LSM MAJOR LSM4199 Reflection

Hi, it's been awhile.. like almost 2 years since I've graduated from NUS. But I realised I didn't post an FYP reflection / experience post. Not sure if this will still be accurate since it's been awhile but anything goes.

SO! I did my FYP under my prof who was stationed at CeLS, level 3 (that's all the info you're getting on my prof). I was interested in doing a microbio-related project and so I came to know of this prof through talking to my TA during a microbio mod. This prof was her supervisor and she recommended the prof to me so that's a huge green light because... it's not common for people to recommend their own lab unless they really think it's great. So moral of story, talk to your seniors / TAs / contacts. It's important to find out more before committing to a year long project which is bound to be stressful, likely full of failures and more stress. 

so what was great about this lab? 

1. the supervisor is nice and approachable. feel free to simply knock on the usually opened door and have a quick meeting about your concerns. 
2. the lab culture was neutral. what i mean is that they aren't the friendliest people but they are also not intimidating. think of it as a lab full of nice, helpful introverts. Once you've established a friendship, life becomes brilliant. 
3. flexibility of time - i can literally come in anytime to do my experiments / stuff and leave. no strict 9am-6pm thing but it means you're the limiting factor for your project - how many experiments you plan to cover in a day / week? your willingness to come in over the weekends / holidays to do your project etc.
4. assigned mentor (this may be a disadvantage if you're assigned someone who isn't a great mentor but mine was 👍). Because the prof will not be so free to entertain you all the time, so with a good mentor, you have someone who know's their stuff that you can consult, learn and seek help from. Like, my mentor comes on weekends to help me do stuff!! what a nice person, really. 

Ok, now to the project and the process. I basically got to choose my project between 2 options and I chose one where I could work with animals because it's always a + to have worked with mice. Looking back at my FYP vs UROPS vs current situation, I would say I am very lucky during my FYP - to have all my results in the first attempt and that these results were reproducible. Having people already optimise protocols that actually work for your case is a blessing!!! BLESS THEM PREDECESSORS! 

But not every journey will be smooth, some experiments just won't work in your case / your hypothesis may just be wrong / you don't have any great guidance in your lab. But these are things you can't control so here's some advice that is within your control! 

1. READ (damn it) - i hate reading so much, but it's impossible to do research / stay in acad without reading reading reading and reading! If you don't read, you won't know what's already out there. Get your foundation right and know what is the point of your research before jumping on board with experiments. Because if your direction and story are not clear, you're simply running experiments without thinking and this is detrimental to your poster presentation and report writing. Reading forms your foundation and knowledge in the field, giving you a clearer idea on what's going on and why YOUR research is IMPORTANT in the field. 

2. Write your Literature Review First!!!! - this is the action to take after reading. While the ideas and thoughts are fresh in your head from all that reading, script your introduction draft and put it all into your own words. Paint your research story! even with negative results, you'll have a rough idea on the reason for it! Also, because you may not have sufficient time to do a last minute draft when datelines approach. 

3. Logbook - you may find this a hassle but every small detail you do should be recorded so that you can look back at it when your experiment results are weird. You may think you can remember the procedures / the values used etc. but it's always assuring to have something that is 100% accurate there for you to refer back to. MUST OK? MUST!!! 

4. Organise your data - even with negative results, you can notice a pattern through multiple failures. By the end of your FYP journey, you'll have so much junk in your files that it'll be difficult to fish out the important ones. Keep your data organised. I put mine in powerpoint folders where they are in "report-ready" format = all labelled / nicely arranged / description added. In the case of my lab, we have lab meetings and update sessions where we have to present and prepare reports so that's also a way of keeping your data organised.

5. Make friends - no more reagent? ask your friend in the other lab to spare some while your lab's orders are being processed. I have to admit, i'm not great at this... so i make friends with people who are HAHAHA so i would ask my friend to help me ask the other lab LOL. Well, it works for me so :) 

6. Lastly, MANAGE YOUR STRESS!!! If you have any serious concerns or are too stressed, find someone to share it with. you need to learn how to cope with the stress and this includes relieving stress in healthy ways. Ventilate if you need to / take a break if you're dying / pamper yourself once a month etc. It is ok to give yourself a breather. Staying in the lab won't make your cells grow faster or turn you into a genius overnight. 

The greatest takeaway from doing research independently and with time being a very stressful factor is that it allows one to see if they are suited for research. I loved my FYP lab, hence, I am pursuing a PhD in the same lab lol. You may also come to realise that you may like research but not in the current lab / field / style. It's ok to take time to find out where your passion lies. I wouldn't say my heart beats for my phd project but at least it's something i enjoy and can see myself doing forever. If you hate FYP, a PhD will be 100x worse so please consider carefully whether you can commit the next 4-5years of your life living that way. Lastly, learn to enjoy the journey - hard or easy, fun or suffering. At the end of the day, the sense of achievement from churning out your thesis will be the greatest reward of your uni acad life. (at least, that's how i felt). with that, all the best :) 

LSM Major AY18/19 Sem 1 (LAST SEM)

I almost forgot to comeback here for my finals NUS module review HAHAHA OH WELLS. I usually do it during finals period when im procrastinating but this year, I had wayyyyy too much time on my hands so i ended up watching dramas and going out instead of typing this. heh. anyway, GRADUATE LOH! very happy to be out :) but what next?.... 

