is bio ever not rote memorization...

[elitehacker1337]

So I've been taking a new approach to bio since it is my weakest subject and my major.

I just got my grade back and the best I got on the first midterm was a C...

For my other cell bio class, I might be around that range too for midterm 1.

I'm strongly debating using anki to memorize the class as it is about viruses. I've tried using anki before but it didn't work out and I had better luck reading the book since the prof used examples they have in the book to test on abnormal psychology.

Any thoughts on this? Really upset since I spent all day every day studying for the two bio classes and my physics class.

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[libertyyne]

If you want to go to medical school. Rote memorization is a skill that is necessary. Keep on experimenting with what works and what doesnt. Try different study methods and ask some peers what they are doing . Higher level bio like Genetics is not all rote memorization. I found that understanding how things work, and understanding models and why things functioned in specific ways or were designed in specific ways helped me retain information in my classes.

 

[elitehacker1337]

If you want to go to medical school. Rote memorization is a skill that is necessary. Keep on experimenting with what works and what doesnt. Try different study methods and ask some peers what they are doing . Higher level bio like Genetics is not all rote memorization. I found that understanding how things work, and understanding models and why things functioned in specific ways or were designed in specific ways helped me retain information in my classes.

This is higher level bio. Virology is the class name. The other one is cell bio. Admittedly, the cell bio class was not memorization.

 

[Dox4lyfe]

At my school, genetics is 100% intense problem solving, so yes; bio is not always rote memorization.

For me, what worked was trying to visualize everything instead of purely memorizing. This way, on exams, I can just visualize a pathway, interaction, etc. and it all plays out in my head. If I can't visualize how something went from step 19 to step 20, that's a gap in my knowledge. That's when I go back, read the textbook or watch videos until that gap is filled.

 

[libertyyne]

This is higher level bio. Virology is the class name. The other one is cell bio. Admittedly, the cell bio class was not memorization.

Advice still stands.

 

[libertyyne]

At my school, genetics is 100% intense problem solving, so yes; bio is not always rote memorization.

For me, what worked was trying to visualize everything instead of purely memorizing. This way, on exams, I can just visualize a pathway, interaction, etc. and it all plays out in my head. If I can't visualize how something went from step 19 to step 20, that's a gap in my knowledge. That's when I go back, read the textbook or watch videos until that gap is filled.

Genetics was probably the most enjoyable class in the entire biology degree for me.

 

[bananafish94]

Biology, especially higher level biology, is most certainly not rote memorization, although there's obviously a lot of memorization required.

That being said, if I had known about Anki in college I would have been a God.

 

[MareNostrummm]

Anki is an incredibly powerful and flexible program. I'd recommend finding a way to use it efficiently so you don't get bogged down in cards but you still reap the benefits of spaced repetition/long term potentiation. Also only basic Bio relies on memorization, if you want to think at a higher level you should be reading research papers, this will both prepare you for the MCAT and teach you how to pick apart a biological system and see how things work in the big picture.

 

[Goro]

So I've been taking a new approach to bio since it is my weakest subject and my major.

I just got my grade back and the best I got on the first midterm was a C...

For my other cell bio class, I might be around that range too for midterm 1.

I'm strongly debating using anki to memorize the class as it is about viruses. I've tried using anki before but it didn't work out and I had better luck reading the book since the prof used examples they have in the book to test on abnormal psychology.

Any thoughts on this? Really upset since I spent all day every day studying for the two bio classes and my physics class.

Medical school AND UG biology require memorization, but more importantly, the ability to apply.

 

[elitehacker1337]

how much time do you guys usually spend on anki daily? I know it will probably vary but for a new fresh deck of new material, how much time would you guys spend on that? I have 6 chapters on each exam for virology and 2/3 chapters for cell bio in which I dare not use anki

Last time I used it, I spent so much time going through cards and not memorizing material but I was mass copy pasting to make the cards. It was for psychology though

 

[Dr.Sticks]

Apply and memorize;
More memorize at lower level bio

Also I would meet with the professor during office hours to see what you can do

What I normally do is make a list of vocab words on paper, take notes while reading the text, and take notes on the PowerPoint at home.
You should be putting in about 3 hours per credit hour for the class, so the lecture part you should be spending 9 hours a week studying.

That means you should dedicate at least 4 days, and spend 3 hours on those 3 days dedicated to nothing but that biology class.
Then 3 hours on a 4th day dedicated to the lab portion.

 

[DameJulie]

At most school, bio is memorize + apply. You won't do well on exams if you don't memorize, but memorize itself alone won't get you a passing score.

