Chemistry Nightmare!!

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EMMDEETOBE

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Hello all.
I am currently enrolled in Gen. Chem I and so far, this class has been an utter and complete nightmare. Firstly, the Chemistry instructor is new to the school and this is the first college level Chemistry course he has ever taught. He gave us our first assignment without showing us the correct way to solve any of the equations and expected the assignment to be due the following class period. After a couple of students consistently tried to convince him to give the class an ounce of guidance on how to do the homework, he finally admit that he had not yet solved the problems himself and that he was unprepared to demonstrate how to work the equations in class. In other words, the guy had no idea how to solve the equations, as it has been awhile since he's taken Chemistry. He has now given us our second assignment and again expects us to figure out how to solve the equations and complete the assignment. I am in need of a little guidance. What can I do to ensure that I successfully master this semester of Chem? This instructor is the only Chemistry instructor we have so taking the course with someone is not an option at this point. Are there any books, materials or online sources that I could potentially use to teach myself the information and how to solve various equations. I'm not sure if this is the way that most Chemistry instructors teach. If so, I am willing to do what it takes to master the course. I just need a little shove in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
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Your chem instructor probably knows what he's doing. If he's got an advanced degree in chemistry he'll be able to understand the stuff( especially since chemistry 1 is stuff so basic you'll be using it in every chemistry class to come). Also its the first month of chemistry 1, what equations can you possibly be learning? How to use avagodro's number? I think you'll be fine, just do all the hwk problems and seek help with the TA's when ever you have questions.
 
Last edited:
The book. The internet. Youtube has some great tutorials.
 
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http://www.youtube.com/user/khanacademy
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EMMDEETOBE said:
Hello all.
I am currently enrolled in Gen. Chem I and so far, this class has been an utter and complete nightmare. Firstly, the Chemistry instructor is new to the school and this is the first college level Chemistry course he has ever taught. He gave us our first assignment without showing us the correct way to solve any of the equations and expected the assignment to be due the following class period. After a couple of students consistently tried to convince him to give the class an ounce of guidance on how to do the homework, he finally admit that he had not yet solved the problems himself and that he was unprepared to demonstrate how to work the equations in class. In other words, the guy had no idea how to solve the equations, as it has been awhile since he's taken Chemistry. He has now given us our second assignment and again expects us to figure out how to solve the equations and complete the assignment. I am in need of a little guidance. What can I do to ensure that I successfully master this semester of Chem? This instructor is the only Chemistry instructor we have so taking the course with someone is not an option at this point. Are there any books, materials or online sources that I could potentially use to teach myself the information and how to solve various equations. I'm not sure if this is the way that most Chemistry instructors teach. If so, I am willing to do what it takes to master the course. I just need a little shove in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...
chem 1 is super easy. I took honors chemistry in high school and i am taking chem 1 this semester and its a joke. Its a piece of cake. just do your homework problems and take some help from tutoring if your college offers it. Trust me you ll be fine, chem 1 is child's play.
 
I think my first couple weeks of gen chem 1 was like precision vs accuracy and really basic unit conversions. What's giving you trouble?
 
Most major colleges have chemistry tutorial centers, if your school has those take advantage of them.
 
I am an AP chem teacher and I can't think of anything he might give you for a week 1 assignment that would be too horrible, then again if he has not taught chem before it's possible he gave you something too complex without thinking first. I'd find a chem tutor. PM me the problem, maybe I can give you a hand for a quick fix.
 
I'm sure telling the OP that "it's cake" isn't helping him/her at all.

OP, my guess is that you're a freshman who's a little shell-shocked at how much out of class work is expected of you.

