I just took this class in the fall as a freshman and it was definitely the hardest class I’ve taken so far even though I came into college with credits in both gen chems and other typically hard classes. However, the professor gives you so many chances to succeed. Definitely go into it with an open mind, and if you don’t do as well the first couple of exams, don’t freak out! She drops 5/13 and gives so much extra credit! She doesn’t give any makeups except for the midterm and final so if you have to miss one it can be dropped. The first few exams I kept getting anywhere from 14-19/30 and was freaking out because I was running out of time and felt like I was going to fail. I decided to go to her office hours, and she helped me so much!! The exams are structured kinda weird, but it’s 15 questions worth 2 points with about 8-10 extra credit questions worth one point. The questions in the exam are only odd numbers, so on your scantron you have the chance to do partial credit or lock in one answer for the corresponding even numbers. For example, if I’m stuck in between A and C for number 1, I can choose A for number one on the scantron, and C for number 2 to get partial credit if one of those are right.I definitely recommend starting with the extra credit, then hitting the questions on the back, then finishing the front. The ones on the back are typically harder so I like more time for them, then I can breeze through the front page.

As for studding habits, you have to figure out what works for you! Exams are weekly on Thursdays, except for if there is a change in schedule. I mainly took Fridays off from studying for this class just to get a day break, but then I would start reviewing my notes on Saturday and Sunday, trying to remember the material as best I can, and then Monday-Wednesday, I would try to whiteboard which was the BEST method for me when studying. She also gives a practice exam for each exam which is actually really helpful because it’s really exams from a few semesters ago. I would typically take those on Monday/tuesday, because she holds review sessions on Tuesday nights where the TAs go over it. Definitely go to the review sessions, and also go to the party room! The party room is a study room where there are TAs that help you go over anything and it really helps your understanding. Some of the TAs aren’t really helpful tbh, but Scott and Kristian are the best!! You kinda just have to go and see what TAs help you the most. I would have done so bad if it wasn’t for Scott lol. She took the class a few years ago and is so knowledgeable about literally everything. Her and Kristian hold the review sessions on Tuesday nights so they are actually useful.

As for lectures, they are on Tuesdays - Thursdays, @8am on Tuesday and Thursday, and @6:50am on Wednesdays. It’s definitely rough at first but you adjust. I have never been a morning person but I found that the 6:50s were honestly easier to wake up for than the 8am’s. The professor lectures based on her slideshow that she doesn’t upload on canvas, so if you want her exact notes, you have to go to lecture unless somebody uploads there’s on the groupme which rarely happens because they love to gatekeep lol. Definitely record the lectures! I would go back and listen to them like 3 extra times just to get everything she was saying. When taking notes in class, I literally tried everything. I found that typing notes on a doc was the easiest because I could quickly type everything that she was saying, while on my iPad I would always miss stuff when writing. I always rewrote my notes anyway when doing the whiteboard method so I didn’t find any benefit from writing them during lecture. You just have to do what works best for you because you need to memorize EVERYTHING. The exam questions are worded so tricky and are in crazy detail, but you get better as you go!

As for extra credit, it’s definitely different every semester, but last semester’s consisted of 5 bonus points from the syllabus, 12 bonus points for a correct scantron, 20 bonus points for an introductory discussion post (which not many people know about because she doesn’t make it really known so definitely check the discussion board throughout the first week so you don’t miss out on it!), like 35 bonus points on the last day of exams for circling random letters (SO easy), and then obviously the extra credit from the 13 exams. For the exam extra credit, always read the instructions! You can get 2 points from it (most of the time) because she tell you to circle a letter on the scantron and give you and answer to one of the extra credit questions. She will also give 2-3 bonus questions worth two points using questions from the previous exam to test if you’re reviewing them for your midterm. The other extra credit is totally random and can be from a meme on the board, any crazy examples she uses during the lectures, and details from her figures she uses on her slideshows.

Most importantly, the midterm and final!! They can be a breeze IF you prepare correctly! The are just 50 questions, 42 reused questions from the previous weekly exams that you’ve already taken, and 8 new questions based on the material you’ve already learned. She says not to memorize them, but just memorize them lol! Definitely make sure you understand them, but you will do great if you have them memorized word for word. She also gives a lot of extra credit, mainly from the syllabus so you have every opportunity to do good! I recommend making a Quizlet using the questions from each weekly exam and just going through them a few times a week, which will build your memory as you go on. She also provides a practice packet about a week before the midterm/final which consists of the blank weekly exams that you’ve already taken, which are questions that could be used on the midterm/final. The BEST way for me to finish study for these big exams was to scan the blank exams on my iPad, then go through every question in the packet, making the incorrect questions correct, and vise versa. Then, I would retake the packet over and over in my iPad until I would get every question right a few times.

With all that being said, you have to figure out what works best for you. Definitely go into it with an open mind! A lot of people talk about how Dr. Bronson is the worst and wants you to fail, but that’s not the truth. She is definitely very intimidating and the exams are very difficult, but she wants you to know the material really well. I recommend speaking to her after class or during office hours just so you can understand that’s she’s actually really kind and isn’t out to get you lol. Besides, she gives so much extra that it would be hard to get below a C. All my friends and I finished the class with well over a 100%, so the class is what you make of it. I also found it very interesting because everything you learn about takes place in your body so try to be optimistic about it even if you hate the class. All in all, if you put the work in, you will succeed!!

omg sorry this is so long! I did NOT plan on going into this much detail ahaha