How to get straight As

[medshoes]

I know this question might be sort of dumb to some people, but is there a good way to get straight A's in college science courses? I know the typical thing is to study hard, but I find the material in science courses to be very difficult, and I'm a chemistry major. I used to be a biology major, but I didn't do well in the weedout prereqs, and my chemistry grades are better. I need straight A's from now on to get a chance of getting into a MD school, and I'm just wondering is there any advice people can offer besides study a lot, like a detailed step by step approach to acing these courses? My grades in humanities tend to be a lot better, A to A-, because I find writing easier, and I'm just wondering why I can't seem to ace these science courses, I get mostly Bs and Cs. My highest in a science class is a A- in organic chemistry, and I had to study five hours a day, and I actually enjoyed the material, which I can't say the same for biology and physics. I'm taking quantum chemistry which is notoriously difficult and I'm averaging a B and I study 20 hours for each exam, with a study group and by myself. What's the number of hours I should devote to a hard science?

Is there a way to study smart? Should I find a study group? It's hard in the big lecture rooms to make friends and study with people, though I have a study group for my upper level chemistry classes. It's mostly physics that I'm worried about, and upper level biology and chemistry courses I have to take from here on out. I really need to boost my GPA up, and I haven't seen any threads focusing on strategies to do well in science classes.

Maybe I'm just not studying enough for the classes I'm not doing well in. Is there a way to pump up the motivation and change my mindset towards course I don't have an interest in, aside from taking medication?

Thanks!

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[Chemistry>Physics]

There's a couple interesting books on studying smart. Look up "how to get straight A's" on amazon books, it walks through step by step in more detail than most people on SDN could. Heck, might as well just illegally download it if you need the help fast. Also I think there's another called "think like a smart student" I haven't read that one though.

 

[aegistitan]

This overall approach has worked well for me so far in undergrad.

 

[Glandzburg]

I've found that a sufficient number of flashcards and practice problems can lead to mastery of most undergraduate science classes. You just have to put in the time.

 

[medshoes]

Thanks @aegistitan for that awesome step by step approach of how you study, that's what i was looking for! also thanks everyone else for replying! I'm going to read some books on how to study too and apply aegistitan's and my friend's similar approach to revamp how I study! I forgot that mit has a good resource too. I should be good for finals if I do all of this.

 

[sliceofbread136]

Just study all the time and memorize everything, boom straight As

 

[Siggy]

 

[jamcat]

A crucial part to this is also to pick your courses wisely! Some professors have a reputation of being harder or easier, so if you need to get As and are having trouble doing so, stick to easier professors or classes if you have the option.

 

[freemontie]

First step: stop lying to yourself. That 5 hours a day of studying or 20 hours for each exam is not pure hours of studying. And study groups are an incredibly inefficient use of time for someone trying to get As. A study group is ideal for C students trying to get Bs. Or students trying to make friends and be social. The people who get straight As do not waste time trekking to a study group, making small talk, laughing, and going at a slow pace as a group through the material.

Now, in terms of practical strategy: What works for me for physics or chem is getting a supplementary textbook (pirate online via pdf or through the library). Read your primary textbook. Then read your supplementary textbook. Then do all the relevant problems in your primary book. Then do as much as you can from supplementary book. Subscribe to a website like Chegg which has complete solutions manuals for most textbooks. Sometimes I even buy the testbank, and do the problems labelled moderate or difficult. I have regularly done over 100 problems for a single chapter topic (and sometimes significantly more than that). Most other students did the 15-20 or so assigned HW problems. Also realize that sometimes you will overprepare- you can't get straight A's by aiming for straight A's- you have to aim for straight 100s to get a litany of 90-somethings.

 

[mehc012]

Flashcards over notes every time. They take probably the same amount of time to make, but they can be used forever, at any time, and anywhere. Most notes get chucked at the end of the semester. Why toss your efforts when you could continue to benefit from them?

 

[justadream]

There simply is no "detailed step by step approach to acing these courses".

In fact, in many cases, your performance in the class is somewhat out of your control (because there's no guarantee that you will perform above your peers to a level that is sufficiently high to warrant an "A").

 

[mehc012]

There simply is no "detailed step by step approach to acing these courses".

