Need Advice- I'm getting destroyed

[The Shadow]

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Hello all,

I'm a non trad who has been out of school for about 10 years. My undergrad GPA was 3.75. Unfortunately, I am in the process of obtaining my science credits via Columbia's Post-Bac program. I have a 3.1 after my first year.

I just started the fall semester and have already gotten killed on my first bio exam. I thought I was an intelligent person; however, smarts aside, Columbia has humbled me greatly.

I really could use some advice. This may sound silly, but how are you guys studying? (group/solo?) I feel as though I have the ability, but something just isn't clicking. Moreover, I'm running out of time. If I can get things together, I still have a chance of a science GPA ~ 3.5-3.6.

Is anyone stuggling like me?

-The Shadow

 

[medicomel]

Hello all,

I'm a non trad who has been out of school for about 10 years. My undergrad GPA was 3.75. Unfortunately, I am in the process of obtaining my science credits via Columbia's Post-Bac program. I have a 3.1 after my first year.

I just started the fall semester and have already gotten killed on my first bio exam. I thought I was an intelligent person; however, smarts aside, Columbia has humbled me greatly.

I really could use some advice. This may sound silly, but how are you guys studying? (group/solo?) I feel as though I have the ability, but something just isn't clicking. Moreover, I'm running out of time. If I can get things together, I still have a chance of a science GPA ~ 3.5-3.6.

Is anyone stuggling like me?

-The Shadow

maybe you're not going over the material enough? i would basically read the assigned text once for a good overview (note: NOT skimming, actually reading it) and then again for a close read. After that I would stick to class notes or power points and just go over them repeatedly. If rote memorization was in order, I'd make flashcards, but I can't really remember a lot of that in bio. Group study might work for you, but I found myself having to teach others in the group, who weren't up to speed, or I wasn't up to speed on the material and it all went over my head.

Good luck. I'm sure you can do it.

 

[CatsandCradles]

Hello all,

I'm a non trad who has been out of school for about 10 years. My undergrad GPA was 3.75. Unfortunately, I am in the process of obtaining my science credits via Columbia's Post-Bac program. I have a 3.1 after my first year.

I just started the fall semester and have already gotten killed on my first bio exam. I thought I was an intelligent person; however, smarts aside, Columbia has humbled me greatly.

I really could use some advice. This may sound silly, but how are you guys studying? (group/solo?) I feel as though I have the ability, but something just isn't clicking. Moreover, I'm running out of time. If I can get things together, I still have a chance of a science GPA ~ 3.5-3.6.

Is anyone stuggling like me?

-The Shadow

Don't get depressed! Just keep up the work. Revise your study methods and keep on moving forward.

And remember that this was your first exam. There is still room for improvement.

 

[Wackie]

So I'm not alone

I'm in the same boat (been 10 years for me too). I'm usually a smart person and can learn anything quickly. This semester, since switching schools (community college to university), I'm much more inclined to call myself an idiot. Knowledge has been bouncing off my skull instead of soaking in.

I'm trying new things. I tried reading and reading and reading which didn't work for me. Now, I'm reading and jotting down quick notes of what I just read. Using notes, I'll make questions and try to answer them. I'm getting any study guides I can wrap my paws around. I'm going to make flash cards I can keep with me and use whenever I get a chance.
This is my current attack. Hopefully, doing something with the knowledge will help since I learn best by doing instead of listening or reading.
At least algebra is sort of coming together. 🙄 In highschool, I got A's in algebra and here all semester I feel I'm lucky to pass. First test this Thursday.

 

[QofQuimica]

My suggestions:

1) Get to know some upperclassmen at your school, and get a hold of old tests from them (assuming that the prof releases old tests). This is one of the most efficient ways that I know of to get a handle on a prof's testing style and to get an idea about what kinds of concepts the prof thinks are important. If there is a pre-med club at your school, a lot of times they will have test banks from various professors, as will groups like sororities and fraternities. Join whatever groups you need to join to get access to these resources and use them, because I guarantee you that your top-performing trad classmates are already doing this.

