Biochemistry as a subject assumes that you have capitalized on previous studies in organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, and biology.
Before approaching the study of biochemistry, therefore, you must be sure that you still have a clear understanding of the fundamental concepts of these subjects.
Now that we’ve figured out where your basic knowledge is, we’re ready to go with the real tips, let’s go!
Follow The Lessons And Take Notes
Biochemistry is a rather complex subject, is it its very name that makes you think, or is it just my impression? In any case, in order to provide for this complexity, the first and fundamental advice is to always follow the lessons.
The lesson is a very precious moment in which you can immediately have a direct response from the teacher who, if you do not understand something, is ready to explain it to you. Speaking of the basics of chemistry and biology, it is often the professor himself who makes brief reviews during the explanation in order to get the concept across better.
In addition, in class you have the opportunity to take notes yourself, copying formulas, structures, and reactions that prof. writes on the blackboard. All things you will certainly find in the book too, sure, but using a clever methodology to take notes you will internalize much better!
Another useful tip would be to delegate some of the assignments if you feel an academic overload. An online essay writing service could certainly help you with the written assignments on any topic.
Integrate Your Manual
Exploring the biochemistry textbook is the next step. Once you have collected your notes there are sure to be important topics that will need to be read thoroughly. At this point, your textbook becomes a precious ally in which to go and do all the necessary insights.
Being an extremely dense manual, before venturing into the various chapters you can analyze its structure to explore its contents. Read the titles of the paragraphs, and pay attention to the words highlighted in bold and to the images. Are there summaries or outlines at the beginning and end of the chapter? If yes, then read those before jumping into the text. Trying to answer the questions at the end of the chapter is also a useful exercise, no matter if you haven’t read it in detail yet.
All these pre-reading passages help you better understand how the text is structured and what it is about, so when you really read it, you won’t have any trouble grasping the main concepts and you will already know which topics to focus on.
First Understand And Then Memorize
We know that to study biochemistry you will find yourself in close contact with both many terms to memorize, and passages to understand and explain. At this point in the study, the most wrong thing you could do is try to learn everything by heart, and repeat until nauseated to have the illusion of remembering.
Biochemistry is made up of processes, reactions, and molecules with their structure … When you approach this kind of information, the first thing you have to do is to understand it thoroughly. Repeating is not enough; you must be sure that you have grasped the meaning and the mechanism. The litmus test is to explain the concept, simplifying it, to someone who knows nothing about it.
ALWAYS Review
Not every now and then, not often, but ALWAYS! I will never tire of insisting on the review that is still taken lightly by students, left for the last one week before the exam.
It is scientifically proven that the brain tends to erase the information collected and not reviewed within 24 hours. So, if you study glycolysis today, what do I know and then don’t go through it again for the next two or three weeks until before the exam … you won’t remember much, because by now your brain will have already deleted a lot of the information that concern you.
In a subject like biochemistry, in which everything is connected, it is essential to always keep alive in the memory all the topics you face because then you will need them! So, the review is essential and must be done every day: an hour after finishing your daily program you put yourself there and review everything you have studied. The next day, before starting with the new part, you warm up by going over and then leave loading.
By doing this, the information will always be fresh in the brain and immediately available as soon as you need it!
