Student Tips

Some stuff I shared with the Evolution class I TA for. Just a few study/learning tips that work well for me (made hastily so I'm sure I left a lot off) and some reminders about self-esteem in science/academia generally

Transcript

1. Some (Hopefully Helpful) Tips • Record lectures • Ask your prof first • Write timestamps with your written notes, ex. ‘7m15s—epistasis’ • Use an app that skips silence to save time • Smart Recorder- Android, free (I can only vouch for this one) • Super Voice Recorder- iPhone, free • Ultimate Voice Recorder- iPhone, $6.99 • Take collaborative notes in google docs • Use a reusable notebook! Rocketbook Everlast $34 on Amazon
2. More (Hopefully Helpful) Reminders • Science is hard • Not just for you • Evolution is really hard • Not just for you • Me, your prof, and anyone else you might think knows an overwhelming amount: 1. Doesn’t know everything, or even most things 2. Has been doing this for wayyyyy longer than you have and has learned many tricks for learning 3. Has worked hard, but is also lucky (& often privileged) 4. Knows less than you about many thing 5. Is just a person (a smart, but very flawed person) • Responsibility and independence are important, but asking questions and for help is never stupid or silly, even though can be scary • I once had a panic attack in a lab meeting because I was so anxious to ask a basic question • Asking questions/for help early and often is the best strategy • You can do well in this class and any others • You belong in science if that’s where you want to be