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How to deal with procrastination

One of the biggest problems for students is procrastination! It takes different forms for everyone but ultimately it stops us all at some point. Since there are several reasons for procrastinating, I’ve put together the five main types and a few ideas on how to deal with it.

You’ve got poor work/productivity habits. You leave things until the last minute since you “work better under pressure”. You probably think you’ll do something after you’ve finished something else, and then never do. You get distracted whenever you’re trying to study and will sit waiting to feel motivated but it never comes. For this I’d suggest:

create a productivity inspiring workspace - find somewhere that you can set up a study space, whether it is an actual office or just a desk. Organise everything that you will need. I have a selection of pens and my few notebooks on the top so I can easily access them. Remove anything that might cause you to be distracted and doesn’t need to be in your immediate reach. If you’re got space, put up some motivational pictures. This could be my motivational printables, some quotes or your own pictures. Plants are also proven to boost productivity, so might be worth putting a small one nearby!

create an action list rather than to-dos - write down a few manageable tasks that you need to do and be specific on the steps you should take. Writing the actions they require will help you see what you should be doing to complete something, instead of just the overall task. If you’re able to break it down, you can take actionable steps rather than mentally having to think of each point.

focus on 20-30 minute periods - generally, we lose focus after a while so taking regular breaks can help give you chance to relax and refocus. Apps like Forest allow you to set a timer and will give you off your phone at the same time. Obviously, if you’re being productive, don’t suddenly cut that off because it is “time for a break”. Here are some other free alternatives.

remove distractions as best you can - I’m always distracted by social media so I will use Forest on my phone or time-lapse myself so I can’t use my phone. With my MacBook, I have two accounts. One for university and one for everything else. I am not logged into any social media on my uni account so I can’t just check it for a minute then end up wasting 20 minutes :’-)

find an accountability partner - pick someone who you can rely on to check on you regularly and see how your tasks are coming along. You can send them your to-do list and then every few hours you can update them with your progress. You won’t want to let them down. Alternatively, you can study with a friend! Tumblr/Instagram is basically my partner!

use the two-minute rule - if something takes less than two minutes, do it. Don’t make an excuse, just do it. Tasks that are longer you can either delegate or defer. Here is a simple visualisation of what I mean.

record your progress - doing a simple “don’t break the chain” in your planner is a great way to see how productive you’re being and therefore get you more motivated to keep it up! The ‘100 days of productivity’ challenge might be worth doing!

use a printable - I have multiple printables that can help develop more proactive and healthy study habits. Free ones are available here and paid ones are available here! There are so many options to pick from that can suit you. Try them out, see what works and develop a system that works for you!

You’re feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Everything seems to be mounting up and nothing seems doable. You don’t know where or how to start. For this I’d suggest:

ask for help - if you’re feeling like this, it is likely you need some help in some form or another. See if a family member, friend, classmate or teacher (or Google) can help or give you a starting point. Emailing your teacher is a great option if you’re a little nervous about speaking to them in person. Plus you won’t forget what they told you because you’ll have a response.

remind yourself that getting started is the first step - you don’t need to finish a task in a matter of minutes. Start doing something small. Maybe organise what you need, highlight the important bits of your assessment, or draft an essay plan. The secret to getting ahead is getting started!

divide and conquer - figure out what is the overall task that you need to do and split it into manageable parts. For instance, with an essay, the aim is to write it! Divide it into planning out what you want to write, any references you need, summarising a final draft and then writing each paragraph. By dividing bigger tasks into actionable parts you can reduce the obstacles and get through each part in a more timely manner.

reward yourself - create a system to celebrate completing a selection of tasks. By rewarding your progress you’ll build an incentive to work and reinforce productivity (great for your self-discipline!).

learn to forgive yourself - if you have an off day, that is okay! When the stress of your education is getting too much, it is necessary to have time out. Remember to come back to it later and try again.

don’t over schedule - if you’re feeling pressure from the amount of work and then the added pressure of trying to stick to a time limit, you’re just going to go crazy. Set yourself flexible times to get something done instead of being heavily structured. Give yourself time for a break and the ability to change tasks.

stick with one task - it can be so tempting to multitask but try not to. Try to keep the focus on the what you’re doing until it is done. If you struggle with that, you could write down anything useful that you randomly think about for another task, use a break-time to think about that other task or alternate between subjects/tasks every few hours.

do smaller study sessions - there is no rule that several hour study sessions are the only way you can study. It frankly isn’t true and potentially doesn’t suit the majority of students. Try to study for 20 or 30 minute periods when you have the free time. Don’t feel discouraged or if you’re not doing it properly if you’re taking advantage of those smaller periods.

