Freshman Bio

[Soyabean]

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After receiving 50% on my first intro to bio exam, I studied a lot for the second exam(or at least I think I was). A week before the exam, I put 8~10 hours every day studying just for bio, and I got 80%.

It was not the best or the desired score, but I am pretty amazed at how much I could study and improve, because I thought bio was never a thing for me (I got 3 in AP Bio). Right now, I am just afraid, because I really want at least an A- for this class, and I am not sure if I would be able to get one by the end of the semester.

The average for the first exam was 73%, (the average for the second one has not come out yet) but I heard that students tend to do better for the next one and that the curve is not so great for this course. One exam grade is getting dropped.

I know it is definitely possible to get even a solid A if I get near 100% on the remaining exams. There are definitely things that I could improve on (like reviewing lectures right after class, stay on top, visit TA and office hours, etc...). Still.... I don't really have the confidence to get the perfect grade. There is always something on the test that I have never seen or something that tests a common knowledge (the big concepts that you might learn in high school bio class). This happens even when I gave up all my social life and pull all-nighters in the library.

I am scared that I am having a too difficult goal for me and disappointing myself too much along the way. I really want to go to top-tier medical schools, and I don't know if I am competitive enough for other all A's students.

 

[hebrewBAMmer]

This is intro bio. If you're spending 10 hours/day studying just bio, you're not studying correctly. Start looking at bigger picture things before delving into small details. My advice: pick up an AP bio cliff's notes book and read that. Then go back over your intro bio notes after you read the AP book section.

There is always something on the test that I have never seen

That's every exam you will take in life -- taking what you've learned and applying it towards things you haven't seen before. In fact, the MCAT is very much like this.

I really want to go to top-tier medical schools, and I don't know if I am competitive enough for other all A's students.

No one has gotten rejected from medical school for having a non-A on a transcript.

 

[rufflev]

Remember quality > quantity.

Here's what worked for me:

1. Review lectures prior to class
2. Attend class and take notes on anything the professor emphasizes or explains differently than in the lectures
3. Go back and review the lectures (annotate your previous notes)
4. Read the book to clarify any concepts
5. Go to office hours to ask questions or simply to listen in on others' questions.

I'm assuming you're in your freshman year of college, so relax. Yes, GPA matters. However, a transcript with mostly A's, some B's, and perhaps some C's can still be competitive for medical school. Use this as a learning experience to develop your study skills for the rest of your undergraduate and (future) medical education.

 

[de Ribas]

A week before the exam, I put 8~10 hours every day studying just for bio, and I got 80%.

Is that the only class you take per semester?

 

[dr_kateb]

I put 8~10 hours every day studying just for bio, and I got 80%.

Definitely studying wrong then. Biol 1 is not that hard and most people I know spend like 10 hours total in the 1 or 2 days before the test and get B+ and up.

 

[PreMedMissteps]

I really want to go to top-tier medical schools, .

Why?

You're a freshman. You've just been thru the college app process where college rankings give bragging rights. Med school isn't like that. You'll soon get to the point where you'll realize that if you get into any US med school, you'll be thrilled.

 

[Piglet2020]

Why?

You're a freshman. You've just been thru the college app process where college rankings give bragging rights. Med school isn't like that. You'll soon get to the point where you'll realize that if you get into any US med school, you'll be thrilled.

I second this. Ranking doesn’t matter in med school. Getting into *a* med school is already enough of a challenge. And then there’s surviving med school...

 

[Noisewater-TDX]

I second this. Ranking doesn’t matter in med school. Getting into *a* med school is already enough of a challenge. And then there’s surviving med school...

but you ARE ranked in med school. At least we are. 🙁

 

[Piglet2020]

Clarification: *Med school ranking by US News/Third party source* doesn't matter as much as you think

 

[PreMedMissteps]

but you ARE ranked in med school. At least we are. 🙁

I wasn't talking about grades/ranking while a med student. I was talking about the USNews rankings of med schools.


But getting to your point about rankings while in med school....it's better to be a top ranked med student at a mid-tier or unranked med school, then be a lower-ranked med student at a top med.

 

[Noisewater-TDX]

I wasn't talking about grades/ranking while a med student. I was talking about the USNews rankings of med schools.


But getting to your point about rankings while in med school....it's better to be a top ranked med student at a mid-tier or unranked med school, then be a lower-ranked med student at a top med.

gotcha,

This is true.

 

[Princeton Medical Student]

After receiving 50% on my first intro to bio exam, I studied a lot for the second exam(or at least I think I was). A week before the exam, I put 8~10 hours every day studying just for bio, and I got 80%.

It was not the best or the desired score, but I am pretty amazed at how much I could study and improve, because I thought bio was never a thing for me (I got 3 in AP Bio). Right now, I am just afraid, because I really want at least an A- for this class, and I am not sure if I would be able to get one by the end of the semester.

The average for the first exam was 73%, (the average for the second one has not come out yet) but I heard that students tend to do better for the next one and that the curve is not so great for this course. One exam grade is getting dropped.

I know it is definitely possible to get even a solid A if I get near 100% on the remaining exams. There are definitely things that I could improve on (like reviewing lectures right after class, stay on top, visit TA and office hours, etc...). Still.... I don't really have the confidence to get the perfect grade. There is always something on the test that I have never seen or something that tests a common knowledge (the big concepts that you might learn in high school bio class). This happens even when I gave up all my social life and pull all-nighters in the library.

I am scared that I am having a too difficult goal for me and disappointing myself too much along the way. I really want to go to top-tier medical schools, and I don't know if I am competitive enough for other all A's students.

As someone who struggled in Bio as well, I would try Anki. I credit it with my grades thus far.

 

[Blanky]

1. Read the PowerPoint before the lecture(or the chapter in textbook.) During lecture you will absorb more information this way and the professor will focus on test relevant material.
2. Try to figure out where the bulk of test material is coming from. Most test 70-80% right from their own PowerPoints, if you make notecards of the PowerPoints this can be game changing.