r/Biochemistry • u/Kedahope • 7d ago
Biochemistry Help me!!
I am a straight A student all my math classes orgo, human anatomy, physics all my intensive classes I’ve never got below a 79 on a test!! But I am struggling so much with Biochemistry, it doesn’t help that I have a horrible professor with a 1.0 rating on rate my professor. But I’m desperate I’m trying but really struggling if there is a good YouTuber you guys know or any tips please!!
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u/notstarman 7d ago
I have PHD in pharmacology. I taught Biochem at the undergraduate and medical school level for several years. Its very common for people to struggle with the material. Simply its a lot to cover in a semester and it will get easier as you get more exposure to it. Also every Biochem teacher is hated by pre-med and then medical students. Give your prof a brake on the review websites and evaluations.
I would recommend against trying to learn the material passively by watching a youtube video. You really need to get into the material, take notes from the reading like you are in lecture and make your own study materials. The synthesis of making your own notes will help you build understanding. In particular if you are being asked to draw structures and remember biochemical pathways. The only way to learn the material is to simply recreate it over and over.
I also recommend giving "rubber ducky" talks where you explain the topic to an in animate object like a rubber duck step by step like you where teaching them. The simple act of explaining, step by step, what you covered in class will help you learn it.
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u/BlastJimmyx 7d ago
Man, I wish you the best but... Some people gotta learn to fail. Nothing below 79?? That's crazy. I ran the gambit from A+ to failing and retaking courses. Get a tutor, extra help sessions, YouTube, *Chegg (for help, not cheating). If you have to take a C and just barely pass, Pass and move on. It will not matter in the long run
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u/LittleWolfFenris 6d ago
I enjoyed the free Biochem course from Harvard.
It’s a proper course with more than 100 hrs of lectures along the practice exercises, but it is very clear and entertaining.
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u/Kedahope 6d ago
Oh that’s interesting! My cousin goes to school there. Does everyone have access to those lectures? Unfortunately my professor doesn’t really lecture she just puts on YouTube videos with her voice over😭
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u/Eigengrad 7d ago
It helps if you tell us what you’re doing to study first, then we can help you adjust.
What concepts aren’t you getting? How are you studying on a daily/weekly basis?
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u/seitan13 6d ago
My biochem prof was going through a loss and was flying back and forth from the east coast to Midwest multiple times a week to be with a dying loved one and work at my uni. We all were fucked, all the premed students dropped the course and retook it the following year, I unfortunately couldn't do that if I wanted to graduate on time. I got a c, and I was a biochem major. The following semester for advanced biochem, halfway though, she resigned and my research advisor/lab instructor took over the class and the grading and exam questions completely changed, and we were actually given much more .. understandable? Questions that felt relevant to the learning material. The first prof seemed to be getting questions out of a random text book and her lectures were just extremely crowded with information, rather than gradual learning of concepts.
That first half of advanced biochem I used the hell out of office hours with my lab instructor, and I taught myself through lectures on YouTube that work with my learning style. Actually that became my model for most of my classes, I'd learn the material before class, add extra emphasis on what's covered during lectures, then review again with homework or before quizzes. I don't think you're going to be lucky enough to get a better prof , so I would treat the lectures as supplemental and get on Khan academy, Prof Dave explains (love him actually), the organic chemistry tutor, and I liked Dr Matt & dr Mike for their other lectures, I bet they'll be good for biochem especially if you're planning on getting into medicine. Take notes, emphasis them when you get light bulb moments while learning. Notes are so crucial
If you're worried about grad schools and this is your one blip there is usually an opportunity to address why the grade(s) were what they were
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u/ThunderD2Player 4d ago
Hey that’s kinda normal. I aced Orgo physics and micro and got shafted on the second exam in biochem lol.
I did improve though.
Sadly it’s hard for me to recommend anything beyond the baseline tips like drilling amino acids into your brain and memorizing the structures of lipids and carbs without knowing what material you covered on your recent exam and what content you are learning now. Biochem covers a ton (metabolic pathways, central dogma topics, enzyme kinetics, etc.)
Could you tell me what you are currently studying in the course?
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u/Asleep-Rain-8437 7d ago
AKlectures and Khan academy on YouTube are great. Dr. Elia Hefner just reads from the Lehninger slides provided by Macmillan but that can be useful.
Which parts are you struggling with and which textbook are you using?
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u/SetHopeful4081 7d ago
If this is an intro biochem class, read lehninger. I had a prof like that too. His exams were only 6-8 questions, open ended, but it took the entire 1.25 hours to do. He was meticulous about grading. What saved me was knowing that textbook inside and out. I read and studied the topic every day.