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abs-studies:

Hey, everyone! I’m planning to make a part two to this post very soon with links to helpful resources! This post is intended to help those in an introductory college level or AP level bio class. Please note that there are always exceptions to any tips I may offer, depending on your personal strengths/learning style and your specific class, so use common sense when applying this stuff, but don’t be afraid to try something new!

General Stuff

• the hardest part of biology for most people is thinking in a way they aren’t used to
  
• some concepts can be pretty abstract and intimidating at first
  
• fear not!!!! it seems scary, but if you really dedicate yourself to it, you can excel in your bio class!
  
• the trick that is helping me most in my class is using a combination of study strategies for different purposes

Use Flashcards Responsibly

• flashcards may seem great, but be careful with them
  
• biology isn’t always just a bunch of vocabulary words, it’s more about processes, and how things affect other things
  
• for topics like photosynthesis, cellular respiration, meiosis and mitosis, etc., flashcards are possibly the most ineffective thing you can do
• however, if you swear your life on flashcards, I’ll be making a post very soon on how to use them effectively, so stay tuned!

Do More Than Summarize

• sort of like flashcards, summarizing usually doesn’t work well with bio topics
  
• using photosynthesis as an example, it’s great to have an overview of what happens, but you won’t understand it until you go into the details
  
• you don’t have to know every detail of photosynthesis in an intro course, but you should have an idea of what happens in each step, what reactants and products are involved, where each step takes place, etc. 
  
• this may seem actually like a summary once you take higher level courses, but again, for an intro class, this may be your first time learning that there is such thing as a reactant, so they’ll be newer details!
  

Approaching Processes

• here are a few questions to as yourself when learning processes (such as photosynthesis)
• what does the process start with? what does it end with? (reactants and products, or number of cells in the case of mitosis/meiosis, for example)
• why does this process take place? why does it help the organism?
• in which types of organisms does this process take place?
• is this process similar to another that I have/am learning about?
  
• where does the process/each step take place?
• what is required for the process/each step to take place?
• what is the name of each step?
• what happens in each step?
• what problems may prevent the organism from undergoing the process?

Studying

• be sure to take plenty of notes during the lecture, and pay close attention to any repetitive words and phrases
• try to relate each new topic to something you learned in the past
• use online resources, such as videos and study guides
• (my next post in this series will be a giant master post of videos for each topic, so stay tuned for that!)
  
• if you do use videos, most of them will have lots of visuals for processes
• try to copy them from memory (or try making a mindmap using what the video’s visual showed you)
• basically, just try to get visuals of things step by step, and challenge yourself to redraw the process in whatever way makes sense to you
• read your textbook and compare it to the notes from your lectures
• do the practice questions at the end of each chapter
• don’t just look at the questions and go through the answer in your head and shrug and move on. Rewrite/type the questions, answer them one at a time, and then explain why your answer is right. If you aren’t sure of the answer, use your textbook and notes to help you answer it.
• if you get an answer wrong, do some more reading and reanswer the question
• never feel bad if you get an answer wrong! You can learn from your mistake 
• mindmapping can be really effective, especially with processes

Labs

• do your best to participate as much as you can during lab
  
• don’t rely on your lab partners for the answers to any questions/worksheets you have to work on during class
  
• the process of looking for the answers will really help you learn the concepts! Most of the time, the answers are written right in your lab book (if you have one), it might just take some looking.

Tests

• make sure you’re prepared. Have a scantron if you need one, pencil/pen, eraser, etc. Nothing’s worse than being distracted during a test due to not having what you need
• preview the test; look over the whole thing
  
• it’s really easy to get to number 3 and see that it’s hard, and then freak out about the whole test
  
• answer the easiest questions first. This will boost your confidence and possibly help you remember what you need to answer the more difficult questions
• when doing short answer or essay questions, try to incorporate any scientific terms that you learned in class
• I’m not saying you have to sound like a textbook, but using key phrases can really help you get the full credit for those questions
• remember what I mentioned above about having images of processes in your head? The step-by-step visuals? Draw them out on the test for reference. This way, you can see where different things occur, what reactants come into play where, etc.
• if there’s no space on the actual test, ask your professor if you are allowed to use some scrap paper
• (you may want to ask before test day)

Other Stuff

• don’t be afraid to go to your professor to ask for extra help
  
• most teachers are more than happy to help, and they love to see students that put in effort
  
• it may be worth looking to see if your school offers tutoring! Many schools offer it for free
• some topics in bio are more difficult than others. Try not to be discouraged if you’re struggling with something!
  
• try reexplaining what you’re learning to someone else
  
• I explained cellular respiration to a classmate to help him study. The information really stuck with me, and it also gave me a little confidence boost
  

Feel free to send me an ask if you have any questions or requests for posts. Happy learning! 

My other masterposts:
How to Earn Higher Grades
Setting Study Goals
Top 10 Study Tips
Math Help (part one)