please don't throw tomatoes at me for this thread!

[tabularasa]

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I just got back my exam score and I got a 45/60 and the class average was a 50/60. (The prof doesn't curve exam scores and the class is not curved). According to my professor, the first exam average is always higher than normal because the material is what we should already know. I've done the chapter reviews, did the study guides, made flashcards, read my notes out loud and I honestly don't know what else to do. I have 2 exams left and one cumulative final (we have 2 labs too, but I've heard from other people that it doesn't even go towards the final grade), and I'm starting to freak out. I knew from the beginning that a 4.0 is a little too ambitious of me to shoot for, so I was aiming for a 3.0. I am learning about metabolism, cellular respiration and all that fun stuff now (which is a lot harder) now and I don't know how I'm going to memorize all of this. If I read the chapter, I always end up not knowing what I just read, but if I hear the professor lecture, then it all makes sense to me. (He doesn't allow students to record his lectures).

I used to be able to hack the science classes in high school, and now I'm finding that I can't even remember what the properties of a hydrogen-hydrogen bond are (and this is an intro bio class about cells and molecules). I know to entirely give up on going to med school because of one exam score, is ridiculous and a foolish way of thinking, but I can't help but question my career goal. But then again, all of the professor ratings indicate that this professor's exams are next to impossible and the bio classes at this university are known for being extremely difficult. The exams are extremely detailed and there is no review session for the exams, recitation, nothing. (Even better, I'm taking a course that covers 14 weeks of material in only 7 weeks). I'm done with my freshman year of college and this is the first college science class I've taken (a summer class, which may or may not be good).

Please offer me some reassurance and some study tips. I am freaking out. I don't know if I'm being too tough on myself because it was the first exam and I didn't know what to expect, or if my performance was due to test taking anxiety (which I do have) or if I am simply overreacting.

 

[armybound]

Most people struggle at some point. You'll learn how to be a better student as you practice in college.

Be honest with yourself and ask if you really studied as much as you should have. If not, do it more. If you really don't get it, ask someone in class to help you out, or find a tutor. Or go by the professor's office and ask him to help you understand that stuff.

 

[MonkeyNuts!]

RAWWWWWW THROW THE TOMATOES

You gotta be ****ing kidding me. You are concerned with doing average - yes average because of the standard deviation - on an exam. In one class. And questioning whether you want to be a doctor.

 

[mfrenkie]

You throw tomatoes, I'll throw tomatos.

 

[omegaxx]

> I've done the chapter reviews, did the study guides, made flashcards, read my notes out loud and I honestly don't know what else to do.

Maybe these techniques don't really work for you or for this class. Different classes and different people require different studying techniques.

Personally, I've always found the most important thing for scoring well in exams to be attending the lectures and reviewing the lecture notes thoroughly (i.e. making sure I understand every fine detail, making sure everything makes sense and all equations are balanced, knowing what level of details is not required and drawing mental blackboxes for them, knowing all assumptions the professor made and when they do not hold). Textbooks and study guides are only useful in supplementing the lecture notes.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Please offer me some reassurance and some study tips. I am freaking out. I don't know if I'm being too tough on myself because it was the first exam and I didn't know what to expect, or if my performance was due to test taking anxiety (which I do have) or if I am simply overreacting.

1. Goto a bar
2. Drink for 3 hours
3a. Find a member of opposite sex w/o an STI
3b. If 3a doesn't work then call a cab and go home to sleep
4. Take member of opposite sex home and have fun.

 

[annihilatorpro]

Wow, you have 2 more exams, AND a cumulative final. You've got so many more points left, there's no reason to freak out yet. Take copious notes during class, review them right after class, and you'll be fine. I, on the other hand, am freaking out because all I have left is a cumulative final for my genetics class, and I have a C right now.

 

[DrBowtie]

For Bio classes, repetition is key. Read each chapter or go over your notes multiple times until you know the stuff cold. Making note cards and other things can be huge time sinks. Focus on high yield information you know is important.

 

[63768]

For Bio classes, repetition is key. Read each chapter or go over your notes multiple times until you know the stuff cold. Making note cards and other things can be huge time sinks. Focus on high yield information you know is important.

^^^ exactly. this is my formula for success.

 

[durfen]

Com'on, I got straight B/B+'s all the way through Bio and most of physics chem. Still got in. Granted I got better grades as an engineer, as you would probably in your humanities courses.

 

[carina nebula]

i will have some sympathy....

but yes, you do need to take a deep breath and look at the big picture. 1 class, 1 test. this does not mean you're not cut out to be a doctor. it takes a lot of people a while to find their "study groove."

that being said, i find making flashcards helpful and then walking all ovver town with them....going out focuse my mind more. i also memorize while i'm running on the treadmill. for me, as above, repetition is key--i read things over and over and over again, til i know them like the back of my hand.

good luck!

 

[Revilla]

What kinds of tests does the professor give? When I took my Intro Bio class, I struggled at first. My first test grade was a solid C (below the class average, just like yours). I went to the professor's office. She sat down with me for two hours, going over the exam question by question and helping me map out a strategy for the next exam. I formed a study group with two others who also scored below the average. We met twice a week an hour before class. We quizzed each other, not just on memorization-type things (our teacher used a national test bank which included all critical thinking questions and zero memorization questions). We made each other actually explain things (how DNA replication works, what enzymes are used, what are the different viral cycles and why are they important, what are the steps of cellular respiration and what actually happens in our own words, etc.).

