Learning Curve

[DoctorAE]

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Hey Guys!
I just started my 2nd semester in a 1.5-2 year post- bac program. I just graduated from college in May and although I knew that I wanted to go to dental school, decided to pursue a post-bac program instead of completing the requirements during undergrad. My issue is that the program is full of people who have done most of these classes before or who were, at the very least, science/math people in their careers and/or during their undergraduate years. Coming from a background of heavy humanities at a liberal arts school, I find myself having trouble adjusting to the learning curve-- I'm having trouble figuring out how exactly to become a science student and do better overall, seeing as I have been doing rather poorly. If you have any advice, whether it's about overcoming this learning curve, or any sort of encouragement [I'm feeling very disillusioned]-- I would appreciate it. I would also love to hear from people who also had to transition from a humanity background to a heavy science one.

Thanks --
Best,
DocAE

 

[Shwedly]

I graduated with a B.S. in Microbiology and it was really hard. I love biology and chemistry and it is this important factor that helped me graduate. The only thing I can say is study, study, and study. Thats what I did, I read textbooks, lecture notes, and whatever else was required to pass my classes.

 

[Dent44]

I've been there... post bac for ALL my sciences. The most important part of studying for these science classes is most effectively using your time. It's figuring out how to study and from what resources.

First of all, go talk to your prof. Bring your low scoring exam, quiz or whatever (if they give them out) and explain your situation. Sometimes they have tips for studying for their specific tests. (As a bonus, more face time with the prof could lead to a letter of recommendation one day) Then, if you've made any friends that have done well, ask them how they have been studying. What do they do? If they can be successful with the material, I promise you can too. Lastly, if your school doesnt have a free tutoring center, there tend to be many grad students or even undergrads who are willing to tutor for cheap. Having that personal attention can be really helpful.

If it would be helpful to know how I studied for the material in each class definitely PM me. But really, just dont give up, its about putting in a lot of time - sometimes more than your classmates. It's all worth it in the end.

Where are you doing your post bac?

 

[Andrew324]

I cant help but wonder if science majors ever go into humanities courses and feel like this.

 

[sajjy]

I cant help but wonder if science majors ever go into humanities courses and feel like this.

Totally, my mind refused to work in non-science courses in undergrad😴😴. Am glad they are over.

As far as learning curve, get used to it. Dental school is all about tackling thee steep learning curve.

 

[DVA]

There are a key points to being to understand if you ever want to pursue a degree in any medical/dental field. Knowledge retention is one of the most important factors in biology, whereas conceptual understanding is the most important in chemistry especially organic chemistry.

A general outline for studying would, as I suggest go as such

1) Read every outline at the end of the chapter, along w/bold terms. Fully understand, the direction of the chapter and which points are important. If possible re-read multiple times. Dont just skim, really in-depth reading. Take your time.
2) Flip through the pictures and try to understand what they are emphasizing and how it all relates.
3) Read the powerpoints/notes/lectures/books, etc. Don't worry if your retention isn't 100%, nobodies is. Dont try to get all the information crammed in at once. If you have trouble remebering it all, read it again slowly and take a couple slides at a time, say 10 or so. Then take a break. Do something and return when fresh.
4) Do old practice tests all in one shot. Then review. Don't randomly guess. If you eliminate say 2-3 out of 5 multiple choice answers, try to guess which one is correct, but understand that you don't understand it.
5) Review, based on the gaps of knowledge in test, and try to patch it up/
6) Retake practice exams, and see which one you dont understand. Understand why each answer relates and try to remeber answers to questions. For example, if a question is which of the following is not true....Ill try to remeber which ones are TRUE.

Chemistry, on the other hand is all about doing practice problems and just learning via experience. If possibly, buy a teacher's edition for answers at the back of the book and if you dont understand a question or methodology of solving a problem, follow an answer line by line and try to figue out why each step was taken, and how the steps logically fit together.

Lastly, a great tool for boosting your credibility among teachers (and also their williness to grade you more leniently on exams) is a willingness to show you are trying and that this is something you take very seriously. If you go up w/legitimate questions, after you spent much time on something, and show them all your work. It really makes a fantastic impression.

David