Getting those A's

[CollegeGirl94]

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I'm doing pretty bad in my Biology courses...

I don' understand the way this class is taught. I'm getting average grades, but that's not good enough and I'm sure it's because everyone else is in my boat.

The professor is... well he uses someone else's slides and confuses himself all the time.
The reading is minimal and a lot of time doesn't even match up to the lecture material.
The quizzes can be so specific so I don't know how to approach this class?

Any advice?
Thank you!

 

[brood910]

Why are you asking us for advice when different professors teach + make exams differently?
We do not even know how the class is taught, so how can we possibly help you? lol

It's your job to figure out what is important and what your professor wants you to learn.

 

[mehc012]

Unfortunately, the only solution I've found for that sort of class which works for me personally is to skim the reading ahead of lecture (every part that could be relevant, thus the skim) so that I'm familiar with it - then my notes during class are essentially "there was a section on this thing in Ch 4" etc...using the lecture as a guide for 'which parts of the book does the prof give a crap about'. Then I go back and read those parts in great detail.

I tried just doing the lecture by itself and then book, but honestly, without being familiar with the text ahead of time I would just get lost and confused as he sort of vaguely referenced 8 different things and said 'I don't expect you to know much detail about this, but *details*'
Oh, and for a class that vague I always just learn the details in the 'know the big picture on this topic' things and only skip it if it's not mentioned in lecture at all.

Sorry for the vague fuzziness...I don't know which class you're taking and it's 1AM and I work early.

 

[justAstudent]

Try to seek out tutors. Is there an academic resource center on campus with tutors who have taken the class with the same professor before? Ask around and see if you can find someine who has taken the course before and ask for advice.

 

[darksurg]

Use every academic resources from talking him during office hours to tutoring offered by your school. You can also ask the top grades in the class and see if they offer any help.

 

[deleted407021]

Go to his office and see if he could outline what is on the next exam, and just read those sections of the book. Don't worry about the lecture unless he gives y'all a tidbit that's not necessarily in the book.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Thank you, I'm going to his office today.

 

[Laufcra]

If the quizzes are very specific then memorize every single word on every slide in addition to every word the professor says. People will likely criticize this method, but in the past when professors test on minute details (which bio professors often do), you can't go wrong if you just know everything. You may want to record the lecture with some kind of audio capture on your laptop as well.

 

[knv2u]

My advice is to read each chapter twice, once before lecture and once after.

Reading one should be to get an overview of the general principles - don't focus too much on the details, but understand the how and why? For instance, if studying glycolysis and the citric acid cycle, don't concern yourself with the minutiae of every chemical reaction. Know the general overview such as what goes in and comes out and why it is important: glucose is converted to two molecules of pyruvate in the cytosol during glycolysis producing 4 ATP (2 net ATP) and 2 NADH. After glycolysis, the pyruvate is transported into the mitochondrial matrix where it is converted to acetyl-CoA by pyruvate dehydrogenase. Acetyl-CoA binds with oxaloacetate to produce citrate which feeds into the citric acid cycle, etc... The point of this is to effect the stepwise release of energy through oxidation of a sugar and store this energy in the covalent bonds of activated carrier molecules for use by other chemical reactions necessary to maintain homeostasis, etc.

Reading two should be more specific - focus on more of the details, but emphasize what the professor reviews in lecture.

Take your notes from your readings, lecture, and any lecture presentation slides to review before the exam, and you should be okay.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

If this is an intro or weedout class you can pretty much google everything. The only time this has hurt me is if the TA or prof decides they suddenly dislike standard, industry wide definitions for things like "what is an experiment," "hypothesis" or decide the wiki definition of the scientific method is inadequate. The other thing to look out for is if the professor likes to talk about and give test questions about his/her research. Other than that, google google google!

 

[Ezio]

can somebody donate a definition list of words from campbell bio. I tried looking for a list but the best i could find was quizlet (which is pretty good)

 

[Apoptosome]

So basically, your concern comes from the fact that your professor is not spoon-feeding you everything you need to know for the exams.

My suggestion would be to first familiarize yourself with the concept of "independent learning", as this is the theme of medical school. But in your case, I dare say it will not matter.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Not really, there's just no source for the information. He also frequently states wrong facts.

 

[Apoptosome]

Not really, there's just no source for the information. He also frequently states wrong facts.

If you are insisting that there are no sources for accurate Biology information, I am afraid there is less hope for you than I previously thought.

 

[mehc012]

So basically, your concern comes from the fact that your professor is not spoon-feeding you everything you need to know for the exams.

