There seems to be the impression that students today do not need to acquire facts, details and terminology in this Age of Information. For example, students might think it is not important to know the names of the immune cells when explaining the immune response in humans. Remembering that kind of information is just too hard. Furthermore, I often hear students say that they can't remember "names/terms" and facts. Science has a vocabulary that is necessary for explaining concepts accurately. That is the nature of science.
There will not be short cuts provided to you when you are learning in post secondary studies. You will be expected, as a professional, to acquire the facts surrounding the concepts you are learning. That includes remembering complex biological pathways and relationships inundated with unique vocabulary.
Acquiring this knowledge is not a matter of being able to do it or not. We all learn in different ways, and at this point, some students still have not figured out how to study. You ALL can acquire this information but you need to know yourself and how you best achieve those results. You should embrace the challenge and rise to it rather than crumble just because you become uncomfortable with a challenge. So I know you CAN do it. You may not actually know HOW to do it.
Be a responsible and mature student. If you don't know how to study then ask for strategies that might help. The mental exercise of acquiring this scientific knowledge will pay in dividends when you enter post secondary. You should not be looking for ways to reduce the challenge but ways to overcome the challenge.
So be assured, post secondary success will depend on your ability to master these facts and terminologies because they are integrated with your ability to express your understanding of the concepts.
I asked several of my former students now studying to be doctors, nurses, dentists, etc. about reference material during evaluations. Here is some of the feedback I received:
"You definitely need to remember terminology. in biology (not sure if you're looking for more chem/physics) we needed to know terms and hardly ever were able to use "reference material"."
"You need to know your stuff. Immune cells as in macrophage, neutrophils, eosinophils, B-cells, T-cells etc? All good to know. :) The only time I've been allowed a cheat sheet in university is going into a stats exam and the physics exams had a formula sheet"
"I don't remember being able to bring in a reference sheet for a biological class. It was either remember the terminology or be prepared to fail the test..."
"Everything the others have said rings true to my experience. Also remembering the details of common biological pathways (citric acid cycle, photosynthesis, etc.) will benefit a science student in there first two years of study. There is an amount of memorization required in university science classes that a lot of people find surprising/off-putting."
"Creating good study habits before university is helpful. [ I was ] not prepared for the rigorousness of university (although this was my fault)."
"Along with Jenn the only time I was allowed a cheat sheet was for my stats class in university. However, the idea that students don't need to learn certain material unfortunately does not end with high school. Students still expect to be spoon fed answers in university and in my experience in nursing this far are not afraid to voice their opinion and straight up ask for them. It's disappointing and frankly a little scary that people are too lazy to learn the information that is required of their degree. (Slight rant).
Students should know that learning all you can in high school will only better prepare you for university classes."
In conclusion, we are not preparing you for success if we are giving you shortcuts and ways to facilitate and allow for mental laziness.
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