YEAR 4 SEM 1
Modules : LSM4226 (1 point), LAK2201 (827 points) and of course, LSM4199

LSM4226 INFECTIONS AND IMMUNITY

I actually wasn't planning on taking this module for several reasons: 1. i didn't see the module in the list... 2. i heard it's super content heavy (immune) 3. it's also hard to score 4. i have to do this heavy thing with my FYP submissions??? help me.... But why did I end up taking it? the mod was related to my FYP so my prof highly recommended it to me... and yeah, it was helpful - so to those doing a project related to infectious disease (virus, malaria, tuberculosis) this mod is right for you! 
Basically, you'll learn about the immune system and some virus, bacteria, parasites and a teeny weeny almost non-existent bit of fungi in general before diving into 2 main pathogens (for my semester it was dengue and TB, but my friends got influenza and TB, so it changes with each semester - TB seems to be consistent...☺). lectures are twice a week and they are quite well-paced but content heavy. i love that there's no mid term but there's this group project titled "journal club" (JC) but it's basically a lit review presentation on a given topic. you have 30mins to present followed by a QnA session. I think the grading for JC varies, so it depends on the profs who are attending the presentation for that day. anyway, its a year 4 mod so a certain level of presentation quality is expected, and i think while content is important, it is better to focus more on the flow. Clearer presentation = better review. Then the take home assignment requires FRIENDS!!!! go for the tutorial (very helpful, really), and try to think in every way possible (both advantages and disadvantages of the situation - cause people normally look at the bad side of things only and lose points there, like ME - i realise its hard to understand what i'm trying to say but you'll get it when you see the question hahaha). Lastly, study very hard for finals - mainly application questions so you must know your content and concept quite well!!! (3 structured worth 70marks, 30 MCQs). just don't try spotting anything, didn't work for this mod... we thought the structured would test dengue and TB and some immune qns but NOPE! just a weird qns followed by a weird qns and another weird qns... maybe im just bad at the mod. idk la... i had 2 weeks but it disappeared before i started studying... how? why? what?

HOW TO DO WELL:
1. 3 weeks to do JC? start early... for real.
2. Record the lectures (audio is sufficient - but boring)
3. Study immune part and the 2 core disease very well, the rest will probably be in MCQ

Workload: 2.5/5 
Expected Grade: B+/B (finals was the death of me)
Overall Grade: B+ 


LAK2201 KOREAN 2

안녕하세요!!! 안녕하십니까? remember korean 1? if you loved it, korean 2 might make you reconsider LOL. Korean's a fun language but for me, the pace of this mod was a little too fast and it's quite messy (the organisation of lecture content). maybe 30% of the time im lost when im usually not lost LOL i think its also the new portal luminus that made things more confusing at the beginning. anyway, it was still enjoyable because this time, you feel like you can actually understand more korean and learn more grammar. 
Similar to level 1, e-learning followed by tutorial twice weekly. CA consists of 2 orals, 1 mid terms and class participation. As usual, the bell curve will be steeeeeeeep but i don't think it's as bad as lvl 1. as with all language modules, you need to remember all your new vocabs by revising them regularly (or watching more K drama without subtitle) and then understand how to use the grammar cause it gets confusing when the same word has 2 functions and how each function is only subtly different from the other etc. 
just to give a heads up, there's this thing called conferencing session where it's like an online meeting with strangers and the teacher will ask y'all to converse in korean and she will facilitate - this counts to your participation. find a quiet place and look like you're attentive LOL. 

HOW TO DO WELL:
1. Revise
2. KDRAMA without subtitle and try to translate it on your own LOL
3. read korean stuff (like song lyrics LOL)

Workload: 3/5 (homework, revision, skit)
Expected Grade: B+ (i can foresee it happening)
Overall Grade: B+ 

FREE K POP PUBLICITY BECAUSE I WANT TO!!!!

2018 is the year man THIS IS THE YEAR FOR YG!!! anyway, i just want to put a few of my fav 2018 KPOP MVs below so i can readily access them. WE'RE ONLY HALF WAY THROUGH 2018 #BLESS

BIGBANG - Flower Road

BLOCK B - Don't Leave

iKON - Love Scenario

CHUNGHA - Roller Coaster

Red Velvet - Bad Boy

Momoland - BBoom BBoom

WINNER - Everyday

(can't find the MV version posted by winner's official page for some unknown reason Everyday M/V)

KATIE - Remember

A.C.E. - Take Me Higher

Blackpink - DDU DU DDU DU

(DDU DU DDU DU M/V)

DEAN - Instagram

TWICE - What is love?

Bolbbalgan4 - Travel

A.C.E. - 5tar

HEIZE - Didn't know me

Monsta X - Beautiful

Sunmi - Heroine

MAMAMOO - Starry Night

Eric Nam - Honestly

(G)I-DLE - LATATA

[NOT FROM 2018 BUT I JUST WANT THEM TO BE IN THE LIST]

LOONA - Girl Front 

G Soul - Can't

(Can't MV)

PRIMARY - Right?

(Right? MV)

Bobby - Tendae

10cm - Phonecert

(Phonecert MV)

OFFONOFF - 춤 (Dance)

ONF - ON/OFF

ok this list will go on forever. i should stop

LSM Major AY17/18 Sem 2

HEYLOH FELLOW PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN READING THIS MODULE REVIEW PAGE. IT IS CURRENTLY WEEK13 AND I HAVE A CA2 PAPER TOMORROW BUT AS USUAL, PROCRASTINATION STRIKES AGAIN AND HERE I AM. It's now study week (see i had some self-control)

THIS SEMESTER IS SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BECAUSE I HAPPILY RUSHED TO CLEAR ALL MY MODULES, I AM CURRENTLY LEFT WITH VERY FEW MODULES, ALLOWING ME TO ONLY TAKE 3 THIS SEMESTER CONCURRENTLY WITH MY FYP. BUT HECK, THESE MODULES WERE THE MOST EXPENSIVE ONES IN MY ENTIRE UNI LIFE, SO THANK GOODNESS I SAVED ENOUGH POINTS TO GET THEM.

