AY 2018/19 NTU SPMS CBC Y3S1

Ok this post is wayyyyy overdue
My motivational level is like droppin droppin dropping
From a bright-eyed eager year 1 student to a jaded year-3-going-to-year-4 old person
So much stuff had changed, so many things happening
I just feel like ranting a little, even to strangers
HAHAHA OKAY HERE GOES NOTHING

This sem is really the worst one ever, they say when you hit rock bottom, the only way is up
For me, this is really the rock bottom cos my grades got slightly better after this sem (still bad tho)
I only took 15 AU cos I thought it may help pull up my grades, but ended up studying even less cos I underestimated my workload HAHA


CM3011 | CHEMICAL SPECTROSCOPY AND APPLICATIONS | 3 AU | CORE
Midterm 1 - 20% (open book)
Midterm 2 - 20% (closed book)
Final - 60%

The first part of the course is more about determining the structures of compounds when given spectroscopic information about them. The main concepts taught were interpreting the spectra of different tools: 1H NMR, 13C NMR, mass spectrometer, IR and the degree of unsaturation formula. The thing is that even if I felt I understood all the techniques used, I had difficulties guessing the right structures. The first mid term is even an open book exam yet I did badly x_x. It is important to know the fragmentation mechanisms for different functional groups in the mass spectrometry well. The lecturer also taught a little on 2D NMR which was not tested for exams, but I would advise to pay attention too cos it was in one of the experiments during lab in sem 2.

For the second part of the course, it was entirely on the different types of NMR. The important thing is to be familiar with the calculations of coupling constants and the number of splitting peaks. I would recommend doing the practice questions a few times to get the hang of it, or maybe I just wasn't paying attention in lectures. We were required to calculate the chemical shifts of each peak to precisions of 4 decimal places which I totally flunked it. So sad cos the way the lecturer taught made everything sound so easy, he even excluded transition metals and told us that the test would be a breeze. I tried the past mid terms and they seemed manageable, but the mid term I did was more complicated than I expected(again overconfidence). Obviously I did badly for the test and what's worse was that 73 people got full marks for it. -_- How stupid am I to have done so badly sighs.

Finals was similar to midterm, except that it is entirely closed book so remember to memorise the mechanisms!

CM3041 | PHYSICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL CHEMISTRY 2 | 3 AU | CORE
Midterm - 40% (restricted open book)
Finals - 60% (restricted open book)

This course is almost entirely calculations, the most used constant would be the Planck's constant HAHA. There are quite a few formulas to know too. The lecturer was saying how a few years ago, the top student scored 90+ % for the final exam, and the second student only scored 70+. When asked how did he managed to get such high marks, he said that he attempted all the questions from the Atkins and the David Ball textbooks. Sooooo you all can try this too xD. Oh the worked solutions for the Atkins textbooks exercises can be found in the NIE library so go take a look if you feel hardworking. We were allowed to bring 2 or 3 (I forgot) A4 cheat sheets to the exams. Mid term was in week 11 and tests both the first and second part of the course.


CM3062 | CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY 4 | 3 AU | CORE
Lab reports - 50%
Finals - 50%

Finally got my hands on some senior lab reports for reference YASSSS. Those were a great help when I do my lab reports omg. Most of the experiments required full reports, with proper data tables and figures and graphs. But the lab sessions are quite relaxing since all of them were groupwork and the sessions usually ended early. Doing the lab reports was quite tedious so try to finish them early as I spent at least 7 hours for each report even with senior reports as reference.
For the final exam, take note of everything in the lab manual and remember how to apply the equations used. I remembered there was one experiment that involved knowledge from CM3041 so its better to take them together I guess.

ST9001 | INTRODUCTION TO SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND SOCIETY | 3 AU | UE
Midterm
Presentation
Individual project
Weekly reflection

I took this course mainly because it fits into my timetable HAHA. Don't be fooled by the title cos it is definitely not a science course. I feel like this course is the most tiring and requires the most effort. Firstly, the weekly readings were about 100+ pages each, and we had to write a one page reflection about the readings so can't really read everything last minute. Attendance is compulsory and we discussed the readings during tutorials. We mainly discussed about the development of science and technology from the past to present, so it requires a lot of thinking on our own.
The midterm was based on the key points from the readings, but there is just so many things to read x_x. For presentation, we were given the topics to be discussed every week and we had to choose one topic to present on a week. For the individual project, we had to write a multimedia essay on a webpage, which basically meant an essay with pictures and maybe videos or music? Sounds difficult right, shouldn't have taken this course :(


ST9001 | ASTRONOMY - STARS, GALAXY AND COSMOLOGY | 3 AU | UE
Midterm 1 - 20%
Midterm 2 - 20%
Final - 60%

I saw many reviews on this course so shall not say much here. This course is really content heavy and actually I took this also because it fitted into my timetable nicely. One interesting thing about this course is that there were 3 stargazing sessions where we could use the telescope to view the planets at night. I went for one but there were too many people there so didn't manage to see much. It is really up to one's personal preferences whether to take this course~ All the tests were in MCQs but still too hard for me. Dx

