High school biology is your introduction to living systems, and your opportunity to explore the chemistry and physics that explain the incredible diversity of life we see everyday. Biology is a challenge for many students, who may have fearful visions of dissecting frogs or of having to memorize the minute structures of a cell visible only under a microscope.

Biology can be especially challenging for students who do not yet have a background in chemistry or physics. In fact, high school biology may well be your first high school science class. In high school science courses, you have to learn how to think like a scientist, and now is a great time to start. One of the first lessons to learn is how every science is a cohesive study. Indeed, the study of biology can help you appreciate how one idea can tie together a number of other concepts. Consider the ability of natural selection to explain phenomena as diverse natural diversity, human disease, and molecular genetics.

But how can you be expected to master these unifying concepts, often rooted in other natural sciences if you have never taken a basic chemistry course? How can you be expected to understand the physics of energy production in a cell if you are never introduced to basic physics principles?

These challenges have no easy answers, but high school biology classes reward an ability to recognize and prioritize the information you have to know. You probably don’t need to memorize the physical details that explain the thermodynamics of energy production in a mitochondrion. Rather, you should appreciate the mitochondrion as the site of energy production in the cell and consider some of its likely evolutionary pathways.

For even high achieving students, differentiating key information from extra details can be a major struggle. Successful students are often motivated to pursue further, independent study of details introduced in class. While motivation to in-depth study is a major asset, and should be cultivated, there are pitfalls to consider as well. One cannot get so lost in the details of one topic that one neglects others.

A common theme for many high school courses, biology included, is the ability to recognize what you have to know to succeed, and to meet those requirements while also making time to explore your own interests. Many high-achieving students are uncomfortable with the idea of triaging information in this way, and teachers who are spread thin among many students may be unable to offer much insight.

Working collaboratively with tutors or with students of a variety of skill levels can offer you a means to maximize efficiency in your studies. Working together, you are well positioned to cover all your bases for your exams, and begin exploring more in-depth specific fields in biology that may draw your interest. In fact, exploring your interests at a deeper level will position you well for success in later courses, where the concepts you study today may be demanded.

If you’d like to begin studying or reviewing high school biology topics right now, the free High School Biology flashcards offered by Varsity Tutors can help you do just that. Want to focus on a specific concept like action potentials? You can do that. Want to focus on a much broader concept, like ecology? You can do that, too. No matter your desired level of specificity, our free High School Biology flashcards are organized to help you study what you want to study, when you want to study it.