My suggestion would be to first familiarize yourself with the concept of "independent learning", as this is the theme of medical school. But in your case, I dare say it will not matter.

Little harsh. Come on, we've all had those profs who seem to teach at random, snagging facts out of the air with no context. Or maybe you were lucky enough to avoid them. Either way, the certainly exist, and can be very frustrating, particularly in a field like Biology, where the scope of each class is very...loosely...defined.

 

[Apoptosome]

Little harsh. Come on, we've all had those profs who seem to teach at random, snagging facts out of the air with no context. Or maybe you were lucky enough to avoid them. Either way, the certainly exist, and can be very frustrating, particularly in a field like Biology, where the scope of each class is very...loosely...defined.

Yes, we have. And thats my point; when those situations come up you don't go off and cry to a forum. You self-teach and move onto the next class.

The ones that sit back and expect life to hand them everything are the ones that Med School admissions should weed out. So far, OP falls into that exact category. If she doesn't learn how to change her outlook I hope the system works like it should and see to it that she doesn't even get an interview.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

I'm just asking for advice as this is new to me. I go to a top school that is ridiculously hard and I work very hard, day and night. If I was looking for an easy way out, I wouldn't have chosen this school in the first place.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

I'm just asking for advice as this is new to me. I go to a top school that is ridiculously hard and I work very hard, day and night. If I was looking for an easy way out, I wouldn't have chosen this school in the first place.

If you go to a top school that has professors that want you to think outside of the box such that google does not help (this is a very rare situation, btw, especially if it is an intro class), then you will need to hire a tutor, ask the prof to recommend one in this case.

 

[Apoptosome]

I'm just asking for advice as this is new to me. I go to a top school that is ridiculously hard and I work very hard, day and night. If I was looking for an easy way out, I wouldn't have chosen this school in the first place.

Obviously you didn't chose a top school because you enjoy being challenged (or else the OP would not be an issue for you). Im guessing you chose to go to a top school so that you can have the name recognition to back your applications. Im not saying there is anything wrong with that, but please do not attempt to justify your decision as anything more.

If you are working day/night and you are having trouble simply finding resources for accurate undergraduate Biology education materials, you may have to face the fact that you are probably not smart enough to go to medical school.

Im gonna go on a limb here and guess that this realization will be a much harder hit to your parent's ego than your own, as they are most likely your main motivators for attempting to go to med school.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

I will try anything my professor suggests along with Google. This class is so scattered that I may end up learning information that is not needed.

 

[SnakeOilForSale]

Obviously you didn't chose a top school because you enjoy being challenged (or else the OP would not be an issue for you). Im guessing you chose to go to a top school so that you can have the name recognition to back your applications. Im not saying there is anything wrong with that, but please do not attempt to justify your decision as anything more.

If you are working day/night and you are having trouble simply finding resources for accurate undergraduate Biology education materials, you may have to face the fact that you are probably not smart enough to go to medical school.

Im gonna go on a limb here and guess that this realization will be a much harder hit to your parent's ego than your own, as they are most likely your main motivators for attempting to go to med school.

Dude, you know they screen out for jerks too, right? She's probably a freshmen with a disorganized professor, christ.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Nope, dream school so I was willing to work hard.

My parents don't care what I do, to the point that it is almost sad.

By the way, I am getting the same grades as most students in the class are. Clearly I'm doing something right to be able to compare myself to such bright students. I just personally want to know everything I possibly can.

 

[Apoptosome]

Dude, you know they screen out for jerks too, right? She's probably a freshmen with a disorganized professor, christ.

No, she is probably a lazy freshman with a disorganized professor and she is freaking out at the first sign of trouble. She sounds like doctor material to me.

And by the way, if you think med schools "screen for jerks", my guess is that you have never been to the doctor for anything in your life.

 

[Pacna]

Yes, we have. And thats my point; when those situations come up you don't go off and cry to a forum. You self-teach and move onto the next class.

The ones that sit back and expect life to hand them everything are the ones that Med School admissions should weed out. So far, OP falls into that exact category. If she doesn't learn how to change her outlook I hope the system works like it should and see to it that she doesn't even get an interview.

You know who else ADCOMs should weed out? Arrogant jerks who think they're better than other people.

 

[SnakeOilForSale]

No, she is probably a lazy freshman with a disorganized professor and she is freaking out at the first sign of trouble. She sounds like doctor material to me.

And by the way, if you think med schools "screen for jerks", my guess is that you have never been to the doctor for anything in your life.