You’re a perfectionist. You either don’t want to start something out of fear you won’t get it right or you can get stuck on the small details. There is a pressure to achieve the unachievable. For this I’d suggest:

focus on getting started, instead of finishing - it is easy to get overwhelmed thinking about what something is supposed to be like finished if you’re a perfectionist. Take things one step at a time. It’s also useful to remember the sooner you start, the more time you’ll have to perfect it at the end!

make drafts - if you’re overwhelmed, take half an hour to map out your plan of attack. Drafts can take many forms: summaries, scaffolds/outlines, essay plans, post-it notes, etc. I find it much easier to get on with work if I have a bit of a plan.

remember that your perfectionist tendencies aren’t actually improving your work or productivity but hindering you - you’re continually setting yourself unrealistic objects and (like me) probably feel let down by yourself if you don’t reach them. Be realistic and focus on getting it done!

accept mistakes - you’ve written something wrong, don’t panic! Cross it out with a single line and move on. Things happen and you have to accept it. You can’t rip up the page every time you do something wrong, even if it is so tempting.

implement a new strategy - this isn’t always an option for everyone or every studying situation but perhaps try digital handwriting or typed notes. Digital handwriting allows for a similar system to be used for your notes but gives you more flexibility and an easier way to correct mistakes. You won’t be throwing out paper each time you make an error or use the wrong coloured pen. With typing, it is much easier to formulate and keep neat. These can be a great alternative if, like me, you find you’re spending time worrying about how neat it is.

put things in perspective - is what you’re beating yourself up about right now going to mean anything in a week, a month, a year? Be honest if it isn’t, is it really worth putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.

praise yourself through the process - try not to criticise yourself but recognise your progress.

don’t compare yourself - this is very hard not to do but remember we are all different. Just because “you’re not as good” or don’t understand something as easily as others, it doesn’t mean you’re any less! Everyone was a beginner once and we all learn at different paces. Work to your strengths!

You want to do something else. You find whatever you’re doing boring. You want it to be over with but don’t want to get started. The ultimate catch 22, right? For this I’d suggest:

remember that putting it off isn’t going to make it go away - if you leave it too long you’ll end up getting more stressed about it. Best to get it over with.

make a plan from the get-go - once you know something is coming up (e.g. a test, an assessment, etc) make notes on it! That could be questions, annotations, potential topics, citations, etc. By making the effort to spend time reading through, you’ll save your future self some stress. Especially if it’s a topic you have forgotten. That way your notes act as a reminder so you can get started.

set a finish time with a reward - tell yourself that if you finish something by a certain time and then you can do something else. Use your self-discipline to not go back on this. Set a realistic time and try to get it complete before. If you can think that you’re doing something fun once it is completed, you’ll be more motivated to get it done.

make a structure - for note-taking, it can be overwhelming looking at a textbook and thinking what you’re going to write out. Make a note-taking layout/colour code that works for you and that subject. Mine is here - it just gives me an idea of how I’d lay everything instead of going in with no action plan.

try to make it fun - this could be using YouTube to learn or starting a study group. Use different methods for memorising information such as flashcards, mindmaps or study guides (like question/answer).

make the effort to refocus - if you’re finding something boring and you’re unfocused, walk away for 5 minutes, get a drink and come back. If you’re really struggling, change topics for a while. Find a point where you can finish and start doing something else that is productive.

listen to some music - generally, music without lyrics are best for focusing. Spotify has a great playlist for studying called ‘focus’. However, I find my regular music good for getting me a little more motivated and awake. I also like writing essays to music because I weirdly sort of type in the same rhythm. Funny study hack I’ve found that works for me haha!

write your thoughts down - Another thing I’ve been trying is externalising my thoughts. If I get distracted by something or have a “gosh, I need to remember that” moment, I will write it down. By getting it out my brain and onto a bit of paper, I no longer have to think about it and can continue.

