How to do better at Bio courses?

[TheScienceGuy1]

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Hey guys, so I am in my second year, thinking of applying to dental school after the 2nd year. The only problem is I can never seem to do goo in Bio courses. Like, I got A in Math, Chem, phys, Psyc. But, I only got C+ in Bio ( and I studied a lot for the exam too).

I just finished writing my bio Animals exam and like for 50% of the exam I guessed randomly.

So, to make the story short, what do you guys do to get good marks in Bio related courses.

I would really appreciate any input, since I really need to get my bio marks (especially IF I get into dental school, which is mostly Bio)

Thank you in Advance

 

[AmpedUp]

Bio is rote memorization IMO. Forming logic comes much later as you get into the advanced bio courses.

Here's what you can do:

1) Read your book - and take your own notes.
2) Constantly study lecture notes (if they're thorough enough)
3) Draw diagrams to help you remember concepts
4) Create or find mnemonic devices.
5) Use Youtube or your textbook student disc - Bio is a visual subject, so use multimedia for mastering concepts to your advantage.

Lastly, you need to study, study, and study some more to do well. Additionally, if you know your weaknesses, you should focus on those first - then move on to the "easy" stuff.

Good luck!

 

[wizi]

Hey guys, so I am in my second year, thinking of applying to dental school after the 2nd year. The only problem is I can never seem to do goo in Bio courses. Like, I got A in Math, Chem, phys, Psyc. But, I only got C+ in Bio ( and I studied a lot for the exam too).

I just finished writing my bio Animals exam and like for 50% of the exam I guessed randomly.

So, to make the story short, what do you guys do to get good marks in Bio related courses.

I would really appreciate any input, since I really need to get my bio marks (especially IF I get into dental school, which is mostly Bio)

Thank you in Advance

I understand how you feel. I was in the same place too. No matter how hard I learn, I felt that there was a limit that I couldn't reach in term of studying for Bio. I read books on how to study for bio, I asked my prof. how to study for their class, google etc. but I didnt get the grades I wanted.

Since I found my study buddy, my grades had changed.

Find yourself a friend whom you can study and connect with. Study by yourself first and the do the review with your friend. Explain the concepts to each other, question each other on every point on the materials, make fun of each other too 🙂 This method got me a straight-A semester. Hopefully it helps.

Btw, I am an ESL student. I usually understand only 1/2 the lectures 🙂

 

[TriangleZuikis]

You are studying a lot but you haven't figured out how to study efficiently yet 🙂 It took me a while to figure out how to study for bio too- everyone learns differently. Try studying with someone else like the above person mentioned, going to study groups, or getting a tutor.

Bio is definitely a lot of memorization, but don't just memorize random facts. Place them into context with one another, start developing a narrative with the information you receive.

Also, what works well for me is making charts and drawing pictures. Depending on what kind of bio course you are taking maybe that will help you too.

Good luck 🙂

 

[PreDent11]

For material that's straight memorization, I find that flashcards work really well (if they're used properly). For example, if you just read through your stack of flashcards, you aren't truly quizzing yourself. Force yourself to write out what's on the back of each card from memory (or study with a group and quiz each other). Also, make separate piles for the cards you know and the one's you don't know. As you're studying this will really help to focus your time on the material that you need the most work on.

Another thing that's really important for bio is to read over your notes after each lecture (and make sure you understand it), because if you don't, the material really piles up and becomes overwhelming.

I'm also really big on drawing pictures and watching youtube videos to help understand concepts. You could probably even ask your professor for tips about good animations/videos/images for certain concepts.

I also love charts because they're great for organizing information!

Hope this helps, and good luck!!

 

[TriangleZuikis]

... watching youtube videos to help understand concepts. You could probably even ask your professor for tips about good animations/videos/images for certain concepts.

👍👍👍
Youtube is a great resource!

 

[dentalWorks]

Hey guys, so I am in my second year, thinking of applying to dental school after the 2nd year. The only problem is I can never seem to do goo in Bio courses. Like, I got A in Math, Chem, phys, Psyc. But, I only got C+ in Bio ( and I studied a lot for the exam too).

I just finished writing my bio Animals exam and like for 50% of the exam I guessed randomly.