AY17/18 NTU SPMS CBC Y2S2

It did get worse haha...The drop in grades was so surprising that it took me 2 weeks to recover enough to start this new post. HAHA JKJK I was busy with work recently xD. My results were too embarrassing to be displayed so I will just show the results for my electives for this post. (Will reveal my grades for this sem if I do very well next sem HAHA). I brought all of these upon myself, I did a lot worse even when there were fewer exams than y2s1 cos of excessive slacking. I think I'm one of the laziest person you can find. What use is there saying all these now right? I didn't buck up when I know I need to :( Okok enough of the nonsense, lets go on with the course review~~

Btw I didn't realise this blog has so many readers, even when my results were really far from perfect. Rmb if you want any notes can email me and I will send them, sadly I don't have any senior lab reports and I don't share my reports cos they would probably worsen your grades HAHA.

AED23C | CRITICAL REASONING SKILLS FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING | 2AU | UE | A-

Group presentation (30%)

Class participation (10%)

Individual assignment (10%)

Individual Essay (50%)

There is a weekly 3 hour lesson for this course but lessons ended at around week 9, so you would have more time to study for your other courses yay xD. The best thing is that there is no exam!! The lessons are very interactive and fun and relaxing, would definitely recommend this course! The only 2 drawbacks I can think of are that NIE is quite a long walk from the NTU campus, and you have to write a 1500 words essay with proper citations. I shall not spoil the fun by describing the details of the lessons, but I assure you that it would be fun. :D

For group presentation, we had to conduct a 1 hour lesson to teach students about critical thinking. We were required to design our lesson to suit a particular age group, with the students in the class acting as our participants. I think our group was hilarious HAHA thanks to my group mates, but I didn't talk much during the presentation (in fact, I'm not sure if I even spoke), but I did contribute in other areas okayyyy. >< 

For class participation, I don't know how we were graded, but again I didn't talk much. The lessons taught some philosophy which may overlap with HY0001, and we also learnt about fallacies and other skills that helped us to think critically.

The individual assignment was interesting as we were asked to imagine ourselves as an old person writing an email to our younger self.

And the main thing of the course is the individual essay, the topic was quite broad as it required us to discuss the critical thinking strategies or applications of critical thinking. But I had fun writing the essay too, oh and the course instructor speaks very well and his lessons are very engaging.

CM2031 | ORGANIC AND BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY 1 | 3AU | CORE | :3

Mid term 1 (20%) 47%, average: ~60

Mid term 2 (20%) 52%, average: ~60 (average before moderation was 32/100 HAHA)

Final exam (60%)

I thought CM1031 was scary, but CM2031 was 10 times worse! (In terms of the amount of content taught) Also mainly cos I didn't study/ wrong study method. Oh and I wil try to upload all my notes with filled blanks by July as I'm still busy with work. Take note that for CM2021 and CM2031, the way the content are being taught and tested are different for different sems, I only realised that recently HAHA

Something different about the 2nd part of the semester was that we were able to choose whether we want to attend the real lectures or just view the e-lectures online via LAMS. There were different sets of notes for the different types of lectures too.

For mid term 1 and 2, around 50% of the test required us to draw the structures of the product when the reactant and reagents are given. I guess that means there is less emphasis on memorising the reagents and conditions?? BUT the other 50% required us to provide the synthesis and retrosynthesis routes of the product and reactants, so we still had to know the reagent and conditions. Mechanisms would also be tested but not as much.

For the final exam, I thought I was well prepared and the questions seemed manageable but I still managed to flunk it real badly. That's what I got for being too complacent.

CM2041 | PHYSICAL AND BIOPHYSICAL CHEMISTRY 1 | 3AU | CORE | -_-

Midterm 1(20%)

Midterm 2(20%)

Final Exam(60%)

The course has a lot of math HAHA, a bit of differentiation and integration which were required to determine the rates of change. There are also some "show that..." questions which reminds me of simultaneous equations in o level math. I dunno how to describe HAHA you can look at the pyp for more info.

For midterms 1 and 2, I noticed that many of the questions were exactly the same as the ones given in the notes, so study the notes and practice questions carefully. ESPECIALLY for midterm 2, where the proving questions contributed to a big part of the test(the questions and answers were exactly the same as the ones given in the practice questions).

For final exam, the questions actually looked more straightforward than the previous years, do we seem less smart than the previous batches? HAHA But I guess I didn't do well too, which I somewhat expected since I only started studying the content for the whole sem in 2 days. SHOULDN'T HAVE DONE THAT HAIZ. TOO COMPLACENT ALR

CM2062 | CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY 2 | 3AU | CORE | ._.

Labs (50%)

Final exam (50%)

This semester's labs were mostly group work, and we usually ended early yay. But I still did badly for lab reports, mainly because I did them only a day before submission. Most people got As for their lab reports but I got a wide variety of grades for them HAHA. So don't ask me for lab reports.

