Studying Biochemistry

[sunshine02]

Do any of you guys have any study tips for biochemistry? If any of you have taken it before, what did you find most effective to study for this class? I've heard that it's a ton of information (Krebs cycle, amino acids, etc etc). Is it best just to read the textbook, go to lecture, take good notes, and study off of that alone?

I am considering taking biochemistry and would like some advice from people who have gone through this class or know how to study for it.

Thanks so much!

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[487806]

Do any of you guys have any study tips for biochemistry? If any of you have taken it before, what did you find most effective to study for this class? I've heard that it's a ton of information (Krebs cycle, amino acids, etc etc). Is it best just to read the textbook, go to lecture, take good notes, and study off of that alone?

I am considering taking biochemistry and would like some advice from people who have gone through this class or know how to study for it.

Thanks so much!

Be familiar with sugar and fatty acid metabolism well. Know the amino acid and nucleotide metabolism well. Biochem is more memorizing if anything else. Your book will help but focus on class notes.

Structures are far easier than metabolic pathways, so be familiar with the structural forms of biomolecules.

 

[Bucanneer]

Having a strong conceptual background in organic chemistry can really help in memorizing some pathways.

 

[ES2]

Having a strong conceptual background in organic chemistry can really help in memorizing some pathways.

This is true, research the professor too, get an idea on what he looks for in his tests. My biochem classes could be studied for effectively with only the lecture slides, but you really had to memorize them.

 

[Granny Watkins]

Do any of you guys have any study tips for biochemistry? If any of you have taken it before, what did you find most effective to study for this class? I've heard that it's a ton of information (Krebs cycle, amino acids, etc etc). Is it best just to read the textbook, go to lecture, take good notes, and study off of that alone?

I am considering taking biochemistry and would like some advice from people who have gone through this class or know how to study for it.

Thanks so much!

Go to class every day - never skip class. Pay attention in class and try to get as much out of lectures as you can. I hardly took any notes because I have recently changed my study methods and this seems to be working for me, but maybe not for everyone(I don't know if you want further info on this study method). Its easy to forget information, so repetition is the key. The slides were posted online and I would read them several times - about 3 times each minimum. I also read the textbook and every corresponding chapter(only once, but the chapters were really short). I made little study sheets where I typed up mechanisms/reactions/metabolic pathways/processes, etc with drawings included. I would try to read the prof's slides ahead of time as well mainly because there's a lot of pressure to keep up with a summer class schedule when it comes to science classes. Start memorizing structures from the first day you learn them. This will give you more time to review conceptual content when exams are approaching instead of cramming and trying to memorize.When I mention memorizing I mean structures. There are some things you shouldn't memorize, but rather learn and understand.

 

[sunshine02]

Thank you so much for the replies! They are very helpful.

Some of you mentioned memorizing structures. Do professors usually tell you which structures need to be memorized or will you need to memorize every structure you come across?

Thanks again!

 

[Bucanneer]

Thank you so much for the replies! They are very helpful.

Some of you mentioned memorizing structures. Do professors usually tell you which structures need to be memorized or will you need to memorize every structure you come across?

Thanks again!

They should tell you which ones to memorize. The structures you must know are the ones from glycolysis,TCA, and other major pathways.

 

[487806]

They should tell you which ones to memorize. The structures you must know are the ones from glycolysis,TCA, and other major pathways.

That really varies from school to school. I never had to memorize the structures of carbohydrate intermediates, but rather just their names and enzymes involved. But I agree that profs will tell you which structures to know.

 

[sunshine02]

Based on the responses, it seems like biochem is mostly a memorization class. Would you suggest doing problems as well, or just understanding and memorizing the information?

 

[Bucanneer]

Based on the responses, it seems like biochem is mostly a memorization class. Would you suggest doing problems as well, or just understanding and memorizing the information?

I just drew things out on a whiteboard with friends while we were studying.... It kinda helps more than memorizing everything by reading.

