From the day you join university, you will hear your seniors talk about the “third-year leap” – a phenomenon that will intrigue you! I found this phrase a little alluring, but as I complete the first semester of the third year, I dedicate this blog to discussing the leap for biological sciences.

The jump from the second to the third year has more to do with the student’s approach than the content itself. Of course, the content will focus more on the details of the topic, but the way to process it needs to change! For instance, I recommend reading a lot of scientific papers on diverse topics during the summer break before the start of the third year.

This practice will increase your information processing speed and allow the content you learn to be internalised as knowledge during your third year. It will also increase your understanding of different life science subfields and introduce you to many experimental techniques (essential for research proposals).

Another critical point is to ensure that you have a note-taking strategy ready after two weeks – unique to each module! But along with these notes, keep mind maps and flowcharts prepared for the final exam revision.

And lastly, don’t pile up on queries or assessments – stick to a plan, and you will be good to go! The leap is indeed there, but if you are prepared to work a little harder, it will be alright!

I hope this helps! Thank you for reading!