Study Tips for Biology

Study Tips for Biology

     Here at Coe College, there are so many pre-medicine and nursing students. To be able to graduate in these fields, a lot of biology is usually taken. Our freshman year, for example, most of us have to take Cellular and Molecular Biology (the weed out class). We all struggle in that class, so here are a few study tips that helped me to struggle a little less.

     Biology is best defined as the study of living organisms. Given that there’s such a wide range of living organisms from bacteria/microscopic organisms to the biggest of animals, it can be an extremely hard subject. It’s all more or less just memorization; however, it is a lot to memorize in a short amount of time. Our brains are extremely powerful, but every brain is different, and there are so many ways to learn. Simply memorizing things to get things done isn’t going to work because to actually instill information it needs to be rehearsed in the brain more than once.

That being said, I took and studied notes before class; then when I got to class I recorded the lecture as well as revised my notes. The key to revising was to add and highlight things that my professor elaborated on/ emphasized the most. I did it for every chapter before the exam (each exam was every three chapters). Then, while studying for the exam I made a flow chart to show how each topic was connected so that I could easily make those connections during the test.

Homework really does help, because it gives you the chance to practice everything you’re learning. Also, having a friend to study with so that you can all compare notes and teach each other will help with rehearsal and keeping everything in your brain. I cannot stress this next point enough: TALK TO YOUR PROFESSOR. I couldn’t go to SI Sessions because I had work so often; and I needed money to come up with half of my tuition. If you’re in my shoes, then communicate that with your professor and schedule a set meeting time every week to go over material. It actually helped me.

I hope that these study tips work for you like they did for me; and if you have any other tips then leave them in the comments!

Places I Love to Go When I'm Feeling the Seven Universal Emotions

     As individuals, we all have our own emotions; but there are seven emotions that scientists have
deemed to be universal. They are sadness, happiness, anger, fear, disgust, surprise, and contempt.
These emotions are basic, but they can be strong sometimes. Here is a list of places that I go when
I’m feeling some of these emotions.

Anger

Ice Skating

No, I’m not the best at ice skating, but I take all of my anger and let it out on the ice.
It’s hard to be upset while doing something that’s so graceful.

Fear

Nature 

It’s like nature inspires me to be courageous; the fact that birds don’t come out of an egg knowing how
to fly, but they can take the chance and keep trying, knowing that every time they try there’s a
possibility they can fall. Another example is that every animal has a predator yet they take chances
coming out and don’t let that stop them from living their lives though every second they’re out there’s a
chance they can die. Seeing trees grow tall and proud their whole life before getting cut down along
with a million other characteristics of nature makes me want to take risks, live life, and have fun while
I can because death is inevitable. We all can’t be good at everything so there’s always a chance I can
fail, but I have to try just because there’s always also a chance that I can succeed.

Happiness

The Mall/ stores I love

When I’m happy or proud of myself, I spoil myself or the people I love because I’m in such a good
mood. I buy thoughtful “just because” gifts and also when I’m happy, I feel beautiful, so I dress up kind
of nice, and put in effort and stores are public places so I kind of show off my confidence. I also have
mini dance parties in my dorm because nobody else is watching so it’s fun and makes you feel free
and happy which is the BEST combination

Sadness

The movies or nature

When I’m outside I feel free; and something about that feeling helps my tears come out and not literally
but figuratively it almost feels like even though I’m free, I’m being embraced by the Earth because I am
one with it. The wind stops my tears by drying them, the ground soaks my tears up, and just by looking
at my surroundings I can see that life goes on which cheers me up; it’s basically involuntary advice

I’m extremely good at making myself even more sad when I’m sad; every movie has a sad point or a
few sad points, even comedies. I ALWAYS cry at the sad points and when I’m crying at the movie,
I cry even harder thinking about whatever is making me sad at the same time. It helps me to get
everything out in a way since I hate going to friends and telling them I’m sad.

I only did 4/7 of the universal emotions because I don’t have a place for disgust, surprise or contempt;
but if any of you readers have places for these, comment yours as well as your reasons why you go
there.

To Do List: Things You Shouldn't Forget About in College

To Do List: Things you shouldn’t forget about in college

Call your parents/ Guardians

-Just as much as you miss home they miss you. Don’t forget to check on them because their little babies (us) aren’t home anymore.When we’re stressed we tend to stress ourselves even more and forget about all of the people and resources who are here for us. Even just hearing my family’s voice, or their words of encouragement or that they believe in me or are proud of me motivates me to always be better and makes me so incredibly happy.

Don’t forget about your mentors

-We all have that high school counselor or mentor that helped us in some way at some point. Remember when they said “Keep in touch”? Do it! Call them whether it’s for advice, to catch up, or to vent about everything you’re stressed about. It definitely helps; especially if talking to your parents just stresses you out more and you need to talk (I’ve definitely been there too).

Take Care of you

-Being in a super hard class or having a schedule that is way too busy can take up so much time. First semester, there were so many nights I realized I hadn’t eaten since yesterday morning. There were so many hours of sleep that I lost over studying. I feel like our ability to learn and the health of our bodies definitely go hand in hand. When I haven’t eaten or slept it’s harder to retain information. Even when I get sleepy at night and ignore it, it's almost as if all of the studying goes to waste given that my brain is burned out and needs to rest.

Do things you enjoy when you get the chance

-We are all humans and we still have things we want to do, opportunities we want to take and people that we want to meet or have fun with. School is extremely important and may take up a lot of time but take a little time on weekends for yourself to reflect, do things you enjoy, and release stress you’ve been holding in all week. Life is learning, but life is also more than that so don’t forget to fully live your life!

