How to teach yourself Biology?

Question

Hi,

I am a freshman student at a college that specializes in business. My major is Business Administration, however, my passion has always been science. I am going to transfer to Rutgers University, and major in Biology. I withdrew from high school and received a state issued high school diploma after passing the GED test. I withdrew for personal reasons, not academic. Anyway, I didn't get the chance to complete Biology courses; I only completed around two months worth of Biology. I want to be prepared for the college level Biology. How can I teach myself Biology all over again? What are some great books or websites? How do you discipline yourself to retain the information? Thanks.

By the way, I am 17 years old.

Answer 1

i would recommend this book: Biology



Biology by Neil A. Campbell and Jane B. Reece

it covers most everything you will see in introductory biology classes and can be bought on amazon.com for under $5.  As far as studying, well that depends on how you tend to learn things best.  If you read the textbook before lectures, just glossing over concepts that you don't grasp immediately, you will be ahead of the pack.  Lectures should clarify anything you didn't get from the reading.  And if not, ask questions.  The most effective way for me to learn was to redraw figures, take the time to understand graphs, and write write write.  Reading a textbook packed with novel information takes a lot of time , so allow ample time to read the chapters. So, read the chapter before lecture quickly but fully, after lecture reread or rewrite your notes ( whichever works best for you), then reread the chapter while taking thorough notes and redrawing figures.  This is a bit time consuming but it will ensure you get that A.  It will also help you retain the information long after classes are over and be there when you need it, not just for test time.    

Answer 2

Contact Rutgers and find out what text they are going to use for Biology.

In the mean time, here's a site that can get you set for evolution.  Once you learn that, read up on the phyla.

Answer 3

maybe,for start,u can use biology online. There are several sources that u can read,such as:

http://www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/fara...

http://www.biology-online.org/kb/tutoria...

http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultrane...

http://www.bioscience.org/urllists/biolo...

these websites are optional,just choose which suits you best. I hope it helps.