Here are some differences between CM2061 and CM2062

- we had to buy and use a lab notebook

- 6 precautions instead of 3

- pre-labs were not checked at the beginning of each lab

For the final exam, there were around 35 MCQs(?) and some short answer questions. Some MCQs required us to plot graph and do lots of calculations so don't underestimate them. We had to really understand the formulas given in the lab manual to do the questions. Some questions are tricky so it would be good to take note of the units given in the questions.

ET0001 | ENTERPRISE AND INNOVATION | 1 AU | GER-CORE | PASSED

Compulsory GER course, I took it this sem because I can HAHA. There are quizzes at the end of every module and you have to get at least 11/15 to proceed to the next module. Unlimited attempts are allow so just relax~

HY0001 | ETHICS AND MORAL REASONING | 1 AU | GER-CORE | PASSED

This course is about ethics and some philosophy, I usually just read the slides and answer the questions without viewing the videos. There is a 300 word reflection to be submitted by a certain deadline in order to pass this course.

ML0002 | CAREER POWER UP! | 1 AU | GER-CORE | PASSED

This course taught us about how to dress for different situations and also some dining etiquette which I found quite interesting. There is a compulsory assignment which we had to film an elevator pitch of ourselves speaking and upload it to youtube for grading. You can search for some of the examples online.

HG8011 | DETECTING MEANING WITH SHERLOCK HOLMES | 3 AU | GERPE-LA | B+

Project 1 (20%)

Project 2 (20%)

Project 3 (20%)

Quiz (40%)

I actually couldn't understand much about the first part of the course but the second part was fun as we looked at Sherlock Holmes films during lectures. For more details about the course, just google HG8011 and click on the first link as all contents are posted there. :D

PS8001 | DEFENCE SCIENCE | 3 AU | GER-CORE | PASSED

Quiz 1 (20%)

Quiz 2 (20%)

Final exam (60%)

I heard that this course is going to be replaced by another course next year so this review is probably useless HAHA. The 2 quizzes are online so I googled for the answers xD. The final exam is 100% MCQs.

UPDATE: FINALLY SCANNED THE 3 CHAPTERS THAT NEED SCANNING

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=1j8AplqIJOUB4aPBC2OBoJbBtsNvkCKnN

AY17/18 NTU SPMS CBC Y2S1

This is by far the worst semester! Hopefully it won't get any worse... Mainly because of my lack of motivation haha I dunno what was I doing for the whole semester. So...I tried to minimise the damage caused by SU-ing 2 electives, which means I have 2AU of SU left omg

I also realised that I should have saved the notes for the previous semesters so shall start doing it from now on, if you want anything can pm me at 151tqju@gmail.com (from random username generate)

Pardon my bad grammar

CM2011 | ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY | 3AU | CORE | B 

Midterm 1(20%) 

Midterm 2(20%)

Final(60%)

Comments

This module is about extractions, chromatography, a bit of statistics, electrochemistry and potentiometry. I think this is the first time they included PSI in the syllabus, the topic is quite interesting as we learn things that are relevant to our daily lives. Overall the first few chapters are easy, until electrochemistry and potentiometry where the calculations became complicated and sufficient practice is required to understand the concepts. Luckily the lecturers also provided questions and answers for all topics except for the PSI. Oh and even though the calculations are easy, there are quite a lot of things to remember, like the drawing of diagrams, and comparing the properties of Nitrogen, Hydrogen and Helium as mobile phase in gas chromatography. There are blanks to be filled in the lecture notes so go for the lectures as the recordings are sometimes unclear. (learnt my lesson) One of the 2 recommended textbooks is available online so can go google~

Assessment

Mid terms 1 and 2 are quite straightforward, with simple calculations using the formulas given and some memory work, and must remember the significant figures and decimal places!! Mid term 1 only had short-answer questions, while mid term 2 had 25 MCQs. Just when I thought the final would be as simple as the previous years...We got the shock of our lives. You can compare the questions between 17/18 final paper and the others and see how different they are. Or maybe it's just me not studying enough... Actually I was surprised to even get a B since I only started studying 1 day before the final exam. (I spent the whole week studying for cm2021 and a bit of cm9081, again bad choices)

CM2021 | INORGANIC AND BIOINORGANIC CHEMISTRY | 3AU | CORE | A-

Midterm 1(25%) 78/100

Midterm 2(25%) 

Final(50%)

Comments

This module is about bonding (VSEPR and molecular orbital theory), symmetry and point groups(a very important part of the course), character tables and transition metals. The lecturer decided to leave out main group chemistry and focus on transition metals instead during the second part of the course, so our final exam only tested on transition metals. A very good thing about this mod is that ample practice questions were given with detailed answers provided! :D So can don't go for lectures and just stare at the answers provided. :x Just kidding! Of course attending lectures is much better than racking your brains trying to figure out the concepts, but I was too lazy haha. Don't be like me, really, go for lectures. There is a tutorial during recess week to prepare us for mid term 2 but I didn't go, argh I should have went for it cos I heard from my classmate that the questions discussed during that tutorial were similar to those in the mid term. >.<