In fact, in many cases, your performance in the class is somewhat out of your control (because there's no guarantee that you will perform above your peers to a level that is sufficiently high to warrant an "A").

If you pull 100, I don't care what the curve is, you got an A.

 

[DrShephardWannabe]

First step: stop lying to yourself. That 5 hours a day of studying or 20 hours for each exam is not pure hours of studying. And study groups are an incredibly inefficient use of time for someone trying to get As. A study group is ideal for C students trying to get Bs. Or students trying to make friends and be social. The people who get straight As do not waste time trekking to a study group, making small talk, laughing, and going at a slow pace as a group through the material.

Now, in terms of practical strategy: What works for me for physics or chem is getting a supplementary textbook (pirate online via pdf or through the library). Read your primary textbook. Then read your supplementary textbook. Then do all the relevant problems in your primary book. Then do as much as you can from supplementary book. Subscribe to a website like Chegg which has complete solutions manuals for most textbooks. Sometimes I even buy the testbank, and do the problems labelled moderate or difficult. I have regularly done over 100 problems for a single chapter topic (and sometimes significantly more than that). Most other students did the 15-20 or so assigned HW problems. Also realize that sometimes you will overprepare- you can't get straight A's by aiming for straight A's- you have to aim for straight 100s to get a litany of 90-somethings.

Not necessarily true. If you have a group of motivated friends, study groups can be excellent. Teaching others the material is a surefire way to know you have it down yourself.

 

[medshoes]

the five hours a day was pure studying back in freshman year, that's why I did well in orgo, though not an A. I didn't study with groups then, it was purely studying by myself, doing problems from the textbook and reading the textbook. I forgot, but I did have a supplementary textbook(s) too. I forgot how I used to study b/c I took some time off from school after freshman year to work.

My physics professor recommends doing work in groups as he says studies shows that students benefit from study groups, and he even says it's a mistake not to study together. You can google the studies. My chemistry group is mainly doing homework together which is very helpful in working out problems as we can talk it out, and I think that picking the right people (serious minded, studious) is crucial to a good study group. I've been in bad study groups too though. I do think I can't rely solely on study groups since I have to study by myself too. I don't think how we study is perfect since one person does the explaining of slides to the other two at first, and we ask questions, but then we rotate the explaining of concepts to each other, and we learn that way, and we ask questions on what we don't know. I was mainly asking on how to perfect my studying, which leads to A's in the ideal scenario, since I think I forgot the way I used to study to get good grades after taking time off from college and not realizing how it would affect my study habits and grades.

what I gather from this thread is:
1. read through the textbook thoroughly.
2. take notes from what you read.
3. supplement those notes with notes from lecture
4. go over notes several times. use flashcards if necessary.
5. do practice problems from textbook and supplementary textbooks if possible.
6. get practice materials and do them.
7. Make a list of questions you don't know, and go to office hours or ask classmates in study group.
8. Explain to other classmates or study buddies the material.

Helpful thread, regardless.

 

[freemontie]

Not necessarily true. If you have a group of motivated friends, study groups can be excellent. Teaching others the material is a surefire way to know you have it down yourself.

It can be- but it is still very inefficient in my experience. Besides the inevitable socialization and pity party ("oh this is so hard" "I hate this" etc.) I end up wasting time explaining or solving things in areas that I am already proficient in, when instead I could be focusing on my weakest areas.
I think they are useful overall for average students (which is why prof's recommend it) but not for people attempting tip-top grades. Ditto for those standardized test courses.

 

[freemontie]

the five hours a day was pure studying back in freshman year, that's why I did well in orgo, though not an A. I didn't study with groups then, it was purely studying by myself, doing problems from the textbook and reading the textbook. I forgot, but I did have a supplementary textbook(s) too. I forgot how I used to study b/c I took some time off from school after freshman year to work.

