I have completed three semesters and am more than halfway to a three-year B.A. degree. My CAP is 4.81. I'll let you decide if you want to read on.
My purpose in writing this post is not to give you study advice, because you should already know your own learning style by this stage of your life. Just keep doing what works for you.
What I hope to achieve is to impart you with wisdom that will hopefully make your life in university easier and more fun without trashing your grades and your future.
Yes, it's possible!
Tip #1: Keep it simple
When you first get into university, you might feel like you just stepped into a supermarket. The range of majors, minors, and special programmes is so exciting, and you might find yourself wanting to take two majors, four minors, and three overseas exchanges.
But wait! Just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Always remember that you're in university to prepare to go to work. So you must ask yourself: Will that extra programme add value to me as an employee? If it doesn't, think twice. Double degree and double major programmes are very heavy. It's not a good idea to do a second major just because it's interesting if it doesn't complement your primary major (an example of a complementary major pairing is Psychology and Social Work; an example of a major pairing that makes no sense is Economics and English Language). Far better to pick individual modules that catch your fancy and do them as unrestricted electives instead. That way, you don't commit yourself and can do as many or few modules from that subject area as you like.
And there's absolutely nothing wrong with doing a "plain-Jane" single major. You won't have to overload so you will have more time and energy to focus on individual modules and do the best you can in each one.
Tip #2: Pick your battles
Even with the recommended workload of five modules per semester, it can be difficult at times to manage the numerous demands: lecture notes to compile, tutorials to prepare, readings to be done, and those essays aren't going to write themselves either!
It's always useful to plan for one module in every semester to act as the sacrificial lamb. This means that you must make sure you choose a module that you are allowed to S/U. Once you have decided which module will fulfill this role, you can safely allocate only the bare minimum of effort to this module to ensure that you get at least a C grade, which is the minimum required to S/U a module and still count it towards graduation. The extra time and energy you save on this module can then be redistributed to other modules, hopefully helping you to get better grades in them.
Tip #3: Set realistic targets
Who doesn't want to get a CAP of 5? But is it worth the stress of burning the midnight oil and chewing your nails off week in and week out?
Only you can decide that for yourself, but let me warn you that too much stress can be counterproductive! You might burn out and find yourself hating your studies. Obviously that's not helpful at all in getting good grades, and instead of the perfect 5 that you'd imagined, you might end up staring at a transcript much uglier than it would have been if you had been reasonable from the start.
So what's a realistic target CAP to aim for? I think 4, which is a B+ average, is good. You will qualify for Honours with Distinction, and this will be impressive enough to get you through the academic performance screening for all employers including the public service, while also allowing you to pursue postgraduate degrees if you wish.
What does this imply for your S/U strategy? If your aim is a CAP of 4, you should S/U anything that is B or worse, and leave all B+ and better alone. People like to go online and post about how they are struggling to decide whether or not to S/U an A-. Don't listen to that kind of nonsense.
Tip #4: Know your enemy
Within a module, the lecturer is king. They set the papers, have the final say on marking, and basically hold your grades in the palm of their hand.
So it's important to get to know them. What kind of answers do they like to read? Some professors don't like answers that are too long, so they will give more marks if your response goes straight to the point and leaves out additional details. Others prefer longwinded answers with plenty of supporting explanations and evidence. You can often tell what kind of person your professor is by the way they speak. If they ramble, they probably favour the latter type of response. That's why it's important to attend lectures, as this allows you to get a gauge of your lecturer. And once you have figured out what kind of answer your professor likes, give them what they want!
If you can't tell what type of professor yours is, don't worry! Professors only want one thing from you: for you to demonstrate that you learned something from them. So the "spamming" answering strategy works well in most situations. Remember this, too, when you're faced with a tough essay question. If your mind is at a loss and doesn't know how to structure a cohesive argument, forget about the cohesive argument. You studied the contents and theories, didn't you? Just blurt all the concepts, supporting points, and examples that you think are vaguely related down onto the paper.
University professors are highly specialised experts. Very often, when they get deployed to teach a lower-level module which tends to be broader in scope, they are not equally competent in all aspects of the module. They will pick and choose to focus on those topics that they themselves enjoy talking about or are well-versed in, and put these into their lectures. And these are the very same parts of the module that will come out in the exams with the greatest weightage of marks. So don't study your whole textbook like a headless chicken. Identify the sections that are related to what your lecturer covered in class, and make sure you have a thorough understanding and lasting memory of them.
What of the rest of the book? Your professor may still test content from there, but it won't be worth many marks and your time would be better spent cementing your knowledge of the important parts or preparing for other modules instead. Remember, you are not aiming for perfection, just "good enough" (see Tip #3).
Tip #5: Working with others
You will definitely encounter group assignments. If you don't like group work because of bad experiences in the past, leave your emotional baggage at the door. Feeling sorry for yourself gets you nowhere.
When you're faced with a lazy bunch of teammates, you should first try to take the lead by unilaterally allocating roles, responsibilities, and deadlines to each member. Very often, this small kick up the rear will spur the group into action and everyone will do their part willingly after that. Don't be afraid of seeming bossy. Your grades are at stake.
But in the minority of cases, your groupmates may remain uncooperative. In that case, you should consider tanking the entire project by yourself. Of course there's the option to complain to the lecturer about your groupmates, but this will take time and add to your administrative burden. Just wait till the peer feedback exercise at the end of the project to get back at them. Revenge is a dish best served cold.
Tip #6: Apply, apply, apply
Draw links between what you are studying and what you see in the real world. When you can find meaning in your learning, you are more likely to love it, and when you love it, you are more likely to remember it.
Even the most theoretical subjects can be relevant in real life if you look hard enough. For example, if you know the International Phonetic Alphabet, you can use it as a secret code that only others who know it can read!
Also keep in mind your end goal. What do you want to do in future? If you can see how the module you're taking can bring you closer to that goal, all the better!
