Guides
Things every student searches for in week three.
Written to be correct on their own. SyllaBuddy shows up only where it saves you the work.
How to put Avenue to Learn (Brightspace) due dates into Google Calendar
The two-minute way to get every Avenue to Learn deadline into Google Calendar or Apple Calendar, using the calendar feed McMaster already gives you.
3 min read
How to sync your Canvas calendar with Google Calendar
Where the Canvas calendar feed link is, how to add it to Google or Apple Calendar, and why it still misses half your deadlines.
3 min read
How to turn a syllabus into a calendar you'll actually use
A working method for pulling every date, weight and rule out of a course outline, by hand or with SyllaBuddy, so nothing surprises you in week eight.
5 min read
McMaster MSAF, explained in plain words
What the McMaster Student Absence Form does, when you can use it, what it doesn't cover, and what happens to the missed work.
4 min read
What do I need on the final? How to work it out in 30 seconds
The formula for the mark you need on a final exam to hit a target grade, with examples, plus a calculator that does it for you.
2 min read
The apps that actually help in first year, and the ones that don't
An honest list for Canadian university students: calendar, notes, focus, reading, and where SyllaBuddy fits.
4 min read
How to read a course outline: the seven things to find first
A course outline is 15 pages of policy with five numbers that matter hidden inside. Here is exactly what to pull out in the first ten minutes, and the traps students miss.
4 min read
How to email a professor (with three templates that get replies)
The format profs actually respond to, what to put in the subject line, and copy-paste templates for asking about a missed test, a grade, and a deadline.
3 min read
How to build a study schedule from your syllabus (that survives week 6)
Work backwards from every graded item in your course outlines to a weekly plan you can actually keep, including how many hours each course really needs.
6 min read
Why your LMS calendar is missing assignments, and what to do
Avenue, Canvas, Brightspace, Quercus and Moodle calendars only show what a professor typed in. Here's how to tell what's missing and how to fill the gaps.
4 min read
Weighted grades explained: what each assignment is actually worth
How weighted course grades work, how to calculate where you stand mid-term, and why a 90 on a 5% quiz matters less than you think.
5 min read
Midterm season: a plan for the three worst weeks of the term
What to do in the two weeks before midterms hit, how to triage when three land in five days, and what actually helps the night before.
6 min read
First week of university: the checklist that prevents October problems
The eight things worth doing in the first week of term, most of which take a few minutes and save a mark or a deadline later.
4 min read
Dropping vs withdrawing from a course: what shows on your transcript
The difference between the drop deadline and the withdrawal deadline, what each does to your record and your fees, and where to find your school's exact dates.
4 min read
When does the final exam schedule come out, and what to do while you wait
Why your syllabus says “TBD by the registrar”, roughly when each school posts final exam dates, and how to plan the end of term before you know them.
3 min read
The best way to track assignments in university (and why most systems fail)
An honest comparison of paper planners, Google Calendar, Notion, to-do apps and the LMS for keeping every deadline, and what makes a system last past October.
5 min read
Or let Buddy do it from the PDF.
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