How to study for biochem

[Dreamstoo]

hey guys, so I'm taking biochemistry right now. So far I have like an A- maybe a B+ (hasn't been many grades so far). I find it very interesting but I have trouble understanding the mechanisms and processes. Do you guys know of any good online resources I can refer to in order to help me understand processes?

I have a great professor but there are a few things I try to remember but I easily forget them after reviewing them the previous night. I just want some advice on how to memorize complex mechanisms for biochemistry and if there are any websites that can elaborate WHY such events happen in a process.

On the side note, biochem is awesome!!! I love it so far.

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[mrttihw]

Hey there, @Dreamstoo !

Have you tried Khan Academy yet?
https://www.khanacademy.org/

He has some great instructional videos for all subjects. I really enjoyed biochemistry, and taking a graduate biochemistry/endocrinology intensive course, I find my best resource is just writing through the mechanisms. Paper, whiteboard, etc. I make sure that I walk myself through each step and ask myself "why" this is happening, and what downstream effects/effectors it may have.

Also, I know it might not be the case in many programs, but your teachers can be your best ally. I definitely make it a point to ask for clarification in lecture, and most of the time the rest of the class is wondering the same thing. We have many research-driven, cerebral professors that have a tendency to get carried away or off subject into other mechanisms when discussing certain pathways, so centralizing the idea and refocusing the question helps us arrive at the main point of the topic at hand. I would definitely look through some Khan Academy, and if not, Google is your friend. There are plenty of instructional videos out there that break it down to the basics. You can usually build yourself up from there, adding details as you go. Sooner or later it will all integrate into one big picture, and you will see the commonalities across different systems and pathways. Biochemistry was one of my favorite classes to learn and to tutor in. I wish you the best of luck, and hope that you are able to find those resources! Happy studies.

 

[docemmettbrown]

See I think this is really a professor to professor thing. My class, for example, did not have to know anything about the pentose phosphate pathway, but the other class had to know everything about the pathway

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[Elevencents]

White board is your best friend.

 

[mdambitions]

White board, paper, white board... some repetition of some repetition on a white board; in multiple colors. That'll do it. I'm about to finish up my second semester of biochem. And I also love it, every bit of it. That's a lie actually; I hate chasing electrons around a page. But everything else I love. Didn't do so well on the first test of the first semester though. So I went to my professor's office and asked her for more resources, which problems from the chapters were worth really internalizing (since there is no way to cover EVERYTHING in an undergrad class). I asked for another explanation of the things that tripped me up. She was/is phenomenal and ended up posting completely voluntary additional homework for practice. I also bought the students guide for our biochem book, off of amazon. It had much deeper explanations to the homework, and more practice problems.

 

[Shinobiz11]

White board, paper, white board... some repetition of some repetition on a white board; in multiple colors. That'll do it. I'm about to finish up my second semester of biochem. And I also love it, every bit of it. That's a lie actually; I hate chasing electrons around a page. But everything else I love. Didn't do so well on the first test of the first semester though. So I went to my professor's office and asked her for more resources, which problems from the chapters were worth really internalizing (since there is no way to cover EVERYTHING in an undergrad class). I asked for another explanation of the things that tripped me up. She was/is phenomenal and ended up posting completely voluntary additional homework for practice. I also bought the students guide for our biochem book, off of amazon. It had much deeper explanations to the homework, and more practice problems.

+1
If I wasn't using a white/chalkboard at school, then I was using the one I put in my basement. You can find the board type at Home Depot, it's a solid investment. Plus markers are easy.

 

[Dreamstoo]

+1
If I wasn't using a white/chalkboard at school, then I was using the one I put in my basement. You can find the board type at Home Depot, it's a solid investment. Plus markers are easy.

We have rooms in our library that have that and also a lounge that is open to my major has it too. Thanks for the advice everyone.

 

[TheBDP]

Armando hadsudagan on YouTube explains some of the pathways very well and includes well done illustrations.

 

[oOKawaiiOo]

I always add a story to the mechanisms.

 

[salutations]

Like they said, write it out. However, try and do it from memory. Learning isn't just getting it in, it's being able to get it out. Writing/reading it over and over directly from the source will therefore not utilize recall pathways of your brain as effectively as actually trying to recall it. ... I've played some of the same songs on piano from sheet music for literally two decades and still can't recall them as well as ones I intentionally set out to memorize.

And as others have said, there are different types of memories. Biochemistry is imo procedural, so if you try and start putting stories, places, times, or visuals to them, turning it into a major event in life as opposed to a mechanical procedure, it can help immensely.

 

[rbolt25]

Memorize, I mean "understand," everything he/she presents.

 

[Biology4Life84]

As the previous poster suggested its about memorizing. Im assuming your teacher uses ppt slides. I like to have a digital copy of the slides and manipulate the information and fit as much as possible on a page. then print out the condensed version and start memorizing.

 

[LongTimeLurk]

I have a great professor but there are a few things I try to remember but I easily forget them after reviewing them the previous night. I just want some advice on how to memorize complex mechanisms for biochemistry and if there are any websites that can elaborate WHY such events happen in a process.

On the side note, biochem is awesome!!! I love it so far.

 

[KennyV]

Took biochem this past semester while also missing almost a month of class due to medical school interviews. Professor thought I was crazy.

Tied for highest grade in my class (A-)

I'm kind of the master of the overnight cramming (Went 2 days with no sleep for final, aced it)

But from my experience in surviving biochem is trying your best to simplify the content. Unlike O-chem, everything is a bit easier to predict and piece together because your studying entire functional systems, not peacemeal reactions. The human body is smart and will generally try to use resources as efficiently as possible except in cases of disease and mutation. Understand the basic concepts of inhibition and vital functions of each organ and protein and use this to create a systemic map. Focus a little less on rote detail and more on the bigger picture as knowing the latter helps learning the former much easier than vice versa. From there, everything else is just memorization.

Also, brush up on your nomenclature if its been a while.