ES1541 review (NUS)

DISCLAIMER: firstly, i am not a professional writer, so if there are mistakes in my language, move on. secondly, the review is mostly based on opinions, so i would advise you to google for more reviews to get a diverse take on the modules you are interested in. thirdly, module details change every semester, so do not expect every assessment will stick. last but not the least, i will not talk about grades. hope this is useful for you, cheers.

ES1541: Exploring Science Communication Trough Popular Science

what do you learn?

in this module, you mainly learn to write an academic text. yes, academic text, not an essay. there are differences between the two, though the expected content is similar. just the writing style and citations are really different from those essays and composition you have been writing in the past few years of your education life. you will be exposed to reading academic journals and scientific texts. this is a compulsory module for science students of NUS.

how are you being graded?

you are graded purely from continual assessments (CAs) and not through any exams. yes, no midterms and no finals. the CAs, however, include 3 presentations (two group and one individual), your academic text (two drafts before final draft), reflections, peer review, synthesis writing and class participation.

my take on this module?

this module is really taxing. just looking at the number of CAs you might have guessed it as well. the CAs are spread out rather evenly across the entire semester. this module in a way forces you to explore all aspects of science and the scenes behind scientific concepts and what not. so, in a way, this module can be a good break from your major. the emphasis on classroom sharing makes this module slightly more interesting and engaging compared to other science modules. for those shy people, you will be given countless chances to learn to speak up.

advices?

like i mentioned, the CAs are crazy in numbers so make sure never do things at the very last minute. the first 6 weeks of the semester will require one to engage with many readings, so pace yourself. like i said, never a good idea to leave things to the last minute. the reflections writing don’t hold much weightage, so don’t sweat too much over it nor spend too much time on them. on the contrary, spend more time for your final draft of your academic text and your individual presentation. the latter relies on your academic text but don’t worry, if your text somehow isn’t good, it doesn’t really affect your individual presentation because the presentation focuses more on your delivery and not content. rehearse at home out loud in preparation for the presentation, it really really really helps a lot in terms of confidence and pace of your delivery. in fact, it is good to do so for the group presentation as well. time factor is key as well because i know of some tutors who will mark those who pays little attention to the time limit down rather heavily. last but not least, enjoy the module, enjoy the company and time with your classmates.

click here to see the modules i have read and their respective reviews. do feel free to contact me via Telegram @alvinngjh for any questions or what not.

GEK1521 review (NUS)

DISCLAIMER: firstly, i am not a professional writer, so if there are mistakes in my language, move on. secondly, the review is mostly based on opinions, so i would advise you to google for more reviews to get a diverse take on the modules you are interested in. thirdly, module details change every semester, so do not expect every assessment will stick. last but not the least, i will not talk about grades. hope this is useful for you, cheers.

GEK1521: Physics In The Life Sciences

what do you learn?

from the title of this module, it sounds like you learn biology and physics but in fact, taking this module is as good as taking triple sciences. yes.. biology, physics, chemistry. through this module, you get to learn in depth on the governing concepts of the three sciences, though there is a greater emphasis on physics.. duh, it is also a physics-coded module. naturally, there will be numerous calculations and many concepts to remember. this module cannot be taken by those majoring in physics.

how are you being graded?

you are graded just through continual assessments (CAs). MCQ class tests replace midterms and finals. these CAs include two class tests, tutorial attendance and term paper the class test occurs just after recess week and in the last week of the semester before reading week. for term paper, you are just expected to write something about physics that relates to everyday life.

my take on this module?

i never take physics since secondary two, so personally i find this module rather challenging. thank goodness i love math so the calculation parts are less painful. even so, i asked my friend who take physics during upper secondary and in JC and the response i get was the similar to mine. the content is scary. for a level 1000 general education module, the content is really very heavy, though the workload is alright. the term paper might take quite some time but you got almost the entire semester to do anyway.

advices?

for those who don’t love science or calculations, this module is never a good idea for you. triple science students might serve as a great advantage for this module. like i mentioned earlier, the term paper takes time to be done well. the weightage is rather as well. as for preparation for the MCQ class tests, know your lecture notes well.. very well. they don’t just test simple and straightforward stuff. of course, practise your tutorial questions might help as well.

click here to see the modules i have read and their respective reviews. do feel free to contact me via Telegram @alvinngjh for any questions or what not.

MA2311 review (NUS)

DISCLAIMER: firstly, i am not a professional writer, so if there are mistakes in my language, move on. secondly, the review is mostly based on opinions, so i would advise you to google for more reviews to get a diverse take on the modules you are interested in. thirdly, module details change every semester, so do not expect every assessment will stick. last but not the least, i will not talk about grades. hope this is useful for you, cheers.

MA2311: Techniques In Advanced Calculus

what do you learn?

you will be exposed to advance calculus concepts such as series convergence/divergence, multiple integrations, further differentiations, Lagrange’s multiplier, change of variable formula for multiple integrals and many more. vectors, planes and 2D/3D visualisation will be your good friends  for the course of this module. this module is an alternative to MA2108 for statistics major students.

how are you being graded?

this module is slightly scary because of the way it is graded. midterms 20% and finals 80%. well, at least for the time when i was taking this module. not sure if this distribution applies to subsequent semesters.

my take on this module?

it took me quite some time to get used to the “language” of this module. however, weeks later, one would probably get used to it. the exam papers are made to test heavily on the basic concepts. when you read the questions, you will know so. the questions are made in a way that it is simple to comprehend but challenging to handle and write your thoughts out. simply put, the questions avoid giving complex equations and what not.. but rather they give simple ideas that make you think quite a bit. while i find this module slightly challenging, i think this module forces you to get a grasp of the basic concepts rather than memorising and vomiting “tailored” answers. pessimist will call this abstract.

advices?

basic concepts. circle your thoughts, ideas and answers around them. if you know you are unable to get the final answer for a particular question in either of the exams, don’t panic and don’t give up. there are lots of partial credit marks. write down your ideas and thought process. doing so not only get you decent marks but also might end up enlightening you. also, pay close attention to the lectures for this module relies quite heavily on intuition and simple thought process which are given through speech and not through the notes.

click here to see the modules i have read and their respective reviews. do feel free to contact me via Telegram @alvinngjh for any questions or what not.