Hi, everyone! A few of you have asked what I used for particular pre-med courses, and I decided to share my favorite resources. I will list the classes and provide the resources that I utilized for each course. Disclaimer: These are resources that I found helped me conquer my classes. The same resources may not work for you. Please try them but realize other materials may explain things better for you. Everyone has their own way of learning, and this was mine! Anyways, let me know if you have any additional questions about the resources mentioned below or if you would just like a whole post about one class in particular. I hope you find them useful! This is definitely NOT sponsored.
Biology – MY FAVE!
I love biology and used a LOT of flashcards. I felt this course was mainly memorization and conceptual. What helped me?
Khan Academy: Their videos are so helpful for understanding concepts. I specifically prefer the ones that Sal Khan narrates. He explains most of the material well and uses analogies to clear up confusion. I will probably mention this source for every class. You can get to their Youtube page here: https://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy
The book website: Sometimes there are great resources on the back cover! The ones that I found usually had corresponding quizzes or notes.
Quizlet: I took biology before Quizlet was a thing. I actually took flashcards by hand. However, Quizlet is an excellent resource if you can’t find the time to make them by hand. There is probably someone who took the course before you and made flashcards when they studied.
Chemistry – It’s a hate-love relationship…
Uh…not with chemistry. Sometimes I got it, sometimes I just… didn’t. Chemistry is almost like math. You have to constantly work problems to understand the material. When I had trouble understanding something I went to the following:
Khan Academy: Again, this was great for concepts.
The book website: See above.
The book: Period. I found that you really need to work problems and practice for chemistry. You definitely have to work problems to be ready for the exams.
Organic Chemistry – Unpopular opinion.
Don’t get mad, but I actually really liked orgo. It just made sense to me. Even when it didn’t make sense to me, it eventually did after working some problems and watching YouTube videos. I love organic chemistry! It’s like scientific problem solving, like a mystery…if that makes sense. Now, I admit, I would not make it through without the resources below. They helped me enormously throughout both organic chemistry I and II. Here’s what I used:
Leah4Sci: THE BEST. SOURCE. EVER. Leah4Sci has helped me tremendously through every single reaction. She walks you through step-by-step so that you can work problems on your own. I recommend writing out the problems with her and attempting to do some problems immediately after watching her videos. I recommend searching for the specific topics you are struggling with on her page. You can find her videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/Leah4SciTutorials
The book: Again, you must practice. If there is one thing I learned in orgo, it would be that practice makes perfect.
The professor: This one is tricky. Your professor can either be a hit or miss. The first time I took organic chemistry, the professor was extremely arrogant and did not want students to succeed. The second time I took orgo, I had the nicest professor ever. He actually worked with students to help them understand and truly cared. On the other hand, sometimes professors are so intelligent that they are unable to break down material efficiently to teach students.
TAs: Teaching assistants have usually taken the class before and know exactly how to break down the material for you to understand. If you don’t understand the professor, I suggest going to the TAs’ office hours and asking questions. I would work out problems before going to them so you know exactly what to ask.
Other students: Some students who have taken organic chemistry before may have some materials you can use from the same professor or have other resources they can recommend.
Physics – Oh, dear.
I still don’t understand physics fully and have to constantly review. I remember those moments when you’re trying to understand the problem and the professor begins to erase the whiteboard and you’re like WAIT! It remains my worst subject. I recently purchased a book full of physics problems for the MCAT. Hopefully, it will work out in the end. What do I recommend?
Khan Academy: The only thing that kept me sane in the class. Look at Sal’s examples and try to follow along.
The book: Practice. That’s all you really can do in this class. Reading the book doesn’t help. Just work the problems until your hand gets sore.
Biochemistry (undergraduate level) – I don’t even know.
Ever feel like you don’t know what you don’t know? That’s how I felt about biochem in undergrad. Biochemistry continues to be a struggle at the graduate level. I just. Don’t. Get it. I was expecting more chemistry, but in all honesty, I think biochemistry has its own language, and I don’t know how to speak it. Anyways, I managed to pull through the class. Whatever you do, don’t take biochem online. Just don’t. Bad decision. Ultimately, I recommend using the following resources:
Moof University: This is the only source I felt was consistently helpful when I took biochemistry. I loved the videos on pathways. You can find their videos here: https://www.youtube.com/user/MoofUniversity
Leah4Sci: I used her videos specifically to brush up on my bases and acids as well as learn the amino acids. She has some other useful videos, but I only found myself coming back to those videos. I will link them below.
Amino acids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKh4TE3RAY8&list=PL_uKI3obn00apPhD2qtTUl1W-I1NqKs4Q
Henderson Hasselbalch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hb8bEeUlBV4
The book: I recommend reading the book before lecture if possible. If you can’t I definitely recommend reading the chapters at least once, even if you skim it, to get the overall concepts.
Histology (graduate level) – Currently taking this course.
It is so real.
Crash Course: I haven’t finished the course, but I recommend these videos to get the basic idea of what you’re learning. Hank Green gives it in such a fun way, you don’t struggle to pay attention to the details, because there are SO. MANY. DETAILS. Here’s the link to their (the Green brothers’) site: https://www.youtube.com/user/crashcourse
Overall, if you are looking for a good resource for pretty much anything, I recommend Khan Academy and YouTube, in general. I haven’t always found a video on the topics I needed to be further explained, but when I did, they are great resources. I do see that the videos with Sal Khan himself seem to be better than the other tutors. Just like all of the above information, this is solely my opinion. I encourage you to speak with other students and search the web to find resources that work for you. What works for one person may not work for you. I’m sure you will find the right resources and excel in all of your courses. Regardless of what materials you use, remember:
Thanks for visiting my blog! Be sure to check out my other posts. There is more to come soon! Until then be kind and remember tomorrow depends on what you do today. Hope you enjoyed reading! — Taylor ❤
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