So, to make the story short, what do you guys do to get good marks in Bio related courses.

I would really appreciate any input, since I really need to get my bio marks (especially IF I get into dental school, which is mostly Bio)

Thank you in Advance

I am a "natural" engineer. Which means I naturally do good in classes like Math, physics, general chemistry, even orgo. But biology, man, those 100 level basic biologies gave me a whooping. You can't just rely on "logic" to do well in these classes.

It took me the first-half of a biology class to masters handling biology type courses...... and FOR ME personally, it was using the powerpoints as reference guides and reading directly from the book RIGHT after each lecture I had. This really strengthened my understanding of the powerpoints and helped me prepare for the exams better. Notice I am emphasizing the keyword "understanding", I don't like to purely memorize facts, I like to get the "big picture", it helps me keeps my facts (memorization) in check.

So far, this strategy has helped me maintain 4.0s in all my upper level biologies, so it DOES work (at least for me). The downside is, it is time consuming.

 

[NAVY DDS 2010]

Hey guys, so I am in my second year, thinking of applying to dental school after the 2nd year. The only problem is I can never seem to do goo in Bio courses. Like, I got A in Math, Chem, phys, Psyc. But, I only got C+ in Bio ( and I studied a lot for the exam too).

I just finished writing my bio Animals exam and like for 50% of the exam I guessed randomly.

So, to make the story short, what do you guys do to get good marks in Bio related courses.

I would really appreciate any input, since I really need to get my bio marks (especially IF I get into dental school, which is mostly Bio)

Thank you in Advance

Here is my advice to you. If you are struggling in biology courses right now, DO NOT apply to dental apply to dental after yoru 2nd year. As nice as it would be to finish d-school a year or two earlier (even if a school would accept you even after struggling in biology), you would not be doing yourself any justice by attending d-school when you struggle in undergrad biology courses. Dentla school is not hard. There is just a whole hell of a lot of info thrown at you at once. There is a ton of biology that you are forced to memorize. You have not come even close to having a course load in undergrad that you will have in dental school. ZGive yourself time to learn the basic biologic sciences in undergrad. This will make your life much easier in d-school. Plus, it will allow you to do better and maybe even put you in a position where your grades and board score will be high enough to be competative for a specialty.

Don't be in such a hurry. Take your time. You will eventually learn how to do well in the biological sciences. When you do, theat is when you are ready to take the DAT and apply to dental school.

 

[iDreamofDent]

Mind Mapping, by tony buzan. get the book it will teach you all you need

 

[peerless218]

Make a crap load of flashcards and carry the topic you're not familiar with you to school, work, or whereever. It's all about memorization and you just need to constantly review them whenever you get the chance to. That's how I did it when I was in undergrad.
Ha I have friends who would be creative and make these weird stories to memorize biology.

 

[dstu2011]

Hey guys, so I am in my second year, thinking of applying to dental school after the 2nd year. The only problem is I can never seem to do goo in Bio courses. Like, I got A in Math, Chem, phys, Psyc. But, I only got C+ in Bio ( and I studied a lot for the exam too).

I just finished writing my bio Animals exam and like for 50% of the exam I guessed randomly.

So, to make the story short, what do you guys do to get good marks in Bio related courses.

I would really appreciate any input, since I really need to get my bio marks (especially IF I get into dental school, which is mostly Bio)

Thank you in Advance

You will not get into dental school without a bachelors if you have a C+ in bio on your record especially if you don't have like 5 advanced bio courses w/ 28+ BIO dat to prove that was a major fluke. Plus, 95% of the introductory didactic classes you will have in dental school will be based around a specific, advanced branch of bio: physiology, microbiology, immunology, pathology, histology, anatomy, neurobiology. Heck, even biochemistry is more biology than chemistry.

As for the studying, just finish your studying reviewing with friends. Learn things in sequence, learn the big pictures. Make flash cards if its mostly brute memmorization. The best way to test your knowledge is to have friends ask you random questions.

After you take an exam, you always remember the questions you get wrong but never the ones you get right... the same goes here. If you friend asks you a question you don't know, it only strengtens your grasp on the subject because itll stick in your head and youll actually remember it better than you ever would before.