I love college and learning how to adult. Part of growing up is finding a balance between juggling your work/school and personal life, keeping those connections that matter to you close, and remembering to stop and breathe and take care of yourself by doing those little things that are extremely important for your body to function. These are all things we forget about, so hopefully this checklist will help you remember!

Why I Have Chosen a PWI instead of HBCU as a Minority Student

There is a controversial topic about whether a Historically Black College/ University (HBCU)
or Predominantly White Institution (PWI) is better for African American students to attend. Some
people of color look down on others for not attending an HBCU; however both types of education
have their downfalls as well as their benefits. I’m here at Coe, so I have obviously chosen the
PWI route; and from my experiences so far I could definitely explain the benefits:

1. Money

Coe college has various benefits, but the most important one to me was money. It is so
expensive to be educated, and though colleges cause so much debt, the career I have a burning
passion for requires a LOT of education. PWIs have higher endowments than HBCUs, meaning
they receive more money/ financial assets. More endowments means that they have the ability
to give out more scholarships. If a college really cares about preparing you for the real world,
they will want to surround you with diversity because the real world is diverse, so they are
willing to give out even more money to people of color because they want us to attend to
increase diversity and add to the environment so that we can see the world from different
perspectives and understand other cultures.

2. Diversity/ Preparation for the Real World

They are called Predominately White Institutions, but people from almost every race attend
these colleges and universities. HBCUs have mostly African American students, so to go to
one would be staying in my comfort zone, seeing that I went to a predominantly African
American high school, and lived in a predominantly African American neighborhood.
Being in a different community than usual has given me an opportunity to have a more open
mind towards opinions and beliefs that I have never had before. Also, regardless of whether I
go to an HBCU or PWI, I will graduate going out into a predominantly Caucasian world with
many different minorities as well; so being at Coe, I have been learning more about different
cultures and opinions than I could in an environment like my neighborhood. This is giving me
the experience with a multitude of people that I will need.

3. First Hand Experience

If you are raised in poverty, then you’ve mostly only been surrounded by people who look like
you. Impoverished neighborhoods are usually segregated and not racially diverse; and as it is
apart of the curriculum, in your classes you learn about all of the problems that happened in
the US, and you learn that most of these terrible things occurred when Europeans came here.
History shapes the Europeans as selfish, lazy, greedy, always using people of color for hard
labor and treating them poorly along the way, and a number of other things. If you are in an
impoverished community, with mostly only people who look like you, chances are you’ve
never actually talked to a Caucasian person in real life, so you look at them as if they are the
exact same terrible people who did everything that you have learned in your history book. If
you have never actually talked to someone in another race, as humans we tend to use
stereotypes; and it is normalized, so most people of color have these negative preconceptions
of Caucasians upon meeting them ourselves. It is fair to say that coming here, this is the first
time that I have been surrounded by so much diversity, and I have only had positive
experiences thus far; so it gives us all a chance to break out of using the stereotypes that
we’ve gotten so comfortable with.

I don’t disagree with Historically Black Colleges/Universities or Predominantly White
Institutions. These are the reasons that I personally made my choice. Here at Coe, I am
thriving so far; and I have no complaints! I couldn’t have made a better decision.

Hair Talk: Maintaining Type 3C hair in College

Curls. They’re so beautiful, diverse, wild, and free. They exist in every race, and there are so many different types.

Regardless of how cute they may look, however, those of you who have curly hair know the hassle of having to manage it. They take hours to nourish and keep healthy, sometimes they’re so stubborn that it is impossible to reduce shrinkage, or keep them satisfied. In fact, I won’t argue with anyone who believes that maintaining curls is almost as difficult as taking care of a baby.

I am fully aware that taking care of hair here doesn’t make it any easier because the water is “hard water”. That means that water that has high mineral content (it is full of calcium and magnesium carbonates, bicarbonates, and sulfates). Being here, I’ve noticed that the hard water dries my skin and scalp out because the calcium makes its own coat on the scalp and skin. The pressure is also extremely low because unfortunately, the minerals also cause clogged pipes. In other words, it takes way too long to wash my hair, and when I get out it’s usually tangled and dry. 

Here’s how I manage my curls here:

1. Vinegar Rinse

Do you remember how I said that calcium builds its own coat on the scalp? Well, because vinegar is acidic, it works to remove the mineral coat so that your hair can retain moisture. I personally use white vinegar because it’s all I have, but most people say that apple cider vinegar works better. To create a vinegar rinse, I mix 1 tablespoon of vinegar with 3 cups of water.I put it on my scalp after shampooing and allow it to sit for a few minutes before rinsing it. I do this once every two weeks.

2. Curl Specific Products

Yes. There are some products that make our hair smell better for longer than others, but I take my hair health very seriously. It is important to use products with no parabens, sulfates, or silicones because they can dry out our hair, damage our curls, and destroy our curl pattern. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with Garnier Fructis “Curl Nourish” shampoo, conditioner, and leave in cream as well as pretty much all of “Mielle Organics” hair products. I also use coconut oil on my scalp and curls to nourish and reduce shrinkage (but not too much because if it’s too heavy on the hair that can destroy the curl pattern as well).

3. No Heat

If we use heat that is too high, or apply direct heat for too long or too often, the curl pattern can be lost, or it can break off and fall out. It isn’t terrible to put heat on hair, and it won’t automatically get heat damage just because it’s straightened once, but I personally only straighten it on super special occasions. When I do straighten my hair, I use ceramic irons, and a heat protectant. Currently, my favorite heat protectant is the “Lionesse Vitamin E Hair Serum with Aloe Vera”. The more natural the products, the better they usually are to use.

I hope that these tips work for you the same way that they work for me. Curly hair is definitely hard to manage, but it’s worth all of the time and effort. If they do work for you, or if you have  a more simple/ better working routine please let me know! I’m sure all of us are always looking for ways to better our hair; so let's help each other out!