Here are some pointers:

1) You're first step to stop blaming the professor. Yes, there are SUCKY profs that you're going to encounter. I don't doubt that yours is bad too. Nonetheless, everyone in your class is in the same exact boat. There's nothing you can do (you said it yourself - he's the only gen chem prof) so you need to suck it up and truck through it.
2) Read the text BEFORE class. Read the chapter/s that will be covered so you know what to expect.
3) WORK PROBLEMS! I can't stress this enough. Make sure to do ALL of the problems in the textbook. (Yes, ALL OF THEM!)
4) Find someone in the class who seems to know what they're doing and buddy up with them. Group studying is great for chem classes! It's how I survived gen chem (which I too thought was hard!)
5) Go to office hours. For some reason, most profs love it when students come to office hours. Plus, you get brownie points if you make a habit of it. They may remember you and be inclined to boost that B+ up to an A-. :)
5) Go to the tutor EARLY. If you don't get something, if others in the class can't help, and if your prof truly is useless, you need to see the tutor. Period. There is no shame associated with it.

Most importantly, even if your prof didn't explain how to do those problems in class, they are most likely in that chem textbook somewhere. Crack it open and try and figure it out on your own. If you still can't after reading all the chapters you've covered, like I said, check out the tutor and/or hit office hours.

Hope that helps! Good luck! :)
 
roseglass6370 said:
I'm sure telling the OP that "it's cake" isn't helping him/her at all.

OP, my guess is that you're a freshman who's a little shell-shocked at how much out of class work is expected of you.

Here are some pointers:

1) You're first step to stop blaming the professor. Yes, there are SUCKY profs that you're going to encounter. I don't doubt that yours is bad too. Nonetheless, everyone in your class is in the same exact boat. There's nothing you can do (you said it yourself - he's the only gen chem prof) so you need to suck it up and truck through it.
2) Read the text BEFORE class. Read the chapter/s that will be covered so you know what to expect.
3) WORK PROBLEMS! I can't stress this enough. Make sure to do ALL of the problems in the textbook. (Yes, ALL OF THEM!)
4) Find someone in the class who seems to know what they're doing and buddy up with them. Group studying is great for chem classes! It's how I survived gen chem (which I too thought was hard!)
5) Go to office hours. For some reason, most profs love it when students come to office hours. Plus, you get brownie points if you make a habit of it. They may remember you and be inclined to boost that B+ up to an A-. :)
5) Go to the tutor EARLY. If you don't get something, if others in the class can't help, and if your prof truly is useless, you need to see the tutor. Period. There is no shame associated with it.

Most importantly, even if your prof didn't explain how to do those problems in class, they are most likely in that chem textbook somewhere. Crack it open and try and figure it out on your own. If you still can't after reading all the chapters you've covered, like I said, check out the tutor and/or hit office hours.

Hope that helps! Good luck! :)
Click to expand...

GREAT pieces of advice!
 
Chemistry as a second language.
 
I'm not sure if this is the best advice or not, but it worked for me. I was in a similar situation except my professor was really apathetic of teaching (gave us 20 minute lecture and how he hated the textbook each time and left). On top of that all the chemistry sections of my college took the same midterm and final. What helped me was, as some have suggested already, is finding youtube videos and learning corresponding material. Also, I used my brother's Examkrackers Gen Chem book, which made infinitely more sense learning on my own.
 
roseglass6370 said:
I'm sure telling the OP that "it's cake" isn't helping him/her at all.

OP, my guess is that you're a freshman who's a little shell-shocked at how much out of class work is expected of you.

Here are some pointers:

1) You're first step to stop blaming the professor. Yes, there are SUCKY profs that you're going to encounter. I don't doubt that yours is bad too. Nonetheless, everyone in your class is in the same exact boat. There's nothing you can do (you said it yourself - he's the only gen chem prof) so you need to suck it up and truck through it.
2) Read the text BEFORE class. Read the chapter/s that will be covered so you know what to expect.
3) WORK PROBLEMS! I can't stress this enough. Make sure to do ALL of the problems in the textbook. (Yes, ALL OF THEM!)
4) Find someone in the class who seems to know what they're doing and buddy up with them. Group studying is great for chem classes! It's how I survived gen chem (which I too thought was hard!)
5) Go to office hours. For some reason, most profs love it when students come to office hours. Plus, you get brownie points if you make a habit of it. They may remember you and be inclined to boost that B+ up to an A-. :)
5) Go to the tutor EARLY. If you don't get something, if others in the class can't help, and if your prof truly is useless, you need to see the tutor. Period. There is no shame associated with it.