My physics professor recommends doing work in groups as he says studies shows that students benefit from study groups, and he even says it's a mistake not to study together. You can google the studies. My chemistry group is mainly doing homework together which is very helpful in working out problems as we can talk it out, and I think that picking the right people (serious minded, studious) is crucial to a good study group. I've been in bad study groups too though. I do think I can't rely solely on study groups since I have to study by myself too. I don't think how we study is perfect since one person does the explaining of slides to the other two at first, and we ask questions, but then we rotate the explaining of concepts to each other, and we learn that way, and we ask questions on what we don't know. I was mainly asking on how to perfect my studying, which leads to A's in the ideal scenario, since I think I forgot the way I used to study to get good grades after taking time off from college and not realizing how it would affect my study habits and grades.

what I gather from this thread is:
1. read through the textbook thoroughly.
2. take notes from what you read.
3. supplement those notes with notes from lecture
4. go over notes several times. use flashcards if necessary.
5. do practice problems from textbook and supplementary textbooks if possible.
6. get practice materials and do them.
7. Make a list of questions you don't know, and go to office hours or ask classmates in study group.
8. Explain to other classmates or study buddies the material.

Helpful thread, regardless.

Now for the hardest part of your problem: execution of your plan (i.e. the motivation problem).

 

[mehc012]

the five hours a day was pure studying back in freshman year, that's why I did well in orgo, though not an A. I didn't study with groups then, it was purely studying by myself, doing problems from the textbook and reading the textbook. I forgot, but I did have a supplementary textbook(s) too. I forgot how I used to study b/c I took some time off from school after freshman year to work.

My physics professor recommends doing work in groups as he says studies shows that students benefit from study groups, and he even says it's a mistake not to study together. You can google the studies. My chemistry group is mainly doing homework together which is very helpful in working out problems as we can talk it out, and I think that picking the right people (serious minded, studious) is crucial to a good study group. I've been in bad study groups too though. I do think I can't rely solely on study groups since I have to study by myself too. I don't think how we study is perfect since one person does the explaining of slides to the other two at first, and we ask questions, but then we rotate the explaining of concepts to each other, and we learn that way, and we ask questions on what we don't know. I was mainly asking on how to perfect my studying, which leads to A's in the ideal scenario, since I think I forgot the way I used to study to get good grades after taking time off from college and not realizing how it would affect my study habits and grades.

what I gather from this thread is:
1. read through the textbook thoroughly.
2. take notes from what you read.
3. supplement those notes with notes from lecture
4. go over notes several times. use flashcards if necessary.
5. do practice problems from textbook and supplementary textbooks if possible.
6. get practice materials and do them.
7. Make a list of questions you don't know, and go to office hours or ask classmates in study group.
8. Explain to other classmates or study buddies the material.

Helpful thread, regardless.

I'd disagree...why take notes AND make flashcards? You're rewriting the same material multiple times. Pick one - either make notes and review them, or make flashcards as your notes and review those.

Personally, I feel that a good deck of flashcards should be just as thorough (if not more so) than a set of notes...if it is, you now have a notes set which can be reviewed multiple times, anywhere, and in random order so you're not just cueing yourself artificially (as much).

 

[altblue]

There simply is no "detailed step by step approach to acing these courses".

In fact, in many cases, your performance in the class is somewhat out of your control (because there's no guarantee that you will perform above your peers to a level that is sufficiently high to warrant an "A").

A good portion of it is aptitude. Outside of the bubble that is SDN-land, most people our age wouldn't be able to do well in coursework like calculus or organic chemistry no matter how hard they work.

But OP, if you can get an A- in orgo, chances are you are smart enough to work through science coursework. Unfortunately, it is a lot of work, and it's best to talk to your instructor or TA (however your school has it set up) and go over your study habits (in addition to the awesome feedback in this thread ). Or perhaps go to a tutor and ask them how to succeed in the class - be wary of anyone promising a step-by-step algorithm to succeed in any science course.

That said, I totally understand where you're coming from. I enjoyed organic chemistry a lot too, and the humanities/social sciences came more naturally to me than the natural sciences.

You could find a way to make the classes more enjoyable. For instance, I loathe extensive flash card work but enjoy lecturing about topics to my peers. Preparing a presentation in, say, ecology or physiology would be more fun for me, and would make encoding the information so much easier in the long run.

 

[maccu5000]

Map out what you need to know. Try to learn it on your own with lecture materials first, then read the textbook. Make notes along the way.

Ask questions when you don't understand.

Test your knowledge, ideally using practice material that the professor provides.

 

[premedbrah]

There is a coursera course on "Learning how to Learn: Master tough subjects". It's free, online, and taught by 2 UCSD professors. Check it out, helped me a ton.

