If you are interested in working with professional biochemistry tutors to help you reach for your academic goals, Varsity Tutors can match you with a knowledgeable private instructor in as little as 24 hours. Biochemistry is the intersection of biology and chemistry, dealing primarily with the chemical processes that take place within or are somehow related to living organisms. The definition is easy enough, but the actual coursework can be very challenging.
Biology and chemistry are both incredibly broad subjects, and your course isn't going to condense them to make things easier on you. That means that you're looking at both a lot of rote memorization and a lot of recalling previous concepts to relate them to newer material. There is absolutely nothing wrong with needing help to keep up with your studies, so contact us today to take your studies to a new level.
What topics can professional biochemistry tutors help me study?
While it would be impossible to list all of the topics covered in biochemistry here, the list below should suffice to give you some sense of the types of topics you can study:
Protein Structure and Function
Proteins are composed of compounds called amino acids, and their shape dictates their uses in the human body as well as other organisms. For example, enzymes are special proteins that can "eat" specific molecules, aiding in digestion, managing the rate of chemical reactions, and a host of other functions. Muscles are also made out of protein, meaning that essential organs such as the heart are primarily protein-based.
Genetics
Genetics is the study of genes, heredity, and genetic variation in organisms. You have probably studied simplified Mendelian genetics since middle school, but biochemistry takes the concept considerably deeper. Not only will you look at alleles whose expression is much more complicated than simple dominant vs. recessive traits, but you'll also look into the chemical composition of nucleotides and how the information contained in strands of DNA and RNA influence cellular behavior.
Photosynthesis
Nearly everyone knows that photosynthesis is the chemical process by which plants (and certain fungi) produce food, but far fewer can explain how the chemical process works. In biochemistry, you study photosynthesis as a series of molecular chemical reactions, learning how sunlight is ultimately converted into glucose and burned for energy.
Immunology
Immunology may be simply defined as the study of immune systems in all organisms. You're probably already familiar with how white blood cells fight off infection in humans, but how do they communicate with one another to coordinate their actions? How do plants fight foreign invaders? What about single-celled organisms? These are the types of questions you can answer with your biochemistry tutor.
Endocrinology
Endocrinology is the study of the endocrine system, including hormones such as dopamine and testosterone that act as a catalyst for a variety of physiological changes. Previous courses probably taught you what many of these hormones do, but biochemistry shows you how they do it at the molecular level.
How can biochemistry tutors help me further my understanding of concepts?
Your professor would probably love to spend individualized time with each of their students in order to promote a superior understanding of scientific concepts, but the number of students they are responsible for and the time constraints imposed by the semester prevent them from doing so. One-on-one biochemistry tutoring acts as a supplement to the education you receive in a classroom setting, filling in any gaps as needed.
For instance, working in a private learning environment allows you to receive feedback on completed assignments promptly so that you may address any mistakes in a timely fashion. Similarly, any questions you have may be answered in a timely fashion so that any misunderstandings can be addressed before they spiral out of control.
You can also build a personal rapport with your instructor to help them adapt biochemistry tutoring sessions to your unique needs. If you're a visual learner, your instructor can use visual aids such as info-graphics and tables to make it easier for you to picture important concepts in your mind. If you're more of an auditory student, your instructor might adopt a discussion-based session format with plenty of oral repetition to help you remember key concepts. If you're a kinesthetic learner who studies best by actively doing something, your instructor can guide you through at-home experiments to help bring abstract scientific concepts to life. There is no "right" way to study biochemistry, so why not do it your way and make the most of the study time available to you?
Working with a biochemistry tutor also allows you to study at your own pace. If you understand immunology, your instructor can skip it in favor of other subjects to keep your study sessions as engaging as possible. If you're having a rougher time with the intricacies of photosynthesis, your instructor can slow things down and provide additional explanations until you feel ready to move onto the next subject.
Many students also take advantage of their private biochemistry tutoring sessions to work on their broader study skills. Reading is essential in biochemistry, as you have a dense textbook and scientific journal articles to review on a regular basis. If you could retain more of what you read, your tutor can demonstrate active reading techniques such as taking notes as you go along to promote a more complete engagement with the material. You can also make a note of anything that doesn't make sense to you so that you remember to ask about it later.
Likewise, biochemistry involves a lot of mathematics in the form of statistics and calculus. If your quantitative problem-solving skills aren't up to the task, your instructor can provide practice problems centering on the specific concepts you need to know to help you feel more confident.
Sharing information is also important for any scientist, so you might need to brush up on your written communication skills for your biochemistry class. If you aren't already in the habit of doing so, outlining your papers can make it easier to present a logical argument that your colleagues will be able to follow. Working from an outline can also save you valuable time, as you can refer back to it if you forget what you originally planned to say next.
What are some of the benefits of studying biochemistry?
Studying biochemistry can prepare you for a variety of exciting career opportunities, including as a toxicologist, laboratory technician, healthcare scientist, and clinical research associate. Biochemistry is also a key component of the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test), a standardized exam required by virtually all accredited medical schools in the United States and Canada. If you're apprehensive about taking a test (whether it's the MCAT or a simple chapter exam), your instructor can teach you test-taking strategies to help you do your best. You might also study mindfulness techniques such as meditation if you have struggled with test anxiety in the past.
If you decide against pursuing a career in biochemistry, the concepts you study can also empower you to ask informed questions about your healthcare. For example, it's easier to decide if the keto diet is for you if you have a solid understanding of how the energy-producing processes of glycolysis and ketosis work.
What makes Varsity Tutors such a great educational resource?
If you were to try and find your own biochemistry tutor, you might need to look pretty hard to find somebody knowledgeable enough in a niche subject. You would also need to verify that your potential instructor had the communication skills required of any great teacher. Perhaps most importantly, you would need to make sure that your schedules allowed study sessions to take place regularly.
Chances are, you don't have time to worry about all of that. Varsity Tutors specializes in taking the hassle out of working with a private instructor. Not only can we find you somebody today, but we also offer a proprietary Live Learning Platform that allows you to meet up on your computer or your favorite mobile device anywhere with a strong internet connection. The days of fighting traffic just to meet with your instructor are over. In addition, powerful features such as video chat functionality and a virtual whiteboard make your digital study sessions just as effective as meeting up in person, so you don't have to compromise efficacy for convenience.
You are also in complete control over both how many sessions you get and when they take place, allowing you to keep living your life while working with a biochemistry instructor. If you've been meeting up with your high school friends every Saturday evening since you entered college, you won't need to break that tradition just to study.
At Varsity Tutors, we do everything in our power to make working with biochemistry tutors as convenient as possible. If you're ready to get started or would simply like more information about the valuable services we provide, please use the contact info on this page to speak with a knowledgeable educational consultant who can answer any questions you have. We look forward to hearing from you soon!
