a 7. So frustrating, and its too late to change.

Group assignment four. Completley neglected because of the workload one two and three. (I also thought I could work my job 20 hours a week but clearly thats not working). Looks like I am going to be the criminal for this one, great.

Group assignments = makes me shudder

I need to meet better people

[/END RANT]
 
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'Ross

Eats Squid
Well in my degree I did a modest amount of group assignments 1st and 2nd year, now in 3rd year I have a lot and I can tell you it is much worse this way!

You either end up with opinionated idiots who only care about getting their opinion across and even if they do aren't willing to put in the work to back it up....or you end up with Internationals who can't speak English and copy paste everything off google.

At this point I just figure these people (whom I don't like) are essentially my competition for getting decent jobs, and seeing as most of them are absolute morons it shall make me look better.
 

Arete

Likes Dirt
Group assignments are also the devil to mark, especially when the input of various students is wildly variable.

The best thing to do if your group truly sucks balls is talk to someone teaching/marking the course, and make sure whatever tasks you are actually assigned are done to a suitable standard. You will be fed all the lines about how group assignments are about managing people/working in a group/choosing who you work with etc and so on but at least when I see your group's assignment I will know which bit you did and might be able to justify giving you a mark higher than the rest of the group.

Otherwise I have to assume equal input into whatever dog's breakfast is submitted and assign equal blame for me having to spend my Saturday afternoon trying to figure out what the hell you actually did. ;)

Edit - yes before the inevitable comment, we do get paid to mark. However the pay isn't very good, I have to find time for it outside my usual hours and I'm expected to get an assignment done every 15 minutes. If I've spent an hour re-reading your work and still haven't figured out what you are actually trying to say because you didn't bother to proof read your assignment or actually read the core material for the course, your chances of a good mark are minimal.
 
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seventyseven

percent of Australians blame the bike for their cr
Group assignments are also the devil to mark, especially when the input of various students is wildly variable.

The best thing to do if your group truly sucks balls is talk to someone teaching/marking the course, and make sure whatever tasks you are actually assigned are done to a suitable standard. You will be fed all the lines about how group assignments are about managing people/working in a group/choosing who you work with etc and so on but at least when I see your group's assignment I will know which bit you did and might be able to justify giving you a mark higher than the rest of the group.

Otherwise I have to assume equal input into whatever dog's breakfast is submitted and assign equal blame for me having to spend my Saturday afternoon trying to figure out what the hell you actually did. ;)

Edit - yes before the inevitable comment, we do get paid to mark. However the pay isn't very good, I have to find time for it outside my usual hours and I'm expected to get an assignment done every 15 minutes. If I've spent an hour re-reading your work and still haven't figured out what you are actually trying to say because you didn't bother to proof read your assignment or actually read the core material for the course, your chances of a good mark are minimal.
short version: do it in english XD


edit: you're a lecturer aren't you arete? can't you just palm it off to one of your tutors/postgrads/honors students? :p
 
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TWChikn

Likes Dirt
First year engineering at UQ, probably going with civil.

Be cool to meet some of the other faces at UQ - specially you RYDA (I really just want your assignments ;) )

I don't mind uni - met some cool people, had some good fun. The basketball playoff's always pack out the first year learning centre and create an awesome atmosphere. The Heat vs. Bulls game yesterday was fantastic! The campus is sweet, the rescources are sweet etc. etc.

I hate the travel, roughly 4 hrs out of my day 5 days a week for a first year engg timetable (i.e. - 8 am lecture everyday of the week). So bad.
I also hate the work. I was the kid in school who did minimal work in the hardest subjects and got an OP 2. Heck I'm paying for it.
With the combination of excessive study, huge loads of assignments and stuff, and 20 hrs a week travel my social life is pretty dead. How the heck do people manage it if this is first semester first year?!

Also - help me out with study tips, I'm pretty horrible at it and only slowly getting better.
 

seventyseven

percent of Australians blame the bike for their cr
Also - help me out with study tips, I'm pretty horrible at it and only slowly getting better.
i find it impossible to focus on stuff that bores me/i don't see the point in unless i'm made to so to speak.

you'd be amazed at what you can do when you have no choice.
 

Arete

Likes Dirt
short version: do it in english XD


edit: you're a lecturer aren't you arete? can't you just palm it off to one of your tutors/postgrads/honors students? :p
Academic jobs at least in science broadly split into teaching and research. I'm primarily research, but the price I pay for desk/bench space is a nominal teaching load. As such I don't co-ordinate any courses, just guest lecturer/teaching assistant stuff I have to do to fill my teaching quota.

TWChikin - travel time = study/work time.
 
I also hate the work. I was the kid in school who did minimal work in the hardest subjects and got an OP 2. Heck I'm paying for it.
I'm in the same boat. What's worse is that two subjects I'm struggling in I dropped in school because I wasn't any good at them and now I'm forced to do them even though they have very little, if anything, to do with my course.
 

RYDA

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Be cool to meet some of the other faces at UQ - specially you RYDA (I really just want your assignments ;) )
You've come to right person. You're name isn't Ryan by any chance is it?

EDIT: I hate second year maths, thank god this the last pure maths subject I need to do.
 
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Rider_of_Fast

Likes Bikes
TWChikin - travel time = study/work time.
That's easier said than done.

