Finals studying (support group)

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northernlights15

northernlights15

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hey y'all

How is studying going? I'm currently crying looking at all the Biochem I've procrastinated studying. I hate cumulative finals
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Yea I just took my biochem final last week...I find out how I did, tomorrow..le sigh. Good luck tho!
 
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I've been sitting here for two hours pondering the question, "What would happen if I just didn't study for this bio final?"
I only need a 68% on the final to get an A, but there's so much material and I'm afraid if I don't review it all I'll fail. But I would really rather focus on biochem, on which I need an 87% to get an A.
 
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Lannister said:
I've been sitting here for two hours pondering the question, "What would happen if I just didn't study for this bio final?"
I only need a 68% on the final to get an A, but there's so much material and I'm afraid if I don't review it all I'll fail. But I would really rather focus on biochem, on which I need an 87% to get an A.
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Study biochem more thoroughly and just read over your notes for bio. If you're that well off in bio you probably won't get a 68% on the final.
 
My professor has this asinine rule about a 95% being an A. I was pissed.
 
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UNMedGa said:
Study biochem more thoroughly and just read over your notes for bio. If you're that well off in bio you probably won't get a 68% on the final.
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Yeah, I've been spending a lot more time on bio but I think I'll start just reviewing notes instead of re-watching the lecture videos like I've been doing.
It's just that there is like 10x the amount of material for bio than biochem. I don't even know how to review for biochem other than rereading the lecture powerpoints and making a study guide. My biochem professor told me she was going to make the exam mostly passage based rather than just being based on memorized facts, which I'm glad for.
 
My motivation is at an all time low right now, terrible timing. Genetics studying has me so bored and I can't focus, it's really depressing:(
 
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The studying is going well. And by that I mean I'm cooking chicken on the grill and drinking Stella.
 
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Can someone explain to me why, as a future doctor, sea urchin fertilization should be important to me? =/
 
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Lannister said:
I've been sitting here for two hours pondering the question, "What would happen if I just didn't study for this bio final?"
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Lannister said:
Can someone explain to me why, as a future doctor, sea urchin fertilization should be important to me? =/
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For some reason I read these posts in the voice of Tyrion and burst out laughing.

Hang in there ladies and gents, soon it will all be over and we can focus on summer fun and EC's (or lock yourself away for 3 months and study for the MCAT :()
 
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Biochemistry final tomorrow morning! I'll check in afterwards. Clocked a total of about 21 hours for this test, which is right around my usual. Not cumulative so there's that.
 
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Do you y'all think I can learn 9 chaps by Wednesday lol
 
Microbiology and O chem 2 finals are next week. I'm using this week to study early so the weekend and night before won't be a nightmare. Micro's cumulative but o chem is not (thank God). Rewriting notes and looking up info outside lecture and the textbook works well for me. I like hanging out/crying/ranting with my friends, but I find that study groups aren't as productive and helpful.
 
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Wooh what a final! On to studying for Ochem.
 
northernlights15 said:
just finished lipid biosynthesis… so over this malonyl, acetyl ACP stuff
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Reading this thread is making me realize how useless my biochem class is...I don't even know what any of that stuff is :unsure:
 
northernlights15 said:
I'm going to forget it after Wednesday so don't sweat it
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Haha at least you'll have learned it.
I had to take the chem major biochem because the pre-med one is only offered in the fall and I was abroad in the fall. We didn't learn about any of the "normal" stuff. Like we didn't even talk about metabolism. It was all enzymes. Not that it wasn't interesting but idk. I feel like I'm going to do really poorly on the biochem section of the MCAT. I'm kind of irritated that the pre-med advisor is telling people that the one I took can count for the pre-req. Maybe I should tell him to stop saying that...I'll tell him after he writes my letter packet lol.
 
I think I've given up. I skipped school today and on Friday.
 
Lannister said:
Haha at least you'll have learned it.
I had to take the chem major biochem because the pre-med one is only offered in the fall and I was abroad in the fall. We didn't learn about any of the "normal" stuff. Like we didn't even talk about metabolism. It was all enzymes. Not that it wasn't interesting but idk. I feel like I'm going to do really poorly on the biochem section of the MCAT. I'm kind of irritated that the pre-med advisor is telling people that the one I took can count for the pre-req. Maybe I should tell him to stop saying that...I'll tell him after he writes my letter packet lol.
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Lol telling him after he writes the letter sounds like a good idea! But I don't see how a chem major's Biochem would be looked at less rigorously than "pre med Biochem." In fact, it will probably work in your favor.
 
northernlights15 said:
Lol telling him after he writes the letter sounds like a good idea! But I don't see how a chem major's Biochem would be looked at less rigorously than "pre med Biochem." In fact, it will probably work in your favor.
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I was under that exact same impression, I was like oh God chem major biochem, it's going to be just as awful as the chem major ochem I took. But it's really pretty easy! The pre-med one sounds sooo much harder. They have to memorize so many reactions and crap. We hardly had to memorize anything other than the amino acids and their pKas and stuff.
 
How are you guys approaching studying?
Bc it sounds like most of you guys are trying to stuff information into your head-
And that isn't how the brain works lol

If you guys want any advice to making the absorbsion of info less stressful, feel free to pm me,
Also, there's a girl on SDN who is making a podcast blog about this stuff, she's pretty steller too
 
That is exactly what I am doing @TraumaBlonde. And I am extremely regretful. I mean I really say this all the time but I just don't like this and don't want to do this anymore. Next semester, I'm looking to develop a better work ethic and study a little bit each week instead of cramming a few days-2 weeks before the exam.