Assessment

Mid term 1 is about molecular orbital theory, so we were tested on MO diagram drawing, and to determine point groups of molecules. Mid term 2 also required the drawing of MO diagram, plus character tables(A NIGHTMARE), and chirality(actually I still don't really get it).I would suggest doing the exercises provided to prepare for the tests, as well as attempt the questions from the Miessler textbook. There are actually detailed solutions for the textbook questions online, so can go find it. I can't find any free textbook online so I guess you would have to buy one(Update: I found the textbook online! Look for it at the side bar). For the final exam, it seems to be dependent on the lecturer's mood HAHA cos the content tested for each year differs greatly. Nevertheless, I think he is really nice as he tried to explain new concepts to us patiently which took a lot of time, and used interesting analogies to help us understand the concepts. The Tanabe-Sugano diagrams looked scary when I first saw it but not that hard if you understand them, and there are actually a lot of online resources to help you. 

CM2061 | CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY 1 | 3AU | CORE | B

Labs and lab reports (75%)

Final (25%)

Horrible. It was so horrible. I kept hearing people getting upset when they had 11 marks deducted from their lab report(s), while I got 20+ marks deducted for quite a few of them. ._. Such big blow to my self esteem. *cries* I should have been much more careful in my work(given that I'm the opposite of meticulous). Ya its entirely my fault haiz. 

Okay some lab safety tips to avoid being penalised during labs

1. Use a container(for example beaker) to hold your syringe with needle when walking around
2. Needles are to be thrown into the big container in the same fumehood as the waste chemicals (NOT IN BINS)
3. Only syringes can be thrown into syringe bins (NOT needles)
4. Don't throw filter papers with chemicals exposed into the bins, put them into used gloves and tie them first

There are still many more written in the lab manual but the above 4 are the common mistakes. Needles are dangerous cos they may hurt the cleaners if not disposed properly. 

For lab reports, take note of the decimal places and significant figures and units. Your work must be typewritten as much as possible. There must be a space between the number and the units. For final exam, one thing that I didn't expect is that we need to draw the structures of the common chemicals in labs, like acetone, ethyl acetate, diethyl ether etc, so take note. Also read the lab manual and try to understand each step. Some of the answers for the past year papers can be found online so can use them as reference since answers are not provided.

CM9081 | MEDICINAL CHEMISTRY | UE | 3AU | S

Mid term 1 & 2 & Homework (40%)

Final (60%)

Comments

I took this because I didn't know what elective to take, and I couldn't find any reviews on this module might as well try it so that a review can be written HAHA. The content taught were not difficult, but you need to know how to draw the mechanisms and the "cartoon" actions of some proteins and enzymes. Quite a bit of memory work(but less than CM1031) which I wasn't feeling motivated enough to study. We were asked to submit 5 homework during lectures and those are included in the grading. It feels like H2 Biology but many more actions of receptors (GPCR, tyrosine kinase receptor) were taught.We also learnt about the different types of drug administration and how it affects the action of drugs. Overall the module is quite interesting. The textbook is available online.

Assessment

Most people did very well for the tests as I heard the lecturer say that the average score is 80%.😱I'm definitely not one of them(didn't take back my papers cos I forgot). EH but the lecturer likes to reuse questions for the tests!! And he only uploaded the past year tests AFTER the mid term!! I saved them in my laptop so if anyone need those can pm me. For final, it was alright I guess, but I still SU-ed it since I didn't study enough and couldn't expect a good grade after all the slacking. 

HG8004 | COMMUNICATION ACROSS CULTURAL CONTEXTS | GERPE - LA | 3AU | A

Mid term 1 (25%) 16/25

Mid term 2 (25%) 18/25

Final (50%) 80/100

Comments

I took this because I didn't get my first choice and had to choose this during add-drop. This module is mainly about how people behave when they encounter different cultures overseas and how to cope and adapt to the cultures. The lectures are fun but a bit too long(weekly 3-hour lectures) and the lecturer is a lady who knows many languages! She shared a lot of her personal experiences which made the lessons interesting, and I would definitely recommend this module. Oh I realised that the slides on this link have more details than the ones I got for this sem, so you might want to download that instead.

Assessment

For mid terms 1 and 2, there are 25 MCQs each and most of the questions tested on content in the notes, but may also test on stuff the lecturer said during class, as well as the readings. Thus it is best to attend all lectures and pay attention to them. The average score for the tests were quite low though, so the lecturer said she would add 10 marks for everyone(YAY). For the final, we had to watch a movie and write a 300-word essay about one competency displayed by the character(s) in the movie. The competencies would be taught in the last few lectures and we only need to write about one of them, so it is not hard haha. 

