Scraping for "A's" in science courses

[mitrieD]

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This may sound like a weird question, but for those of you who get A's in your science classes, how do you study??


I'm not a slacker in school, but it seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't get an "A" in a science class. I've only gotten "A's" in calculus and all of my general ed.

My GPA was 3.7, but now it will be 3.65 because of the B's I got this semester. At this pace, my GPA will keep going down because of science classes....

I read the text book, talk to the professor, and do study guides.

Thanks

 

[yappy]

Do you feel that your level of understanding of the material is greater than your test performance or is your test performance in-line with your understanding of the material?

 

[bing12]

It took me a while to understand it is about efficiency. I pay very close attention to the tendencies Professors may have, but either writing down literally every word they say(bio classes), and seing what they repeat more often as possible questions. As I study, I try to find possible questions that the Proff might ask, which usually includes very similar concepts and understanding the differences between them. I am not a 4.0 student, but the classes I have done very well in ( specifically bio) are the ones that I have done these steps. Take great notes, study 3-4 days before the exams ( or whatever amount of time is necessary for you), and try to guess possible exam questions.

Goodluck

 

[dentalWorks]

This may sound like a weird question, but for those of you who get A's in your science classes, how do you study??


I'm not a slacker in school, but it seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't get an "A" in a science class. I've only gotten "A's" in calculus and all of my general ed.

My GPA was 3.7, but now it will be 3.65 because of the B's I got this semester. At this pace, my GPA will keep going down because of science classes....

I read the text book, talk to the professor, and do study guides.

Thanks

its hard to suggest anything without you telling us which classes your struggling with. Normally if your an A-in-calculus person, your gonna do well in physics, GC, and possibly orgo....

Biology is a different beast.... Many methods are used, and depending on which way you learn best. For me personally, I like to understand the "big picture" instead of memorizing random little facts..... Unfortunatly, the only way to do this is by studying EVERYTHING, every chapter, every lecture, every note taken in class... EVERYTHING. It eats up a great deal of time, but, its how I aced bio courses.

 

[molar3]

you gotta be ocd.
normal advice. & or meet with your profs until u understand the material or until they wanna kick u out of their office.
👍
also study in ADVANCE!!! start studying for your test like a week ahead of time so you have enough time to ask the prof ?s if u dont get something
that way u wont be cramming/stressin the night b4....but this all falls into being ocd

 

[Maygyver]

you gotta be ocd.
normal advice. & or meet with your profs until u understand the material or until they wanna kick u out of their office.
👍
also study in ADVANCE!!! start studying for your test like a week ahead of time so you have enough time to ask the prof ?s if u dont get something
that way u wont be cramming/stressin the night b4....but this all falls into being ocd

Not everyone that gets A's has OCD...

To get A's you just need to put in extra effort. If you don't understand a concept, don't bank on it not being on the exam, go see the professor and ask for help. Use websites to get more information on concepts you don't know.

All of these suggestions don't "fall into being OCD," they fall into being an intelligent, mature student.

In general, you will get the grade you deserve based on the amount of work you put in. Some courses are more difficult for some students. It's all about knowing what you don't know and doing something about it...not being "OCD."

 

[PharmD321]

This may sound like a weird question, but for those of you who get A's in your science classes, how do you study??


I'm not a slacker in school, but it seems that no matter how hard I try, I can't get an "A" in a science class. I've only gotten "A's" in calculus and all of my general ed.

My GPA was 3.7, but now it will be 3.65 because of the B's I got this semester. At this pace, my GPA will keep going down because of science classes....

I read the text book, talk to the professor, and do study guides.

Thanks

LOL, I searched for how to study biology and I got this. Perfect timing 🙂

I am the same way, I just got B+ in college physics 2 while I got a solid C in Human Physiology. Human Physiology is an interesting subject but it is a very challenging course. You have to memorize 16 steps mechanism for the female reproduction system while there is another 16 step mechanism you have to remember for the skeletal muscle contraction. It is a total different ball game here when you compare to physics. Physics is when you can assume a lot. You cannot assume biology, you have to know what is going on.

I am going to change my method of studying. I usually study the night before because the professor doesn't stop lecturing new things even one class before the exam. I did this WRONG. I should have studied a week before like someone on here stated before. If I had time, I would study more the mechanisms and memorize all 16 steps then I would have aced the test. But of course, different biology teachers do differently on how they test their students but the best way to get a good grade is to start studying EARLY and get the first test a high grade. Then you copy the same method you did in the first exam and then use it again for second exam. It is literally like gambling though, you win some and you loose some. Good luck!