I've done the commute from Gold Coast to UQ 5 days/wk (3hrs+/day) this semester and I can tell you that studying on the train isn't very realistic and/or productive.

They do call it the Bombay Express for a reason.

I've noticed there's a shitload of UQ peeps on here. Is anyone a UQ cycling club member? Im looking into becoming a member next semester after my gf and I buy our little place (long commute no more).
 

seventyseven

percent of Australians blame the bike for their cr
Academic jobs at least in science broadly split into teaching and research. I'm primarily research, but the price I pay for desk/bench space is a nominal teaching load. As such I don't co-ordinate any courses, just guest lecturer/teaching assistant stuff I have to do to fill my teaching quota.

TWChikin - travel time = study/work time.
so are you technically a postdoc that's forced to do some teaching or do remain under the academic/teaching structure?
 

Arete

Likes Dirt
postdoc - but that's beside the point . Plenty of tenured academics have primarily research positions in science. At least in science, teaching load is negotiated dependent on how much a university wants you - i.e. a highly competitive applicant can negotiate a lower teaching load. I came with my own funding and thus negotiated a lower teaching load than most.

RoF. I did almost all my undergraduate reading on the train on the way into campus, but it was before the days of widespread laptop use.
 

taitt

Likes Dirt
I've noticed there's a shitload of UQ peeps on here. Is anyone a UQ cycling club member? Im looking into becoming a member next semester after my gf and I buy our little place (long commute no more).
I was a road cyclist and the majority of the UQ guys that I met were douchebag elitists. I know there is the TRIADS and the UQ cycling club, but would anyone from UQ be keen to get an MTB social club up and running?

I need more people to ride with and there seems to be a sh. load of UQ guys on here.
 

Rider_of_Fast

Likes Bikes
]
RoF. I did almost all my undergraduate reading on the train on the way into campus, but it was before the days of widespread laptop use.
I guess it all depends on your study technique. I for one, have to be writing out my notes in order to take anything in. Simply reading for me won't lock it away in the vault. I know I am very rigid with my study (and I spend a lot of time doing it :s) and maybe I'm a bit of a tard in that respect, but it gets the results in the end.

However, I just wish it (study) and commuting didn't take so much of my time off the bike.

I was a road cyclist and the majority of the UQ guys that I met were douchebag elitists. I know there is the TRIADS and the UQ cycling club, but would anyone from UQ be keen to get an MTB social club up and running?

I need more people to ride with and there seems to be a sh. load of UQ guys on here.
Yeah for sure would be keen to meet some ppl on here to do some riding with (road and mtb) as riding Bris will be all new to me. Hence I though joining the club would be a good way to get to know some new people. A mtb social club sounds like a great idea, I'm surprise with the size of UQ and the amount of clubs and societies it has, surely it should have an MTB club? (like I mean, it even has a "Marxism" society :p)

I remember at UQ open day going up and talking to the guys at the UQ cycling stand and the few that were there seemed pretty normal. I know it can be a rather elitist sort of scene (road), but I just try to ignore that shit and enjoy the riding for what it is (oh and hammer time).
 

TWChikn

Likes Dirt
You've come to right person. You're name isn't Ryan by any chance is it?

EDIT: I hate second year maths, thank god this the last pure maths subject I need to do.

Nope - Andrew. You thinking of Ryan Carrier? *Just a stab in the dark. :p

All I hear about math2000 is bad things. Actually, that's true of all math...


As for the MTB - keen as! Provided you don't knock on me for riding a Kona Scab - I'm only a poor student. :p

Whose the guy that rides the black Ibid to uni? It's often tied up outside the library but I saw it Friday down near the sports centre.

Reading on the train - I gave it a crack but found I couldn't concentrate and ended up zoning out and glossing over everything. :S
My current method is just continually doing tute questions when I have the time.
 
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kemmis

Likes Dirt
I am doing a bachelor of policing at UWS, runnish uni, so small no facilities but its the only place that goulburn work with so only place offering the course. 2 years uni and then 4 months at goulburn police college. I enjoy the course, so far its not to full on with workload and I like the relxed uni hours.
 
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JaRedy

Guest
Groupwork bullshit strikes again. Partner for research a assignment hands me her final drawings lastnight. They are of various geographical maps and they have no Legend, no textures, no colour, and no attributes or lables. It looks like a 2 minute sketch from year 10 geography. What the flying fk! How on earth can I be so unlucky? It's due today. I'm about to cry here. Holy shit. This is unbelieveable.

I am paying thousands of dollars for my degree and 4 out of 4 subject's group assignments have reuslted in people not pulling close to their weight and fking up my marks. I am feeling personally out of pocket here as I would have been better off if I wasnt forced into group assignments like this. It's affecting my achievements as a student planner and my GPA is far from reflecting my proper capabilities. Bring group assignments into 2nd year when all the people who dont give a crap have already left for crying out loud.

I'm pretty sure I am missing the point of the uni life thread, but man I need to vent hard.
 

Rutter

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I go to UQ too, im doing enviro management 1st yr, i often see that ibis locked up at uni near the gym, theirs quite a few nice bikes kicking around

I also commute 5days a week across the river on mtb, bmx or fixed from where i park and only have a short amount of time at uni each day the timetable for first year is bullshit.
 
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