Hints for Studying

• Our purpose is to serve as your guides as you begin to open your eyes to the wonders of biology as viewed from the molecular world. This is a very exciting time to be studying biochemistry because so many important discoveries are being made each day. If you work at the material, you will be able to share in the excitement. The suggestions below are not meant to trivialize the task before you, but to offer some ways to make it a bit more manageable.
• REMEMBER:
  • It is impossible to memorize everything you will hear about in this course. We will try to point out what is really important to learn.  However, a substantial amount of vocabulary as well as an understanding of chemical functional groups and biomolecular structures are required for understanding biochemical function and application of concepts .
  • Exams are a necessary component in our required assessment of student learning. Despite our best efforts, we know that exams are an imperfect mode of assessment. The most important thing to us, and we hope to you, is your understanding of biochemistry at the end of the course.

Start studying NOW!    

• If you get behind in this course, it will be difficult, if not impossible, to catch up. The rule of thumb is to spend 2 to 3 hours studying outside of class for each hour of class time.
• Start by reading through the posted notes and reading the relevant part of the textbook BEFORE coming to class, but don't get hung up on the details before class.  Your studying begins with your own NOTE-TAKING in class on the posted skeleton notes; when the words and figures are at least vaguely familiar to you before class and you know what’s in the textbook, you'll actually be able to learn much more during the 50 minutes in class, making the class time much more valuable in the context of total study time.
• After class, summarize each lecture in a concise way that emphasizes the concepts covered that day -- no more than 1/2 page per lecture.
• Refine and flesh out your summary as you study before the next class, and use those summaries/study guides as you prepare for the quizzes and exams.
• If you're having difficulty understanding things, come to see the staff during office hours or make appointments to get help

Get into a study group! (This is probably the most important hint.)

• Ask each other questions.  Explaining something to someone else is the best way to learn the material and learn the vocabulary for communicating ideas in biochemistry.  
• Share your summaries with your study group and refine them together.
• You must work with the material to understand it and the best way to do that is work problems, and ask and answer questions.
• Explore the molecular structures on the web page.  This is the best way to get a real feeling for molecular structure.

Concentrate on the material covered in lecture, in the problem sets, and in discussion sections.  Use the notes you take in class on the posted lecture notes, and the problem sets, as your guide.

• Use the textbook to do the assigned reading before the relevant series of lectures, and take the reading question assignments seriously. The textbook will enhance your understanding of concepts covered in class or in lecture notes. It is well-written and may convey context that doesn’t come through in a particular lecture. Often reading another explanation will be very helpful to your understanding.
• Problem set questions are not necessarily intended to provide model exam questions (though that's the case from time to time!) Their purpose is to enhance your understanding of the subject and your ability to use what you're learning, to challenge you, and sometimes to call your attention to concepts not covered in lecture.

Work old exams and extra problem sets.

• These exercises are only helpful if you attempt them before looking at the answers.  
• As with problem sets assigned this semester, extra problems aren't necessarily examples of potential exam questions, but they should enhance your overall understanding of biochemistry.
• Realize that exams are "spot checks" with different questions each semester. It is hoped/expected that what you learn in a month is not all being communicated on a 50-minute exam!

Use email to ask the teaching staff questions, and TALK to the teaching staff. 

• If you get stuck while studying, check the notes and the textbook (use the index), but if you can't find the answer for yourself, then call or send off an email immediately while the question and its context are fresh in your mind.   
• Our job is the help you understand the material, but we can't do that if we don't know your questions.