Does studying reading the book before lecture help at all?

Question

I really need straight As this quarter to bring up my GPA, and I really need some good methods to help me. I don't wanna sacrifice my social life/friends. Are there any good methods that don't involve studying 8hours a day 7days a week?! I'm an undergrad. Biology major.

Answer 1

Skim over your book and materials before you cover it in depth during class. Read a little bit of the "objectives" while the class is filling up. Then, take good notes and ask questions when you have them. Review the notes every night, and when you have extra time.

Also, just review the stuff already in your head. As you walk to a class, just start talking to yourself about the Krebs Cycle or something. It helps, at least it did me.

If it helps, make some mnemonics. I made one: IMPAT {interphase, metaphase... etc}, so I could remember the order they went into, and then remembered short details about each one that I could extend later on.

Really, unless you are awesome at bio, studying is just going to have to do. If you don't want to sacrifice a social life, learn to study in the intreim when you are not hanging out, instead of wasting your time {such as on the bus, walking, waiting for classes to start, during commercials... etc}.

Hope that helps.

Answer 2

You obviously have been given a syllabus. Read the chapters ahead of time. If the homework was already given out do it before-hand. Getting ahead really helps. Plus it frees up time to study other subjects.

You should be studying 3 hours per credit hour. That means for 16 credits you should be studying about 48 hours a week. That's really only 8 hours a day for 6 days. That's not bad especially if you live on campus.

Trust me I used to think it was hard until I started working. Working 40+ hours and then taking classes. That is much harder.

Don't worry about your friends. Your friends won't be there for you when you have to take the exam. If they're really your friend they will be your friend even if you're too busy studying.

Ask yourself if what you read makes sense. Can you follow the logic? If you can't, then you have to go back. Remember SQRRR? Survey, Question, Read, Recite, Review. Look over the chapter, read the topics and ask what it would be about, try to answer it before you read, then read, then answer the questions you asked earlier, then review it later.

No shortcuts... Sorry :-) Good Luck.

Answer 3

Yes, knowing the basics of the material before the lecture almost always helps. You can ask more pertinent questions, listen more selectively, and reinforce your points.

Think about it. When you've read a book and then seen a movie...versus when you've seen a movie without reading the book first - which story to do you know better?

Actually, reading and studying for pleasure will carve that material into your brain far more than if you're on a deadline where you're thinking as much about the test as the material. Read ahead.

Answer 4

Boy, you chose the wrong major if you don't want to study a lot! You are competing with all of the crazed pre-med students who do nothing else. Yes, it helps a lot to read the book before the lecture. You will be listening to the lecture in the context of the reading, rather than wondering what the professor is talking about.

Answer 5

yes it helps, we have this short term memory that is very useful to students taking exam or graded recitation, and to those who really hate studying long periods of hours. in short term memory, you tend to retain details of what you have read prior to a lecture, which last from days to weeks and even a month.