<p>I'll be taking Genetics and Biochemistry in Fall.
I'm hoping that those with experience in these subjects can suggest some great tips on how to do well on these courses.
Thanks.</p>
<p>don't cram</p>
<p>There are no secrets to these courses. Each has lots of new definitions to learn and biochem will have new structures and pathways. </p>
<p>As pearlygate said, don't cram. You get behind and you are dead....</p>
<p>But, while you're struggling to learn the definitions structures pathways and such, try to think about the underlying beauty of what you are learning, things such as how amazing some enzymes are, and how elegant genetic regulatory mechanisms are. Hopefully you'll be in classes that emphasize some of the elegance, beauty and mystery of what you are learning.</p>
<p>The key fact in biochemistry is that enzymes can make molecules do anything. They can slow down reactions (which is why we don't burn up when we break down the sugars in our food) or speed them up (which is how we can make copies of our DNA)... </p>
<p>I found the most useful way of approaching biochemistry was to review the lectures and rewrite my notes the evening after class. It was essential as well to keep up with the reading BEFORE class, because otherwise I was lost. I had the great fortune to take biochemistry from Gene Brown at MIT and thus had a truly great lecturer--but even so, keeping up and NEVER EVER skipping class was essential.</p>
<p>Professor Brown gave open-book/bring-anything-you-want-it-still-won't-help tests; they were based on his current research and invariably began with "Postulate a pathway from this molecule to that molecule using known enzymes..." A score of 40 (out of 140 or so) could get you a C (back in the days when C was respectable). I don't know if other professors teach biochemistry the same way, but I found it a very useful way to think (the "postulate a pathway" approach), once I got over the shock of be expected to think, not regurgitate. (I went on to take Professor Brown's graduate courses as well, and actually did respectably.)</p>
<p>Back when I took genetics (early 70s) many of the current complications were as yet undiscovered, but I found genetics to be pretty straightforward; it's a mathematical proposition with limited options. Again, it helps to do the reading BEFORE class and check your notes afterwards.</p>
<p>Id start by reviewing the curriculums of all science courses youve ever taken (biology, chemistry, physics, anatomy, physiology ). Youll start building upon this foundation very quickly. Science disciplines are interconnected and very often its hard to draw a line between different sciences. Once you start recognizing connections between different subjects, you are on your way to success. </p>
<p>While learning biochemistry, try nor to abstract from real life. When you study chemical interactions between particular molecules, try to envision this process, think about their subcellular localization and traffic between cellular compartments, their expression profiles and expression levels in different cells and tissues, about temporal regulation of their expression during the course of development or disease. Think about spatial considerations and tri-dimensional structure of interacting molecules; think about the sources of energy, think about molecular charges and their distribution... In addition to its chemical nature, try understanding the reason for each particular interaction, i.e. why it must happens at that precise location and time. Biochemistry and genetics make a lot of sense; the more you understand, the less is left to memorize.</p>