study tips for life sciences

Trying to learn the life sciences can feel like drinking from a firehose. Between biology, anatomy, and biochemistry, the amount you have to memorize is enough to break you.

If you think you can get by just reading the textbook, you're in for a rough time. You'll start to recognize the terms on the page, but that's a trap. Recognizing a word isn't the same as understanding it well enough to apply it on an exam. You have to be active. You have to connect the ideas.

It's a web, not a list

Biochemistry, especially, is all about pathways and cycles. Everything connects. If you try to learn each step of glycolysis as a separate fact, you're going to fail.

You have to be able to draw the major pathways from memory. It sounds like a pain, but it's the only way. Start with the key molecules and enzymes, then link them. The names of the molecules are often clues to their function, so learn the naming conventions first.

This same rule applies everywhere. When you're studying anatomy, don't just memorize the name of a muscle. Ask what it does. Connect the structure to the function. That's how you turn a dry fact into a piece of a logical system you can actually remember.

Use it or lose it

Reading your notes over and over is probably the worst way to study. Your brain needs to be forced to retrieve information. It's called active recall, and it's everything.

How to do it:

• Test yourself. All the time. Don't wait for the exam. Use flashcards, do practice questions, and try to explain concepts out loud without looking at your notes.
• Teach someone. Find a study partner and take turns explaining concepts to each other. You'll find the holes in your own understanding pretty fast.
• Explain it simply. Try to explain a complex topic in the simplest terms you can, like you're talking to a kid. This is called the Feynman Technique, and it forces you to get to the core of the idea.

I remember spending a week trying to learn the Krebs cycle by just re-reading the chapter. It was a total blur. One afternoon, my history-major roommate walked in, and on a whim, I tried to explain the whole thing to him using his Honda Civic as an analogy for acetyl-CoA. He had no idea what I was talking about. But the act of forcing that weird connection made the cycle stick in my head for good.

Space it out

Cramming is useless for long-term memory. You might pass one test, but the information will be gone a week later. To move knowledge into your long-term memory, you have to use spaced repetition.

Study in shorter bursts over a longer period. Review your lecture notes within a day. Look at them again a few days later, and again a week after that. Each review strengthens the neural connections. It's much more effective than one 8-hour marathon session.

Draw everything

The life sciences are visual. You can't learn cellular structures or anatomical diagrams from text alone.

• Draw it yourself. Redrawing diagrams from your textbook forces you to see the details and how they fit together.
• Make flowcharts. Use visual aids like mind maps and diagrams to organize information and see the connections.
• Watch videos. There are thousands of animations online that bring static textbook diagrams to life. GetBodySmart is a good place to start for interactive anatomy.

One piece at a time

Trying to learn an entire system at once is a recipe for burnout. Break complex topics into smaller chunks. Focus on understanding one piece before you move to the next. This is especially true for anatomy—focus on one region of the body at a time. It's the only way to stay sane.