You have no motivation. Often we feel that motivation is the only thing you need to get on with something, but this isn’t totally true. You need a mix of motivation and discipline. As the saying goes: “motivation may get you started, but discipline keeps you going”. To build your motivation, I’d suggest:

have a mass organise - usually when I’m feeling unmotivated, I’ll clear out my desk and sort out my computer. This involves throwing out stationery that doesn’t work or scrap paper. I usually make piles of spare stationery and will re-organise my desk drawers. For my computer, I will pull out all my files to my desktop then start working through them. I’ll delete duplicates, rename files properly, and put them in the right place.

remember that action inspires motivation - the wonderful book that is ‘A Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck’ has the greatest chapter on motivation. A summary of it is action isn’t just the effect of motivation; it’s also the cause of it. We see motivation as ‘Emotional inspiration → Motivation → Desirable action’ when in reality this can perpetuate your attempts to find motivation. You need to change your mindset into ‘Action → Inspiration → Motivation’. This helps to develop an endless loop where you’re not relying on motivation to get you started.

find some new stationery - weirdly buying stationery is one of those things that instantly makes you want to be productive. Head to the shops and spend a little something on a new pen, highlighter or notebook!

film yourself - studying generally doesn’t give us any instant gratification which can make it feel like a drag. By filming yourself working you can get a little video at the end which shows your progress. I love watching time-lapses of myself because you see all the work you did super quickly. It also means I’m not touching my phone!

set yourself some goals - write down a few things you want to achieve, in the short or long term. Put it somewhere that you’ll be reminded about it! By externalising your goals, you’re more likely to make the effort to achieve it.

check/make a studygram and studyblr - this is one of most motivating this I’ve done. Having social media dedicated to studying has helped not only improve my work ethic but my whole attitude towards education. Getting involved in the community is a great motivator. Here is a post on how to set up a studyblr.

I hope this post gives you just a few ideas on how to tackle procrastination! If you’ve got any tips you’d like to share, please message me! x

emmastudies

What are your top tips for dealing with a bad grade or failing a class? :-)

conmentatia-deactivated20180731

As someone who managed to fail not only a class but an entire year of university, here’s what’s been working for me:

Give yourself a specified grieving time. You’re going to feel absolutely miserable after you fail - disappointed, angry at both yourself and your university/professors, emotionally drained and you’re probably going to convince yourself that you ARE a failure, so why do anything, ever again? You’re going to lie in bed all day and wallow in your own negativity for a while, and you need to let yourself do this! But - after a day or two, you’re also going to need to have a stern talk with yourself, have a cry if you need to and make yourself physically move on from this. Get up, take a shower, have a cup of coffee and go for a walk. Make yourself feel like a human being again, and then have another talk with yourself - this time, focusing on “ok, so what can I do about this?”

Identify the reason behind your failure. Did you procrastinate it to death? Why? Were you scared of failure? Were you scared of success? Do you feel like it’s too big, too much for you to handle? Did it stress you out to the point of being paralyzed to even begin? Do you simply just hate that class so much you’d rather feel like this for failing it than face it? You didn’t have the time? You didn’t make the time?

Forgive yourself. Personally, I could answer yes to all of those questions. I was a mess during my second year of uni, and I just couldn’t dig myself out of the hole I was in. Everything piled up, fast, and I just didn’t have the energy to deal with any of it. I’m not proud of myself, but I also no longer resent myself for this. Even if you didn’t have any “real” reasons for failing, you still need to find it within yourself to allow yourself to move on from this. Otherwise, you’re just trapping yourself in a loop of guilt and self-flagellation which is only going to stop you from actually doing anything to make it better.