Oh did I mention it's free

 

[premedbrah]

Also this: http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/the-official-sdn-studying-tips-thread.830140/

 

[Willy38]

"Everybody wanna be strong, but nobody wanna lift no heavy-ass weights"
-Swole Friend

I believe the same principle applies to academics.

 

[senzen]

I seriously believe there are simply classes that are just impossible to get A's in because of the professor. Perhaps one or two kids will. But of course all these study tips will help but sometimes professors are simply opposed to dispensing more than 1-2 A grades.

Definitely utilize ratemyprofessor wisely!

 

[premedbrah]

"Everybody wanna be strong, but nobody wanna lift no heavy-ass weights"
-Swole Friend

I believe the same principle applies to academics.

Lol ya either you or him stole that quote

 

[deleted577188]

I seriously believe there are simply classes that are just impossible to get A's in because of the professor. Perhaps one or two kids will. But of course all these study tips will help but sometimes professors are simply opposed to dispensing more than 1-2 A grades.

Definitely utilize ratemyprofessor wisely!

I swear my gen chem 1 professor prided himself in having his class be impossible to get an A in. I got a C in his class but most recently switched to chem major. I saw him and told him this and he laughed in the most evil way and said "I didn't scare you away too much huh?"

 

[senzen]

I swear my gen chem 1 professor prided himself in having his class be impossible to get an A in. I got a C in his class but most recently switched to chem major. I saw him and told him this and he laughed in the most evil way and said "I didn't scare you away too much huh?"

I don't know why that's anything to brag about! I hate professors like that...

 

[FutureOncologist]

1. Identify what kind of learner you are. You learn from drawing things out (like me)? Then start doing that. Don't waste your time with flashcards if you don't like to make/use them. Your time is precious.
   
2. Attend every lecture. This seems obvious, but whenever people get a syllabus with what pages to read in the book, with or without attendance policy, they'll most likely skip class and just read the book. This creates several problems. First, the professor may tell you to focus on one part of the reading material per chapter and ignore the other stuff. Second, the professor won't know who you are when you visit him/her, which is bad rapport. Third, this allows you to ask questions in class whenever you don't understand something. This actually brings me to #3 and #4...
3. Read beforehand. It's easy to skip this because you have other classes to study for and other obligations to fulfill in the day. But just going over the material the night before lecture will help you understand what needs to be learned. You don't need to understand what you're reading, but rather understand what the professor will want you to know for the exam (the basics of the lecture.)
4. Visit the professor whenever you're stumped. This doesn't mean every week, because if you go in just to chat up the professor in office hours, you're wasting your time, his/her time, and any student that DOES have a question's time. There is no shame if you do have to visit the professor every week, though.

Now onto the study techniques. Now please note that this is how I made 4.0's for 4 semesters in a row with upper level bio, chem, and humanities classes.

1. Only study a subject every other day for 60 - 90 minutes MAX, every other day. You read that right, every other day. Studies show that that is the maximum time your brain will retain new information before getting bogged down. Now what you do with that time is up to you. Rewriting notes is effective but takes a LONG TIME (2 hours+).
2. When choosing a topic to study, make an objective out of it. For example, if you study Immunology, you tell yourself "I will learn the alternative pathways in the compliment system today." Be specific about what you're going to learn, and make it doable within an hour.
   
3. What I did personally, as a visual learner, was draw out everything on a white board (words to picture) and take pictures of it. I didn't try learning it there on the spot, but you will learn some things along the way. I would then go back and really focus on what I drew. I would connect the dots and find patterns between subjects so I could learn easily (see: concept maps.) This takes practice, but in a few weeks, if you stick to a schedule, will be easy for you.
4. Focus on what you do not know. Seems trivial, but it's very easy to study what you know to give yourself an ego boost.
5. After learning a chapter/section of material, self test. This can be done by writing what you know about the subject. For example, look at the main objectives that you have for the subject and go at it. Write what you know and, when done, look back on what you got wrong, got right, and what you missed. If you have a non-science friend, then if you can explain the dense material to him/her in terms that they can understand, then you're golden.