Glad to know you're the authority on what constitutes doctor material.

As for the OP: Get some coffee and read as much as you can. A lot of lower-level bio is really just a memory test.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Sophomore.. with many signs of trouble that were fixed with allnighters in the library.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Will do. 🙂

 

[Apoptosome]

You know who else ADCOMs should weed out? Arrogant jerks who think they're better than other people.

""It takes all kinds" can be taken two ways. I do not think society requires all kinds. I believe it accepts all kinds. It can find a place for everyone. You're already a part of society. It's up to you to be an integral one."

 

[Pacna]

""It takes all kinds" can be taken two ways. I do not think society requires all kinds. I believe it accepts all kinds. It can find a place for everyone. You're already a part of society. It's up to you to be an integral one."

Good quote!

 

[darksurg]

No, she is probably a lazy freshman with a disorganized professor and she is freaking out at the first sign of trouble. She sounds like doctor material to me.

And by the way, if you think med schools "screen for jerks", my guess is that you have never been to the doctor for anything in your life.

And someone is trolling hard in this forum.

 

[mehc012]

Yes, we have. And thats my point; when those situations come up you don't go off and cry to a forum. You self-teach and move onto the next class.

The ones that sit back and expect life to hand them everything are the ones that Med School admissions should weed out. So far, OP falls into that exact category. If she doesn't learn how to change her outlook I hope the system works like it should and see to it that she doesn't even get an interview.

Self-teaching is only efficacious if you know WHAT to teach yourself. If the prof is not giving clear direction as to the subject material he expects students to know (and many really, really don't) you could self-teach 50% of all available human Biology knowledge and still fail his test.
There are teachers that don't teach, and then there are teachers who don't even set expectations, they just evaluate you on seemingly arbitrary trivia.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Will do. 🙂

Another piece of advice on this. If you give it your all and you still do not do that well with this professor, pick someone else to learn from. Dont be stubborn and keep banging your head against the wall.

 

[Ashley1989]

No, she is probably a lazy freshman with a disorganized professor and she is freaking out at the first sign of trouble. She sounds like doctor material to me.

And by the way, if you think med schools "screen for jerks", my guess is that you have never been to the doctor for anything in your life.

Wow pull the burr out of your ass, you're being all kinds of nasty

 

[Spitphire]

ITT, rude people and people who probably failed intro biology.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Talked to professor. Advised not to go over his lectures even though quizzes are based on then. Hmph.

 

[Spitphire]

Are you making sure you understand the concepts he goes over? Make sure you understand something before you move on to a new topic. If you understand a concept you should be able to apply it in questions on tests. Just keep being persistent!

 

[CollegeGirl94]

I thoughts I was. After reading for the next quiz and realizing alot of it was on last week's quiz, I know that I just have to focus on lecture material and find where it matches it in the book.

 

[lucitrea]

Go to office hours. If your prof has a different explanation of a topic, then you can explain what you think it is, then ask them if it's correct.

You should also get a study group that is more business and no fun allowed. Sometimes others have different (and correct) ideas of what would be covered on a test.

 

[ZSVDK_HNORC]

My freshman year intro to bio teacher sounds very similar to yours. He only used power points, often forgets lots of info, random concepts tossed into his lectures, and he was super awkward. Anyways, I studied for 1st test like I normally would for other classes and got an F. I turned it around and got a 95%+ in the class. Here's how I was able to do it:

Instead of trying to memorize individual concepts, think of the material as a story. Don't view each class as separate entity, look at them on a much broader scale. Everything in biology is connected, and you must make the connections to really understand the material. Take water for example. Its molecular weight is 18, its bond angle is 110, its polar, it has a dipole, blah blah blah. Those are just meaningless stats. You could memorize them, but you won't really understand them. Instead, learn how to connect them to make the story of water. Ya water is polar and has a dipole, but what does that mean when its mixed with a salt, and why is that important? Instead of memorizing 1000s of details, you will find yourself learning a couple different stories. I guarantee it will be much more enjoyable. Oh ya and find a nice big whiteboard with lots of different colored markers and go crazy, draw out the whole story.

This is how I was able to learn to love biology. Good luck and I hope I was able to at least somewhat help.

