Written by Mia DiMartino, Undergraduate student at SUNY Cortland
Editor’s Note: This is the second in a three-part series on how to succeed in college with dyslexia. In this post, Mia shares tips she learned when taking difficult classes in her Biology and Chemistry pre-med courses.
Biology Challenge: When you are in a biology class the material can be hard to understand and very fast paced. Here’s how to keep up.
- Sit in the front so you are not distracted. This is a good tip for any class.
- Use plain white printer paper, not lined paper. The lines get confusing when taking notes.
- Talk with your disability resources office to see if you qualify for a peer note taker.
- Create your own study guide after each class by combining the professor’s PowerPoint, your note taker’s notes, and your own notes. Do everything in color.
- The next day, review your study guide carefully to further develop your understanding of the material. After your next class, add to your study guide and then review it. Repeat the process after each class until the test.
- Get a lot of colored pens to make your study guide.
- To review your study guide, get a big white board that is the size of your desk and write the notes out and draw pictures.
- If you are memorizing a list of things, use a crazy mnemonic and put a picture next to it.
- Talk to your teachers if you are confused about anything.
- You will love any diagram because you can mind map your way through it. Physiology is full of those and so is cell biology.
- Use the books to fill in your study guide with small details. Details are key and are always on a test.
Genetics: This is the most challenging class you will encounter BUT YOU CAN DO IT!
- Mitosis and meiosis can be very confusing, especially when you add genes. Get pop beads and work through practice problems. Use this video simulation.
- When letters are tight together, especially in a small font, it’s easy to mix them up.
- Make a color system with highlighters to distinguish the letters.
- If letters are still too tight together, try to rewrite the problem on plain white paper. Space out the letters, then work on the problem.
- Practice problems as much as you can.
- Get one-on-one help twice a week.
- Create a system of attack for each question. Break each sentence down.
- Use lots of color!
Chemistry Challenge: Some material will play to your strengths, while others will be more difficult.
- YouTube is your best friend. There are a lot of great videos that can teach you concepts and you can pause the video. Tyler DeWitt has some great videos for general chemistry and the Organic Chemistry tutor is very helpful.
- Use highlighters to pick out important information in the question.
- Create a system of attack for each question and memorize the system.
- Practice problems are key. Find them in your textbooks and use them.
- General chemistry and biochemistry will be harder for you than organic chemistry. Organic chemistry is drawing a lot of pictures and understanding concepts. You are so visual that it will be fun for you to draw all of the molecules. Organic chemistry will also be your strength because it involves some level of being a chemical engineer. Biochemistry and general chemistry involve more logic and solving word problems.
The final post in our series will look at math, writing, and foreign language courses.