MH2500 | PROBABILITY AND INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICS | UE | 4AU | S

Mid term 1 (20%)

Mid term 2 (25%)

Class participation(5%)

Final (50%)

Comments

Uh...this is actually a year 2 math core, I took it because the prerequisites were MH1800 and MH1801, and since I did well for those 2 I thought this would be simple too. In the end I did really badly for the tests hais. I thought it wouldn't be that hard since the first 3 weeks were about binomial, poisson and normal distribution which were taught in JC. I read reviews for this modules and they didn't say it is so hard! Or is it because I'm not a math student haha, luckily can SU or I will die. Yes yes it's great that I passed~ The textbook is available online too.

Assessment

For the first mid term, 1 single-sided A4 cheat sheet can be brought to the exam, and 1 double-sided A4 cheat sheet for the second mid term. For the final, 2 double-sided A4 cheat sheet can be brought. I don't know how to do well for this so go read other reviews instead~ 

Okay end of year 2 review, HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I added some links for the textbooks at the side bar but I think it is only visible on web view.

AY2016/17 NTU SPMS CBC Y1S2

Maybe I should change the title of this blog to something like 'Life of a procrastinating NTU student'. I did not really improve on my study techniques AKA still studying last minute and not paying attention to lectures. Many things went wrong with tackling the tests, I probably wasn't really focused on studying throughout the semester. Ok enough of reflections, time for module review 2~


BU8201 | BUSINESS FINANCE | 3AU | GER-BM | S

Class participation (10%)
Group Presentation (10%)
Online quiz (20%) - 7/10
Finals (60%)

Comments: 
For this module, lectures are delivered online and there are subtitles in the videos!! Good for people who are bad in auditory learning. I would say it is quite a content heavy course as I spent most of my studying time watching the lectures and doing the tutorials yet it wasn't enough. My experience for this mod is very confusing. ( I think it is just me, or maybe I just cannot do business related mods )
Content:
It is highly recommended to buy the textbook and most of the chapters will be covered in the course, the lecture notes do not include everything that is tested in exams, so study the textbook. Reviews for this course from other websites say to draw mindmaps, so I think you should do it if you want to score an A. Having a financial calculator would be good for this course, although it is not required, but if your Graphing Calculator has the finance app then it's fine too. While this course is mainly on calculations, there would be some questions that require your understanding of the financial market. Like conflicts between stockholders and bondholders and managers, different types of markets, the significance of the gradient of the security market line etc.
Assessment:
As I said above, I was really confused for this mod cos there is no way I could cram everything last minute HAHA. So for the quiz which is held 3 weeks after recess week, I was panicking and the first thing I did was to read the textbook and tried to write out everything (Like what I did for CM8002). Unfortunately it didn't work as the textbook is too thick!! Then I tried doing the past year papers BUT answers are not provided omg. And being the person with no friends and too embarrassed to consult teachers, I was unable to tell whether my answers were correct, and I ended up spending a crazy amount of time doing questions that are no longer in the syllabus -.-. Yeah don't be like me. In the end the quiz was quite straightforward but I didn't memorise all the formulas needed. Stupid me! That explains my marks for the quiz.
For the presentation, we had to form groups and a different group would present the set of tutorial questions for the week. My group was the first group to present and it was SCARY. Ok all presentations are scary to me hahaha, the tutor will decide which question you are presenting so you have to know how to do all the questions in the set of tutorial.
For final paper, I spent like 4 whole days out of the 1 week study break to study for it by doing MCQ questions online. There is one very cool blog with hundreds and thousands of questions, I will share the link later, or you can google it HAHA. But I must not be thinking clearly at that time, since I only did MCQs which was worth 60% of the final paper, and did not touch on structured questions at all. So in the end I breezed through all the MCQs but got stuck at the SAQs. Ugh what was I thinking... Ya so in the end I SU-ed it right after the final paper, although I wasn't planning to do so..


CM1041 | BASIC PHYSICAL CHEMISTRY WITH LABORATORY | 4AU | CORE | B+ |
CA1 (15%) - 7/10 [mean: 7.8]
CA2 (15%) - 20/24 [mode: 21]
Lab (20%)
Finals (50%)

Comments/Content: 
For the first half of the course, it is mainly on NMR, and the topic on gases (PV=nRT), and modifications to the ideal gas equation to calculate the values for real gases. Oh and also on solubility, which was taught in JC, and new stuff about how the vapour pressure, boiling and freezing points of solvent changes with the amount of solute added. The content is not difficult to understand except for the NMR parts, I had to look at a few of the past year questions and answers the lecturer uploaded for us in order to get the concepts. ( Or maybe I was just lazy to read through the notes carefully HAHA)
For the second half of the course, it felt like 100% JC chem, with topics like acids and bases, electrolysis and energetics. But the types of questions asked are a bit different. Nevertheless it is quite easy to study for if you put in consistent effort.
Assessment:
The CA1 consisted of 10 MCQs with 8 NMR questions and the remaining 2 on gases. I did not study enough as I only focused on drawing and interpreting the tree diagrams, which is important but the quiz also tested on other areas and I made stupid mistakes. Remember, TMS is tetramethylsilane and FID is free induction decay. And 1 mol of gas is 22.4 dm^3 at stp!!
For CA2, I think many of the questions are repeated or found online, and also attend the tutorials as worksheets were given which gave examples of questions that would be asked in CA2. Everyone did well for this test so aim for full marks if possible.
For the final paper, the first half is still mainly NMR, while the second half only tested on topics that were not tested in CA2, which means that we have less to study yay. And also the questions are sometimes repeated so must do the pyps! I didn't put in much effort in studying for this uh cos it looked easy ><. And also no mood to study.
For lab, there are 5 lab reports to be submitted and 1 literature experiment which you have to learn how to make use of the search engines online to search for articles and chemical compounds.