 

[customx]

Everyone has different study methods. I had my chem midterm on Monday and didn't start studying for it until Saturday night. I studied about 6 hours on Saturday, and from 6am-midnight Sunday. Then I studied microbiology for 2.5 hours, slept 3 hours, then reviewed chem for an hour. I got a 97/100 on my chem test, but only a B on my micro midterm. I wasn't surprised by the grades since I spent all my time on chem. It just shows you though that if you study in advance you should be able to get good grades.

Read lecture material before you get to class, that way your class will be more of a review. Pay attention to EVERYTHING a bio teacher says. Focus on key words and things they stress. While you study, think about the possible exam questions. I'm always trying to compare and contrast things, visualize processes, structures, etc. In most bio classes there is just way too much info to memorize that you can't just cram it all in during one night

 

[molar3]

maygyver, twas a joke.
👍
sarcasm isnt a good thing around sdn i see ppl be sooo surious.

 

[mitrieD]

maygyver, twas a joke.
👍
sarcasm isnt a good thing around sdn i see ppl be sooo surious.

Don't worry about it. I'm not offended. I kinda think that we should be a little OCD about our GPA's.... thanks for the tips

 

[sacapuntas]

My #1 advice is to discover early on what your professor considers A-worthy work and study to the level to achieve that. For my classes the past semester, my biology professor tested in a manner that you really needed to understand processes and didn't need to memorize details.

He would ask questions like 'A person has acidosis of the blood. Which of the following would be a correct way of correcting the pH imbalance? a. hyperventilating b. hyperventilating into a paper bag c. injecting bicarbonate into their blood stream d. a & b e. a & c'

I really didn't need to memorize material for this, but I had to work out that you breathe out water and carbon dioxide and then had to work out how this would affect blood pH.

So for his class, I studied the big picture and made sure I understood how cellular respiration, photosynthesis etc worked but didn't memorize chemical names and step names etc.

For my Chem class, he was all about testing on the exceptions. He made the class far more difficult that need be, but only because if there was an exception to a rule, that's what showed up on the quiz/tests. Once I figured this out, I made sure to study and review all exceptions to rules he covered more than anything else. This made his tests/quizzes much less challenging.

Sorry for the long post, my only point was that you need to get to know what your professor is looking for and adapt yourself quickly to that.


And by the way, this isn't the easiest thing in the world. Until I had a job where I had to do different work for my 2 different bosses to make them both happy, I never realized that essentially 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and you need to produce to a level of whoever is evaluating you. I never 4.0'd semesters until I started my post-bacc...I used to study the same way for every class.

 

[LittleTomato]

The most important thing I ever do is pick my classes and professors wisely. It's good to ask around to figure out which classes are going to have the 40% average on the exam, or which professor is not worth going to lecture for. I check ratemyprofessors .com before I sign up for anything to make sure my professors are good at teaching and that they enjoy their job. I don't classes with ****ty professors unless they are required. Good professors will be helpful during office hours and make difficult concepts easier to understand.

As far as studying goes, I just take good notes and rewrite those notes multiple times. When you go back over your notes, write in the margins, make pictures and draw diagrams. This increases comprehension. To do just flat-out memorization, mnemonic devices are the best, the more crazy and strange the better. Studies show that you remember most the first thing you study, the last thing you study, and when something is particularly odd (learned this in a psychology class). Discussing class topics with a study group can help comprehension as well, and so can discussing concepts with your prof during office hours.

 

[John Durian]

The most important thing I ever do is pick my classes and professors wisely. It's good to ask around to figure out which classes are going to have the 40% average on the exam, or which professor is not worth going to lecture for. I check ratemyprofessors .com before I sign up for anything to make sure my professors are good at teaching and that they enjoy their job. I don't classes with ****ty professors unless they are required. Good professors will be helpful during office hours and make difficult concepts easier to understand.

As far as studying goes, I just take good notes and rewrite those notes multiple times. When you go back over your notes, write in the margins, make pictures and draw diagrams. This increases comprehension. To do just flat-out memorization, mnemonic devices are the best, the more crazy and strange the better. Studies show that you remember most the first thing you study, the last thing you study, and when something is particularly odd (learned this in a psychology class). Discussing class topics with a study group can help comprehension as well, and so can discussing concepts with your prof during office hours.

It's almost as if we're the same person

 

[bing12]

the most important thing i ever do is pick my classes and professors wisely. It's good to ask around to figure out which classes are going to have the 40% average on the exam, or which professor is not worth going to lecture for. I check ratemyprofessors .com before i sign up for anything to make sure my professors are good at teaching and that they enjoy their job. I don't classes with ****ty professors unless they are required. Good professors will be helpful during office hours and make difficult concepts easier to understand.