YEAR 3 SEM 2
Modules : LSM4229 (1854 points, this is NOT a typo), LSM4214 (960 points, neither is this) & LAK1201 (500 points, this was actually cheap if you compared it to the bidding stats for non-protected bidders)

LSM4229 THERAPEUTIC AND DIAGNOSTIC AGENTS FROM ANIMAL TOXINS

to be very very honest, I HATED THIS MODULE. 1. the lectures were very boring. 2. hence they were hard to follow. 3. i didn't know what was expected for all the assignments. 4. i didn't know how to prepare for the exams (CA1 and CA2). 5. classes are at 8am TWICE A WEEK. 6. the prof is a bit anal when it comes to punctuality and noise level in class. 7. there's no webcast. Anyways, i think more reviews for this mod is needed for people who happen to be suffering from it in the future.

despite all the negativity, this module is really quite slack (which is good for Year 4 students who are doing their FYP concurrently). You will learn about ANIMAL toxins (snakes, scorpions, ticks etc) structure and role in diagnostic and therapeutics (... exactly what the module title claims). THE LECTURER IS REALLY BORING, PLEASE RECORD THE LECTURES IF YOU THINK YOU WILL FALL ASLEEP, otherwise, it'll be difficult to understand what's going on even if you read the notes - 50% pictures. You have to do 2 term papers (500 and 1.5k words) and a presentation (7mins) on a given topic (different for all 3 assignments) but you have the freedom of selecting any toxin you want as long as it fits the topic, so this was not difficult. Plus, you know your topics for all your assignment in week1, giving you all the time in the world to start early. The key is really to start early and read up about the toxins because they come on a first-come-first-serve basis, so if someone else chose the toxin you wanted to talk about and you're both doing on the same topic, chances are you will not be given that toxin (you're suppose to submit your toxin on a google survey which will be updated real-time displaying who submitting what toxin and what their topic is). For the assignments, i don't think it is hard to score well. The lecturer actually returned our first term paper to us and a lot of us did really well (9-10 /10) but there were no comments so we didn't know what about our paper was good. NEVERTHELESS, WE JUST ACCEPTED THE GOOD RESULTS LOL. He did mention that as long as you focus on a key point and go in-depth, he would appreciate it. Also, it has to flow logically and of course the content has to be accurate (since most of us have no idea what we're writing about, high chance for errors if we trust the wrong sources). For the presentation, he said he wants to see people PRESENTING and not reciting, so scripts were "banned" and he does grade you on your presentation style (confidence, eye contact, attire etc.), also, there is a penalty if you don't keep to time, so keep rehearsing for your presentation. QnA holds marks too, so its good to have friends around to give you questions to ask. FOR THE CA HORROR STORY. ok he (the only teaching staff in this mod) has a lot of pictures in his lecture slides and i didn't know what i was studying / learning (but it seemed like i was the only one). So how to be smart? the prof mentioned that he doesn't expect us to know EVERYTHING like experts so his questions open a lot of options (he will probably ask something like: describe the action of a toxin on ion channels; something broad) and you just need to prepare yourself to give 10mark answers; IMO study 2 toxins that you can write loads about (10mark worthy), then study the concepts like the protein chemistry topic and diagnostic topic. If you have time, it's best to study everything (cause i don't think the content is heavy) but if you're a lost sheep like me then just spot questions. since CA1 only has 2 qns and CA2 4 qns. ALL THE BEST.  Oh, all the presentations are examinable but fret not, just study 1 toxin from each topic and you should be safe. 

HOW TO DO WELL:
1. Prepare assignments early 
2. Spot questions for CA1 & 2 
3. Ask a lot of questions during the presentation sessions (attendance taken)
4. Record the lectures (audio is sufficient - but boring)

Workload: 1.5/5 
Expected Grade: A- or B+ (idk, this mod seemed ok but the bell curve may wreck me)
Overall Grade: B+ (sian i was really hoping for an A- at least)

LSM4214 CANCER PHARMACOLOGY

I do recommend this module because the content is interesting and it's quite a non-existent module during the semester despite being twice a week. I guess cause lectures and tutorials are done by week10 of the semester and they do take breaks in-between too. The tutorial sessions are simply student presentation sessions where you just need to ask a question each week (attendance taken). The presentation is a pair work assignment and you cannot choose your partner or topic. It should last around 15mins but the content is not that difficult because they are somewhat covered in lecture. The QnA is what you really need to prepare for cause the lecturers will just ask you whatever (depending on who takes your tutorial class). The lecturers for this modules are quite good (clear teaching / entertaining) other than the one towards the end (he spoke too quickly and he was slightly boring but he wasn't too bad). You will learn about the different treatment approaches for cancer (e.g. chemo, mAbs, a bit on genetics, signalling pathways - module content) CA1 was manageable (5 short qns + 1 long qns) but i only started the night before and couldn't remember much so i died. (25/35 landed me a spot in the bottom 25%, sian). There's negative marking in the finals but only for the MCQ part which is really just a True / False section (like LSM3211) and the negative marks don't carry forward so they stay at 0 within the question YAY. Finals have 10"MCQ" qns + 4 structured qns. (1 MCQ = 4 T/F qns)
-CURRENTLY STUDYING FOR FINALS-
OH YEAH IM DONE WITH THE SEMESTER HAHAHAHA THE PAPER WAS DO-ABLE IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH BRAIN SPACE TO PUT EVERYTHING IN. anyway, they collected the MCQ after the 1st hour so they will make sure you do that first. you can leave the T/F blank if you're not sure of the answer since its only 0.25 marks each and there's negative marking sian. i didn't really know how to do some of the questions and some successfully tricked me but whatever, the bulk of the marks come from the structured qns (10 marks each) and i managed to do all of them because they came out as promised by the lecturers. SEE!! THEY DON'T LIE, SO BE SUPER ATTENTIVE IN CLASS TO CATCH THE HINTS. (they will cover excess information but the structured is going to come from one of those starred parts). Anyway, hoping for the best cause this paper was really a miracle. The fact that i could even attempt the questions was a miracle since i died studying for it.

HOW TO DO WELL:
1. FOLLOW THE CLUES DROPPED DURING THE LECTURES (they don't lie)
2. Start early cause its quite content heavy
3. Spot the structured qns to really give yourself more brain space for important information
4. Record the lectures (audio is sufficient) if you must since there's no webcast and they can be a little fast

Workload: 1/5 (only cause of the presentation)
Expected Grade: A- (bell curve T.T please...)
Overall Grade: B+ (sian i was really hoping for an A- , WHY BELL CURVE WHYYY?)