CM1051 | BASIC BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY | 3AU | CORE | A |
Midterm (25%) - A- [average: B-]
Class participation (15%)
Final (60%)

Comments: 
This is just H2 bio but easier. I studied for it by copying down everything from the online slides and pdf. All the lectures are carried on online, and we only had an 1 hour tutorial per week which I usually skipped. This course is easy to study for, just be prepared to write a lot when making notes, and highlight and circle your notes afterwards. Repeat until you are confident that you can do well.
Assessment: 
The quiz is just 20 MCQs and 2 SAQs with 5 marks which we only had to do one. The final paper is just 40 MCQs and 4 SAQs which you choose 2. I finished the 2.5 hours paper in 35 minutes HAHA. It was that easy. So nothing much to say about this course. I think I got low marks for the class participation since I didn't ask any questions on the discussion forum at all, luckily credit is also given if you complete the quizzes for each online lesson, or I wouldn't have done so well.


GC0001 | INTRO TO SUSTAINABILITY | 1AU | GER-CORE | PASSED |
Comments:
6 modules to complete, but you only need to complete 5 if you attended a talk. A quiz with 15 questions at the end of each module which you have to get at least 11 correct to pass the module. No other assignments submission is required.

HT9102 | LANGUAGE FOUNDATION FOR TRANSLATION | 3AU | UE | B+ |
Midterm (25%) - 64/100 [average: 75]
Class participation (10%)
Group Presentation (15%)
Final (50%)

Comments:
This module consists of a 2 hour lecture and 1 hour tutorial per week on the same day. I think this is the most interesting module I took for this semester! Many hilarious examples were shown during lectures and the lecturer encouraged us to read beyond what was required. The lessons are conducted in mandarin but the group presentation can be done in either English or Chinese. It was fun to compare the original and target text by looking at the different forms of words used. I learnt to look out for things that I have never noticed in sentences before!! Would definitely recommend this module.
Assessment:
For class participation, we had to complete 2 online activities that require the use of laptop webcam to answer a few short questions. And also to do the LAMS for any 3 lessons on NTUlearn.
For the group presentation, we were divided into groups and each group had to present the weekly tutorial answers at least once. I think all the groups really put in a lot of effort in preparing for the presentations, cos they looked so good that I was quite worried HAHA.
For midterm, the format would be similar to the pyps that the lecturer uploaded online, the main reason why I did so badly was because I forgot 中文的主导词是动词，英文的主导词是名词 (result of not studying enough haiz). Otherwise the test was not difficult.
For final, it actually was easier than mid term HAHA. ( use the oxford advanced learner's english-chinese dictionary as 4 out of 6 sentences in the paper was found in the dictionary, yes, with the answer included) In fact I felt that I was like cheating, but theres no restriction to the types of dictionary you bring, as long as they are hard copies. So I guess it really depends on your luck~


HW0128 | SCIENTIFIC COMMUNICATION I | 2AU | GER-CORE | B+ |
Assignment 1: Annotated Bibliography (25%)
Assignment 2: Review Paper (35%)
Assignment 3: Presentation (25%)
Class Participation (15%)

Comments:
This course is quite useful in guiding us on the methods of content delivery to different target audience, in the form of writing and presentation. I have gained much from this course. Everyone is required to buy a course guide ($10) before the course commences. Something funny is that the Review paper is supposed to be pair work but there was an odd number of students in the class so I ended up doing it alone HAHA. I think can get B+ not bad already since I didn't ask or answer any question in class, which means class participation marks gone ><.
Assessment
For Annotated Bibliography, we had to evaluate 1 out of  2 given articles and do peer marking on the next lesson, where our classmates wrote on each others' work by giving comments and suggestions. I suck at marking!! My classmates were able to give me constructive feedback though, I felt a bit bad as I could only spot spelling errors.
For Review Paper, we had to compare the 2 articles given, can use more articles if you want. There is also peer marking. A suggestion for all assignments is to avoid using words that are too difficult, and keep the sentences short. Take note on the referencing format.
For Presentation, I used a research paper on a super sensitive sensor made from graphene and silly putty, it was quite fun hahaha. (But presentation was scary) We were allowed to use a maximum of 8 slides and a time limit of 5 minutes for the presentation.



