Success in Bio

1HOW to STUDY BIOLOGY and CHEMISTRY
Each semester students ask me how to study and properly prepare in Biology and even
Chemistry courses. Often this occurs after the second or third test when it takes a Herculean
effort to seriously change the grade. Biology and Chemistry may be the hardest courses that you
have ever taken. Imagine, you will be learning the detailed anatomical structure of the human
body, together with the functions, biochemistry and control mechanisms which keep the body
functioning to maintain homeostasis. These courses require a level of preparation and
commitment many students are unused to.
1. Prepare for class and for studying. Read the textbook close to when the material is covered in
class. Some students prefer to read before class, others find the book more understandable after
they've heard the information in class. Make notes on the text or outline it. Pretend you will
present the material to a group. You learn best when you are expected to teach someone else, so
prepare as if you are. Include everything in these notes or outline you will need to know. Use the
objectives as a guide to what to include. You may need to read passages twice for understanding,
but once you have made the notes or outline you shouldn't have to go back to the book except to
look up specific items or to review the diagrams. Reading the text over and over is not
studying.
A note about the text: Our Textbook is part of ther Connect system, which is accesable through
Canvas. McGraw Jill’s Connect platform has not only the textbook but review materialsm
videos, and study materials, Use it frequently, This support should be used by you to enhance
what you learn. To succeed you should investigate and utilize all these resources.
2. In class. Take notes in outline form in class too. But try to listen to what is said. Often the
inflection or context of what is said provide information about relative importance. Later you can
go back and fill information in to the notes. Some students like to tape record the lectures and
then go back and fill in details they may have missed. Many students may find it useful to outline
their lecture notes. Consider using a computer to outline your materials.
3. The actual studying starts now. There is passive studying and active studying. Passive
studying involves reading over the notes and going over the material mentally. Everyone does
this at first. The next step separates good students from mediocre ones. Active studying means
developing the material in some way. Some topics lend themselves to making charts or perhaps
using index cards to organize lists of related items. For example the names of muscles and their
locations and actions. Or the list of hormones with sources, targets, and actions. For control
mechanisms and complex processes use flow charts with components linked by arrows to
indicate connections and direction. Chemical reactions should also be put on charts for review. It
is important that the student make these his or herself from memory, rather than just studying
charts already made in the book or in class. There are a couple of reasons for this: first because it
helps you organize it in your mind, and the physical act of creating the chart puts it in memory
much more strongly than simply reading it. Secondly, it tells you what you don't know if you
can't put it together from memory.
4. Follow-up. Many students emphasize study groups for reinforcement. These can work but
only after you have learned the material. In any case, with or without other people, ask
yourself questions from the objectives. If you can describe and explain what the objective asks,
out loud, to yourself or to others, without notes or the book, then you know that one. If you
cannot then you know what to study. Ask yourself all the questions you can about each item:
what, where, how, functions, relationships, etc.
Each person has learning techniques which work best for him/her. Unfortunately you learn what
these are from experience. If you follow the above steps you will discover what works for you.
5. The Sample Tests. Use the sample tests as an indication of the types of questions which will
be asked on the subject. Use them as an indication of where you are in your studying and
knowledge. But don't memorize the answers on the sample test, and don't expect the
questions to be the same. USE the CD from the book and the WEB site. Think of what
different questions might be asked on the same topics. You are responsible for the material
presented in class this semester. Don't wait 'til the night before the test to do this.
6. Avoiding Pitfalls
Don't become complacent. If yoy are unsure of material see your professor ask questions. Most
of these questions should not be asked the morning before the exam. Get to know your instructor.
They are more than willing to help you. If an instructor gives you an E-Mail address use it.
In general there is no curve on an exam . You are expected to learn facts and understand
concepts which will be the basis for success in your health-related career. The Allied Health
programs rely on these courses, among others, to prepare you. Read the Syllabus and know
when the exam will be. Do this on the first day of class and plan accordingly.
7. Learning vs. Memorizing. I always get asked for suggestions how to memorize the subject
matter. My immediate response it that you shouldn't be memorizing it. Although some topics
such as bones, muscles, and nerves may lend themselves to using mnemonic devices, for the
most part it is much better to learn the meaning of terms. If you let those terms tell you what the
muscle does and therefore where it must be located, or where it connects and therefore what is
must do, you will be far ahead in your studies. Learn the general rules for the relationship of
structure to function in a particular organ or system. Don't try to memorize a bunch of facts or
parts as unrelated pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. Most every aspect of anatomy and physiology makes
sense if you study it in an organized way.
Another reason for not memorizing is that the test questions will not be quoted in exactly the
same phraseology as given in class. There are usually several different ways of expressing the
same concepts and I will often use a different phrase on a test than the one used in class, or I may
use an example rather than a definition. If you're looking for a key word or phrase to recognize
for each item and don't understand the way the item fits into the overall structure or function of
the organ or system, then you may be out of luck.
If you have any questions about how to study or career information DO NOT hesitate to contact
me.

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1HOW to STUDY BIOLOGY and CHEMISTRY

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