LQB187 - Human Anatomy
General Tips:
Content-heavy unit, but totally manageable if you build good habits early.
- Create Anki or Quizlet flashcard sets covering all the new content on the day of lecture release. For muscles include not just terms, but also functions and actions (e.g., "Pectoralis Major: Adduction and medial rotation of the arm").
- Make flashcard revision a habit you can do literally anywhere. On the bus ride to uni, in the toilet, waiting for your takeaway order. Make use of those small, otherwise wasted moments instead of scrolling on insta reels brain rotting.
- Maximize Your Lab/Practical Time: Online images are flat, but seeing the actual position of, say, the deep muscles or the pathway of a cranial nerve, helps things 'click'.
Assignment: Interprofessional Handover (Group Work):
- Find someone you can trust to pull their weight and meet deadlines. Set Clear Expectations: In your first meeting, agree on deadlines, who is responsible for which sections, and a communication method. Structure saves stress.
Final Exam:
- The final exam is a timed spotter exam where you identify a structure (on a model or image) and often state its function or action (e.g., "Identify the muscle" and "State its primary action: flexion/extension/abduction"). You are given around a minute at each station before being rotated off.
- If you’ve been consistent with your flash card revisions, this exam becomes a quick recall test, not a desperate stressful scramble.
LQB182 - Cells & Molecular Biology
General Tips:
- Content heavy subject, however, the lecturer usually signposts the important topics in their slides, so use this to study wisely for your finals.
- The tutorials are a good opportunity to consolidate your knowledge and provide an opportunity to ask the lecturer any questions you might have in person.
- As for the labs, the person you sit next to will end up being your lab partner for the rest of the semester. The practical activities can be quite involved sometimes, so you’ll want a partner you know you can rely on to do their part of the work.
- Be prepared before going into the practicals as they move quickly and you have to complete write ups which are graded at the end of each pracs.
- Also, try to really use the practicals to your advantage in understanding the lecture material. If you have any confusion, ask your demonstrator and they’ll be able to offer you a different perspective, which might be clearer than the lecturer’s explanations.
PYB007 - Communications for Health Professionals
General Tips:
- While you might not find attending the tutorial sessions necessary, attend the first few sessions as you’ll have to form groups with people within your tutorial time slot for your main assessment. Find reliable group members, ideally friends or peers you trust to contribute equally.
Final Exam:
- Don't Overthink the Theory: When you encounter a communication model or theory in the lectures, just accept it as fact, as presented by the course material.
- If you try to over-analyze or debate the academic content you will likely confuse yourself.
- PYB007 is NOT Common Sense: At some point, you may feel like this course is simple and the answers are just "common sense."
- It is based on specific, evidence-based academic theories and models. The exam will test your knowledge of these specific concepts. If you rely on your life experience for the finals you will be surprised when your results come out as I did.
- The practice exam provided was very similar to the actual final exam.
QUT You
General Tips:
Pass/Fail Subject: This subject does not contribute to your GPA, so you can spend more time on content-heavy subjects; Anatomy and Biology.
You will take two QUT You topics each Semester 1 for your first two years. In your first year, you will take one core subject ("Walking on Country") and one elective (eight options). The core subject is taken in the first half of the semester, and the elective in the second half. Choose an elective that you find interesting or coordinate with friends to do it together.
- There is only 1 pass/fail assignment per topic (so two in a semester) which can be in the form of a video presentation, filling out a workbook or a reflection depending on the topic you chose.
- There is a 2 hour tutorial each week, often with pre-readings or activities before classes. It will be easier for you if you stay on top of the contents as you can apply them straight into assignments.
- Tutorials usually provide ample time to work on the assignment. It is strongly recommended to complete the suggested small part each week to manage the workload.