LAK1201 KOREAN 1

안녕하세요!!! 한국어가 재미있었어요! Yes, this module was fun for me cause i love korean music (not just kpop, but k-indie and k-rap, idk its just pleasing to the ears since the words rhyme well). Well, i can't say i started from ground zero, but other than knowing how to read certain characters and recognising some phrases (from songs and dramas), i didnt know anything else. Besides, everyone was supposed to be able to read all the characters by the first tutorial because it was the content covered in e-lecture 1. So the way the module is taught is that there will an e-lecture every week which you are supposed to view, understand and memorise the vocab / grammar before coming to the physical classes held twice weekly. So its like receiving lesson thrice a week. rather intense and fast paced but we're at the basic level so it's manageable as long as you practice. There's a textbook and workbook so you have to do homework weekly (it's like going back to primary school chinese / mother tongue). Other than paying 40$ for the books, competing against the steep bell curve (all them cheating Korean pros that don't declare) and paying a lot of bid points, i would recommend this module. (ok im bias). The thing is, i feel that if you want to take a language mod, other than Bahasa, Korean would be the next easiest (i mean the words are just circles, squares and lines unlike Arabic, and there are few characters unlike Japanese. Although its a language class that's fast paced and intense, its not that time consuming if you're a fast learner. 
WHAT YOU WILL LEARN: basic korean vocabulary and grammar, knowing how to convert a root word into informal polite, past tense, question, respectful formal and "negative" form(?) like "i ate" and "i didn't eat" it's hard to explain. and then there's 2 different numbering system used for different things. like the numbers for counting people is different from counting money.
% BREAKDOWN: 60% for written CA1 + CA2 - not hard to score but the bell curve is terrible), 15% for oral (voice recording of a given script + a mini skit presented during tutorial with a partner), 15% for homework and assignments (3 homework that you just need to submit, 2 written assignments that are graded by quality, one of which is the script for the skit), lastly, 10% for class participation (doing e-lectures, coming to class on time, actively participating and showing interest). FUNNY STORY (ok it's not funny), but i just rested on the table for like 10seconds and the teacher came to me and told me not to do that and that she will have to deduct my participation marks... (ok..... sure..... we were doing a practice activity which my partner and I had already finished #smh). for the CA format, there will be a mini "quiz" section as part of the review lesson in week 6 and week12 before the CAs which will give you an idea on what the actual paper will be like - but the actual CA will have way more qns and an intense listening session #GODSPEED) Note that you have to register yourself for the CAs so make sure to do that since there's limited vacancy per time slot. 

HOW TO DO WELL:
1. Memorise your vocab (make a list since they will be all over the place by the end of the semester)
2. Know your grammar well************
3. Reduce spelling errors i.e. 아 VS 어, 우 VS 오, ㅈ VS ㅊ

Workload: 2/5 (homework, revision, skit)
Expected Grade: A or A- 
Overall Grade: B+ (OK ITS OFFICIAL, THIS SEM IS REALLY NOT MY SEM EVEN THOUGH IT WAS SUPER SLACK...)

FYP UPDATES
~.~.~.~.~.~.~ still manageable but awkward since this lab has so many people but you hardly interact properly with any of them so there's like 100000 awkward encounters in a day ~.~.~.~.~.~.~ i feel like im once again losted because i haven't done much reading on my project and the direction that im heading towards for the project is still only in my mentor's head (so no one else knows where we're going) 

LSM Major AY17/18 Sem 1

OMGOSH I TOTALLY FORGOT TO POST I'M SORRY TO THOSE WHO ARE PREPARED TO BID THIS SEM AND ARE WAITING FOR SOME MODULE REVIEW TO DECIDE WHAT TO TAKE SORZZZZZZ OK LETS START

YEAR 3 SEM 1
Modules : LSM3223, LSM3235, LSM3288, LSM4223 & GET1008
everything was 1 point wew #masterbidder

LSM3223 - Immunology 

This is a content heavy module - YESSSSS but more importantly, i think it is necessary to understand the concepts because once you understand the concepts, things will fall into place like a story (an interesting one). So you will basically learn about your immune system (no shit sherlock) both adaptive and innate like how they will work, what cells and cytokines are involved and their roles, how your immune system will react with different infectious agents and some knowledge on diseases that will affect your immune system (cancer, infectious disease and SCID). The content is heavy but interesting although some most of the lecturers may fail to make it interesting. There is NO WEBCAST and i strongly advice you to record the lectures on your own because it does help with revision and understanding. There are 3 lab sessions where the practical part is not very difficult but they will cover a lot of extra content so it will usually end at 5.30/6pm (YUXXXX). although these lab content "will be tested" i feel that most of the stuff are covered in the lecture so just study the notes well and you're pretty much safe. the CA (30% - 30mcq qns that you can score when you know the main purpose of each lecture, not so much on the nitty gritty details) will be super easy so everyone will get A or A+ which means finals (70%) will be hard(er). Finals will have 30mcq qns which are on the same level of difficulty as the CA (for my semester) followed by 4 structured qns which may be tough if you didnt study (WELL NO SURPRISE, IM TALKING ABOUT ME AGAIN). SO I DIDN'T MANAGE TO CRAM ALL THE INFO INTO MY HEAD AND ENDED UP SKIPPING CLOSE TO 4CHAPTERS WORTH OF NOTES!!!!! so i fed the bell curve once again because the chapters than i skipped happened to be tested in both the mcq and structured question so i screwed up lol. its quite a light module (i must be joking you think) but i meant light in the sense there's no assignment and you really only need to study for CA and finals. plus CA only tests the basics so its quite easy to flip through your notes, understand it well and score (cause i did it and my friend did it and my other friend did it too and we're not your first class honours bell wreckers, so yeah). This is really an interesting module and it opens doors to your 4k mods so take it!! STRONGLY RECOMMENDED FOR NERDS WHO LOVE MEDICAL RELATED STUFF. 