2) Spend less time reading passively, and more time working actively with the material. If your book has a study guide and/or practice questions, spend the bulk of your study time working them out. If it doesn't, go onto Amazon or to your school library and get yourself a book that does have appropriate questions for you to practice with. I only read a chapter once, although occasionally I might review a particular section for reference; after that, I work problems. A lot of times you think you understand something, but it's not until you start working problems that you get to really appreciate where the holes in your knowledge are.

3) Go to your prof's office hours and/or get help from your TA. When I was a chem TA, I'd have certain students show up EVERY SESSION for extra help. That told me that these people were motivated to learn the material, and you can guess who I'd look a bit more kindly upon at the end of the semester if they were a couple of points short of the next grade up. Plus, the students who show up for office hours invariably wind up getting "tips" for the next test. There were a couple of classes that I passed myself like that through sheer brute force hard work and refusal to give up. Results count, but effort definitely matters too. Your prof should know who you are and wonder where you are if you miss a day of class or a help session. Getting to know the prof like this has the added benefit of giving you another LOR writer come app time.

4) My advice is to in general avoid study groups, because they lead to one of several problems: a) The group gets off track and starts talking about what they're doing this weekend, what happened on last week's episode of Gray's Anatomy, etc. A lot of time gets wasted. b) You are way more advanced than the other group members, so you spend most of your time teaching them. That's good in small doses because it reinforces what you know, but it's not the most efficient way for you to learn new material yourself. c) You are way behind the other group members, and you spend most of your time trying to keep up and figure out what is going on. Again, not the most efficient use of your time. What I like to do is to find a study partner. In other words, find one person who has similar levels of motivation to you, and study with them. Ideally, it's best if this person also has different strengths and weaknesses than you do. So for example, I would avoid pairing with another chemist in favor of pairing with, say, a histology or anatomy person. That way, we can both take turns teaching and learning from one another, depending on who is stronger in a particular area.

Hope these ideas help, and best of luck to you. 🙂

 

[foofish]

I just started the fall semester and have already gotten killed on my first bio exam. I thought I was an intelligent person; however, smarts aside, Columbia has humbled me greatly.

Ahh, yes. Bio at Columbia--at most schools orgo is the scary, premed-weeding class, but at Columbia it's good ol' Contemorary Bio. I did my postbacc at Columbia, wrapping up orgo/bio in the spring, so a few words of advice from a lag year:

First off, Prof. Mowshowitz's bio class is *infamous* for its insanely evil exams, and if it's anything like last year, you currently have Chasin, who was possibly the worst lecturer I've ever had. I promise you that many other people in that class feel the way you do, and it will get better, I promise. You'll get used to their style of exams, D-Mow will start teaching (and she's a MUCH better lecturer), and you'll figure out how best to study for bio. Prof. M actually has advice on how to do well in the class posted on the course website--read it.

As for studying, you're probably going to have to study more for this class than any other you've had, it's no joke. I found that for myself, the best method was to study mostly on my own, but as exams came up to talk through topics and questions I wasn't getting with friends. The TAs offer tons of office hours the week of the exam--go to them, and ask questions about anything you don't get.

Did you do all the problem sets, and all of the previous exam questions they release? They are really going to be the best measure of whether you have a handle on the material for the exam. Some people like to do the problems as they're assigned, others (like myself) prefered to save them until closer to the exam after studying all the material. Figure out which works best for you, and don't be discouraged if you geet a lot of the problems wrong, they're designed to "teach".

Also, they're really not kidding when they say that the exams are based on their lectures and lecture notes. My grades started improving once I stopped bothering to do the reading in the text books, and just focused on knowing the lectures inside and out. Use the texts to help you if somehting in the lectures confuses you, but personally I felt the assigned reading was a waste (that said, get others' opinions on this).

Good luck!

 

[montessori2md]

If it's bio that's killing you, what text are you using? We're using Campbell (most schools do, as I understand), and my prep is basically reading the text and then going through the online stuff. I took organic chem first, so bio has been easy so far -what I can't imagine is being expected to understand all of what Campbell is trying to explain without having taken organic.