After the second exam, the class average fell and my score began rising, as did the scores of my two study partners. We began getting more requests from classmates to join our study group and we took a few more. By the third exam, three out of the five of us had the highest grades in the class.

We ended up with five exams in this course (including the final) and that C was my lowest by a wide margin. I ended up with an A in the course.

I think you should meet with your professor, figure out why you missed what you missed and what you can do to not make the same mistakes again. If you can, get a study group together. I found that talking things out and explaining the concepts to someone else really helped me *learn* them, which was the key to my professor's exams.

Good luck!

 

[tacrum43]

First of all, don't read too much into one test, even if the professor says it's the one the students do best on. Maybe some people give up trying to get an A or a B after that and study less for the next ones.

I would advise finding out why you didn't do as well as you would have liked. Are the tests returned to you? If not, I would ask the professor if you can review your exam. It is important to see where and why you missed points. You might also see if there are old exams available that you can look at.

Going to office hours can really help too. Go three times a week if you have to. Besides helping you understand the material, it also gives you hints as to what the professor deems to be important (as does studying old exams).

Good luck. Your class sounds tough, and with a tough professor too. Hang in there. 👍

 

[jstuds_66]

You throw tomatoes, I'll throw tomatos.

Ha Ha Ha! This comment deserves a standing ovation!!!

 

[tabularasa]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm planning on asking a girl who sits next to me to be study buddies after what happened today.

I went over my exam with my prof and I made some really stupid mistakes. I didn't read the answers *carefully* (valance proton shell instead of valance electron shell for example). He said I should rewrite my notes and make flashcards for the definitions. He didn't explain the answers in depth, he just told me the right answers (which I already knew).

Also, I was pretty upset with him today because he let class out a half hour early and I had asked him if he could go over the cycles of cellular respiration a little bit slower (step by step) because I was confused and he told me that he already reviewed it 3 times (very quickly though) in class and told me to read my notes. I just felt that if he let out class a lot earlier, I have the right to stay until the actual time and learn the material again if I didn't understand it (it probably wouldn't have taken more than 15 minutes). I wanted him to go over it a little slower because when he asked if we wanted to review it more, everyone said no so he decided to review it in less than 2 minutes and he let class out a half hour early. He even told me that there is a lot of information we have to know, and I didn't feel that he was concerned that I didn't understand the material too well. I'd rather just get a tutor, than seek help from him.

 

[brianmartin]

The biggest lesson you will learn as you progress through your science courses is how to be a self-learner. You need to find out how you learn.

Personally, I hate notecards, flashcards, laminated review cards, refresher books, and all that stuff. My study technique is simple - I get my book, sit down at a table in the library, and read it. Maybe I'll have a notebook for writing things down or doing problems. The key is to be ACTIVE about your learning. Integrate things AS you work through the material. If you see something you don't understand, try to figure it out.

There are no shortcuts, just hit the book, the class notes, go to lecture, and participate in the course. Science is not simple. Everybody goes through the same growing pains. If you made dumb mistakes on the last test, take steps to correct the problem. I've found that doing two simple things allows me to avoid most dumb mistakes - get 8 hours of sleep before the exam, and eat a healthy breakfast at least 2 hours *before* the exam.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

RAWWWWWW THROW THE TOMATOES

You gotta be ****ing kidding me. You are concerned with doing average - yes average because of the standard deviation - on an exam. In one class. And questioning whether you want to be a doctor.

Screw tomatoes, let's throw rocks.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNeq2Utm0nU[/YOUTUBE]

 

[tabularasa]

Screw tomatoes, let's throw rocks.

[YOUTUBE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZNeq2Utm0nU[/YOUTUBE]

I'm a lurker (that's why my join date is from awhile ago, and my post count is low), but now that I am taking my first college science class, I'm going to try to post a little more often. The "tomatoes" thing was something I created because I know a lot of people freak out about grades and make threads ad nauseum.

 

[DropkickMurphy]

I'm a lurker (that's why my join date is from awhile ago, and my post count is low), but now that I am taking my first college science class, I'm going to try to post a little more often. The "tomatoes" thing was something I created because I know a lot of people freak out about grades and make threads ad nauseum.

I know....I'm just giving you grief. 😉

 

[deleted103644]

Haha, this idea is going to sound insane, but I remember it worked for me in high school when I had to memorize countries and capitals - sing it to yourself while you are studying. At the very least you will get people to leave you the hell alone while you're studying! 😛

N.B. Aside from those countries, I never use this method (so please don't assume I'm crazy), I just remember it really worked for memorizing geography.

 

[little pebble]

Thanks for the advice guys. I'm planning on asking a girl who sits next to me to be study buddies after what happened today.

That's what I did. My biggest study tip is to talk it out. We'd study the day before the test, talking everything out loud. It got to the point that I knew things so well, I didn't have to check my notes when the other people in the group were answering whatever I asked them.

And I'm a microbiology major, so I know all about the bio studying stuff.