MH1801 | CALCULUS FOR THE SCIENCES II | 3AU | CORE | A- |
Midterm (30%) - 28/30 [average: 23/30]
Class participation (10%)
Matlab/group project (10%)
Final (50%)

Comments:
I only attended 2 lectures out of the whole semester, and there is actually no need to watch the lecture recordings to understand what is being taught as the textbook is sufficient. Can try to buy the textbook from the SPMS second hand book sale~ I got it for just $35 yay~ Oh and many of the tutorial questions were from the textbook.
Assessment:
Midterm was easy, although the lecturer said it would be more tricky than last year's. I lost marks cos I didn't know that I have to use partial fractions to derive the differential equation for logistic growth... Cos never read lecture notes ._.
We were given the option to do a group project on application of differential equations in real life, or Matlab, a programming language. I chose the latter but since the computer lab is always crowded, I could only sit at the back which means I cannot see or hear much of what the TA said. So in the end I had to ask my course mate for help, but  :(
For class participation, the tutor asked us to make a summary of everything we learnt in the course. The problem is that I remembered the deadline wrongly and only rushed through the summary on the date of submission. I probably didn't get good marks for that HAHA.
For final, I think I managed to do all the questions and it wasn't difficult. But I did all the tutorials more than twice each. (A shortcut for someone who didn't go for lectures) Since the answers for all tutorials are provided, this is quite an effective way to score well for the final exam. I feel that the reason why I got this grade is cos of the matlab and the summary :(

AY16/17 NTU SPMS CBC Y1S1

Examination results were out yesterday and I'm gonna share and record some of my thoughts about the modules I took this semester.

CM1021 - BASIC INORGANIC CHEMISTRY WITH LABORATORY | 4 AU | CORE | GRADE: B

CA1 (15%) - 7/10 (mean: 6.7/10)
CA2 (15%) - 8/15 (mean: 8/15)
Lab  (20%)
Final (50%)

The content taught during lectures in the first few weeks was similar to what was taught in JC, but in greater depth. For CA1(MCQs) most of the questions required us to apply the formulas we have learnt to do calculations such as finding the energy absorbed when an electron is excited, or finding the wavelength of a particle. My advice is to read through all the slides given even when the lecturer says those are not going to be tested(I skipped a few of those slides and it came out for CA1). Also, attempt all questions available in Masteringchemistry because a lot of calculation questions and answers with explanations are given. It would definitely help in preparing for CA1.

For CA2( SAQs), the topics tested were taught by another lecturer for the second part of the course. There are blanks in the lecture notes which I think should be the lecturer's way of making us pay attention to the lectures(which I failed to do so HAHA, that was why I did quite badly for CA2). You need to know how to determine valency, oxidation number, coordination number and formal charge, as well as be very familiar with molecular orbital theory, which is an entirely new concept.

For final exam, everything in CA1 and CA2 was tested plus two new topics, transition metals and infrared spectroscopy. We only covered the basics for both topics and the questions should be manageable as long as you have practised and done the past year papers. However, I noticed that some of the answers for the papers were contradictory so I had to search the web a few times to look for the right answers.

For lab, I think I did quite badly from the number of crosses I got in my lab reports, even though the lecturer said it is actually not difficult to get full marks for lab. I actually agree with him as both my lab partners got a 'very good' in their reports. I guess I shouldn't have left the reports till the day of submission before I started doing them. This is probably the reason why I got this grade ><.

Tutorials are conducted once every two weeks like CM1031, there would be pre-tutorial questions that we are expected to completed before each tutorial, a new set of questions would be given during the tutorial for students to discuss and present their answers.

Random ramblings for this course:
Last year's CA2 looked so easy that I didn't bother to study for it, and I only started revision on the day of the test. ( I'M SUPER LAZY HAHA) And this year's paper was much harder haiz.

CM1031 - BASIC ORGANIC CHEMISTRY WITH LABORATORY | 4 AU | CORE | GRADE: A-

CA1 (10%)- 55/70 (mean: 49/70)
CA2 (15%)- 34/50 (mean: 30/50)
Online quizzes (5%)
Lab (20%)
Final (50%)

I actually thought I would score the worst for this course as I felt that the finals was really difficult, so I was surprised to get this grade. In my opinion, there were a lot more information to memorise than CM1021, and the number of reactions and mechanisms are like 5 times the amount learnt in JC. 

For CA1(MCQs), more emphasis was placed on determining the R, S configurations, the types of isomerism, and stereochemistry of cycloalkanes. Make sure to review previous tutorials and do past year papers. The lecturer was very kind to accept multiple answers for a few questions after discussing with the students, so I got 10 marks added. 

For CA2(SAQs), mechanisms are tested as well as reagents and conditions to convert the starting product to the end product. Take note not to neglect the factors affecting acidity and basicity of reactants. Basically just study everything in the notes and do (and redo if you have time) the practice papers uploaded.

For final exam(SAQs), it is the scariest chem paper I have ever taken. A lot of content to remember, and you have to be very familiar with all the reactions to do well. For those who are bad at memorising, make summaries and reaction tables and highlight and draw on them to remember better. Make multiple copies if possible. ( This method may not work for everyone, as I learn best through repetition). Doing past years papers is important as one of the past questions came out for the final exam. 