Make a game plan. Sit down with your notes, and skim over everything. Determine what you need to do in order to get this done and WRITE IT DOWN. Find online resources that will help you when you get stuck. Find someone to explain the things that are still flying over your head. If your professors/assistants are approachable, ask them for pointers. Look for blogs or ask your classmates how they dealt with this class. If you get stuck on something, move on and come back to it later, but DO COME BACK TO IT. Maybe research what study technique is best suited for this particular exam, try to get some past exam papers so you can see what your prof focuses on - in short, try to make it as easy for yourself as possible to do the work and get payoff!

Once you make a plan, do your best to stick to it. It’s hard to get back in the studying game after a long rut. It’s even harder when you know you’ve already failed this once, and the fear of that happening again is constantly looming over your head. But, the only way you have any chance of beating this is by trying. Get up in the morning, look over your game plan, do things over and over again until they finally stick, allow for it to take time. If you fall back, that’s ok, you’ll do better tomorrow. Take breaks, but don’t let them last a week. Get some sleep. Go for walks. Try to eat healthy. Even if you don’t put as much work in as you’ve scheduled for that day, that’s ok too, you did something - and that’s always better than doing nothing!

Give yourself scheduled break-time! Prevent burnout at all cost! If you’re anything like me, you have now achieved a delicate balance of productivity and PANIC, and it’s very prone to tipping on either side depending on your frame of mind. Do anything you can to keep it in the productive zone, which includes giving yourself time to recharge. Take “activity breaks”- don’t let yourself just sit and stare at the material on your screen all day, get up and move around, wash the dishes, make yourself a snack, play some music and dance around… whatever works for you! Also, set an “ending time” to your day and STOP THEN. All-nighters fueled on the panic of “I didn’t do everything I needed to do today” are the absolute worst thing you can do to yourself. Get some rest and try again tomorrow.

Find a commitment device. Either it be an app, a studyblr, a classmate, a friend, your mum - whatever works for you! Find a way to keep yourself accountable for what you’re doing and it’s going to help to keep you actually doing it.

And, finally, the thing I wanted to share the most:

Try the 5-second rule to keep yourself motivated.

This is a life-saver for people like me, who procrastinate as a reaction to stress. The “5-second rule” was invented by Mel Robbins, who used this method and is now a successful business-woman after her life literally fell apart. If you have time, please do yourself the favor of watching this video (x). In short, she has found a scientific way of beating procrastination, (even reigning in the symptoms of anxiety and depression) which is this: Every time you catch yourself thinking about doing something, be it as small as “Oh, I should probably take out the trash.” or “Oh, I really should study for this scary exam.” count down from 5, breathe in, and GO. This is going to stop your brain from having the time to talk you out of it.

She did her research and found out that, by counting down 5,4,3,2,1 you are actually not giving your brain the chance to react in a way that’s going to stop you from doing whatever it is that you know you need to be doing, because it’s going to shift to the prefrontal cortex, which is the decision making part, from the basal ganglia - which is where your habits live. Procrastination is actually a habit your brain has developed in order to protect you from emotional hurt - of fear of not being good enough, or failing, or being laughed at, etc. It also works for intrusive thoughts, I’ve found - every time you can feel yourself sinking down that hole, when your mind goes “Why are you even doing this, you know you’re not good enough, so why bother?” try counting down from 5, take a deep breath, imagine yourself succeeding and go back to it. So, if you have done all of the above, made plan after plan and scheduled everything to death, but somehow just can’t make yourself do it - give this a try, it might just be the thing to get you going.

Good luck, you’ve got this!! :)

emmastudies

this is fantastic, thank you!! x

jhthmx0011

Take time to read

tbhstudying

what are your favorite lip products? tell all sis

ohhhhhhhhhhh boooooy okay okay im giving u a Restrained List of stuff i liked from last year and i trimmed out the ones i’ve already talked about before!

laneige lip sleeping mask

i got this as a free sample after i bought some other products and oh shit it’s so good!! this is so so hydrating and works so well, even for the worst, chapped, dry lips in the world!!