HOW TO DO WELL:
1. RECORD ALL LECTURE (LIKE VIDEO RECORD FOR YOUR OWN SAKE)
2. Aim to understand rather than memorise
3. Score for your CA please

Workload: 1.5/5 (actually there's no workload other than studying)
Expected Grade: A- or B+
Overall Grade: B+ (sian there goes my CAP)

LSM 3235 - Epigenetics in human health and diseases (Webcasted) 

This module seemed light at first glance anddddd.... may be light for those genetic pros but the content is quite something. Like how can a lecturer have so few slides yet so many things? i guess its the nature of the field because epigenetics is a whole new universe waiting to be discovered so everything becomes possible lol. Anyway this was 8am (kill me) so thank God for webcast (although they sometimes forget to record or the video file crashed idk). 10% tutorial attendance, 10% SDL paper, 30% CA and 50% finals. the tutorials are really useful and its free marks so just go even if its at 8am cause your grades are at stake and they do recycle the tutorial questions in the finals. the SDL paper was something else. OK I NEED TO RANT ABOUT THIS MODULE. so the module content and lectures are fine and dandy but the teaching team... LAST WARNING. so the SDL instructions were so vague and when the lecturer received too many questions, he finally did a QnA thing and from that session, most of us found out how badly we interpreted the question. like the question was something like "do a lit review about microRNA" and what the prof actually wanted was "choose a specific disease or a specific microRNA and do a lit review about it". i mean, they are obviously 2 different topics?!!! the first one would seem like you want something broader and a general overview of microRNA whereas the latter would obviously mean you want specifics. so if you didn't attend the QnA session, you would've done the assignment wrongly (and it was only clarified 1 week before submission). secondly, the teaching team posted the WRONG FINALS DATE and didn't realise it until study week (meaning just before the exam lol). ok the last one is my fault: so i missed the CA because i was sick and i requested for a makeup test and it was approved but i only got the retest in week11 when the CA was in week7 and during the entire duration, the prof didn't reply me or update me so i was left hanging thinking that my makeup test will never come. and when it came, i expected an MCQ paper because that was the format of our CA paper BUT NOOOOOOO he decided to set structured questions for me #DED. so i was unprepared for it and did badly, like my worst uni grade ever = D+. ok i should've verified it with him about the format and all so i cant say much now but just need to rant yar. LEARN FROM MY MISTAKE EVERYBODY. DONT LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU. (#EDIT: found out that he down graded my results for the CA because it was a make up paper... died)

HOW TO DO WELL:

1. Attend tutorials and understand what is going on
2. just study lol, the content of this module is confusing but memorising can save you
3. Try your best for the SDL (10% makes a difference)
4. CA is 30% so you need to do well (so i died la, D+)

Workload: 2/5 (8am effort and SDL)
Expected Grade: B-
Overall Grade: B+ (Hallelujah Praise God YAZZZZ)


LSM3288 - UROPS (SEPARATE POST)

Workload: 9/5
Expected Grade: A-
Overall Grade: A

LSM4223 - Advances in antimicrobial strategies

This mod was what made me decide on my FYP project. I fell in love with the lab sessions. i think any medical + microbio lover would, so i recommend this module to them. It's quite tough for a microbio mod cause its 4K so probably need to up its game. There are 4 lab reports to be submitted within a short frame of time so that was tough and each lab report required quite a lot of content and reading up to understand WHAT ON EARTH YOU HAVE TO INCLUDE IN THE REPORT (I have soft copies of mine if you want, i got A, A, A and B for BURDEN). The reports take up 30% of your final grade so please do well. You will if you hit the things they look out for (but lvl4k so the teaching team a bit more strict yarrr). Also, a super good thing about this mod is that most of the TAs are really good so you will truly learn stuff and enjoy the lab session (at least for me and the people around me). There is a group assignment worth 20% (10 for group report and 10 for group presentation). i think this component is rather important in sieving the "better" from the good so just do other's work if you have #NOTRUST and the time of course. i didn't have the time cause UROPS or else i would've totally edited stuff in the report. also, even though its a science mod, the presentation must be well prepared or you'll be embarrassed cause the profs doing the QnA maybe SAVAGE AND RUTHLESS, making you feel lousy at the end of the day so JIAYOU! for finals, there are past year papers so do have a look (at all the years). The questions vary quite a bit but there are certain ones that remain constant so it limits what you need to study. So you have to do 5/8 qns if i remember correctly and there are around 7 topics. So i just chose 5topics to study and it worked out for me. THANKFUL THAT THERE IS NO MIDTERM BUTTTTTT i rather have midterm 20% than the stupid group project honestly... so unhelpful and unnecessary really

LAB REPORTS HERE (included my TA comments)

HOW TO DO WELL :
1. Score for lab report
2. Spot questions for finals and just focus on those to save memory space (a lot of the antibiotics thing is usually tested - that's the first 2 lectures and i liked the lecturer cause he's clear and nice) 
3. lol teamwork i guess

Workload: 3.5/5 (lab report and group work kill me please)
Expected Grade: A
Overall Grade: A- (must be the B and the group presentation, its ok IDC ANYMORE)

GET1008 - Public Speaking and critical reasoning 

This module is NOT a free A, i repeat, this module is NOT a free A. daz right, you have to work your butt off for the A. So you think you're a good speaker? this module ain't for good speakers LOL ironically, they grade your speeches mainly on your content rather than your delivery - so there's this fixed structure that you have to adhere to when writing your speech outline and it has to be submitted before you deliver the speech and from this outline, approximately 70% of your marks will come from there for that speech so if you're great at organising content and following instructions, this is the module for you. I think the module will help boost your confidence when you speak and help you learn to be a better speaker / presenter at the end of the day but i think my mistake was taking it together with my urops and 4k mod because it made my entire semester so much heavier. So you have to constantly put in effort preparing for your speeches and there's still a final quiz, weekly quiz and reflective assignment to do (at the end of the sem)... CRY. ok but i would say the tutorials were interesting cause you hear other's speeches and as you write strange topics, you learn new things. BUT the lectures are a waste of time really. and you need to get the textbook to study for the final quiz cause the lecture notes alone wont suffice. so yeah, work your butt to get the A.

