How to Be Successful in Your Introductory College Courses

Date
10/11/18

By Kamakshi Katwala, 2018-2019 SCS Student Advising Leader:

Being a student in the School of Chemical Sciences on the pre-medicine track requires an incredible amount of hard work and dedication. Every bit of information you learn in your courses from the moment you enter college and take your introductory science courses will be tested on the MCAT and will help you excel in medical school. Here are some tips on doing well in these introductory courses along with the rest of the intensive courses you will be taking throughout your college career:

First, take notes. You may believe that this is a given; yet, I cannot stress this enough. Taking notes one way may work for your MCB 150 course, but you may have to take an entirely different approach for your CHEM 104 course. For example, for MCB 150, taking notes in class never worked for me, and I felt more prepared by taking notes from the lecture slides right after class, whereas for my Chemistry classes, in-class, diligent note-taking worked best. Figure out the best way for you to take notes for each class, and studying and doing well should be a breeze.

Second, do not skip class. Even if you feel like your professor rambles or just reads verbatim what is on the slides that will be posted online, you should still go. Spending time in those lecture halls will put you in the mindset of learning the material and subconsciously, you will be learning something. Additionally, professors tend to sometimes emphasize or even directly tell you material that will or will not be on the exam, which is always good to know.

Third, S T U D Y. I can't emphasize this enough. I have a professor who constantly says, "consistency is the secret sauce to success", and he is absolutely correct. Students who do a little bit of work for each class every day are more likely to retain more information and get better exam scores and overall grades. I only learned this my sophomore year of college but learning how to work and study every day saved me so much time, especially during exam weeks. You don't have to be the college student that stays up all night, chugging Monster, trying to cram every bit of information in your head; instead, you can be the student who can just review the last bit of information before exam day and go to bed by 10 pm.

Fourth, do not be afraid to ask for help. Professors and teaching assistants have many office hours, and even if you're unavailable during those hours, they are willing to meet beyond those times to go over anything you need to discuss. I have utilized endless office hours and tutoring resources for topics that I may not have understood properly, and going to them has greatly contributed to my academic development.

While there are many more things you can do to excel in your courses, these are definitely the most important things to keep in mind. Your courses in Chemistry and other sciences are extremely important for succeeding in the medical field, or whatever your career goals may be, so stay on top of your work and go above and beyond to try to get the best results in your courses.