I used the examkrackers MCAT lectures and books to help me review -they simplify the 'key' concepts in ways that were clearer for me than what my instructors were doing, and helped me think without panicking. That said, physics is currently kicking my a**, thanks so much. TEN YEARS without touching a graphing calculator, seriously killing me. Basically I'm just doing problems, getting them wrong, doing them again and then doing more problems until I get them right the first time. That's what I did in organic -my sat. AM was 3-6 hours of problem after problem till I (sort of) understood what I was doing. I did very well in organic, I'm praying I can pull it off in physics.



Does Columbia have tutors? I recommend studying for a bit, answering some of the questions in your text, and then taking them to the tutor, TA, whoever, saying, this is what I thought, this is the answer, how can I not screw this up on the exam? At my school these guys are paid to sit around and answer your questions, it's a free service. And in general, professors have been happy to help -which is good, because if you get to know them, and they see you go from totally lost to getting it, they'll write you a great letter of recommendation someday.

You can do it! (It will suck sometimes, but you can)

 

[Baldeagle79]

Hello all,

I'm a non trad who has been out of school for about 10 years. My undergrad GPA was 3.75. Unfortunately, I am in the process of obtaining my science credits via Columbia's Post-Bac program. I have a 3.1 after my first year.

I just started the fall semester and have already gotten killed on my first bio exam. I thought I was an intelligent person; however, smarts aside, Columbia has humbled me greatly.

I really could use some advice. This may sound silly, but how are you guys studying? (group/solo?) I feel as though I have the ability, but something just isn't clicking. Moreover, I'm running out of time. If I can get things together, I still have a chance of a science GPA ~ 3.5-3.6.

Is anyone stuggling like me?

-The Shadow

I don't pretend to be in your shoes, b/c I'm not even a true "pre-med" student yet (have a B.S. in Political Science, but no pre-med requirements hardly at all); however, you are probably intelligent enough that you have been able to get through many of your classes intuitively. Rote memorization wasn't required for much of what you've learned, and it may be required to a certain extend now...along with a keen intellect. It doesn't make you less able to do the material, it just means you have to adjust your study habits to the material being covered.

Einstein struggled at school too, you know.

 

[Olddodger]

My suggestions:


3) Go to your prof's office hours and/or get help from your TA. When I was a chem TA, I'd have certain students show up EVERY SESSION for extra help. That told me that these people were motivated to learn the material, and you can guess who I'd look a bit more kindly upon at the end of the semester if they were a couple of points short of the next grade up. Plus, the students who show up for office hours invariably wind up getting "tips" for the next test. There were a couple of classes that I passed myself like that through sheer brute force hard work and refusal to give up. Results count, but effort definitely matters too. Your prof should know who you are and wonder where you are if you miss a day of class or a help session. Getting to know the prof like this has the added benefit of giving you another LOR writer come app time.

I have to agree with Q here. Be a pest to your professor. If there is an office hour, USE IT! Many of us are paying TOP dollar for school, and most times the professor is just sitting in their office alone during office hours. Its like buying a gym membership and never going to work out...a waste. Even if you don't have any questions per se, go and talk about biology. Many profs BEG for students to come and talk to them, and yet hardly anyone does. Believe me when I say that if you are a "regular" you will be remembered, and often times the prof will take a personal interest in your performance.

My advice is to in general avoid study groups, because they lead to one of several problems: a) The group gets off track and starts talking about what they're doing this weekend, what happened on last week's episode of Gray's Anatomy, etc. A lot of time gets wasted. b) You are way more advanced than the other group members, so you spend most of your time teaching them. That's good in small doses because it reinforces what you know, but it's not the most efficient way for you to learn new material yourself. c) You are way behind the other group members, and you spend most of your time trying to keep up and figure out what is going on. Again, not the most efficient use of your time. What I like to do is to find a study partner. In other words, find one person who has similar levels of motivation to you, and study with them. Ideally, it's best if this person also has different strengths and weaknesses than you do. So for example, I would avoid pairing with another chemist in favor of pairing with, say, a histology or anatomy person. That way, we can both take turns teaching and learning from one another, depending on who is stronger in a particular area.

