For many freshmen, biology is quite a challenge, with some ninth graders struggling to pass this quarter. What is the reason? Is the material just harder than they are used to? Could it be a lack of studying? What is going on?
Rita Azzouzi, a freshman struggling with biology said, “I am currently failing the class and I think it’s very difficult to memorize and apply this stuff for tests…I find it harder to understand all the information based on fast paced teaching.”
While many students cannot seem to earn a passing grade, others seem to be adjusting well and working strategically to pass.
“I think biology is the hardest class I’m taking because there’s a lot of stuff to memorize and it’s very complicated. I normally don’t study for many classes and do mostly fine, but I didn’t expect it to be my hardest class,” Juan Gustafson, freshman, said.
Many students said they use the same study methods across all their classes, but it doesn’t seem to work well for biology.
On the other hand, Freshman JJ Froemke, who is doing well in the class, puts in extra time and studies by asking ChatGPT to make a quiz for him about his lessons. Then he goes through the quiz and sees which questions he got wrong and then goes over the notes for them again and repeats the process.
“I have an A in the class but I do think biology is definitely the hardest class I’m taking. Biology is the only class I study for. I usually study for an hour and a half every time I have a test coming up the next day,” Froemke said.
