Thursday, November 24, 2011

Succeed As A Science Major

Biology lab photograph


Attending a college or university as a science major is a different experience from majoring in many other subjects. Unlike majors in which you can memorize and regurgitate information, you can only succeed as a science major by actually learning the concepts as they are taught. You cannot cram for your science exams and expect to be successful by the end of the term. Here is succeed as a science major.








Instructions








1. Learn the science vocabulary terms. The sciences have keywords that you must learn to succeed as a science major. Pay attention to the root words because those will help you decode new vocabulary words as you encounter them.


2. Recognize that science concepts build upon one another. A science major is not one that you can succeed in if you cram for your tests the night before. Each concept builds upon the next. You need to keep up with the lessons as you go so that your study time for each science test is a review rather than learning new information.


3. Grasp general concepts before tackling more specific ones. For example, you need to understand what factors identify an insect before you are ready to move on to the factors that identify an ant. Start with the big picture and work toward the details.


4. Attend all labs. Labs are offered to help the student take the theoretical information they learn in the science classroom and apply it in a hands-on way. In order to grasp fully what you are learning as a science major, you need to attend and participate in all labs.


5. Take pictures of everything you do in the labs. Bring a camera to the labs and take pictures of what you are doing as you go. You can study the photos to help you remember what you did as you study for your science exams.


6. Look up and learn unfamiliar words. When you come across a word you do not know, whether in a lecture or in the textbook, look it up in a dictionary. You are going to need to know what the word means in order to understand what is being taught in your science classes.


7. Review all notes. When you study for a science exam, review all of your notes from the textbook, lectures and labs. Some people will even rewrite their notes to assist them in remembering the notes. Do not limit yourself only to the notes since the last test. Be sure to look over all notes from the beginning of class.


8. Learn the material in your non-science classes well. For example, science majors need a strong math background in order to succeed in their science classes. They also need to grasp concepts about other areas of science that are not part of their major, such as understanding chemistry and physics to succeed as a biology major.

Tags: science major, your science, cram your, notes from, science classes