For you A students...

[workintorn]

I have been out of school for a couple years and now I am back in. In the past I got mostly B grades but I am looking to get only A grades now. Now that I'm starting all of those science classes, they are killing me! My Bio instuctor says our first exam is going to be a "bloodbath" and I believe him because because he makes all of the quizzes hard. Tell me... what kind of things did you do to recieve an A and what little hints do you have to make me a better student...

[Scooter321]

Well, to start with I never had an instructor who scared the bejeebers out of us with promises of bloodbaths. LOL! Seriously, though, I think there were/are a variety of things that helped me. The first one is motivation. As you can see from my profile, I'm no spring chicken, know that this is what I really want and am willing to do whatever it takes.

Secondly, I figured out what helps me study--what kind of "learner" I am. For me, listening makes all the difference. I record some classes (particularly the sciences), put them on my ipod and listen again when driving to school. I downloaded a bunch of free podcasts, mostly instructors in other colleges teaching my subject-de-jour, and get another perspective that way.

Also, flash cards work well for me. I purchased some once and found them almost useless. Figured out that it is the act of creating them as much as actually studying from them that does the trick.

No matter what else was going on in my life (I work full time and have a family, although they're not little kids), I never missed a class or was late.

Try not to take on too much at once, and if you can, spread out the "tough" courses by taking just one science class at a time, filling out your schedule with the less-intensive subjects like psych, sociology, English, etc. If it's too late for that and you are already doing more than one science this semester, just be sure you stay on top of them. Read ahead so you will fully understand what is being discussed in class. Do not let yourself fall behind, and try not to look too far ahead. Get through this exam. Then work on getting through the next one. Don't freak yourself out by worrying about the mid-term, final, labs, etc., until you are close enough to be able to actually do something about them (study/review because they are coming up soon).

Most of all, be proud of yourself for every achievement. Yes, an A is great, but it's not the be all and end all, even in this competitive field.

And enjoy the process. If you want it badly enough, you can be a one day.

[Kamdyn]

i agree completely with the other poster. i was going to give you all the same advice! the three main points i was going to cover were 1) don't allow yourself to fall behind. i think this is the #1 downfall of most students. once you get behind, there is not much of a chance of catching up and your grades will suffer the rest of the semester. 2) use all of your resources. your books, websites, classmates, tutors... there's no excuse not to understand something if you take the time to research it. 3) i know this sounds time consuming, but if you do it, i promise it will make your science classes easier-stay a chapter ahead of your teacher. if you read the chapter before you're lectured on it, it helps solidify the information. i generally go over every chapter at least 3 times. once before, during the lecture, and before the exam.

good luck!!!

[thmpr]

I wish I had asked Scooter and Kamdyn for help when I started taking college science classes! I spent so much time trying to figure out how to study that I became exhausted. Their ideas will work with your life. You can multitask.

Listening to an iPod is brilliant. I am a kinesthetic learner so this would benefit me if I was walking or knitting while listening. When I needed to memorize something I either copied it in my own words from the text or used flash cards while walking. I always studied at the same times each day and never took my book to bed with me. Most of my books had online practice tests that were REALLY helpful for me.

I missed questions on my first micro exam because I didn't understand what was really being asked. I asked my instructor to help me with comprehension of test questions. She spent some time with me on one of her old exams.

And the most important thing I learned that helped me was to take care of myself. If I didn't eat well, exercise, and get enough sleep I didn't have energy to study or retain information in class.

Don't forget to have fun!

[peytonsmom]

I agree that knowing your learning style will help 1000%. I'm almost a total visual learner. If someone gives me instructions verbally I have to have them repeated a few times, but if I read them I get it right away.

Flashcards have done wonders for me. I have gone through three packs of index cards already just for the first 5 weeks of A&P I. I write everything out in question form w/ the answer on the back so I can quiz myself on them. For instance, if you read in your book that RNA has Uracil instead of Thymine like DNA, I would write on one card "What does RNA have that DNA doesn't" and on the back of the card I would write "Uracil" and then do another card in the same way for DNA.

ANother one is using every avaliable minute you have for keeping up and studying. I have a one hour commute each way to work every day. So I bought a digital voice recorder and read my flashcards into it and then I can save those files to my computer and burn a CD to listen to in the car every day. I can also put those files on to my ipod to listen to when I exercise. even though i'm not a big auditory learner, if I listen to things enough times it will sink in.

Another one is to not wait until the test is nearing to start studying. Quiz yourself every night on what you've learned and in the end you'll retain a lot more than if you try to cram it all into your brain in a week (learned this one the hard way!).

[possiblefuturenurse]

the best thing i have found so far is flashcards. make as many as u need w/ the question on one side & answer on the other..hopefully u will have some sort of review. Go through them and put the ones u answer correctly in one pile and the ones u miss in another. Dont stop until you have all of them in one pile!

[ToxicShock]

I read the chapters in advance and take notes by hand. I go through my hand notes and type them up. I take hand (or computer) notes in class, and then re-write them when I get home. I also make flash cards and make up mnemonics, when applicable.

You need to fully understand the material, instead of just memorizing it. Obviously this may not always work, but if you can explain something (like metabolism, for example) to someone who has no idea what you're talking about, and get them to understand it, then you know you're on the right track. If it doesn't make sense to them, or to you, go back over it.

Ask lots of questions in class. Don't feel "stupid" if you don't get something. Chances are, you're not the only one, and others are just too scared to ask the question for fear of what their classmates may think. Remember that there are no stupid questions... just stupid people Haha, nah, the only stupid question is the one you did not ask.

Good luck :)

[Shirt]

Great tips!