HOW TO DO WELL:
1. Rather than being creative, make sure your content is on point (so more like a good essay than a good speech)
2. Read the feedback properly and make changes... TO THE OUTLINE not so much the delivery (although if you can do both, its the best case scenario)
3. Take it if you have free time or need the skill upgrade, otherwise, give it a miss

Workload: 4/5
Expected Grade: A-
Overall Grade: B+ (grrrrrrrr)

OVERALL CAP FOR SEMESTER:
LSM3223: B+
LSM3235: B+
LSM3288: A
LSM4223: A-
GET1008: B+ (S/U)

CAP: 4.39 (saved by the SU)

UROPS post

HELLO! IT'S THAT TIME OF THE SEMESTER AGAIN (I'M IN THE MIDST OF FINALS BUT NOT STUDYING WOOHOO) So I really want to just blog about my UROPS experience (in case i forget about it) since i feel that it is a really really really important topic for those who may be interested in taking on UROPS but are unable to find out much about it. So I was in that lost sheep position earlier this year and DO NOT WISH for others to be like me.

About UROPS: Undergraduate Research Opportunities Programme in Science (UROPS)

There are two types of UROPS project offered, either 4MCs (1 semester) or 8MCs (2 semesters). The module code for the UROPS is determined by the project you are undertaking, which you can access the list from NUS page (above).

TIP1: Choose your PI wisely (ask around for opinions e.g. your TAs in the lab, seniors that have gone through UROPS)
I would not advice you to choose a project based on its description because it is entirely up to the prof to change the project assigned to you. Instead, choose the field you want to work in and most importantly, WHO YOU WANT TO WORK WITH.  The dynamics between you and your supervisor will determine everything:
1. It will determine how comfortable you will be (love or hate or neutral with the module). This is very important since you'll be spending everyday in the laboratory / on your project, so its best you enjoy it.
2. It will determine how much you can experience and learn. Whether the supervisor will provide sufficient constructive feedback or leave you to do this alone (very little guidance). Ultimately, NO ONE (even the nicest ones) will be there to spoon feed you. You're on a trip to discover what working in a real lab is like. When the experiments fail, it is on you to find out what went wrong and to take the initiative to discuss with your Prof to troubleshoot.
3. It will determine the laboratory culture you will be exposed to. Different labs have different styles, while most have lab meetings or 1-on-1 consultation with the PI (principal investigator), some may not do that since PIs are very busy people. The co-workers will be the people you will spend the most time with and if you're awkward with them.. it may not be an enjoyable experience overall.
4. It will determine your GRADE. YES. the most important part of any UROPS for students is the grading. Your supervisor is only involved with 1/3 of the grading, the other 2 profs who will be marking your report and grading your oral examination will hold 70% of your grade. However, YOUR SUPERVISOR will be the one giving your feedback on how to do a good job for the report and oral exam, so if you get a really strict supervisor who is super good as criticising your work (like mine), most of the faults in your report will probably be resolved and the tips given on how to deliver a good presentation for the oral exam will also be super helpful.

TIP2: Know your project inside out. I died real bad towards the end of my UROPS since i had to cram the report and prepare for the oral examination amidst all my other bunch of reports due and tests and presentations, so i wasnt able to read up enough to fully grasp what my project was about. I wrote the report in a rush and it was totally rejected by my prof and his words killed me so bad. i was literally thinking "im so dead. im going to get a B- and it'll screw up my CAP again and im not going to be able to leave a good impression on my prof and all my effort and time spent on getting the results throughout the entire semester and holiday will go down the drain" but thank God for my prof, really. despite how savage he is and all, he really was the saving grace i needed for this module. I dont know my grade yet but whatever the case, it wouldve been a lot lower without him.
1. Read up, like READ UP not skim through. Really understand and appreciate what you are doing
2. Speak up, CLARIFY all your doubts with the people in your lab if you're scared of your prof (but the prof will be the best person cause the others in the lab may not be clear either since they have their own projects to run). understand the point of your research project (purpose), know what actions to take next (future stuff), know HOW to interpret your results and WHAT they mean. This is especially important since the point of your UROPS is to show the importance / purpose of your project through your results. Your results will show the profs what you've been up to these few months and why they should even listen to you. It's ok even if they are negative results because negative results show that there is no relation and others can focus on something else in the future.

TIP3: these tips are for the oral exam (given to me by my prof and some of my own observations). The purpose of the oral exam is really to find out how much you've learned from the UROPS module, how well you understand your project and what have you been up to those few months in the lab.
1. make sure the profs grading you can follow and understand your presentation. in other words, your organisation and flow of content must be smooth (doesnt have to follow the report style). Even though the profs grading you are from the same department, they may not know what your project is about nor its importance since a department is so big and there are many different fields within the department. Being clear will not only help them follow through with your presentation but will also show how well you understand and know your project and this gives you a lot of marks.
2. the oral exam may be the time where the profs finally takes a look at your report. so while you're speaking they may be looking at your report. CHANCE TO READ YOUR SCRIPT LOL. but seriously, it means that anything you say has to match what you've written in your report. because if there's a discrepancy, either you're saying the wrong thing or the report is wrong, which will ultimately affect your marks. ok that's not the point i wanted to address. when this is the first time they read your report, it may also be their last time, meaning all your 70% is going to come from how well you do this oral exam. They are capable of grading you before even reading your report based on how you do your presentation (i think), and the presentation will be their FIRST IMPRESSION of you which can also affect the attitude they will have when reading your report after the presentation. "wow, that person presented so well, im going to read the report to better understand the project since its interesting" VS "that student was a complete mess, I dont think reading the report will even be worth my time considering that level of understanding the student has of her own project." see? HUGE DIFFERENCE. so really, DO WELL.
3. QnA, the most feared section. Different profs have different styles, no, even the same prof have different styles depending on the presentation. They can choose to let you finish your entire 15min of presentation before the QnA or directly interrupt you with a question in the middle of your presentation, SO DO NOT BE ALARMED. How well you respond to the question is what they look out for rather than how many correct answers you give. Of course, giving a wrong answer = negative marks but if the question is so crazy hard, i guess these profs have a heart too and wont minus too many marks? idk. TAKE A BREATH, REGISTER THE QUESTION, CLARIFY THE QUESTION TO GAIN TIME, ANSWER CONFIDENTLY WITH A REASONABLE ANSWER. "while that area was not covered in the scope of my research project, I believe it is an interesting field that we can further explore" or "while i do not know much about that, based on what ive read XXXX" these answers are definitely better than faking something confidently that may be completely wrong. These profs arent profs for nothing, they definitely can tell the difference.
4. try to present naturally without too much reference to your script but im not asking you to memorise word for word either. just be spontaneous and show that you really understand YOUR project. the only way to do so is to REALLY understand your project though lol. i guess practicing the presentation as much as you can is the other best option if you dont know your project that well.

