How to do good in lab classes?

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Hey guys I have two labs this year as an incoming freshman: Bio and Chem.

Im wondering if you guys could tell me ways on how to do good in the class, get an A, study for lab practicals? etc

Im not really sure how to do good/study for lab practicals. I want to get the best grasp on the material.

If you guys could just let me know, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

Read the pre lab, the experiment, and learn what it's trying to show you before hand ie if the lab is showing you how limiting reactants effect mass weight etc. learn about limiting reactants before hand etc. etc?

Originally Posted by Samiamm

Read the pre lab, the experiment, and learn what it's trying to show you before hand ie if the lab is showing you how limiting reactants effect mass weight etc. learn about limiting reactants before hand etc. etc?

Agreed. Similarly, you need to work on technique, read the experiment before class several times, know where everything is. Tie experiments to lecture topics, etc.

The big parts of lab are the daily assignments for labs meaning quizzes (read pre-lab information) and lab notebooks. The other big assignments are the lab reports and your TA should tell you how to complete those. They are just meant to supplement the class for hands-on activity and not usually meant to be extremely difficult.

Originally Posted by asigna

Hey guys I have two labs this year as an incoming freshman: Bio and Chem.

Im wondering if you guys could tell me ways on how to do good in the class, get an A, study for lab practicals? etc

Im not really sure how to do good/study for lab practicals. I want to get the best grasp on the material.

If you guys could just let me know, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks!

For my bio classes, it was a lot of the memorization. If there is a dissection, know all the parts. If there is an experiment, know what you did, why you did it, and what order you did the steps. Know all the equipment you used, and what the numbers mean that come out (spectrometer, etc.)

For chemistry, know the reactions that occurred, why they occurred, and what other reactions are similar. Know how to calculate % yield and % error from lab-like data. If there is a visible sign of a reaction, know it and what it means (bubbles, color change, etc.)

Granted, I had gen chem and gen bio a long time ago. But just be an active participant in the lab time and understand WHY you are doing something, not just do things that you are told to do. Somewhere along the way someone should be explaining it all (or it should be in the lab manual for you to read).

Good luck. Work hard and do well.

dsoz

Know what you're doing before hand, why, and how it corresponds to lecture. Also take pictures of the microscope slide through the eyepiece and make a picture bank for the practical.

Proper english might help to get decent lab report grades. The question you should be asking is how to do well in lab classes.

Originally Posted by Bangersandmash

Proper english might help to get decent lab report grades.

follow directions and game the TAs. They care about the lab about as much as you do (which is not at all).

Originally Posted by notbobtrustme

follow directions and game the TAs. They care about the lab about as much as you do (which is not at all).

This ^
Get the underlying concept/theory behind each experiment.

Originally Posted by notbobtrustme

follow directions and game the TAs. They care about the lab about as much as you do (which is not at all).

ABSOLUTELY^^. My bio lab was taught by a grad student & it was pretty much the easiest thing ever. We were literally out in an hour every week lol.

For chemistry read the pre-lab, but know there is really no substitution to just doing the experiment. If your professor is nice ask as many questions as possible if you're unsure of something. Work slowly and carefully. I took my time in labs and wound up with high A's, where as people who breezed though them pulled B's. Don't expect every experiment to go perfectly though lol. Lab practicums suck. There isn't really anyway to prep for them, but usually by that point in the semester everyone is too fed up to care

Originally Posted by Bangersandmash

Proper english might help to get decent lab report grades. The question you should be asking is how to do well in lab classes.

My thoughts exactly.

Originally Posted by notbobtrustme

follow directions and game the TAs. They care about the lab about as much as you do (which is not at all).

As a former TA, current teacher, and current student, I can confirm this. If you do your stuff on time, relatively well, and have a fun attitude, you can get away with a ton. Some of my favorite students were those who turned in assignments that were both correct and funny. I had someone draw a pokemon on a test. That was probably worth two points. If the TA knows you and likes you, you're more likely to get help when you need it and get forgiven if you screw up a bit.

In general, two words: Be precise.

Read all the instructions and then actually follow them. To the letter. Don't half-ass or try to fudge any part of your lab. The twenty extra minutes spent going over your lab report to look for missing decimal places is worth the points you'll get for not screwing up. If something says 15mL of solvent, triple-check that it's 15mL. You might take a little longer at lab, but you'll only get a 2% error instead of a 20% error.

How to do good? Clean up for all the other lab groups.. hold doors and pull chairs for the girls, and always say please and thank you.

How to do well? Study.


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