Hey guys I started dental school last year and unfortunately I got killed by the sciences specifically biochemistry, anatomy and histology. I was not able to pull through and failed those classes. I will be resuming next year as a first year again. I do want to be a dentist, and while I struggled a lot with my hand skills and wax ups I think I can actually do that part. Obviously I am trying to spend the summer learning the material but How do I actually learn how to learn? My undergrad was at a pretty easy state school and I aced all my classes by reading the slides the night before, perhaps making some flashcards. That obviously didn't work in d-school.
TL;Dr: failed first year sciences and need to figure out how to learn
This is my experience and what I used in med school, it should apply just the same.
So you have to figure out what type of learner you are; kinesthetic, auditory, visual. After you have that figured out go with what works for you. If you are more visual then reading and videos might be the thing for you. Auditory---audio lectures, kinesthetic---draw it out. That depends up to you and it is figured out by trying every single until you find one that you like and that works. Now besides having a clear method you have to have an active study method, meaning you "digest" the material and end up making it your own. For an example taking what you read and trying to explain it from memory and using your own words (which is how I have studied). I would most of the time explain it to myself out loud using a drawing board, but you can explain it just using words or whatever other way that you prefer. Other examples are book summaries, concept maps, etc. I think one of the most important things with your study method is that it should have some sort of active recall, really forcing you to remember the material.
Besides studying what is also fundamental is the review. You have to review and often. Personally, I use the spaced repetition method to determine with what interval I should review and use the from memory explanations for the review itself. It doesn't matter what method is better for you to review, just as long as you do and have a good dose of active recall (taking evaluation quizzes is another great way to review).
As for myself, I was always a visual learner. I liked videos that explained the most fundamental and gave a good introduction before I hit the books. This way I knew what was important when approaching the book and didn't have to wade through all the fluff that reference books often have. Often times the vid lecture was also good enough so that I only had to add a few details from the book and it became a sort of review. For the basic sciences I always liked Lecturio, the videos were always short and to the point and provided me with the needed introduction (often when I didn't get it because of not so great lecturers. Another good option is Najeeb, however, his videos are mad long. These two that I have mentioned are targeted more towards med students but I think that for the most part, the basic sciences program should be the same.
The vid lectures + lecture notes became my basic study guide which I complemented from the book. I would consider the topic known when I could explain it from memory using my own words and reviewed with spaced repetition.
Is this what you should use....maybe if it works for you. Again, it is up to you to conclude what method works best now that cramming a few days before won't cut it anymore.
I hope this helped.