How to study biology?

FORWARD ñ THE WINNING EDGE IN BIOLOGY

Biology must follow the laws of chemistry and physics. However, much of biology cannot be

reduced to or predicted from chemistry and physics. It cannot be understood by a few

fundamental laws like those of physics and it cannot be understood primarily through the

organization and interaction of atoms like chemistry. Biology not only integrates the principles of

chemistry and physics, it has its own unique organization, principles, laws, and theories. Biology

is the ultimate multi-disciplinary science. Learning biology will be different from learning other

subjects.

Learning biology requires both understanding and memorization. Memorization alone will not

serve you well. If you try to memorize everything in biology as if it was just a list of key words, you

will be confused and certainly bored to distraction. Biology is properly viewed as a series of

solutions to the problems faced by living organisms in their environments. If you can identify the

problem, you are more likely to understand the biological solution. Remember, biology is a who,

what, where, when, how, and why kind of science.

Despite its complexity, do not be intimidated. In reality, you donít need to spend more study time

in biology than other subjects if you adopt a smart study system. Understanding the ìbig pictureî

is the key to success. The details, often confusing in their complexity or overwhelming in their

numbers will make sense if you can first understand the problem to which the details are the

solution. The key to effective learning in biology is to memorize the least and to apply this

knowledge to the fullest.

Many of you apply the same study methods from non-science subjects to science classes - and

have difficulty in these classes. Even within the science disciplines, you might get in trouble by

studying the same way in biology as in chemistry or physics. Biology is more information

intensive than chemistry or physics and it has its own logic. It cannot be reduced to a few

concepts and principles from which you can derive the answers to all questions. But if you master

the logic of biology, you will survive and prosper.

If you are looking for an effective, high-yield way to study biology, this Guide is for you. Forget

about plowing through many weighty textbooks and overwhelming yourself with unnecessary

information. Our goal here is to spend minimum effort to achieve maximum results. Bring your

biology learning into focus ñ youíll learn what you need to learn.

As most of you have experienced, biology is not so easy at first, yet it is very learnable if you

know how. The very issue of how to study biology is the focus of this Guide. The survival skills

you learn will accelerate your mastery of biology and improve your grade quickly. Ignoring them

will guarantee that you stay stuck in a rut of inefficiency, which might lead to failure. If you follow

the 5-stage systematic method outlined in this Guide, you will improve your learning significantly,

with a better grade in less study time.- 12 -

Co p y r i g h t © 2 0 0 6 Bi o l o g y Su r v i v a l Pu b l i s h i n g

Letís get cracking! Get the winning edge today.

ìPerhaps the most valuable result of education is the ability to make yourself do the thing you

have to do, when it ought to be done, whether you want to or not. It is the first lesson that must be

learned.î

--Thomas Huxley