A student's comment on one of the blogs (see below) inspired me to come up with a list of things I wish I had known in my first year:
- The number of people walking excruciatingly slowly in the hallways is directly proportional to how late for class you are.
- The bookstore is always sold out of the book you need. No wait, they have one. It's buried at the back behind six anatomy textbo... Oh, they sold that one a few minutes ago! Sorry!
- There's always one ass during exams who loudly proclaims at every opportunity that he didn't study and was out partying last night until 2 a.m. and ends up getting a 90. I hate those people. Feel free to put laxatives in their coffee :P
- www.tusbe.com
- Credit card companies will come to your campus to offer you credit cards. Most often they do so by tempting you with baubles and trinkets, everything from a coffee thermos to a single-strap backpack. I have realized that this isn't an incentive: They are trying to exploit your stupidity about credit cards as cheaply as possible. In essence, the 'free gift' is their way of showing you just how stupid you are. Also, most credit cards you get at university are issued by the university itself, meaning the interest you pay will eventually go back to your university. The one that you pay tuition to. And buy books from.
- I hate "ancillary fees". I'm looking at you, U of T.
- Study spaces are neither.
- Remember the cafeteria food you guys had in high school? How it had that unpleasant chemically taste? It was all greasy, and you look back, wondering how you could've ever eaten that crap on a regular basis?
Welcome to university food, sucker!
That being said, I'm seeing all the freshies slowly trickle in to U of T Scarborough, and it's making me giggle just a little. Just a tad. It's funny to see so many of you. Good luck.
And to those who are heading into grades 10-12 this year, take right now as a break. If you were in summer school, it's over now. Take some time to play some Wii/XBox/PS3. Go out for a bike ride, do some yard work. Believe me, six months from now you'll be cussing and wondering where it all went!
Yesterday I had a Dr. Pepper and Snickers for the first time in months. SO good. I think, honestly, there is nothing better on a summer Sunday than sitting down in the backyard, sunglasses on and a book nearby, with a bottle of Dr. Pepper and a Snickers bar handy.
Yes, I'm a nerd. I enjoy it. Leave me alone.
Have a good one!
Mr. K
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9 comments:
-I tried to avoid that as much as possible but of course none of the courses that you want are when you want them (or are full) so I always got stuck with that one class that I have to sprint to. Guess I should get in shape :P
-Maybe I should try getting a job at the bookstore so I can get my hands on them before anybody else. I bet that's what's going on!
-Lazy geniuses have all the fun. Damn them all!!
-I'm guessing prices are set by the seller so how much did you usually get off the price? By the way, is it true that different versions of a book are usually exactly the same but with miner alterations? Of is that just a rumor spread by chagrined students?
-That's why I thank you for your rant on credit cards during class :) It's amazing how stupid some people can be. It's also amazing how big a cash grab it all is. Speaking of cash grabs, I just saw my tuition fees ($6,000 and change). Dad's gonna hang himself!
-I feel like I know what ancillary fees are but I can't recall...
-Good thing I'm a light eater :)
Why would you be fasting from soda and chocolate? I mean they're two of the four basic food groups! Believe me, I'd love to do the same with a glass of ice tea/Fresca and a box of gummie bears but the weather just won't let me. Seriously, it rains everyday when I'm up north >_<
btw its bip again whats an ancillary fee?
If you're at U of T, avoid jobs at the bookstore. Unionized, and... I hated my job at the U of T Bookstore. HAAAAAATED it.
Lazy geniuses do NOT have all the fun. Don't say that, otherwise you'll make other people want to be lazy geniuses and fail trying!
I don't actually know who prices are set by, as you never see prices next to the ISBN of a book, or anywhere on it, for that matter. My advice is to check online for the price of a book, if you can find it, before you buy at the bookstore.
Yes, it's entirely true that books have minor changes from edition to edition (I covered THAT in class, too!) - Usually they simply change the position of a chart on a page, or the position of captions or images. In the case of real meanies, they change the page numbering, so you can't cross reference stuff to what the prof is saying. Either way, it's the same material essentially, so there's no real issue with WHAT you're learning, just HOW you're learning it.
Ancillary fees, bip, are the fees universities charge you for non-educational miscellany - Health Services(Doctors, therapists, etc), Campus Clubs fee, Fitness Services fee, there's a whole bunch. Some you can opt out of, some you can't. Check with your Student Union. While we're at it, go to your student union and get an ISIC card.
six grand? You're a lightweight. My first year at U of T my fees came out to $8500 because they'd deregulated fees on programs that offered co-op. Don't forget, this is BEFORE books and other auxiliary fees - Notepads, pens, paper, backpack, travel costs, etc.
It's been raining every day down here - Ain't no difference except for the fact that the blackflies are more friendly (read:nonexistent) down here than they are in... Temiskaming *Shakes fist*
It's a beautiful day, ladies and gentlemen. I'm going to finish reading The Master and Margarita on the beach and I'm bringin my hammock along for the ride.
PEACE!
hey mr. kassam its evan i'm posting this here because i dont know how else to contact you, anyway i found this website thats right up your alley and thought you might want to take a look if you haven't already heard about it.
trust me its hilarious
the site is:
http://www.badassoftheweek.com/
SIIIIR, We (Mary and I) are freaking out. Okay we bought our psych books already and it was first edition it came out in 2007. Thye came out with the second edition, the one we are suppose to use. They are both by the same authors. Should we get the new one although we both just spent 80 bucks buying the old one.
:'( UNI SUCKS ALREADY MAN!
Your first stupid mistake was going to York!
HAHA! ZING!
And now, because you're in university, I don't have to be nice and tell you the answer. I can tell you two things.
One: Read the comments. My last one, specifically.
Also, read the first three chapters before classes start. Your profs usually start around the third or fourth chapter, and assign you reading for the first three as homework within the first couple of days of lectures.
hey, it's jessy here, any advice on getting a job when uni starts? my cash fund is getting low and it seems like no one would hire anyone without any connections (me).
Hey Mr. Kassam!
It's Yasmin. : ) I'm currently living in residence at Carleton University and I wanted to let you know that you were by far the best teacher at SATEC and the grade 12 World Issues class made me make the decision of going into political science. I'm also taking human rights seminar which I'm told is an amazing course. I hope you're doing well!
P.S Why are university books so expensive? ;____;
Yasmin,
Human Rights is what I like to call "Depressingly Awesome"
Thank you for the fulsome praise. Remember, while you're writing those university essays, I'll be more than happy to take a look if you need a second glance. Political Science is awesome, and I *HIGHLY* recommend you read at least SOMETHING by Chomsky before you get too deep into your classes - Hegemony or Survival and Manufacturing Consent are two particularly relevant texts to look into.
As for why university books are expensive - They're not, if you get them used. I told you to wait two weeks!
Tip: Split the cost of a book with friends, and then have it photocopied at the university copy centre. Copying and binding a textbook is usually only about $10, and if you get six people to pay for a $90 book, you're spending what, $25 instead of full price. Make it even easier, borrow the book from the library and have it copied. Believe me, it works out much easier.
DO NOT RE-SELL YOUR BOOKS BACK TO THE BOOKSTORE.
*DO NOT SELL YOUR BOOKS BACK TO THE BOOKSTORE*
Bookstores work on profit, they want to squeeze as much as they can out of book resales, so if you dog-ear, slightly stain with coffee, or otherwise even slightly mistreat your book, they will knock SCADS of money off the price they're willing to pay. Skip the middleman, and advertise on campus instead.
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