Biotechnology/Biochemistry study tips

[BioCore]

Hi everyone,

I usually see people asking for self-study tips or more physics and engineering tips. Well I was wondering if some of the Biochemists could help me out. I am currently applied to a Biotechnology program in the second year. Since Biotechnology takes heavily from Biochemistry I was wondering what tips some of you might have to studying for such courses.

Courses like, Molecular and cellular Biology, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, etc. I would like to be able to study and remember all the information well so that when I finish and get a job will not have problems later on. This has been one of my main problems, study heavily during school time then during summer forget everything and have to repeat large amounts of review.

So what study tips for Biochemistry majors do any of you have?

 

[Indeed]

Pick out an interesting chemistry, ochem book, physics, engineering book. Always have a 'solutions' manual handy. An instructor's solution's manual helps. Now start working the chapter-end problems. This method works, trust me.

BUT

For molecular and cellular biology it is a bit different. It is less mathematical and more memorization intensive (from personal experience atleast). I find biology to be more...tedious...when you want to get back up to speed. Just go through the pages and focus your attention on diagrams. A few pictures are usually worth a few dozen questions! Biology problems are more like algorithms. Like say you're studying the sodium pottassium pump, you have to know how it works backwards and forwards. Try substituting and playing around with the variables, think like a professor who wants to trick his students.

But always keep it simple! Make a formula sheet. If you need to, customize all the formulas for your own preference. Come up with rhymes to memorize formulas. Here's a good one, 'AFter Me' = Acceleration = Force / mass. Or 'rat venemous inked' R = V/I which is ohms law.

 

[BioCore]

Thanks for the tips indeed, I will probably try to get some course textbooks and their solutions manuals.