Again, I agree with Q, except that I recommend that you study with a maximum of two people, because often times the 3rd person is a "tiebreaker". Study groups of more than that are a complete waste of time for me. I started a BIO study group a few semesters ago, and about two competent people showed up, and the rest were just there. Between the phone calls, trips to the bathroom and non-essential chatter, it did way more harm than good.

Good luck. As an engineer type, BIO was a different sort of thinking for me, and it took some real skull sweat to get the hang of studying for it. As Q said, sometimes you just have to "brute force" it....like Orgo for me right now🙄

Best,
Oldie

 

[MedStudentWanna]

If it's bio that's killing you, what text are you using? We're using Campbell (most schools do, as I understand), and my prep is basically reading the text and then going through the online stuff. I took organic chem first, so bio has been easy so far -what I can't imagine is being expected to understand all of what Campbell is trying to explain without having taken organic.

Campbell Bio is EVIL!!!!! It kicked my ass so bad. I only had a semester of intro chem before I took that class and I was slaughtered on the first exam which covered Chapters 1-5 (read: all the biochemistry). The second exam went a bit better, but my professor used the Campbell test bank for test questions and they were the hardest questions I've ever encountered in ANY class! Some of those questions had TWO right answer and you were expected to choose the one that's "most correct."

No Campbell love lost here. I hated that text.

 

[Cirrus83]

Heh, I took AP Bio using the Campbell text in high school and did only passably well (like a B+), but when I took intro bio in college (I didn't take the actual AP test so I didn't get credit) it was a breeze-although I still only got an A-.

I guess my only point is that I'm kinda confused why everyone is saying that you need to know orgo or biochem for that textbook...I sure as hell didn't know any of that when I was in high school and the textbook still more or less made sense. It was hard as hell since I basically had to study all the time for it and still do only passably, but I definitely didn't know anything about biochem lol.

You basically just have to read the chapters and reread and reread and reread until it's in your skull. In high school I would spend my lunch and whatever free periods I had just re-writing parts of the book in my own words so I would remember it, although as I've said that only yielded a B+ type grade. I basically just looked at my class slides and notes, and reread the chapters in college, so I'm going to guess that if you read the chapters maybe 3 times, taking notes 1-2 times of those reads, and then just memorize whatever class notes or slides you have you'll be golden. Or at least A- level golden.

Umm...I just realized how easy I made all that sound when in reality it's nightmarishly hard...dang

 

[MedStudentWanna]

I guess my only point is that I'm kinda confused why everyone is saying that you need to know orgo or biochem for that textbook...I sure as hell didn't know any of that when I was in high school and the textbook still more or less made sense. It was hard as hell since I basically had to study all the time for it and still do only passably, but I definitely didn't know anything about biochem lol.

I think it depends on the tests and how fast your teacher goes. My teacher did 1 1/2 - 2 chapters per class (1:15 minute classes). We were supposed to finish the first half of the book during the semester (Jan. - May). We were done the first week of April. Obviously bad planning on her part. The result was low test grades (class average usually hovered in the mid-40's) and low information retention because you didn't have time to really LEARN the concepts before each test. The questions all came from a test bank and some had nothing to do with the professor's lecture which she freely admitted. She would tell us to use all our resources because anything in the notes, the lecture, the book, and the book's website, is fair game. They weren't simple "what happens during the transduction phase of cell signaling?" It was more applying the knowledge in a larger scope like if something went wrong with cell signaling, what do YOU think went wrong. You had to use your knowledge of the material to hypothetize what happens next. For someone being introduced to the material for the very first time at such a rapid pace, that was a difficult task, especially when reading the book seemed to just add to my confusion of the concepts.

 

[nyc5614]

Oh, man, I can't tell you how much better you made me feel. I'm in the same boat - I'm the one with the new thread following yours about stressing, ten years out, etc. - and guess what??? We're using Campbell, too, and we're using the test bank questions! I just now figured out what that little CD in the book is for, so I'm going to use that next time.

God, I felt like such a *****. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who struggled with this... I think I would do MUCH better on non-multiple choice questions...