I'm thinking, are the paid prep courses that the university itself offers really effective? I've heard they help you navigate the first semester better, but the price is pretty steep - around 40 thousand. Maybe it's just the university's way of making money, or does it actually make sense to do it?
Paid prep courses at a university are a mix of actually useful stuff and marketing at the same time. Yeah, they help you adapt to the teaching style at that specific institution and figure out what each professor actually wants. But honestly, 40 grand is a lot of money for something that often just repeats what you covered in high school or material you can find freely online anyway.
Think about it like this: if you did well in school and passed the entrance exams decently, you'll get through the first semester without the courses just fine. And if you have some gaps in knowledge, it makes more sense to get a tutor for specific subjects or find free resources and video lectures online - it'll be cheaper and more flexible. A lot of universities actually put on free introductory seminars for freshmen anyway.
The only real plus to university prep courses is you'll immediately meet the people you'll be studying with later and get a feel for the place. But that's more of a bonus than a real reason to pay. If money's not tight, maybe, but honestly I'd suggest trying to skip them 😊
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