What are /r/uwo's favorite Products & Services?

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/u/Andmc88 hit a lot of good points!

For reference, I'm in third year studying Physiology/Pharmacology taking what I feel are pretty heavy memorization courses (Phys 3120, 3140, Pharm 3620, etc). Application questions make up a good chunk of questions, but you still need to know the tiny details in order to work through them.

In terms of your questions:

• A few of my friends are absolute beasts who can cram material a day before and somehow come out with a 95%, but they're definitely the minority.

• I didn't necessarily cram my first two years, but I found my studying to be really ineffective. I'd just casually scroll through notes or powerpoints once a week and call it a day. Definitely no bueno and I had to force myself to switch up my methods.

• In my case, I use an app called Anki to make flashcards. Basic concept is that new cards pop back up often, while cards that you know well come up less frequently. I think they call it spaced repetition? I'll hit my day's quota of cards in like an hour before/between/after class and spend the rest of the day going over new lectures/making more cards.

• By the time exam time rolls around, I find myself pretty well off in terms of the little details. I'll go over all my cards once or twice, then go over the ones I had trouble with, and finish off by reviewing diagrams and misc. powerpoint images. No more hardcore cramming haha.

I find this leaves me with a clear focus on what I NEED to complete for the day, which was crucial for me. It also kept me from scrolling through pages of notes thinking that it was sticking.

Let me know if you want some guidance on how to set Anki up and get used to its day-to-day use!

A backrest pillow was definitely the most used thing in my room. Since you can't have a couch or anything, having a way to comfortably sit on your bed is so key

I'm assuming you meant something like this:

https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0733ZCSR9/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_glt_i_GDV6E51EHB1QWMEG1S58

Listen/read to "Solving the Procrastination Puzzle" by Timothy Pychyl. I listened to it earlier this year and it has had a pretty good effect on my life.

Anyways, the TL;DR of the book is this:

Procrastination is basically a symptom of anxiety. When we want to get work done but feel anxious emotions, we resort to wasting our time on unnecessary things in order to mitigate the bad feelings. Recognizing this is important. The key is to basically power through the anxiety and just get started. Once you get started, the anxiety usually goes away.

I still recommend reading the whole thing, but this is the gist of it. Just get started.

Edit: I found notes I took from the book. They're a bit messy/cryptic since I didn't expect anyone else to read them but here they are.

>I believe it is subsidized for students

Yep, covered under the student fees (~$240).

>No live tracking app, you have to rely on google maps which is itself unreliable

Nope, the LTC Website has a real time schedule. It unfortunately doesn't refresh automatically, is awfully slow and laggy to use on a phone, and it's still off by a few minutes.

There's apps out there as well. Not sure about iPhones but I use London Transit LTC Live. Much better to use but again the downsides are it can still be off by a few minutes and say that a bus is still coming when it left a few minutes ago.

I always try to leave for the stop across the street 5 minutes before it says the bus is arriving in case it arrives earlier (which it does quite frequently).

Maybe not perfect but they're more accurate than whatever Google Maps says.

Include links to London transit apps that give live updates for when the bus is coming. For example, this one is for Android and I use it all the time: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ltc.jamie.myapplication&hl=en

Exams aren't prof specific. This is true for almost all courses at western (some exams have special sections per prof, but this is rare). All students in Chem 1301, no matter which prof, will have the same labs, tutorials, and exams. So it really depends on which is the better teacher. My year didn't have Staroverov or Lee, although i've heard lee is great. Since I can't give you input on the two, i'll give you advice. Most people check Rate My Prof for their teachers. Look at how the other students rated them, and what they had to say about the prof, and choose based off which you think you'll learn better from. Whether you prefer a prof who goes slow and focuses deeper on subjects, or gets through things faster. In the end it doesn't really matter which you choose, because your first year science classes are so big you can attend either lecture. So if you get a prof you don't like you can just start attending the other prof's lectures.

Lots to choose from but budget will be deciding factor. IPad Air 4 or iPad Pro are great but expensive. Surface go 2 with keyboard and stylus can be had for less than $700. More than enough power and storage for note taking and email. Amazon

Not a student anymore but I just got this and it's been fantastic so far.

https://www.amazon.ca/Mattress-Twin-Cloud-like-Quilted-Borders/dp/B08J2S69M7/ref=sr_1_3?crid=28QMV0M59QHY6&keywords=LUTE+Cooling+Mattress+Topper+Twin+Size%2C&qid=1658188656&s=kitchen&sprefix=lute+cooling+mattress+topper+twin+size%2...

Taylor basement has some tables with monitors, but you need to book the spaces in advance. The monitor is mounted to the wall though, it's meant for presentations but you could probably get away with using it for this.

Something else you could look into is a monitor stand, it'll help save a decent amount of space on your desk at home if you can find the right mount. Possibly something like this.

Since no one has suggested a budgeting solution, I use YNAB (You Need A Budget) to budget my money. It is a subscription service ($84USD/year), and there is for sure a learning curve associated with using it but I find it mega useful and as a student you get a 13 months free without needing to put in a credit card. It also has tons of online resources on how to use it. I can't go without it anymore.

Worst come worst you can get a cheapie Logitech one from Amazon with Prime.

https://www.amazon.ca/Logitech-Widescreen-Calling-Recording-960-000694/dp/B004FHO5Y6/ref=sr\_1\_6?keywords=webcam&qid=1639584909&sr=8-6

Different Prof

First rating:

"This is the "Project Management" course for computer science students. It's one of the easiest courses you could ever take in your undergrad; if you don't mind the dry material and the night class, that is. Beauchamin being the professor is certainly helpful, he makes the otherwise boring material bearable and his sense of humour keeps you awake."

