Preparing for general biology

Started by Hope2008
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Hope2008

Hope2008

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My school uses Biology by Campbell (8th edition) for general biology. Since I have had so much fun in winter break, I am planning to study a bit. What are some good ways to prepare for general biology before the class starts?

P.S. I've already got the book.

Should I just read chapter summaries?
 
Hope2008 said:
My school uses Biology by Campbell (8th edition) for general biology. Since I have had so much fun in winter break, I am planning to study a bit. What are some good ways to prepare for general biology before the class starts?

P.S. I've already got the book.

Should I just read chapter summaries?
Click to expand...

Don't. You wont cover the ENTIRE book in the class and you probably do not want to have any misconceptions about the material before you take the class. Generally, I would advise against reading it. Instead, enjoy the break, you start to loose the time of as you progress in your education.
 
I admire your determination, but in all likelihood you don't need to pre-study. Or even pre-read.

If you're really set on it, either skim through and read about stuff that interests you, or find out what topics your class next semester will be covering and read up on those. My gen bio, for example, covered cell bio/genetics in the first semester, and then physiology/ecology second. Yours might be different. You will almost certainly, however, not use the entire book, and you'll get a feel in class for what you understand pretty easily, what you need to look at more closely, and what kind of topics your teacher likes to focus on and ask about on exams. I'd say read fun books instead.
 
dont pre-study..
however.. feel free to help yourself organize study things..
like.. download powerpoint for chap 1 to 10 or something like that..

but otherwise no reason to pre-study.
 
Reread through the book quickly. Make a note of concepts you fully understood, concepts you need to work on, and concepts you didn't understand at all. Review these concepts using secondary sources, devoting more time to the concepts you struggled with the most. Don't understand the difference between Mitosis and Meiosis or don't remember the respective stages of each? Research it until you understand it.


Patch up your weak areas. By the time your course rolls around, you'll be demolishing it
 
You'll be fine, just prepare to work hard and put a lot of effort once the class starts. However try and enjoy your free time and relax so you can go into the course refreshed.

The kids who did well in Gen bio in my class kept up with readings and made sure to go to office hours or review sessions whenever they misunderstood concepts.
 
Man, I used to be like you and pre-studied for my classes. It really may little to no difference and did more harm than good. General Biology at my school is the major weedout class, so I understand your concern. Just hit the ground running once the semester starts and you should be fine. Oh, and email the professor he may give you the syllabus ahead of time.
 
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* read the chapter summary
* go to the masteringbio site and watch the vids/animations/tutorials/etc. (BioFlix, the Activity tutorials, MP3 sessions, etc. You can skip the OnlineLab, Investigation, etc.)
* go to YouTube to watch more vids explaining a concept
* go to google and search for more vids explaining a concept

Of course, do these once the semester starts! Don't study too much during your break! 😛
 
Yeah, for general biology, I don't really see a need to prepare beforehand. Just enjoy your winter break some more, if you really want to read something, go read some good books for pleasure.
 
I would not suggest pre-reading as preparation for class (as everyone else has suggested 😉 ), but rather, skim through the book and check some things that interest you. For general bio, most of the items you encounter during the first few weeks are often very basic, if not review.

Spend some time doing stuff you want! There will plenty of time to study during the semester.
 
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