Hey, all!
So, I’m currently a college student and one of my majors is biology. Of course with this major a lot of science courses are required to earn your degree. So, I was just wondering what tips and tricks you guys have to help someone pass these courses with preferably an A.
There’s no magic to it. Pay attention in class, study, hand stuff in on time, and get As on your exams.
Talk to your upperclassmen as well. They went through the same courses a year or two ago, and generally (barring the occasional major syllabus/professor changes) the class is the same from year to year. They may be able to tell you what’s important, what’s not, the format of the test questions, whether or not exams are a time crunch, etc. If your profs make past years’ exams available to you as practice, this is one of the best ways to prep.
Read, do practice problems, and absorb everything the professor says in lecture. Seek help from the professor or ta when you need it before it’s too late. For some classes, I have found Khan Academy to be extremely helpful.
Don’t be afraid to go to office hours! I’ve encountered a lot of students who don’t go because they think it’s a sign of weakness means they can’t succeed on their own. This is definitely not the case. As a TA, in my experience the students who showed up were the ones who cared the most about the course and were willing to put in the work to succeed. Often, the students who really could have benefited from coming to office hours never showed up.
As a bonus: coming to office hours is a great way to build a relationship with a professor. For me, it led to a summer research position, and then a letter of recommendation for my PhD applications.