 

[verynice]

Based on the responses, it seems like biochem is mostly a memorization class. Would you suggest doing problems as well, or just understanding and memorizing the information?

I think this may vary from school to school as someone posted earlier. In my class, we did a TON of buffer problems. And I never had to memorize any of the pathways (that was for biochem 2 and I never took that) but I did have a lot of memory work (stuff like the different types of glycosylation, amino acid structure and charge etc. etc.) I made sure to read every single page the prof went over and that I understood all of the concepts as well because the teacher was all about problem solving.

I usually studied by combing through the book with the powerpoints by my side. Anything I found remotely hard to explain to myself, I would write down on a study guide and just hammer away at it until I understood it.

I ended up with an A which was awesome because that class was a pain! But I did enjoy it. Just after it was over LOL.

 

[sh0rtstop34]

About 3 weeks into the class I had to give up taking notes - the power point slides were straight up paragraph format and it was an hour and 15 min class. That being said I just printed the slides and used them as notes, read the book and did flash cards out of class. My class was high memorization, but the prof tested a lot on understanding the material, not just regurgitation of facts. All in all it was an awesome class, but very different than any of my other Chemistry classes, it seemed more biology then chemistry.

 

[yehhhboiii]

Keep drawing out as much of the pathways as you can from memory until you can do the whole thing. Memorize the structures and how they change.

 

[nateriver]

is it bad to take this class over a summer session?

 

[Koalafied]

Having a strong conceptual background in organic chemistry can really help in memorizing some pathways.

Agreed.

Especially with vocab.(e.g. aromatic, nucleophilic attack, porphyrin, cyclization, condensation, etc.)

So many -ases.

 

[alexlex143]

I drew out the pathways. Over and over and over and over again. It's what worked for me. Lipid metabolism was straight up CRAZY. Definitely devote lots of time to soak it all in. Memorization is easy but when the pathways start to pile on, it can get overwhelming if you haven't kept up. I loved biochemistry though. It's been one of the most useful classes for me thus far.

 

[sunshine02]

For reading biology textbooks in general (not just biochem), do you guys read sections over and over again in order to memorize the material? I find myself doing that a lot b/c if I read it over once, it makes sense but I will forget about it pretty soon. I have to go back and re-read over and over until I memorize it, but this takes a lot of time, especially if there's a lot of reading to complete and hw from other classes.

Is this something you all do as well, or is there a better way of learning the material?

Thanks so much!

 

[Bucanneer]

For reading biology textbooks in general (not just biochem), do you guys read sections over and over again in order to memorize the material? I find myself doing that a lot b/c if I read it over once, it makes sense but I will forget about it pretty soon. I have to go back and re-read over and over until I memorize it, but this takes a lot of time, especially if there's a lot of reading to complete and hw from other classes.

Is this something you all do as well, or is there a better way of learning the material?

Thanks so much!

Forgetting the material the next day is a given. You just have to keep going over it until you memorize it.

 

[Bucanneer]

I drew out the pathways. Over and over and over and over again. It's what worked for me. Lipid metabolism was straight up CRAZY. Definitely devote lots of time to soak it all in. Memorization is easy but when the pathways start to pile on, it can get overwhelming if you haven't kept up. I loved biochemistry though. It's been one of the most useful classes for me thus far.

That's exactly what I did haha.

 

[chongli04us]

Hey OP, biochem BS here. A in intro to biochem, A in advanced biochem, A in immunology and A in signal transduction. TA for biochem, eukaryotic gene regulation and molecular bio.

My tip is simple and this is the only thing you need to know. Think about every mechanism in pictures. Like imagine you are watching things happen from an atomic/molecular view. Alot of my students take days and weeks to memorize a pathway and when I ask them a question out of the context, they have no idea what's going on. Know the general, underlying principle of a pathway, then you are golden.