also a little goes a long way and so, this free sample pot has lasted me for like?? 2 or 3 months?? but i haven’t even made a sizeable dent in it

i have it in the original pink berry flavor with like ??? 3 g in it? so that means a lot haha

colourpop blotted lippie stix

a dupe for the glossier generation g lipstick and im so miserably despondent whenever i think about how colourpop discontinued this :( it was so much cheaper than the gen g lipstick too!!!!! im furious!!! the liquid blotted lip doesn’t compare to this one!!!! ugh colourpop why are you doing this to me

i’m just mentioning this bc im so bitter abt it lol

i’m sure gen g from glossier is pretty similar but i don’t have it yet,,,,,, maybe one day i will buy a lipstick from glossier and determine which one is the real winner

bioderma atoderm lip balm

my friend once bought me this and god it was so good!!!!! such a lovely berry scent and it worked quite nicely! i have no idea where to get it though, and at some point in the future, i may break and just order it on amazon for $4 haha

fenty beauty lip gloss

okay i know i talked about this okay okay BUT IT’S JUST SO GOOD

it makes your lips look god-tier!!!!!!!!!! and the color is flattering on literally everyone that i’ve ever seen, no matter what shape or color or size your lips are

also i love the texture and it wears so well throughout the entire day

i do not have the diamond milk one but i prefer the rosy color of the original, and i think the fussy one kinda looks similar enough to the original one ?? so i’m sticking with my current one

universi-tea

LIFE TIPS PT. I

if it takes less than two minutes, do it now

always carry a water bottle!! you’ll (obviously) drink more water but you’ll also save money on buying drinks when you’re out on hot days

if you notice something you like about someone, tell them. genuine compliments are way too few and far between.

when you meet someone, repeat their name back to them. it’ll help you remember it (bc i am the worst at zoning out and immediately forgetting someone’s name)

give yourself a time limit to get work done. you’ll do more up against a 30 minute timer than if you have all day to get something done

also: be specific with your goals. if you want it done by winter, say you’ll do it one november 15. it’s easy to let time slip by.

no one’s forcing your friends to hang out with you. they want to be around you. don’t try to convince yourself otherwise.

never under estimate the power of a hot meal if you’re feeling unmotivated. take a break and make a grilled cheese dude

always keep $20 in your car for emergences

have a binder/folder to keep all your financial/important documents together. even if you don’t organize them beyond that it’ll make them so much easier to find when you need them

don’t sleep w makeup on!! keep a travel size thing of makeup wipes by your bed for nights that you’re too exhausted to wash your face for real

if you’re studying/working and can’t focus, go outside and take a walk around the building. stare at the sky for a minute. it helps.

networking: when you meet someone, put some notes in with their contact. remembering their kids’ names will make you stand out

fold your clothes while they’re still warm + you won’t have to iron later

get that chair out of your room. we all know your dirty clothes are sitting in it more than you are.

instead, stick some hooks on your closet door for those sorta-clean, sorta-dirty clothes that you wanna wear again

keep a running list on your phone of songs you hear that you like, books you want to read, etc

write down all your friends birthdays!!

if you can’t sleep, try to imagine something in great detail. design your dream house. plan your wedding. whatever makes you happy + relaxed

get dressed as soon as you get up, even if you aren’t going anywhere. it’s hard to feel productive in sweat pants.

if you don’t ask, the answer is always no

thrift stores are super trendy lately, but they really are great for finding high-quality clothing for cheap.

don’t read the comments section. especially if it’s something you actually care about.

fresh veggies go bad fast, so if you can’t get to the store often have a couple frozen bags of your favs on hand!!

also, pasta is crazy cheap and easy to make into a meal. add some olive oil and those frozen veggies and bam, grown up meal in no time.

be intentional with your friendships. if you want to see someone again, set a date instead of the old “let’s get coffee sometime!” that never actually happens

libraries exist!! and theyre fantastic!!!

if you’re buying anything, always google “_______ coupons” while you’re in line. you can usually find one, esp at chains!!

if it’s not something you need, put it back and sleep on it. if you want it bad enough to go back and get it a day or two later, it’s (probably) worth the money.

also, think if you’ll enjoy it for the same amount of time if took to earn that money. doesn’t work with everything (food, experiences), but for things like clothes/technology/home goods, it can help you save some $$$

you don’t have to do something if it makes you unhappy. sure, there are times that you have to suck it up and power through, but 99% of the time you have to option to say no and get outta there.

