Formula For Success in Biology 105 – Study Hints

  1. On your first day exchange your phone number with another student. If you miss a class you can call that person about notes, announcements, assignments, etc.
  1. Attend each class – Your exam questions are based primarily on material covered in class. You are expected to master that material. This includes all handouts. Attendance requires you to be on time. Tardiness will seriously hinder your chances to be successful in class. A latecomer also creates a disturbance to the instructor and the other students. Students who are more than 10 minutes late must wait until the break to come in or when the instructor reaches a natural pause in the lesson and invites you in. If your job or family responsibilities keep you from getting to class on time, you should consider switching to another section that is more convenient or withdrawing from the class.
  2. Individual Study – A recognized rule of thumb for study on the college level is two hours of productive study for each hour of lecture time.
  1. Skim through the assigned reading material before you come to class.
  2. Do not try to write down everything sail in class. Instead, listen to what is being sail and write down the main points.
  3. Sometime during the next two days, thoroughly study the material presented in class and jot down questions you would like to bring up in class.
  4. Learn to test yourself. Ask yourself questions that will demonstrate your understanding of the material covered.
  1. Study Group – Students who work productively with others do better on their exams. Ask each other questions to make sure that the members of the group understand the material.

5. Develop an understanding of the material – An understanding of the material is necessary to answer many of the questions on exams. Memorization is not enough. Methods for developing understanding include:

  1. When you study alone or with others, identify the important concepts within the material.
  2. Develop interrelationships between these concepts and illustrate these relationships with flow charts or other diagrams.
  3. Talk to your instructor individually or during organized help sessions.
  4. Try to relate the course work in A&P to personal experiences, currents events or your own conceptions or misconceptions about the body