Other things to take into consideration:

• 4-question method
• Student needs to answer these questions with 100 words:
  i. Identify the important concept, research finding, theory or idea
  ii. Explain why this concept, research finding, theory or idea is important
  iii. Explain how they apply to some aspect of your life, and
  iv. Identify what questions are left unanswered for you regarding them
• The first 3 questions ask you to know the objectives
• The last question asks you to go beyond what you know about the subject (high level of learning right here.)

Whew! Long post OP, but please take into account that studying endlessly, although may get you straight A's, isn't the most efficient way to study. College isn't about how smart you are; college is about how well you can manage your time.

 

[DrShephardWannabe]

1. Identify what kind of learner you are. You learn from drawing things out (like me)? Then start doing that. Don't waste your time with flashcards if you don't like to make/use them. Your time is precious.
   
2. Attend every lecture. This seems obvious, but whenever people get a syllabus with what pages to read in the book, with or without attendance policy, they'll most likely skip class and just read the book. This creates several problems. First, the professor may tell you to focus on one part of the reading material per chapter and ignore the other stuff. Second, the professor won't know who you are when you visit him/her, which is bad rapport. Third, this allows you to ask questions in class whenever you don't understand something. This actually brings me to #3 and #4...
3. Read beforehand. It's easy to skip this because you have other classes to study for and other obligations to fulfill in the day. But just going over the material the night before lecture will help you understand what needs to be learned. You don't need to understand what you're reading, but rather understand what the professor will want you to know for the exam (the basics of the lecture.)
4. Visit the professor whenever you're stumped. This doesn't mean every week, because if you go in just to chat up the professor in office hours, you're wasting your time, his/her time, and any student that DOES have a question's time. There is no shame if you do have to visit the professor every week, though.

Now onto the study techniques. Now please note that this is how I made 4.0's for 4 semesters in a row with upper level bio, chem, and humanities classes.

1. Only study a subject every other day for 60 - 90 minutes MAX, every other day. You read that right, every other day. Studies show that that is the maximum time your brain will retain new information before getting bogged down. Now what you do with that time is up to you. Rewriting notes is effective but takes a LONG TIME (2 hours+).
2. When choosing a topic to study, make an objective out of it. For example, if you study Immunology, you tell yourself "I will learn the alternative pathways in the compliment system today." Be specific about what you're going to learn, and make it doable within an hour.
   
3. What I did personally, as a visual learner, was draw out everything on a white board (words to picture) and take pictures of it. I didn't try learning it there on the spot, but you will learn some things along the way. I would then go back and really focus on what I drew. I would connect the dots and find patterns between subjects so I could learn easily (see: concept maps.) This takes practice, but in a few weeks, if you stick to a schedule, will be easy for you.
4. Focus on what you do not know. Seems trivial, but it's very easy to study what you know to give yourself an ego boost.
5. After learning a chapter/section of material, self test. This can be done by writing what you know about the subject. For example, look at the main objectives that you have for the subject and go at it. Write what you know and, when done, look back on what you got wrong, got right, and what you missed. If you have a non-science friend, then if you can explain the dense material to him/her in terms that they can understand, then you're golden.

Other things to take into consideration:

• 4-question method
• Student needs to answer these questions with 100 words:
  i. Identify the important concept, research finding, theory or idea
  ii. Explain why this concept, research finding, theory or idea is important
  iii. Explain how they apply to some aspect of your life, and
  iv. Identify what questions are left unanswered for you regarding them
• The first 3 questions ask you to know the objectives
• The last question asks you to go beyond what you know about the subject (high level of learning right here.)

Whew! Long post OP, but please take into account that studying endlessly, although may get you straight A's, isn't the most efficient way to study. College isn't about how smart you are; college is about how well you can manage your time.

I can't even stress how much FutureOncologist's second study tip has done for me. Once I learned how to make objectives out of studying, and assigning tasks to everything/certain days rather than heading to the library with spirals hoping to learn, my GPA skyrocketed. It's so much more rewarding, easier to focus on, etc.

 

[BuckyBadger!]

It can be- but it is still very inefficient in my experience. Besides the inevitable socialization and pity party ("oh this is so hard" "I hate this" etc.) I end up wasting time explaining or solving things in areas that I am already proficient in, when instead I could be focusing on my weakest areas.
I think they are useful overall for average students (which is why prof's recommend it) but not for people attempting tip-top grades. Ditto for those standardized test courses.