It is not uncommon that one spends a whole day studying and ending up low score on the midterm. Maybe try a study group? Ask someone who took the class before for advice?

I still use flashcards for vocabs in bio course, but it has gotten less and less as I moved from lower div to upper div.

 

[elitehacker1337]

At most school, bio is memorize + apply. You won't do well on exams if you don't memorize, but memorize itself alone won't get you a passing score.

It is not uncommon that one spends a whole day studying and ending up low score on the midterm. Maybe try a study group? Ask someone who took the class before for advice?

I still use flashcards for vocabs in bio course, but it has gotten less and less as I moved from lower div to upper div.

In the past, I've found study groups to be useless besides cases when I knew less than other people in classes like Calc II.

In ochem, the study group was basically me teaching other people and not covering stuff I'm lacking in so I only did 2 hours or so for like 1 or 2 sessions per exam.

Office hours are an interesting topic and I went to them for cell bio which helped but that class is much less straight forward than virology which is pretty much memorization based on how badly I did on the exam.

Office hours for bio is a bit weird to me in general though. My perspective is that if you don't understand something in bio, read the book. But I plan on going to office hours this week for virology since I don't quite understand a concept even after reading.

 

[•Syzygy•]

In the past, I've found study groups to be useless besides cases when I knew less than other people in classes like Calc II.

In ochem, the study group was basically me teaching other people and not covering stuff I'm lacking in so I only did 2 hours or so for like 1 or 2 sessions per exam.

Office hours are an interesting topic and I went to them for cell bio which helped but that class is much less straight forward than virology which is pretty much memorization based on how badly I did on the exam.

Office hours for bio is a bit weird to me in general though. My perspective is that if you don't understand something in bio, read the book. But I plan on going to office hours this week for virology since I don't quite understand a concept even after reading.

you cant memorize effectively if you dont understand. physiology is a good example of a class that has a lot of memorization and a lot of concepts, but you need to understand most of it to remember it well

 

[Piglet2020]

Biology, especially higher level biology, is most certainly not rote memorization, although there's obviously a lot of memorization required.

That being said, if I had known about Anki in college I would have been a God.

I never heard of Anki before. I just looked it up and it seems like a flashcard program. Can anyone explain why Anki is so great?

 

[bioboy23]

I never heard of Anki before. I just looked it up and it seems like a flashcard program. Can anyone explain why Anki is so great?

It greatly helps with solidifying large concepts by breaking them down into smaller portions. You see the cards based on how often you get them correct, so it helps with retention also. Watch a couple videos on YouTube, learn how to make efficient cards, and then download it!

 

[Turkishking]

Evolutionary biology. Understanding concepts and applying it to different scenarios, oh and a tad bit of memorization mixed in.. Until you reach diversity. The ends switch.

 

[elitehacker1337]

It greatly helps with solidifying large concepts by breaking them down into smaller portions. You see the cards based on how often you get them correct, so it helps with retention also. Watch a couple videos on YouTube, learn how to make efficient cards, and then download it!

another thing on anki.

Last time I used it, it highly disorganized my thoughts since cards were completely random. Do other users feel this way sometimes?

 

[bioboy23]

another thing on anki.

Last time I used it, it highly disorganized my thoughts since cards were completely random. Do other users feel this way sometimes?

It kinda messed with me at first but it has actually started helping. For example, I have a ton of cards about the cross-bridge formation with actin/myosin in the sarcomeres. Since the cards are out of order of the actual cascade, it forces me to remember what happened immediately before that and what will happen after that specific card. After only a couple days of going through the cards everything becomes solidified.

 

[bananafish94]

I never heard of Anki before. I just looked it up and it seems like a flashcard program. Can anyone explain why Anki is so great?

It uses this concept called "spaced repetition." So let's say I go to a biology lecture, take notes, and then put those notes into flashcard form in Anki. I'll get a card that says "What is the central dogma of biology?" That one's easy, so I'll tell Anki that it's easy and I won't see that card for a few more days because I don't need to. Then the next card is some obscure enzyme question. I have no idea what the answer is. So I mark that card as hard, and then I'll see it again in a minute. Eventually I'll get it right, and then the card will go away until the next time I study. But the moral of the story is that it categorizes all of your studying in terms of difficulty and spaces everything out so that you can remember lots of facts long-term. It's monumentally helpful (for me at least) in medical school where so much of the game is just memorizing enormous volumes of information.

If I had to go back to college, I would definitely use it for memorization-heavy courses. Something like biology where a lot of it is just knowing facts is prime Anki territory. Obviously it wouldn't really be helpful at all for math or organic chemistry or anything like that, though.