Undegrad study tips..?

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ChemistryNerd99

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Hey all, I am currently in my second week of my freshman year in college. I never really had to study in high school, but I can already tell that it doesn't work that way in college. So...I am seeking study tips from you guys, specifically for General Biology. I know how to study for Calc and Chem (just do practice problems). So, if you can shed some knowledge on me, that'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks

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Hey all, I am currently in my second week of my freshman year in college. I never really had to study in high school, but I can already tell that it doesn't work that way in college. So...I am seeking study tips from you guys, specifically for General Biology. I know how to study for Calc and Chem (just do practice problems). So, if you can shed some knowledge on me, that'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks

I made tons and tons of flashcards for Bio. But rather than putting terms on them, I put categories. So like for example you could make a card for "membrane bound organelles."
There's a learning curve for sure first semester but you can do it! Best advice I was given was treat studying like it's your job; while you may only have 2 hours of class a day, put in 8 total hours of school work and you'll be successful.
 
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For my general bio class, I took really detailed notes and drew any important diagrams/figures and would try to go over them a lot before a quiz or exam. It really depends on how your teacher teaches and a lot of trial and error until you find what works best for you. Khan Academy and Crash Course (on Youtube) really helped me review for overarching concepts and to hear the information explained a different way. I hope you find what works best for you!
 
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If you have not already, take a learning style questionnaire of some form (VARK is one that comes to mind). Learning what worked best for me was an incredibly valuable tool that I used for the remainder of my time in college. I am a STRONG reading/writing learning style, so I catered my studying based on this. After taking the quiz, find ways to utilize this knowledge best while studying to ensure productivity with time. I.e. I am a terrible visual and auditory learner, so I never watch videos while studying.
 
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Flashcards worked well for biology (at least for me). Relate concepts together.
 
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I'm a junior and this has worked better for me than any other thing I tried, but everyone is different.

I upload the powerpoints or notes or whatever into OneNote (Microsoft program) then I read the notes and the book and write stuff from the book in blue text, then go to class and take notes in red text of what the teacher says. So I have the powerpoint, book notes, and class notes all in one place. Then I use that to make Anki cards which I review the day after usually (so I have time to forget). It's been working well so far and is WAY easier than cramming for some classes the day or few days before.
 
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