wow this became a super long essay. so much easier to write than my report though lol. oh there will be a report format document somewhere on the NUS site that you're expected to follow closely to, format wise. Pertaining the content, just write like it is going to be a published research paper and not like your usual lab report, because lab reports are too kiddy for them lol.

WHY YOU SHOULD TAKE UROPS:
1. despite all the horror stories and bad experiences, i would say ive learned a lot more from my urops than any other module ive taken at NUS. these skills (people and lab) will be with me for a very long time. time management and planning of experiments was also a learning point and being able to "think critically" whatever that means hahah
2. they reflect well on your portfolio if you're planning to stay in the science / research field. FYP profs will also prefer students with UROPS background because they know you'll not be a complete newbie and will be able to aid them in their research
3. they prepare you for FYP like no other module can. FYP will probably be the same thing but 16mcs instead of 4/8mcs. having been through it once lets you know what to expect and how much effort to dump in
4. you really learn if research is the thing for you or not. find out early rather than regretting it late in the game.
5. i think my prof is a great mentor but not everyone can handle him (scary, fierce, scary, stressful, scary), so find a prof that fits your working style
## this list can go on but i'll stop ##

if there's anything more you'd like to know then please comment so i can update this post. I did my project in the biochemistry lab. i dont really want to mention what i worked on cause paranoid that my prof may find this post while googling it. He's the only lab in NUS working on it after all.


UPDATE: SO I GOT MY RESULTS BACK AND I GOT AN A!!!!! REALLY SUPER THANKFUL FOR THE AWESOME RESULTS AND THE VERY VERY GOOD EXPERIENCE!! WEW!! HAPPINESS OVERLOAD HAHAHA

LSM Major AY16/17 Sem 2

So to whoever reading this, you're probably an NUS student cause i dont think anyone else would be interested in reading my blog. So as you all know, results were released the other day (29/05/17) and I am saddened by my grades but at the same time, know i dont deserve them (too good for me). This sem was surprisingly 'fun' and not as bad as i thought it would be. In other news, my CAP has dropped once again but whatever, not something i cant raise if i work for it. Let's get started (i know 99% of the people reading this post will skip the intro so i can talk nonsense here)

YEAR 2 SEM 2
Modules : LSM2103, PR3301, LSM3211, LSM3212, LSM3232 and GEH1049 (24MCs - Overloaded) red = pre-allocated
LSM 3211 - 1 point
LSM 3212 - 1 point
LSM 3232 - 1 point 
GEH1049 - 700 points 

LSM 2103 - Cell Biology (Webcasted) 

WARNING: it is not the cell biology you'd expect if you want to talk about nucleus, cell wall, cytoplasm etc. it's more of signalling pathways, cell processes (apoptosis) and reading of many million research papers.

This module was taught by Thilo & FM Yeong for our cohort. Both teachers are fine Thilo is a good teacher is you listen carefully and his clicker questions in class really help with understanding the subject better despite being lost in the first few weeks. Yeong was honestly boring & can't really deliver an interesting lecture but her notes included almost everything you need to understand the concepts and content. The bulk weightage of this module comes from the individual coursework and finals is only 36%. Common rumours about this module include: "finals is a killer, you'll not be able to answer a thing despite it being openbook" & "Thilo's questions are impossible to answer" are false, really. In fact, Thilo's part for the finals was easier than Yeong's since you only need to understand the research paper he released a week or so before the finals whereas Yeong is free to test anything she taught. The assignments include a video project, on-line in-class discussion, self reflection form (THILO); poster project, research article discussion and MCQ making (YEONG). Thilo likes simplicity and creativity so if you can manage to make your video interesting, easy to follow and scientifically correct, you'll definitely score (I didn't sadly). For Yeong, she wants to see content and depth despite her instructions being "non-biologist should understand it" - tested and proven true. MY friend simply dumped all the lecture content into the poster without simplifying anything while i made mine simple to understand and guess who got a super high score? NOT ME. #bitter but it's the truth. There will be in-class quizzes (shown in module timetable) worth 15% of your total grade. they'll choose the best 5 out of 8 quizzes so there's hope! (Yeong's quizzes are easier to score so don't be depressed after Thilo's quizzes, there's HOPE!).  

HOW TO STUDY:
1. Do the in-class quizzes in groups & try to get full marks for just 5/8 (i did)
2. Do all the participatory things they ask of you cause even 2% makes a difference
3. Score for video & poster if it's the last thing you do (Thilo gives rewards if you're lucky e.g. $20 Starbucks card)
4. Understand the research paper from Thilo's part and memorise the concepts for Yeong's part even if it's an open book paper - because there's not enough time with all the shading and drawing you will need to do. 