be kind. seriously you hear it a lot but it is so important.

adventure-heart

May 2019 bring you your “i’m doing better than i ever was” moment

emmastudies

Popular apps perfect for students

Staying on top of all your to-dos, errands, tasks and due dates can get complicated but luckily there is an app for everything! If you’re looking for app to wake you up in a morning, manage your priorities or soothe your anxiety, you’ve come to the right place. Here is a list of all the top apps that students are using:

Organisation

Wunderlist

Planner Pro

24me

Remember The Milk

Google Calendar

Pocket Schedule - Class Schedule, Homework Planner

AwesomeNote2 - All in One Organiser

AnyList

The Homework App - Your Class Assignment & Timetable Schedule Planner

My Study Life

Calendars by Readdle - Event and Task Manager

Class Timetable

Countdown+

Due - Reminders, Countdown Timers

Do! - The Best of Simple To Do Lists

Workflow: Powerful Automation Made Simple

Glass Planner

Day One Journal

iStudiez Pro

Awesome Note 2

Grammarly

Konmari

Productivity

RescueTime

Streaks

Forest

ToDoIst

Tide - Stay focused, be peaceful

Focus Keeper

Habitica

Productive habits and daily goal tracker

HabitBull (recommend by @ravn-studies)

BrainFocus (recommend by @ravn-studies)

Toggle Time Tracker (recommend by @ravn-studies)

Self Control

Jot - Notes Widget

Swipes - To Do List

ClearFocus: Productivity Timer

Noisli

Binaural beats

Lanes

Note taking

Microsoft OneNote

Evernote

Quizlet

Notability

Byword

Flashcards+

Goodnotes

Outline

Boximize - Structured notetaking, personal database, form builder, manager and organiser

INKredible (recommend by @lottestudiesphysics)

RefME - Referencing Made Easy

Bear (recommended by @revisionsandcoffee)

InkFlow Visual Notebook

Studying

Quizlet

Flashcards+

Duolingo

Khan Academy

Xmind

Writer

Studyblue

Coffitivity

Prezi

MindMeister

Hemingway Editor

StudyStack

Crashcourse

Shmoop

Beelinguapp

Brightstorm

Coggle mindmaps

Mindly

AnkiApp

Sleeping

Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock

Sleep Genius

Rain Rain

Pillow: The sleep cycle alarm clock for sleep tracking

Sleepytime Sleep Scheduler

Mental health and self care

Headspace

Stop, Breathe & Think: Meditation and Mindfulness

Pacifica - Anxiety, Stress, & Depression relief

Centered

Buddhify

Calm: Meditation techniques for stress reduction

Moodnotes - Thought Journal/Mood Diary

Colorfy

7 Cups Anxiety, Stress & Depression Chat & Therapy

Companion

Smiling Mind

Bsafe

Circle of 6

Health and fitness

Sweat with Kayla - Fitness & Bikini Body Workouts

Yoga Work Out

Freeletics

7-minutes workout

Waterlogged - Drink More Water, Daily Water Intake Tracker and Hydration Reminders

Sworkit (recommend by @leviosa-studies)

Medisafe pill reminder

Plant Nanny Water Reminder

Mealboard

Finance

UNiDAYS

Pocketbook Personal Finance Expense Tracker

Splitwise - Split bills and expenses the easy way

Pocket Expense - Personal Finance Assistant

Daily Budget Original Pro - Saving Is Fun!

Fudget: Budget planner and personal finance tracker

MoneyBrilliant - Personal Finance

Mvelopes

PocketGuard

Mint

The Coupons App

Groupon

Ebates

Hope this helps! x

paramedicsworld

Anatomy & physiology plays the vital role in medical science, without the knowledge of Anatomy and Physiology there is no independent existence of other areas of study in medical science. Human anatomy is the branch of science which deals with the study of the internal and external structure of the human body whereas Physiology is defined as the branch of science that deals with the study of normal functions of the Human body.

skylightdreams

where has this been all my life??

findinghealthyhappiness

this is how you get tea to not be bitter. I didn’t like green tea until I learned not to brew it with boiling water.

