Physiology 335

Study Tips

Physiology is a difficult course, covering a large volume of challenging material. Below are a number of suggestions you might consider that will facilitate learning the material and performing well on exams:

1. Come to class. The best guide for understanding which concepts are most important and how they will be applied and examined is to attend lecture. Exam questions are written with reference to the content of the lectures, not the textbook or print notes. Studies have shown that you remember only 10% of what you read, but 20% of what you hear. So show up, listen and learn more.

2. Come to class prepared. At a minimum, this means reading ahead the section of the print notes to be covered that day. Reviewing the previous day's notes as well will further prepare you for the lecture. Bring your print notes to lecture, as well as blank paper, and pens (2 or 3 different colors, preferably).

3. Come to class prepared to participate. Don't just sit and stare at the print notes. Be active and take your own notes. Often figures will be drawn on the board to clarify the material that are not in the print notes. Draw them, and it will aid your understanding. You remember even more of what you write than what you read or hear. When the lecturer poses a question, do your best to answer it. Raise your hand, or just shout the answer out--either way your efforts will be appreciated and will pay off (you remember 70% of what you say!).

4. Don't put off clarification of lecture concepts. Physiology is a complex and difficult subject to teach as well as to learn. There will be times when you walk out of lecture without a clear understanding of a concept that was covered. You have several sources for clarifying the concept, and should seek them out as soon as possible: read about it in the text (it's an excellent book), see your teaching assistant (they're excellent as well), or contact the lecturer for further discussion (numerous office hours are sceduled for this exact reason). When the concept has been clarified, go back to your notes and write out an explanation for yourself so the understanding will still be yours when exam time comes around.

5. Don't fall into a destructive exam pattern. Don't cram for exams the night before. Allocate a few hours of study time per day, beginning at least 3 or 4 days before (keeping up eliminates the need for "all-nighters"). Get plenty of sleep the night before the exam. Don't go on caffeine binges before, or alcohol binges after exams. Anxiety is a major inhibitor of your ability to remember what you have learned, and spending your semester "playing catch-up" is a major cause of anxiety. Falling into a destructive exam pattern will leave you playing "catch-up" for the last half of the course.

6. Join a study group. Studying doesn't have to be a solitary, boring endeavor. Make it a social activity that you can look forward to, and enjoy. As indicated above, you learn a lot more by discussing something than by just reading it, and for that reason group work is highly effective as a learning tool.

7. Are you trying all of this, and still not making the grade?