I will PM as soon as finals are over!
 
Is anyone else as regretful as I am right now :( I'll probably end up with a 3.6ish for the semester which is annoying because I really should be getting no less than 3.8. Ideally 4.0 but I realized that would not be possible after my 2nd exam grade in Genetics...
 
You can still cram- just cram smarter,
I'll def help,
I'll pm you my email
 
Thankfully many med schools don't have a cumulative final first year, at least not one that's graded. Although all medical schools have a cumulative 1+2 year final (Step 1). Good luck everyone finish strong! I'm pretty burnt out from this year, ~10 lectures behind, research paper due, and a few physician-ship hoops to jump through.... but then it's over!
 
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TraumaBlonde said:
How are you guys approaching studying?
Bc it sounds like most of you guys are trying to stuff information into your head-
And that isn't how the brain works lol

If you guys want any advice to making the absorbsion of info less stressful, feel free to pm me,
Also, there's a girl on SDN who is making a podcast blog about this stuff, she's pretty steller too
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Eh I'm really not that worried about finals actually, I don't have that much to study since I've put in a lot of effort throughout the semester to master the material the first time around. Mostly I'm just doing a general overview of stuff, except for the stuff on carbs for biochem because I missed all of the classes during which we covered that material so now I have to learn it myself. I really hope I can get an A on this exam, it would be nice to get a 4.0 again.
I'm more worried about studying for the MCAT :dead:
 
Lannister said:
Eh I'm really not that worried about finals actually, I don't have that much to study since I've put in a lot of effort throughout the semester to master the material the first time around. Mostly I'm just doing a general overview of stuff, except for the stuff on carbs for biochem because I missed all of the classes during which we covered that material so now I have to learn it myself. I really hope I can get an A on this exam, it would be nice to get a 4.0 again.
I'm more worried about studying for the MCAT :dead:
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Message me
 
One more final down, one to go! ACS for organic. Anyone taken it yet?
 
Bio final done! It was much harder than I thought it was going to be (or maybe I just didn't get enough sleep last night and couldn't concentrate) but I'm pretty sure I did well enough to keep my A. Now to take a nap before my biochem final at 4! So close to being a senior omg. Seven more hours.
 
Drinking coffee and thinking about just becoming a fisherman.

That's how my studying is going. :)
 
TraumaBlonde said:
How are you guys approaching studying?
Bc it sounds like most of you guys are trying to stuff information into your head-
And that isn't how the brain works lol

If you guys want any advice to making the absorbsion of info less stressful, feel free to pm me,
Also, there's a girl on SDN who is making a podcast blog about this stuff, she's pretty steller too
Click to expand...

Traumablonde makes a good point. Cramming is probably the most stressful, time intensive, and inefficient way to study. Of course finals are happening so if you have to cram then do so, but in medical school the habit of cramming will only be more painful. You can still get decent grades in medical school by cramming, but you will be so burnt out after a test that you won't want to study and will fall behind immediately. This will only lead to more cramming and poor long term retention. I've seen it.
 
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northernlights15 said:
Yeah guys, biochem just ruined my day
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Same, what a disaster. It was supposed to be cumulative but it only covered the last two days of class, both of which I missed (for legit reasons too, not just being lazy). Oh and then every free response was worth ten points, whether it required a one word answer or a paragraph.
 
Lannister said:
Same, what a disaster. It was supposed to be cumulative but it only covered the last two days of class, both of which I missed (for legit reasons too, not just being lazy). Oh and then every free response was worth ten points, whether it required a one word answer or a paragraph.
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Follow-up: got a 95% on the biochem exam. Not even gonna question it. But yay 4.0!
 
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Lannister said:
Follow-up: got a 95% on the biochem exam. Not even gonna question it. But yay 4.0!
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Damn. Must be nice to already have your grades back. I gotta sit here and wait until next week to see how I did. Congrats though!
 
Welp. Any of you premeds ever find yourself in this situation? There were two professors who have been teaching genetics at my school since 1996. This year they got rid of one of them and added some newbie. Newbie can't teach, can't explain, and his midterm average was a 30/100. Bleh, studying my ass off for this genetics final. Best of luck to y'all biochemistry kids!!!
 
Hospitalized said:
Damn. Must be nice to already have your grades back. I gotta sit here and wait until next week to see how I did. Congrats though!
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Thanks! And I know right, I would hate to have to wait. I feel bad for the people who don't get their grades till like June. But seriously, S/O to the TA who graded our finals in four hours. Impressive.
 
Any biochem secrets? Is it really all memorization? Can I reason through some of it with my strong o chem background? Is it as bad as the lazy kids at my school make it seem?

I mean I'm a firm believer in trying hard = getting good grades. I don't get too hung up on bad professors, hard exams, etc...
 
onyisraw said:
Any biochem secrets? Is it really all memorization? Can I reason through some of it with my strong o chem background? Is it as bad as the lazy kids at my school make it seem?

I mean I'm a firm believer in trying hard = getting good grades. I don't get too hung up on bad professors, hard exams, etc...
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Biochem is like 90% bio 10% chemistry. And it's not like ochem where you have to like know mechanisms and push electrons. I honestly don't think ochem performance is a good predictor of biochem performance. I think the general consensus is that biochem isn't difficult to understand, there's just a lot of material that you need to master.

Edit: also, biochem is really interesting. Way more interesting than ochem, imo.
 
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