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Great idea, I've been approaching it quiz by quiz, need to start.connecting it all. 😀

 

[Blizzard18]

Overcome and persevere. No way this is harder than my pchem2 class was. Pulled an A. Do da dam* thing son 🙂

 

[CollegeGirl94]

Because you are probably way.smarter than me. 😉

 

[Blizzard18]

Nah I have faith in you! I know you can do it. Just think of it as a crucial stepping stone to all the higher level biology of being a med student !
And thanks for the compliment by the way 😉

 

[frosted_flake]

Little harsh. Come on, we've all had those profs who seem to teach at random, snagging facts out of the air with no context. Or maybe you were lucky enough to avoid them. Either way, the certainly exist, and can be very frustrating, particularly in a field like Biology, where the scope of each class is very...loosely...defined.

My physics professor is like this. Its a nightmare.

 

[knv2u]

Yes, we have. And thats my point; when those situations come up you don't go off and cry to a forum. You self-teach and move onto the next class.

The ones that sit back and expect life to hand them everything are the ones that Med School admissions should weed out. So far, OP falls into that exact category. If she doesn't learn how to change her outlook I hope the system works like it should and see to it that she doesn't even get an interview.

There was nothing in the original post to make me think that the OP expects her professor to spoon feed her or expect to "sit back" and have everything handed to her. The fact that the OP is reaching out to SDN (comprised of a diverse body with many who have completed these prerequisites), it sounds like she is asking for help on how to learn and do well rather than asking for a handout.

 

[knv2u]

Self-teaching is only efficacious if you know WHAT to teach yourself. If the prof is not giving clear direction as to the subject material he expects students to know (and many really, really don't) you could self-teach 50% of all available human Biology knowledge and still fail his test.
There are teachers that don't teach, and then there are teachers who don't even set expectations, they just evaluate you on seemingly arbitrary trivia.

Little harsh. Come on, we've all had those profs who seem to teach at random, snagging facts out of the air with no context. Or maybe you were lucky enough to avoid them. Either way, the certainly exist, and can be very frustrating, particularly in a field like Biology, where the scope of each class is very...loosely...defined.

I agree with both of these.

 

[Apoptosome]

There was nothing in the original post to make me think that the OP expects her professor to spoon feed her or expect to "sit back" and have everything handed to her. The fact that the OP is reaching out to SDN (comprised of a diverse body with many who have completed these prerequisites), it sounds like she is asking for help on how to learn and do well rather than asking for a handout.

Right. She doesn't know how to find info on basic undergrad Bio. Also, at one point she says that she is scared she might learn too much. She sounds like a model doctor.

As a woman, she makes me ashamed of my gender. She has obviously spent her life getting back hand compliments (see three posts up) from strangers rather than putting in extra work anytime she encounters a dilemma.




Sent from my iPad using SDN Mobile

 

[mcloaf]

Right. She doesn't know how to find info on basic undergrad Bio. Also, at one point she says that she is scared she might learn too much. She sounds like a model doctor.

As a woman, she makes me ashamed of my gender. She has obviously spent her life getting back hand compliments (see three posts up) from strangers rather than putting in extra work anytime she encounters a dilemma.

Dear premed,

Please stop telling people whether or not you think they'll be good doctors. Nobody cares.

Your gender complex is amusing, though, so carry on with that if you please.

 

[studpremed]

Obviously you didn't chose a top school because you enjoy being challenged (or else the OP would not be an issue for you). Im guessing you chose to go to a top school so that you can have the name recognition to back your applications. Im not saying there is anything wrong with that, but please do not attempt to justify your decision as anything more.

If you are working day/night and you are having trouble simply finding resources for accurate undergraduate Biology education materials, you may have to face the fact that you are probably not smart enough to go to medical school.

Im gonna go on a limb here and guess that this realization will be a much harder hit to your parent's ego than your own, as they are most likely your main motivators for attempting to go to med school.

You are going to be a great doctor...............
By the way part of being a doctor is learning to empathize with your patients. Be it drug addicts, child abuser, criminals of the worst kind, etc you have to learn to empathize with them all. We've all went through OP's situation and she is being very proactive by going on this forum and asking for help.

 

[Apoptosome]

Dear premed,

Please stop telling people whether or not you think they'll be good doctors. Nobody cares.

Your gender complex is amusing, though, so carry on with that if you please.

You obviously care, or else you wouldn't follow me around to every thread I post in, and comment on my posts.

You are going to be a great doctor...............
By the way part of being a doctor is learning to empathize with your patients. Be it drug addicts, child abuser, criminals of the worst kind, etc you have to learn to empathize with them all. We've all went through OP's situation and she is being very proactive by going on this forum and asking for help.

I know Im going to be a great doctor. While your epiphany on this topic is not surprising, it is also irrelevant to me.