If you have to resort to strict memorization, biochem/biology is not for you and you might wanna consider some other major. This is the field that people who are not passionate get burnt out easily.

 

[sunshine02]

^^ Thanks! Do you mind giving an example of that? Thinking about every mechanism in pictures has never really been my thing although I've tried in the past.

Also, do you guys mostly go through the lecture notes/textbook once the first time without trying to memorize it, and then go over it several times again? It's just so easy to forget a whole bunch of new information the next day...

 

[shiv92]

I took Biochem 1 and 2 with the same professor. Biochem 1 is memorization but not too much know the amino acids like the back of your hand( not as hard as it seems) and just use logic. The memorization can start with all the metabolic cycles but easily can be remembered by mnemonics and patterns. I remember my last biochem test was basically a pharmocology class...my teacher gave a structure of a molecule and you had to explain how it would work on the enzymatic level along with a matching section where she drew a few molecules (never taught in class) and you had to match it to a mechanism of action. But other tests were relatively simple. The class sequence is enjoyable. Try to take a lab methods class too, I had biochemical lab methods( if your school offers it) while taking biochem 2 and some of the stuff went hand in hand like the urea cycle etc.

 

[Granny Watkins]

Go to class every day - never skip class. Pay attention in class and try to get as much out of lectures as you can. I hardly took any notes because I have recently changed my study methods and this seems to be working for me, but maybe not for everyone(I don't know if you want further info on this study method). Its easy to forget information, so repetition is the key. The slides were posted online and I would read them several times - about 3 times each minimum. I also read the textbook and every corresponding chapter(only once, but the chapters were really short). I made little study sheets where I typed up mechanisms/reactions/metabolic pathways/processes, etc with drawings included. I would try to read the prof's slides ahead of time as well mainly because there's a lot of pressure to keep up with a summer class schedule when it comes to science classes. Start memorizing structures from the first day you learn them. This will give you more time to review conceptual content when exams are approaching instead of cramming and trying to memorize.When I mention memorizing I mean structures. There are some things you shouldn't memorize, but rather learn and understand.

Old topic, but someone recently liked a post I made here, but I have to say to anyone else recently reading this - my study methods have changed and I do not re-read powerpoint slides multiple times anymore. I have a more effective method so, sorry to whoever liked the post but I don't recommend that part.

 

[Green_Goose]

Old topic, but someone recently liked a post I made here, but I have to say to anyone else recently reading this - my study methods have changed and I do not re-read powerpoint slides multiple times anymore. I have a more effective method so, sorry to whoever liked the post but I don't recommend that part.

What do you do now?

 

[Granny Watkins]

What do you do now?

I read the slideshow/presentation once in a lot of detail and try to take in as much info as possible. I stop and look things up when I don't understand. Read the textbook before class (assigned readings). Let's see what else...the only time I will read it again is to check anything when I'm reviewing before the test because I make detailed outlines. I was making A's before, but it was passive learning. When I make A's now they are real A's meaning I don't have to rely on a curve and I retain the info after an exam. That's the long story short - read assigned readings before class, attend class (pay attention), and review lecture after class are the main key steps. I will recommend what else I previously wrote minus the reading of slides multiple times. This works for many courses, not just biochem.

 

[Green_Goose]

I read the slideshow/presentation once in a lot of detail and try to take in as much info as possible. I stop and look things up when I don't understand. Read the textbook before class (assigned readings). Let's see what else...the only time I will read it again is to check anything when I'm reviewing before the test because I make detailed outlines. I was making A's before, but it was passive learning. When I make A's now they are real A's meaning I don't have to rely on a curve and I retain the info after an exam. That's the long story short - read assigned readings before class, attend class (pay attention), and review lecture after class are the main key steps. I will recommend what else I previously wrote minus the reading of slides multiple times. This works for many courses, not just biochem.

Thank you!

 

[Granny Watkins]

Thank you!

No problem. Good luck in your classes.