Dear first year econ students,
At least some members of the Department of Economics do see your posts on Reddit. The Thrive Guide 2024 is the positive, actionable response. Last year, the Thrive Guide was a book length series of posts that covered everything a first year student could possibly need to know about getting that 63% in each of these courses. Unfortunately, no one had time to read it all. So, this year, it is stripped it down to the essentials.
First, it’s normal to get your first mediocre or even bad mark when you start university. Being resilient, figuring out what went wrong, talking to profs and TAs about how to do better next time are all actions you can take to do better next time. If you have more consistent issues after taking the steps above? Visit your college registrar’s office and see a student advisor. If you have economics specific issues you want to talk about, Sally Wong, the Undergraduate Administrator and Alyssa Hughes, the Undergraduate Assistant, can help you navigate the options available to get you on track.
“Registered Study Groups are one way to be exposed to the array of resources and supports available at UofT,” said Sally Wong. “Best of all, there are organized groups for students to make friends in the course, stay focused, and learn valuable skills to prepare for tests and exams together.”
Naturally, you need to practice time management skills. Use the lectures and tutorials as your guide. Don’t try to memorize the textbook but do use it to double-check and affirm what you’ve learned in class. Look for examples of the concepts you are learning from the world around you and explore it through the lens of a student economist.
“One piece of advice I would give to incoming first years is to plan early and often,” said ECO102 teaching assistant Daniela Draaisma Rodriguez. “Don’t get caught off guard by the course requirements. Read the syllabus and make notes on which weeks will be busier than others as well as what tasks they need to focus on more, usually represented by the percentage of their overall grade.”
If, like half the students living in residence, you were down with the flu or covid for the first week of classes, go see your professors and TAs during office hours and ask any questions you have about the syllabus. It really is the document you need to function in your course.
After that, there are three tools you need to learn about to be successful in ECO101 and ECO102. Click on the links to read about each of them.
Return to the Department of Economics website.
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