Shifting to the "hard sciences"

[zird00]

So I, like a lot of you, am going to acquire my pre-reqs through post-bacc study. I have a BS in PoliSci with a minor in Educational Studies. I am almost done with my Masters of Social Work. I had a couple of science classes and a couple of math classes when I did my undergrad. My question is how do you adjust to study for things like chem, bio, and physics? I have been immersed in the social sciences for so long, how do you make the shift to be successful?

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[pcu]

I can't pretend to answer your question with any kind of conviction as I am light on completed hard sciences courses (bio, microbio and A&P 1 and 2 is all I've done) but I do have a related question for others who may open this thread.

How much study time outside lecture is generally required to earn A's in classes like Chem and Physics? I undersrtand this ir probably highly variable but does the old addage that you must study twice as long as your in class time hold true? So if I had 2 hours of chem class a week I would need to study ~4 or so hours a week?

For the OP, my experience in the aforementioned classes that I have taken was generally there is a bit of reading required to conquer certain concepts and then for me at least a certain amount of index card making and memorizing to bang out some minutae. It's all class related though in the sense that A&P was super huge on the memorization side of things and Bio was bigger on some conceptual ideas.

 

[Sol Rosenberg]

What worked for me was:

1. Read the chapters corresponding to lectures BEFORE the corresponding lecture. Make note of any specific questions the you have. Don't spend a lot of time obsessing over things you don't understand (that's what lecture is for, hopefully.)

2. Attend all lectures. Period. This will now be the second time you are seeing the material. Hopefully some of your questions from (1) will be answered, but you'll probably have some more. Write them down. Don't be a schmuck and ask them during class. Take good notes. Review your notes and the lecture content the same day of the lecture, but give yourself a few hours to let it "sink in."

3. Go to your professor's office hours with your questions. Get them answered. Talk to your professors. This time spent with them will come in handy when you need LORs later.

4. Do as many problems as you can stand. Obviously, you have to do assigned problems, but do as many of the other problems as you can. This is especialy true for Physics, Chemistry, and Organic Chemistry, but practice questions will definitely help for Bio too.

When studying for tests, read, re-read, and do problems (see (4) above.) Make sure that you UNDERSTAND everything and are not just regurgitating things that you read. This is especially true for Physics. If you have a good/deep understanding of the concepts, you will be in good shape for your exams. Also, get a good night's sleep before exams. I found that I was less prone to make careless mistakes when I got a good night's sleep.

Best of luck!

 

[pingouin]

I had my MSW for 7 years when I went back to school to do my science pre-reqs. It's a very different shift in thinking and brain power. I had also taken a few science classes in college (about 10 years prior). What helped me was starting slowly, by taking only one class in the subject in which I felt the most confident- Bio I. The next semester I ramped it to 2 sci classes + labs + FT employment.

I agree with Sol that it was imperative to attend every class, and take excellent notes. Flashcards helped a LOT with Organic Chem.

 

[Mimnguyen]

The formula at CSUF, which I think is a good one, is 2h per unit per week.

 

[pcu]

The formula at CSUF, which I think is a good one, is 2h per unit per week.

Ahh yes, that was what I was looking for.

 

[kronickm]

So I, like a lot of you, am going to acquire my pre-reqs through post-bacc study. I have a BS in PoliSci with a minor in Educational Studies. I am almost done with my Masters of Social Work. I had a couple of science classes and a couple of math classes when I did my undergrad. My question is how do you adjust to study for things like chem, bio, and physics? I have been immersed in the social sciences for so long, how do you make the shift to be successful?

I was a philosophy major with only a single gen ed science class in undergrad. I must say I had absolutely no trouble making the transition to these so called "hard" sciences. I am assuming you mean Bio, Chem, Phys, and O-chem 1-2 since these are the med school pre-reqs. Personally I found the science very very refreshing compared to philosophy as far as studying is concerned.

With philosophy I had to rack my brain, and think logically, rationally, anbd critically about very important topics and how I felt about them, and then organize it into a coherent essay. For the sciences all I do is print out a lesson summary, read, memorize, repeat. I must say that I find studying for sciences much easier then doing humanities work due to the fact that very little critical thinking is involved, I find that mindless repetition describes the situation well.

 

[CycleCA]

I was a philosophy major with only a single gen ed science class in undergrad. I must say I had absolutely no trouble making the transition to these so called "hard" sciences. I am assuming you mean Bio, Chem, Phys, and O-chem 1-2 since these are the med school pre-reqs. Personally I found the science very very refreshing compared to philosophy as far as studying is concerned.

With philosophy I had to rack my brain, and think logically, rationally, anbd critically about very important topics and how I felt about them, and then organize it into a coherent essay. For the sciences all I do is print out a lesson summary, read, memorize, repeat. I must say that I find studying for sciences much easier then doing humanities work due to the fact that very little critical thinking is involved, I find that mindless repetition describes the situation well.

Theys say that philosophy majors have higher IQ's than all other social sciences.

 

[kronickm]

Theys say that philosophy majors have higher IQ's than all other social sciences.

yeah if IQ means "innumerable questions"

 

[CycleCA]

yeah if IQ means "innumerable questions"

I liked my logic/critical class. I do see how you'd need a brain to do half that stuff, though.

 

[violet1500]

So I, like a lot of you, am going to acquire my pre-reqs through post-bacc study. I have a BS in PoliSci with a minor in Educational Studies. I am almost done with my Masters of Social Work. I had a couple of science classes and a couple of math classes when I did my undergrad. My question is how do you adjust to study for things like chem, bio, and physics? I have been immersed in the social sciences for so long, how do you make the shift to be successful?

zird00, I am in a similar boat. I earned a BA in English almost two years ago. I want to do a postbac, but I am physically scared of the hard sciences. English comes easy to me, but I have always wanted to be a doctor, and chemistry is a struggle for me. I thrive on challenges, personal interaction, and problem-solving, and I feel like my current job, which I do enjoy, won't provide enough of these things for me in the long run. I did take a couple of prereqs in undergrad...bio went decently, but in chem, with excessive tutoring, I squeaked by with a C-.

I just need to suck it up and get over it, I know! I took my sciences in the beginning of freshman year and was ridiculously unfocused. I'm sure I'd be better at it now. I also need to get the confidence to start taking the classes again, which I am increasingly thinking will mean quitting my job, moving back home, and being a fulltime student....eek!