Workload: 3.5/5 (a lot of reading and coursework)
Expected Grade: A
Overall Grade: A-

LSM 3211 - Fundamental Pharmacology (Webcasted) 

This module was tough but necessary. A lot of other modules require them (for people aiming to get the BMS specialisation). Worst of all, you can't use your S/U since it's a core and it's not the only module you have in the entire semester. You'll learn about drugs classified based on their receptors, the in-depth mechanism, pharmaco-kinetics & -dynamics, pharmacological classes & more drugs. HAVE FUN CRAMMING THE INFORMATION DURING FINALS. CA - 25% 28 True/False questions with negative marking but the negative is not carried forward (have i confused you yet?) So each question has 4 true/false subparts, within a single qns, you can get a maximum score of 4 or a minimum of 0 (no negative score here) but lets say you get 2 correct and  2 wrong within the 4subparts, that will mean it is +2-2=0, a flat zero for that question. Likewise for 1 correct and 3 wrong since the minimum is 0. For finals, 28 True/False questions and short essay questions, there will be 3 sections of SEQ where you can choose 1 out of 2 or 3 questions per section, so 3 SEQs in total. ATB! I couldn't get myself to study until the night before #dead

HOW TO STUDY:

I have nothing to say - just memorise everything thrown at you. The content is so heavy that you'd forget stuff unless 1. you study it on a daily basis or 2. you have perfect memorising capacities. 
Ohh and its all webcasted so no point going for lectures since you will have to re-watch EVERYTHING again anyway when studying for the papers.

Workload: 3/5
Expected Grade: B+
Overall Grade: B+ (not bad)


LSM3212 - Human Physiology: Cardiopulmonary System (Webcasted) 

This module was fun and something i personally enjoy studying. It's anatomy with some application and pathology involved. The content is straightforward and not hard to understand. Anyone with biology background would find it easy to follow - even it you dont it's pretty much common sense. There are 4 main parts - Blood, Heart, Respiratory system & Exercise/Sports. All four parts will connect into a nice big story. CA was structured questions which were easy if you studied & manageable if you didnt. Finals were 80MCQs testing equally from each of the 4 parts. Chen Zhi Xiong is a good teacher #randomshoutoutthatnoonecaresabout The labs were engaging with a 5% quiz at the end of each of the 3 lab sessions (total 15%) - no need lab coat. Tutorials are not tested (skip if you want) but they were interesting. Just take this module if you're interested, want to score & will work hard for the A. There is a group project (which i kinda soloed since i was paired with strangers that didnt do much and i just wanted to get it over and done with) 15% on respiratory part.

HOW TO STUDY:

1. Understand the concepts & memorise the rest
2. Read question carefully i guess, though they're not that tricky
3. Don't be complacent just cause it's easy (like me) since the bell curve will kill you.

Workload: 2/5
Expected Grade: A- (i only studied 2/4 of the parts for finals hahaha winged it)
Overall Grade: B+ (Honestly disappointed with myself for not putting in the effort for finals) 

LSM3232 - Microbiology 

"FREE A" is what people would say about this module once again. It's actually easier than LSM2191 which i would like to bitterly say i should've gotten my A if not for my TA's biased marking. (it's over, bye bye, dont think about it). 3 main topics: General microbiology + a bit of water treatment, Food microbiology and Medical microbiology. MCQs for CA and written for finals. The thing for finals is that you can choose the questions you want to do! but of course you're forced to answer 1 general, 1 food and 1 medical microbiology question (3 parts). Search NUS library for past year papers (only 2 available) and try attempting them / read through to spot the type of questions that will appear. It's actually quite obvious. Prof Kevin Tan will drop hints for his part here and there during the lecture. 3 graded lab reports that are easy since there's a 3page limit and the TAs are usually nice to give everyone an A.

HOW TO STUDY :
1. Study everything in the notes (the history part too! Anthrax & Pasteur lol) for CA
2. Spot questions for finals and just focus on those to save memory space. (memorise sewage or cell anatomy for part 1, HACCP or food borne diseases for part 2, S. aureus or HIV for part 3) - for my finals, yours may be different. 

Workload: 2/5 
Expected Grade: A
Overall Grade: A

PR3301 - Pharmaceutical Dosage Forms 

The module is interesting but not my cup of tea. I only did it because of my minor which i have decided to drop since i lost interest and i dont need that many UEs. you'll learn about the formulations of the different dosage forms like suspensions, solutions, tablets, patches, etc. and how they are made. There's no finals but the CA2 is equivalent to a finals and i'd rather have my study break... it's a challenging module to score because it is hard to understand something you seldom see around (the machineries used to make the drugs and the manufacturing process). There are 2 CAs, an individual report (2.5 - 3k words on something you have no idea about since its not taught) and a group presentation based on the individual report. it was fun until the CA2. I wouldn't recommend it unless you're pursuing the minor or are crazy interested in this field of pharmaceutical science. It was a manageable module for me due to my background but not for others. and once again, i didnt study for CA2 which i regret but not so much after seeing my grade (Thank God really, i couldn't S/U this module).

HOW TO STUDY :
1. Memorise even if you don't understand
2. Put in effort for the group presentation or you'll be embarrassed (the standard was quite up there)

Workload: 2/5 
Expected Grade: B
Overall Grade: B+

GEH1049 - Public Health In Action

This module is NOT a free A, i repeat, this module is NOT a free A. But it is a slacker's module minus the 8/9am lectures. The lesson goes like this - 3hours : lecture by some guest speaker, group project, discussion session. Everything other than the individual assignment is completed within the class slot of 3hours. Talk about low workload. There are readings to do before the class since there are graded quizzes that test about the reading content. But nothing you can't Control-F for. The group project is simply answering the lecturer's discussion question in 700words (exceeding it comes with penalty but they seldom catch unless it's way over - like 900? not sure but we didnt get caught for having 800words), time is your enemy here. The discussion period is for class participation which the lecturer will ensure that by the end of the module, everyone gets full marks for since they will call on your group if you're too quiet. The individual assignments have 1000-1500 word limits so they are quite short. Just think logically and cleverly (it's harder than it sounds - duh) to score for the project reports and individual assignments. They like interesting analyses that can fit into the word limit and is well organised.

Workload: 1/5
Expected Grade: A
Overall Grade: A-

OVERALL CAP FOR SEMESTER:
LSM2103: A-
LSM3211: B+
LSM3212: B+
LSM3232: A
GEH1049: A-
PR3301: B+

CAP: 4.39 (drop drop drop drop drop drop drop drop)