As far as studying goes, i just take good notes and rewrite those notes multiple times. When you go back over your notes, write in the margins, make pictures and draw diagrams. This increases comprehension. To do just flat-out memorization, mnemonic devices are the best, the more crazy and strange the better. Studies show that you remember most the first thing you study, the last thing you study, and when something is particularly odd (learned this in a psychology class). Discussing class topics with a study group can help comprehension as well, and so can discussing concepts with your prof during office hours.

+1

 

[Maygyver]

maygyver, twas a joke.
👍
sarcasm isnt a good thing around sdn i see ppl be sooo surious.

Your method of sarcasm is weird...

 

[PharmD321]

I totally agree that different professors expect Different things from you and you have to know what they want. Very good post! This happened to me several times and I didn't realize now that it is literally like working with two different bosses.

My #1 advice is to discover early on what your professor considers A-worthy work and study to the level to achieve that. For my classes the past semester, my biology professor tested in a manner that you really needed to understand processes and didn't need to memorize details.

He would ask questions like 'A person has acidosis of the blood. Which of the following would be a correct way of correcting the pH imbalance? a. hyperventilating b. hyperventilating into a paper bag c. injecting bicarbonate into their blood stream d. a & b e. a & c'

I really didn't need to memorize material for this, but I had to work out that you breathe out water and carbon dioxide and then had to work out how this would affect blood pH.

So for his class, I studied the big picture and made sure I understood how cellular respiration, photosynthesis etc worked but didn't memorize chemical names and step names etc.

For my Chem class, he was all about testing on the exceptions. He made the class far more difficult that need be, but only because if there was an exception to a rule, that's what showed up on the quiz/tests. Once I figured this out, I made sure to study and review all exceptions to rules he covered more than anything else. This made his tests/quizzes much less challenging.

Sorry for the long post, my only point was that you need to get to know what your professor is looking for and adapt yourself quickly to that.


And by the way, this isn't the easiest thing in the world. Until I had a job where I had to do different work for my 2 different bosses to make them both happy, I never realized that essentially 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder' and you need to produce to a level of whoever is evaluating you. I never 4.0'd semesters until I started my post-bacc...I used to study the same way for every class.

 

[marquito]

I take the hardest professors that no one wants because then the means are super low, the competition is easier because this is the class that everyone with late enrollment windows gets, and many people don't go to lecture. I study super hard for the course since it is probably harder than the one with "better" professors. No matter who the professor is, I study just as hard, either way. Studying this hard may barely get me an A in an easy class with an easy professor, but it will get me an A+ in a class with a harder professor.

In my opinion, an "easy" professor = easiest way to get a B. Only if it's curved of course.

 

[AK911Carrera]

Your method of sarcasm is weird...

Or maybe your method of analyzing sarcasm is weird.

Troll face.jpg

 

[promolion]

i memorize everything. for some professor, the answer that seems right is the one i eliminate. the answer that seems wrong is the right answer 🙁

 

[7 Iron]

No one mentioned this but try teaching the material to someone--your roommate, classmate, frat brother.. (lol on that one). With this method you will REALLY see where your comprehension is water-tight and where you need to study more.

 

[sacapuntas]

No one mentioned this but try teaching the material to someone--your roommate, classmate, frat brother.. (lol on that one). With this method you will REALLY see where your comprehension is water-tight and where you need to study more.

Awesome advice, I try to teach my wife what I learned, but she rarely cares. Though she tries to! But you are right, really is a great way to test comprehension!

 

[mfoti1]

I would say, pay attention to everything the professor says, sit in the front row so if you have questions, you can ask them quickly and easily, take notes on everything the professor says, and re type/fix up/overview notes when you get home.
Then by the time the test comes arous, you have all the notes necessary, so transfer all those laptop/paper notes to notecards and study note cards for the test, and you'll be set.

I just got the highest grade on my bio midterm, 250/250 🙂

 

[LAdySuavay]

You may need to take notes or even ask the professor can you record the sessions, This may sound crazy but, if you play the recorder over and over in your car, in your house, in your car- how can you not get an "A" lol I mean anything should go when you are trying to be a dentist lol- think about it- they thought Einstein was crazy lmao!! And he was the smartest man alive-"hint hint"

 

[Maygyver]

You may need to take notes or even ask the professor can you record the sessions, This may sound crazy but, if you play the recorder over and over in your car, in your house, in your car- how can you not get an "A" lol I mean anything should go when you are trying to be a dentist lol- think about it- they thought Einstein was crazy lmao!! And he was the smartest man alive-"hint hint"

When you have multiple lectures a day though, it's not very feasible to keep replaying all of your lectures.