For lab, it was fun as we made dyes and learnt to use the lab equipment. Do try to familiarise yourself with the equipment as I heard that year 2 labs are conducted individually so there won't be a lab partner to help you. Like CM1021, I wished I had put in more effort on the lab reports. Oh and although lab sessions are allocated 3 hours in the timetable, most of the experiments can be completed in 1 or 2 hours.

The remaining 5% was from online quizzes as some topics were taught entirely online.

Random ramblings for this course: I procrastinated too much and didn't pay attention to lectures, which resulted in me not understanding anything during tutorials, which scared me a bit so I crammed a lot a few days before both mid terms.

PH1801-FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICS I | CORE | 3 AU | GRADE: PASSED

CA1 (20%)-51/60

Homework and weekly quizzes (20%)

Final (60%)

To me, this course feels like learning O levels Physics for the first few weeks, but gets more complex afterwards. For the first half of the course, we were expected to complete a LAMS sequence every week before the lecture which consisted of videos teaching the content and self check quizzes. Then the lecturer would go through clicker questions with us during lectures and also gave interesting demonstrations during lessons. 

We were allowed to choose the difficulty and the format of the mid term test(20%), and of course most people chose the easiest option. Every week, a tutorial is to be submitted for grading as well as a weekly online quiz, which contribute 20% to the final grade. 

The final exam(60%) consists of MCQs and SAQs. The MCQs were manageable but the SAQs were surprisingly hard. Nevertheless, many people left 1 hour after the exam commences even though the time given was 2.5 hours. Since this is a pass/fail course, I did not study much as you only need 40% to pass.

At the end of the semester, we had to design a device using what we have learnt during the semester, the top three winners will get prizes from the lecturer. The 3rd prize was a drinking bird that makes use of evaporation to allow the bird's head to bob up and down continuously.

MH1800-CALCULUS FOR THE SCIENCES I | CORE | 3 AU | GRADE: A

Quiz 1 (5 marks) - 1.5/5
Quiz 2 (5 marks) - 5/5
Quiz 3 (5 marks) - 2.5/5
Tutorials attendance (36 marks) - 36/36
Weekly quizzes (36 marks ) - ??/36
Final (50%)

We learnt about limits, differentiation, integration, many many theorems and applications. The content is delivered through weekly online lectures and the physical lectures were used for answering 5 clicker questions. There were 12 weekly quizzes and each quiz contributes 3 marks to the total, there were also 3 quizzes during tutorials worth 5 marks each, attending each tutorial earned us 3 marks. The full marks is 50 marks but the highest possible number of marks that can be obtained is 87, so there is no need to attend all tutorials or complete all online quizzes to get full marks.

There were many difficult questions in the tutorials but luckily we had a good tutor who explained the answers to us in an effective manner. I studied for the final exam(50%) by redoing the tutorials and past years papers a week before the exam. Do not worry if you think your math is not good as I did really badly for my H2 Mathematics but still managed to score an A. The key is to practise.

Random ramblings for this course: During the last lecture the lecturer gave us 10 clicker questions and said if we can answer those correctly then it means we are more or less prepared for the final exam, but I got only 2 correct so I got scared (AGAIN) and started doing tutorials like mad. 

CM8002-FORENSIC SCIENCE | GER-PE STS | 3 AU | GRADE: A+

Mid term(20%)- 12/25 (Mean:17/25)
Final (80%)

This course is automatically allocated to all CBC students, which is really lucky for us as I heard many people wanted to take this course but couldn't get it. This course consists of weekly online lectures for 8 weeks and there would be guest lecturers coming after recess week. The guest lectures are not recorded so I feel that it is best if you attend all of them as they were very interesting and some of things mentioned may be tested in the final exam. 

The mid term test(20%) consisted of 25 MCQs which tested on everything from the online lectures as well as the articles uploaded to the course folder. I kind of underestimated the test so I didn't really study for it and got 12/25... Then I got worried and started mugging like mad for the final exam which was worth 80%. The exam had 40 MCQs and a case study worth 40 marks where we had to deduce who was the murderer. I think it was quite a fun exam. I studied for this course by writing down everything from the powerpoint slides in a notebook, then highlight and circle everything. ( A weird method but it worked!) It is essential that you read all articles with asterisks*.

Fun fact: This is the only course that is conducted in the Nanyang Auditorium, probably due to the huge class size (~1700 students)

Random ramblings for this course: The seats in NY audi are very comfortable~

ML0001-ABSOLUTE BASICS FOR CAREER | GER CORE | 1 AU | GRADE: PASSED

This course is conducted entirely online and has some hilarious examples, sometimes the way the lecturers talked is funny too. I believe this is useful in helping us get a better understanding of the appropriate actions to take when looking for a job. There is a graded assignment that needs to be submitted by a deadline or you cannot pass the course.

Overall reflection: I cannot listen to lectures and I don't revise enough, I need to improve on my concentration.