Struggling in Post Bacc General Chemistry

[Ceccinslovakia]

I am 23 years old and this is my first semester as a Post-Bacc Pre-Med student. I just got my second exam back today and got a 73%... My first exam was a 77%. Both grades were higher than the average. And looking at my second exam, I got 5/6 pages mostly right, but the multiple choice at the end was worth 22 points and I lost 18 on it because I ran out of time!

I am optimistic because I was able to do okay on a lot of the different stoichiometry problems that I had to study very long hours for. However, I have to wonder to myself: do I even have the mental capacity to do this? I mean, it's gen chem and I'm already really struggling with it. I'm taking Pre-Calc math, which is okay, and Bio 210, which I have an A in. But the other Post-Baccs in my program are doing well and I'm getting C's in Chem, which is not okay. Any suggestions about what I should do and if it's even possible for an idiot like myself to get the grades necessary for medical school?

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[crazy87]

It is hard to be confident in yourself, especially early on when you felt you haven't yet "proved" it to yourself that you can do this. But talk yourself up and try harder. I would say change the way you study for this chemistry class and MAKE it work. However you studied last time, change something and do it differently. Personally, I had an experience where I did terribly on a first test, then realized I had to do something drastically different about how I learned the material, even though my new technique was not one that anyone else I know used. I realized that I was not a typical learner and couldn't learn the material the same way as my fellow students. It worked out really well (did great on the next test) and it might have taken a little more time than others, but it was what had to be done to succeed. find something that works for you.

 

[Astharia]

Practice. Stoichiometry doesn't come easy, but it does come with more practice. I'm taking Chem I right now too, but I took basically the same course at a community college last year. Balancing equations and using the conversions within the equations was really hard for me last year, but I did practice a lot. This semester stoichiometry was my strong point while my memories of the polyatomic ions and such were a little rusty. Find a book that has scenarios and just do the equations.

 

[QofQuimica]

You don't need pre-calc for gen chem, but you do need excellent algebra skills. What's your current comfort with algebra and manipulating word problems? If you can't roll your eyes at me and answer "I eat algebra word problems for breakfast," then you need to do some algebra review.

Second, sounds like you also need to work on your test-taking skills. You don't have to do the test questions in order, so on your next test, try doing the multiple choice questions first instead of last. That way, you can get those quick and easy points without running out of time. In general, if you are a person who tends to run out of time on tests, you should always follow this strategy of doing the quickest/easiest questions first on any kind of timed test where some questions take longer than others.

 

[Apollo1]

You don't have to do the test questions in order

This. Scan through questions, in order, & cherry-pick those that don't require more than a few seconds of thought/manipulation. It gives you more time for the more complex scenarios, & helps build confidence as you progress through the exam.

 

[LupaCupcake]

for me it required altering my study habits

 

[darkeon]

though noted on the syllabus, students sometimes forget to use their professor's office hours. most schools also have peer tutoring in the introductory science courses so i recommend looking into that as well.

 

[mavric1298]

^ this, use all resources available, as well as do the free/easy points on the test. If there is a bunch of MC and some hand graded problems, generally getting all the MC done, then at least having SOME off the hand graded work done will be way more points then the other way around.

And gen chem can actually be very difficult. I had more problems with the complex acid/base stuff in gen chem then I did a lot of stuff in orgo. Some stuff just comes easy, while other stuff is more difficult, and it doesn't necessarily mean gen chem is easy and orgo is hard for example. It's just how it works in your head