#study science

How I Study New Material in Medical School 

Review new material within 24 hours of learning it (there is a science to spaced repetition and it really does work) 

If there is a concept I am stuck on, look up videos on YouTube, Osmosis Med, Physeo, Lecturio, Sketchy wherever it maybe. Do your best to learn it as quickly as you can

Do at least 20 practice questions associated with lectures each day. Even if you get every single one wrong- do it anyways. Make sure to revise the correct answer and WHY it is the correct answer

Have a study group, study buddy, silent study partner, SOMEONE! from your class to motivate you and keep you on track with new material 

Do daily flashcards or Anki cards (pre-made decks) they will be your best friend

For Biochemistry and Cell Biology, I like to draw out pathways on a whiteboard and redo them over and over again until it sticks. Keep doing it everyday (even just for 10 minute) up until the exam. 

Trying to switch from printed textbooks to digital copy. It's challenging since I am used to writing all over my books, I find it is time consuming to make notes from scratch. But I am determined to make it work for me 😁

~ Eva xx

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share some of the science databases that I’ve come to know and love, arranged by subject. This post covers textbooks, databases, genetics, virtual labs, and math. Feel free to add to this! 

Best of luck! 

open source textbooks; 

OpenStax - I really liked their Microbiology, Biology, and Chemistry books: very digestible/reader-friendly. 

Open Textbook Library - an accumulation of free textbooks from different sources!

general science databases: 

ScienceDirect - Interdisciplinary!! Has a filter for free full text thank god. Also has a huuuuge list on the journals it displays: and whether they’re open access or not :)

NCBI - Literally a compilation of PubMed, PubChem, BLAST, and some other stuff. Shows abstracts and has a filter for free full texts!

PubMed - Medical articles! whoop!

PubChem - Search assays, compounds, and substances.

PLOS - Public library of science: 100% open access, fuck yeah. 

Directory of Open Access Journals - Cool! Helps you find in-field journals that you don’t have to pay a million dollars for. 

genetics: 

Learn Genetics: Virtual Labs : PCR, Gel electrophoresis, DNA extraction, etc. Super helpful for prepping for classwork/lab work. 

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BLAST - Enter ur raw genetic sequencing data and find best matches for the genus / species (depending on how in-depth your data is). Remember, the smallest E value is the winner! 

Geneious / Snapgene - applications you can download to trim sanger sequencing data so you don’t put shitty data into BLAST: snapgene is free and geneious has a free trial! Personally I find geneious easier to use, and it also has older versions if you have an older computer that won’t run the new-and-fancy stuff.

PCR troubleshooting by yours truly: Trying to amplify the DNA of an unknown bacteria is super tricky! Here are some things you can try to change when you’re damn sure you did it right…

Virtual Labs: 

OnlineLab - Find tons of virtual labs in just about any science subject!! Link to anatomy page. 

hhmi BioInteractive - immunology, cardiology, transgenic flies…so many. 

Learn Genetics: Virtual Labs : PCR, Gel electrophoresis, DNA extraction, etc. Super helpful for prepping for classwork/lab work. 

Michigan State Bacteriology - Basics of Microbiology lab techniques. 

Virtual Labs - Food sciences and microbiology

math: 

Derek Owens Calculus 1 Video tutorials with lots of examples. Literally this man is how I survived calculus 1: and got an A on the final ;)

Desmos: Free online graph generator and scientific calculator. Fuck that tiny graphing calculator screen.