MESA Target 4.0!

Listen up fellow students! Earlier this semester, the Communication Executives at MESA, asked management-related professors about how to achieve in their respective courses. While studying a lot is commendable, and shows great dedication to your academics, studying smart is what sometimes differentiates an outstanding student from an average student. Professors often have their own helpful strategies that students can follow in order to achieve high marks and an excellent understanding in courses. I strongly encourage students, especially those in their first year, to head over to the MESA website and check out their blog. You will find useful, rresourceful and even entertaining information, including the full-length interviews in the Target 4.0 series. While the articles in their entirety can be found at www.mesa.ca, below are samples from 3/6 professors.

Professor Quan Fun - Financial Accounting / MGTB05/06 

Biggest tips for student success in the course:

1. Stay on top of the weekly course reading materials
2. Attempt as many class discussion problems before the lecture
3. Participate in all class discussions
4. Attend the optional tutorial sessions
5. Reach out to your instructor in a timely manner if you require further explanation or clarification of any problems or concepts.

Professor McConkey - Management / MGTA03/04

Q. What are some common mistakes that some students make when taking this course?

A. Many don’t come to class or to study group time. Those that do are better able to apply the material of the text. Reading the text only once is not enough either – there are too many lists of things that end up seeming really similar during an exam.

Professor Grinnell - Mathematics / MATA32/33 

Q. What are some common mistakes that some students make when taking this course?

Professor Grinnell listed 6 common mistakes, in order of severity. Below is the top issue and the last issue students sometimes have:

1. Not knowing enough of the course, which is almost always caused by the double threat of not enough consistent serious studying and too much procrastination.  Statistics have shown that the very best students in MATA32 and MATA33 study those courses seriously every day and they make those courses a priority in their daily schedule.

6. Not getting enough (free!) extra help from tutors and the course instructors.  Students think that their TAs and profs will think that their questions are dumb, or that they should know better.  The same students could not be more wrong!  Profs and TAs are extremely willing to help their students and they really can help!

Elmaan Masood