Hi,
 
I hope you are doing well! Unfortunately, none of our Advisors have taken BIOLOGY 305 with Dr. Green/Dr. Wierzbicki. However, I did take the course in Fall 2021 with Dr. Baucom/Dr. Dus. BIOLOGY 305, in general, is just one of more conceptually difficult courses here at UMich and requires tons of practice. The first half of the class is focused on quantitative and population genetics and is very statistics/math-based (a lot of problem solving). The second half of the class is focused on molecular genetics and is more memorization heavy. To be successful in the course, I would always skim the pre-readings (spent about 20-30 minutes) before each lecture just so that I was prepared for the topics discussed in that lecture. After lecture, I would go back to the sections of the pre-reading that the professors did not cover heavily in lecture and I would review them more closely because, from my memory, anything covered in the pre-readings is fair game for exams. After I had finished watching the lecture and reviewed the pre-reading, I would attempt the practice questions in the textbook. Practice questions are super important for this course, whether it be from the textbook or the past exams. Any question that I did not conceptually understand, I would go to office hours and have them work it through with me until I could attempt a similar question like it on an exam. The SLC Study Groups for BIOLOGY 305 are also very helpful because they provide a space to members to work out their thought process when it comes to solving exam questions and even offer more practice questions. The more exposure to exam-styled questions, the better.
 
I hope this helps! Feel free to stop by our advising hours (on Sunday – Wednesday from 6 – 10 PM) if you have any further questions!
 
Best,
Raheem, PMH Co-President

Thank you so much!