College Bootcamp: DAY 3

Science students often mention how they are challenged very early on in their coursework. For today's College Bootcamp topic, we are diving into the different teaching and testing styles that you may experience in your entry-level CHEM and BIOL courses and providing you with concrete tips and tricks to help you be as successful as possible. 

First and foremost, it is essential that you take time in your first week of classes to familiarize yourself with the syllabus and Blackboard page for every course. DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP! Your syllabus is a direct statement of what will be required from you and an outline for how to pass the course. Similarly, your course's Blackboard page is often packed with helpful resources such as study guides, practice problems, video instruction, external links, etc. You will also want to link your Blackboard courses to your iCal or Google calendar (see this step by step guide for how to do so) as early as possible. There are many components to UMBC's science courses and it may be challenging to keep up with all of the various assignments. Spending time at the beginning of the semester understanding the requirements and resources for your courses will prove to be invaluable. 

At UMBC, our CHEM and BIOL instructors are well known for their use of innovative teaching styles such as a flipped classroom, spaced learning, and active recall/engagement. If these terms are not familiar to you, spend a few minutes reviewing what they mean (video summaries for flipped classrooms, spaced learning, active learning) and how they may impact your approach to classtime and studying.  For the most part, these teaching styles will require you to come prepared to your lectures/discusssion with a fundamental understanding of the content and be ready to APPLY and refine what you have learning alongside the instructor and your peers. 

Another obvious but very underused resource for STEM success is -- your professors!! No other person on campus has a better understanding of what will be on the exam and how to prepare than your instructors!! All professors hold office hours and they intend for you to use them! Some of your professors may even have published tip and tricks for their course -- take a look at this comprehensive website from a CHEM 101/102 professor -- Dr. Carpenter Plan on breaking the ice with your professors early by sitting at the front of class, actively participating, and attending their office hours whether you have a direct question or not. 

Our final tip for CHEM and BIOL success is to use the learning resources that we have available on campus such as tutoring and SI PASS through the Academic Success Center and the Chemistry Tutorial Center. Even if you have never needed tutoring support in the past - be sure to attend sessions regularly and you will develop stronger time mangement skills, higher level content understanding, and even make a few study buddies along the way! Tutoring schedules and registration for FALL 26 will begin on September 8th -- mark your calendar! 

Take a look at the videos below in order to get a sense of how college science courses will differ from your high school (or even community college) experience as well as specific advice for CHEM and BIOL learning. 

10 Ways College Science Classes Are Different from High School

How to Study Chemistry so FAST that it feels ILLEGAL

How to study BIOLOGY so FAST that it feels ILLEGAL

Join us again tomorrow for another playlist that will cover how and why to get involved in research and career development.  This is the BIG question that advisors get all the time!

Stay with us everyday this week to strengthen your skills and power your future. It starts today!