This years prof

Wow, I'm in the course and this guy sounds awful.

I graduated from a BMSc module, and took the 1501 and 1502 physics. Here is an example BMSc module, PathTox, and its requisites specify that you can have any of the first year physics courses. You should make an informed decision by hitting up ratemyprofessor.com and checking each professor. Martin Zinke teaches Physics for Bio, and students complain about him every year.

The most intensive program you will probably encounter is Solidworks. Here are the minimum requirements need to run the program. Just find a laptop with those. In terms of things like java, that will run on literally anything.

>Might save you some time, these guys did a very deep dive analysis:
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>https://www.joesandbox.com/analysis/155694/0/html

https://www.zotero.org/styles

Zotero also has an open source style repository where you can search / download different styles. I've had some issues with some versions of the Chicago style, so I've downloaded and tried a few to find the one that does work.

Download and use Cold Turkey or similar software. Study with a friend who will confiscate your phone if you really can't help yourself. Write things out or explain them out loud to someone else instead of reading lecture notes and assuming you can connect concepts. Watch videos or read explanations on a concept by people who are not your prof/TA/classmates to get alternate viewpoints. Talk to a TA/prof/tutor to try to understand where you're going wrong.

Lots of people go through this phase. Don't be discouraged and remember just as some people struggle with calculus or chemistry, this is another set of skills that university is meant to teach you. Seek professional help at the SSC if necessary.

ISP is Internet Service Provider.

Here’s a router to get you started into looking for them. Best bet is check Amazon reviews but also look at reviews on YouTube, PC Mag, or CNET.

This router is like $100 off rn on Amazon. Definitely seems worth it.

I mainly take notes on my laptop and my phone, when using my laptop I usually use OneNote but on my phone I prefer this app, so I recommend both these software.

Just found the instruction manual for ProctorTrack, seems to only be available on Kindle at the moment.
https://www.amazon.ca/Doctor-Proctors-Powder-Doktor-Proktor-ebook/dp/B0030H7UAS

hi there, for first year science youll need a Sharp EL-510RNB Engineering/Scientific Calculator (or a similar model) https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B00000JBMA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_7EAtDbS2AVBJ7 wait until you get your course outlines to be totally sure, but this is the calculator we used in chemistry, applied math, bio, etc last year!

For chemistry you'll have to purchase the course workbook AND lab book from the Bookstore. Other courses, like applied math last year, provide the textbook. In other courses like Calc, look around online for the edition you need (with solutions!!) before purchasing it because you might find a pdf :)

Torrenting was always slow on campus, they throttled me for sure. In rez I always had access to DC++ which is basically a SUPER fast p2p file sharing service, but that was 4 years ago, (that is no longer in service). If you want to use a VPN i would suggest Private Internet Access, its about 3 bucks a month if u get a year sub.

Yeah definintely shouldn't risk it at a university without a VPN. Just look at the risk/reward ratio, and the consider that you can get a decent VPN for $4-10/month (it shouldn't even slow your speed much). Try PIA]() or [IPVanish

Indeed I'm sophing :) I'm looking super forward to it, it's going to be amazing.

Also you're very fortunate that you'll be in Delaware, their soph team is amazing and so much fun to hang out with (I'm not a Delaware soph, but I've hung out with a few of them earlier this year). You'll have an amazing time with them as your sophs (just as you would anywhere else, but given how I feel you think, you'll definitely like them more than any other team)

I actually didn't use a conventional winter jacket at all last year! I wore a really thick hoodie all year. It was a Carhartt branded hoodie (looked like this but I'm not sure if this is the one I had. Mine was waterproof and I feel like mine was a little darker than this one) that was very thick but was very good at keeping water and snow out and keeping the inside warm and dry. Definitely make sure to buy good gloves and a good hat though, you can wear a bunch of layers of shirts and pants but at best you can put on two layers of gloves and a cap, so make sure those two items are damn good!

Welcome to Western :) \/\/

Thats not the one, that's the full calc one where as they use the single variable one

This is the one I used when I took the class

http://www.amazon.com/Calculus-Early-Transcendentals-James-Stewart/dp/0538497904/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&refRID=06G6SK3N6M3VQASWH779

If I was in London I would even sell you my used copy!

http://www.amazon.com/Write-Better-Thesis-David-Evans/dp/0522861261

I believe this is the one everyone recommended to me. Apparently it's amazing; however, I haven't looked at it myself. I also think I heard somewhere that you can get it for free.... Somehow....

As an aside --- warning, unwarranted advice coming --- there really isn't that ridged of a template you need to follow. When I first started writing my first thesis I panicked because I figured I was doing it all wrong. Turns out it's pretty flexible. Your supervisor will help you find the sweet spot. DISCLAIMER: at least for my program.

As previously mentioned, a good way to implement the uwo email to your phone would be to forward it to your G-mail. I used to do this too, but the outlook app for android is really a benefit to have now that our system has migrated. When having the email forward to G-mail, you can check, organize and its all good but you cant send any emails. I would recommend the Outlook android app, once in the app just add your UWO email through the "Exchange" mail. that's the one the worked for me. Its not the best thing ever, but its very similar to the gmail app.

Good luck