Also completely disagree. Interesting that you assume your experiences in study groups are representative of ALL STUDY GROUPS THERE EVER HAVE BEEN--EVER! In all seriousness, study groups can be a great way to get motivated and work through concepts as a team. Teamwork is not only helpful for exam prep/general study, but the ability to work in groups will be vital to your success in life whether you choose medicine or not.

Like anything in life, you get out what you put in. I always spent a lot of time prepping for group collaboration. In fact, I frequently made review worksheets/games for my friends and I. These were a lot of fun and I definitely enhanced my knowledge.

AND even if you happen to know EVERYTHING, explaining things to colleagues can help you think about things in different ways.

Lastly, listen to the Beatles: "I get by with a little help from my friends."

 

[l4dygaga]

First step: stop lying to yourself. That 5 hours a day of studying or 20 hours for each exam is not pure hours of studying. And study groups are an incredibly inefficient use of time for someone trying to get As. A study group is ideal for C students trying to get Bs. Or students trying to make friends and be social. The people who get straight As do not waste time trekking to a study group, making small talk, laughing, and going at a slow pace as a group through the material.

Now, in terms of practical strategy: What works for me for physics or chem is getting a supplementary textbook (pirate online via pdf or through the library). Read your primary textbook. Then read your supplementary textbook. Then do all the relevant problems in your primary book. Then do as much as you can from supplementary book. Subscribe to a website like Chegg which has complete solutions manuals for most textbooks. Sometimes I even buy the testbank, and do the problems labelled moderate or difficult. I have regularly done over 100 problems for a single chapter topic (and sometimes significantly more than that). Most other students did the 15-20 or so assigned HW problems. Also realize that sometimes you will overprepare- you can't get straight A's by aiming for straight A's- you have to aim for straight 100s to get a litany of 90-somethings.

I completely agree with Freemontie. Maybe some are just wired this way. Every single "study" group has been anecdotally inefficient for me too. I feel like studying with others is just too distracting. Pulling straight As means straight hard grind at my desk digging thru the textbook and doing problems. For the math intensive sciences like chem and physics, that's the key to acing the class. Practice practice practice. For bio courses, it's all about pure memorization and understanding concepts. And in all these scenarios, group study has never worked for me. Questions I have I get them answered by the prof: more accurate and direct. Study constantly. No cramming. Everything up till the test should be reviewed. I used to cram for lower div classes, but things hit hard and fast in upper divs. I found my rhythm such that the tests never send me into panic mode. Oh and I don't study with music. I can't imagine how anyone can. I judge pretty harshly and roll my eyes when people claim listening to lyrical music helps them study. Don't BS me. Get rid of all distractions. Memory works best when you're in a calm, undisturbed state. Keep up with classwork and review review review. Not saying my studying habit is perfect for everyone, but it's perfect for me.

 

[FutureOncologist]

I completely agree with Freemontie. Maybe some are just wired this way. Every single "study" group has been anecdotally inefficient for me too. I feel like studying with others is just too distracting. Pulling straight As means straight hard grind at my desk digging thru the textbook and doing problems. For the math intensive sciences like chem and physics, that's the key to acing the class. Practice practice practice. For bio courses, it's all about pure memorization and understanding concepts. And in all these scenarios, group study has never worked for me. Questions I have I get them answered by the prof: more accurate and direct. Study constantly. No cramming. Everything up till the test should be reviewed. I used to cram for lower div classes, but things hit hard and fast in upper divs. I found my rhythm such that the tests never send me into panic mode. Oh and I don't study with music. I can't imagine how anyone can. I judge pretty harshly and roll my eyes when people claim listening to lyrical music helps them study. Don't BS me. Get rid of all distractions. Memory works best when you're in a calm, undisturbed state. Keep up with classwork and review review review. Not saying my studying habit is perfect for everyone, but it's perfect for me.

I listen to classical music when I study, usually with head phones in and keep it low. The music prevents me from getting distracted (I get too easily distracted.) But it can't be lyrical or else I focus on the music.

 

[Avicenna]

OI HOW I WISH

 

[Siggy]

OI HOW I WISH

What? You don't think you can be sent to your dean's office and find the password list in a desk drawer with a password as easy as "pencil"?