dan-panda

my brother is obsessed with tea and gets really mad and lectures you if you dont brew it right … yikes

logicversesemotion

Anyone have tips on how to deal with academic probation?

journal-jk

thestudypeach-blog

a small reminder, for those who need it ⭐

sunnyandpositive

2019 smells like money and healing. no more toxic bullshit. self love and prosperity only!

biopsychs

I love microbiology but it is a difficult class and is made even more difficult when you have a bad prof. I started this post after I took an introduction to microbiology class but waited to finish it until I completed an upper year microbiology class this past semester. This way I can also provide insight and tips on what will help you not only in the class but also how to make sure you are prepared for upper year classes.

Topics you may cover in your intro microbio class:

History of microbiology

Microbial taxonomy (naming and classification)

Microscopy and specimen preparation

Prokaryotic cell structure and function

Microbial nutrition and growth

Control of microorganisms by chemical and physical agents

Microbial metabolism (including energy, enzymes, regulation, chemosynthesis, photosynthesis, and biosynthesis)

Microbial genetics (including replication, mutation, gene expression, gene regulation, recombination, plasmids, etc.)

Virology

Immunology

And areas of/related to microbiology you may explore in upper classes may include: environmental microbiology, food and industrial microbiology, immunology, medical microbiology, molecular genetics, prokaryotic physiology, virology, and more!

Tip #1: Understand new material at the end of every week

Microbiology is a content heavy course. Even if you’re busy with other classes and responsibilities, do a thorough review of new content you’ve learned over the past week. Give yourself time to get help/go to office hours in case you don’t understand a concept (you can’t do this if you leave studying till the last minute).

Tip #2: Know the names of important microorganisms

This all depends on your prof. I had an insane prof who wanted us to know the names of every single microbe he mentioned in passing, but this shouldn’t be the case for everyone. The prof for my upper level microbiology class provided bonus marks if we could state the specific genus of a microorganism in any of our examples on the final exam. If you can, talk to students who have taken the class before for more insight.

Regardless, make sure you know the species, genus, etc. of microbes that your prof spent a significant amount of time talking about or ones that come up more than once.

Tip #3: Pay attention when you’re learning about metabolism

I say this for two reasons: (1) Metabolism is a difficult topic to understand and (2) It will benefit you to have a good understanding of metabolism now. Metabolism covers a wide range of ideas and concepts – having a good understanding will help you in upper level bio/biochem classes and will help you link ideas together.

Tip #4: Study the material in different ways

Revise your notes in a variety of ways. I prefer to type my notes and write them out after class. Typing allows me to get all the info down, I can insert diagrams from lecture slides as I go, and leaves me with a detailed study guide to use when I’m studying for finals (I also add material from the textbook not covered in lectures to my typed notes after class). Writing out my notes afterwards reinforces the material, allows me to shorten my notes to the important stuff (e.g. I only draw necessary diagrams), and allows me to reorganize the material (e.g. make acronyms, put the info into a table, compare and contrast 2 concepts like cellular respiration and photosynthesis).

You can also use other methods to study such as flashcards, mind maps, read the material out loud, etc. Only use a method if it actually works for you – for example, lots of people use flashcards to study but I rarely use them.

Another really good way to study is to make a practice test or at least think about how your prof will test certain concepts. This is a really helpful strategy for preparing for multiple choice and written questions.

Tip #5: Study with friends

This also ties into the idea of thoroughly learning new material at the end of every week. Plan a weekly study session or talk to your friends and hold each other accountable for staying on top of things.

I usually just met with one or two of my friends before each midterm. We would find a room with a whiteboard and spend an entire afternoon going over our notes together. I had other friends who would meet at least once a week and review the past week’s material together.

Tip #6: Draw it out

I personally love using whiteboards to study and would definitely recommend buying your own. If you don’t have one though, find an empty classroom with a whiteboard or just draw it out on a blank page. Don’t draw out every diagram you have available to you – find the most useful ones! I like to draw out a process and then write down the description of the process side by side.