 

[dentalWorks]

When you have multiple lectures a day though, it's not very feasible to keep replaying all of your lectures.

Agreed...

Many of my classes were recorded and posted.... I tried to listen to one of them onetime... I couldn't, it felt like a waste of time. I am not saying its a bad method, its just.... very time consuming

 

[budda10000]

its hard to suggest anything without you telling us which classes your struggling with. Normally if your an A-in-calculus person, your gonna do well in physics, GC, and possibly orgo....

Biology is a different beast.... Many methods are used, and depending on which way you learn best. For me personally, I like to understand the "big picture" instead of memorizing random little facts..... Unfortunatly, the only way to do this is by studying EVERYTHING, every chapter, every lecture, every note taken in class... EVERYTHING. It eats up a great deal of time, but, its how I aced bio courses.

Thats me in a nutshell... unfortunately you get those bio professors that like to test on what are insignificant details rather than broad concepts.... Case in point... my genetics class.. It will go down as my only B in 3 years.

 

[budda10000]

You may need to take notes or even ask the professor can you record the sessions, This may sound crazy but, if you play the recorder over and over in your car, in your house, in your car- how can you not get an "A" lol I mean anything should go when you are trying to be a dentist lol- think about it- they thought Einstein was crazy lmao!! And he was the smartest man alive-"hint hint"

Actually all my bio classes are podcast by the university but i find them of very limited usefulness. Without visual stimulus i get distracted very easily. Office hours w/ TA's and prof. have always been my path to an A.

 

[ll REVOFEV ll]

I probably should have read everyone's responses before I included my own so I wasn't repeating what others have said, but I'm in a hurry right now...have to leave soon for dinner. I don't think that I am a typical student when it comes to studying but I'll tell you what I've done and it has gotten me a 3.912 cumulative and a 3.907 science gpa. First and foremost you must listen in class, pay attention, and take good notes. Ask questions if you don't understand something. Visit professors office hours if you need further clarification. I don't go to professors office hours unless I really have to but always keep that as an option. One HUGE thing for me is to make friends with people in your classes. Ask them for clarification on things. Other students can be a great resource. Other people are usually the ones asking me for help but I find that with helping them to understand the concept or question it really helps me to get it down. Other than that I start studying two nights before the exam. Two nights before the exam I make a handwritten study guide of everything we have went over/are expected to know for the exam. I make sure to include examples of things if I don't understand them very well. That is all I do two nights before the exam usually. The night before, I study for about 6 to 8 hours depending on what class it is for and on how well I know the material before I start studying. This method has worked super well for me but it DOES NOT work for everyone. Most people that are in my classes tell me they study for 3 to 4 days before the exams to do well. For finals I usually study for three days for each one. Three days before I make the study guide for the whole semester/whatever is going to be on the final. Then for the next two days I study for 6 to 10 hours....again depending on how well I know the material and what class it is for. Rewriting everything seems to help make everything stick for me and it makes it so that you don't have to flip through your notes or book to study....you just have to go through the study guide that has everything in one place. Hope this helps and good luck!

 

[mitrieD]

Thanks for all of the tips guys.

I guess I'll really focus on regurgitating and rewriting the information more often...

 

[Maygyver]

Thats me in a nutshell... unfortunately you get those bio professors that like to test on what are insignificant details rather than broad concepts.... Case in point... my genetics class.. It will go down as my only B in 3 years.

Gotta learn to adapt. Different professors stress different things.

 

[dentalWorks]

Thats me in a nutshell... unfortunately you get those bio professors that like to test on what are insignificant details rather than broad concepts.... Case in point... my genetics class.. It will go down as my only B in 3 years.

If you've read my other posts in other threads... I always mention how much of a nasty time I had with genetics BECAUSE OF that very thing you just described.

But like Maygyver just recommended.... I had to adapt.... I still studied the big picture and learned genetics the way I wanted, but I also memorized every little detail (spent a great deal of time with this class). This professor was so horrid, he sometimes asked questions from the numbers in the captions under a picture from any random page of the assigned chapters... It could be like "In the fruit fly experiment where the eye genes were knocked out, how many flys didn't have eyes"... the answer choices were like "566, 567, 568, 569" lmao

 

[budda10000]

Gotta learn to adapt. Different professors stress different things.

Yea no... ive pretty much just given in to being a genetotard. I score below avrg on exams against the same students I place 2 SD higher than in every other class. Good thing im not going to be a geneticist.