How to Succeed in Bio 41C

Listed below are some suggestions on how to get off to a good start and how to succeed in this course. Remember, the trick is to sustain a consistent and significant effort toward this class each and every week of the semester.

1. Before coming to lecture read the assigned reading. Reading beforehand will familiarize you with the material presented in lecture so that you will not be hearing it all for the first time. This preparation should also help you take better lecture notes. After the lecture, return to the text and note the sections that were presented. Play particular attention to these sections when preparing for an exam.

2. Come to every lecture and participate actively. The material in this course will be unfamiliar at first, so it is not enough just to be physically present at a lecture. To be an active participant you must listen attentively, take thorough lecture notes, and ask questions when they arise.

3. Go over your lecture notes after each lecture and identify any remaining questions. Within a few hours of a given lecture, quickly review your lecture notes. Note points that were unclear or raised questions in your mind. Taking several minutes to “correct” and/or annotate your lecture notes on a regular basis is very important because the exam questions are taken from material presented in lecture.

4. Go to your professor’s office hours with questions. Once you have identified questions in either your reading and/or lecture notes, go to the professor’s office hours to clarify these problems as soon as possible. Don’t wait until a just few days before an exam; instead, keep up on a consistent basis. Ask your professor about questions you missed on exams if you are still not sure why you missed them. Similar questions may reappear on the final exam!

5. Get a tutor. Because the course material is cumulative in nature, it is important to seek help early if you are having difficulties mastering the material.

6. Form a study group. Because your performance in this course is determined on a fixed grading scale, you are not in competition with any other student in the class for grades. Take advantage of this situation and form a study group that meets on a regular basis. One of the very bests ways to learn something is to explain it to someone else.

7. Think up your own exam questions. Return to your lecture notes and reading to devise exam questions to test yourself and members of your study group. If you can’t to design a good question on a given topic that should tell you that you need to study this topic in greater depth.

8. Course material in Bio 41C is cumulative. Your mastery of material early in this course is essential to learning subjects presented later. All of the topics covered in Bio 41C are related to one another. These relationships will be reflected in the cumulative final exam for the course.

9. Go to at least two biology seminars and submit written summaries on two of them for extra credit.

10. Get enough sleep and stay healthy. It is difficult to learn the material if you are using class time to catch up on lost sleep or are too tired to be fully alert. Furthermore, sleep deprivation lowers your resistance to illness. You will not be excused from an exam or permitted deadline extensions for illness. To avoid these problems, look closely at your time management and think about ways that you can work more efficiently.

I sincerely hope you have a terrific semester in Bio 41C!