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)