I also like to combine diagrams that I find useful. Drawing diagrams also works if you’re trying to compare and contrast processes. Having all the info laid out in one place can help you see what is truly similar or different, rather than trying to memorize the processes as separate things.

For example, I had a few different diagrams for photosynthesis in my notes. Instead of studying them separately I combined them together so I had all the info in one place.

Tip #7: Utilize all the resources available to you

Ask questions! Go to office hours! Most profs are happy to help meeting with them one-on-one really ensures you are getting a good understanding.

You can also ask your lab TA for clarification on concepts, because often the content you cover in labs is tied to content covered in lectures. My TA heard us all complaining about how our prof did not properly explain a difficult concept. So, she did a quick search and found the name of a youtube channel she remembered learning from in her undergrad.

As well, if the textbook for your class proves to be useful then actually use it! I like to read over the textbook chapter before class because then I can focus on understanding the fine details during lecture. (I’ve also compiled some online useful books and online resources at the bottom of this post for you to check out.)

Advice specifically for labs:

Use aseptic technique! Wash your hands, work close to the flame, etc. If you’re not sure about something, wait and ask your TA. And try not to spill anything. Someone in my lab spilled a tube of E.coli broth on their lab notebook which then had to be autoclaved, which meant they had to buy a new notebook.

DON’T FORGET TO FLAME THE LOOP!!

Even though you’ll be working in partners make sure you can do everything on your own. It might be easier to have your partner hold a piece of equipment while you do something else but it won’t help you when you’re doing the same work alone during a lab exam or as a research assistant.

Make sure you can do a Gram stain properly. If you can’t do a proper Gram stain consistently you can ask your TA if you can practice on a few slides or have them watch you do a Gram stain to correct any mistakes you’re making.

Be specific when answering questions. Your TA wants to make sure you know exactly what you’re doing. Also, write down the full name (species + genus) of the microorganism you’re working with the first time you mention it and then feel free to use the abbreviated form after (i.e. write down Escherichia coli first but refer to it as E.coli thereafter)

Listen and be safe. Your TA will probably stress safety a lot but make sure you pay attention if they tell you need to take certain precautions with certain microorganisms (especially where to dispose certain samples).

Have fun! My favourite memory of the lab was when we were looking at samples we had prepared from soil the week prior. Everyone was comparing the fungi that had grown in their petri dishes and trying to see who had the most “fuzzy” sample.

Plan your time well. Read through your prelab carefully and make note of tasks that may take up more time (waiting for molten agar to cool, waiting for a sample to dry so you can heat fix the slide, etc.).

Label everything! You really don’t want to forget which test tube contains which organism or which tube is which when performing a serial dilution

Tie in things you do in the lab to things you’ve learned in lectures. You’ll make lecture material more interesting and you might learn different applications of what you’re doing in the lab.

At the end of the lab: Dispose of your materials in the proper waste bins! Wipe down your lab bench! Wash your hands!

Microbiology resources:

Some books related to microbiology/cell biology (note: these books aren’t meant as study materials but discuss some really interesting topics related to microbiology): The Gene by Siddhartha Mukherjee, I Contain Multitudes: The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life by Ed Young, Microbe Hunters by Paul de Kruif, Missing Microbes: How the Overuse of Antibiotics is Fueling Our Modern Plague by Martin Blaser, and Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic by David Quammen.

For my class I used Prescott’s Microbiology ( Willey, Joanne M., Sherwood, Linda M., Woolverton, Christopher J.; 8/e) and A Photographic Atlas for the Microbiology Laboratory (Leboffe, M.J. and Pierce, B.E.)

For online resources I will always recommend Khan Academy. I found they didn’t have everything I needed for this class specifically but the topics they did cover were explained well.

Wikipedia! I’ve had multiple profs this year tell me to use Wikipedia. Please don’t go citing Wikipedia in any of your lab reports (but you can look at their references at the bottom of page to find more info). Wikipedia is good for finding up to date information, especially for information related to microbial taxonomy.

Some Youtube channels that have helpful videos include: Armando Hasudungan, Bozeman Science, Crash Course (also I’m pretty sure there’s a song about the Krebs Cycle out there)

Check out my other posts here!

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