Most importantly, even if your prof didn't explain how to do those problems in class, they are most likely in that chem textbook somewhere. Crack it open and try and figure it out on your own. If you still can't after reading all the chapters you've covered, like I said, check out the tutor and/or hit office hours.

Hope that helps! Good luck! :)
Click to expand...

This is all great advice. Use it!

Also, as others have said, there are great resources on the web. There may be something useful here: http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/Chemistry_101_Introduction_to_Chemistry.htm

Go to the library and look for a book on Chemistry, too. These types of "dummy" books are generally easier to understand than the text, but they also dumb it down quite a bit. So, these books can help you get started, but don't expect them to teach you the material.
 
First, don't ever try to count on the professors :'(
You are on your own now. Sometimes, you just can't pick who's teaching/giving your grade.

Second, watch all of this and more :D

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xK2l_pKrKI

You will be okay. If other people can do it, you can too.
 
EMMDEETOBE said:
Hello all.
I am currently enrolled in Gen. Chem I and so far, this class has been an utter and complete nightmare. Firstly, the Chemistry instructor is new to the school and this is the first college level Chemistry course he has ever taught. He gave us our first assignment without showing us the correct way to solve any of the equations and expected the assignment to be due the following class period. After a couple of students consistently tried to convince him to give the class an ounce of guidance on how to do the homework, he finally admit that he had not yet solved the problems himself and that he was unprepared to demonstrate how to work the equations in class. In other words, the guy had no idea how to solve the equations, as it has been awhile since he's taken Chemistry. He has now given us our second assignment and again expects us to figure out how to solve the equations and complete the assignment. I am in need of a little guidance. What can I do to ensure that I successfully master this semester of Chem? This instructor is the only Chemistry instructor we have so taking the course with someone is not an option at this point. Are there any books, materials or online sources that I could potentially use to teach myself the information and how to solve various equations. I'm not sure if this is the way that most Chemistry instructors teach. If so, I am willing to do what it takes to master the course. I just need a little shove in the right direction. Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

You can:
1. attend tutorial classes or ask the SI about the problems.
2. read notes online (google, youtube)
3. try different textbooks
4. find other professors that is teaching the same class and ask them questions
etc etc.....You have so many useful things you can use...ESPECIALLY ONLINE.

Good luck.
 
Has anyone checked out MIT's free courseware before? Maybe there's something there you can follow through the class.
 
I apologize for the confusion. I did not intend to imply that the work that was assigned was in any way difficult. It was not. My intentions were, however, to get advice on some useful resources that I could potentially utilize from those who have already taken Chemistry. As I stated in my previous post, I do not mind working my a** off for the A. My concern is that this class has the potential to become quite difficult not because of the material itself, but because of the instructors complete lack of guidance (I don't mean to come of as if I'm blaming him. I am just stating the facts). I simply wanted a shove in the right direction in order to successfully ace the class-that of which you have given me. Thanks a million to those who gave valuable, useful advice!
 
I cannot stress how important it is to read the textbook, not just once, but multiple times. You will quickly find that as you re-read the text, you will begin making connections and anticipating how certain concepts can be used to work through problems.
 
EMMDEETOBE said:
I apologize for the confusion. I did not intend to imply that the work that was assigned was in any way difficult. It was not. My intentions were, however, to get advice on some useful resources that I could potentially utilize from those who have already taken Chemistry. As I stated in my previous post, I do not mind working my a** off for the A. My concern is that this class has the potential to become quite difficult not because of the material itself, but because of the instructors complete lack of guidance (I don't mean to come of as if I'm blaming him. I am just stating the facts). I simply wanted a shove in the right direction in order to successfully ace the class-that of which you have given me. Thanks a million to those who gave valuable, useful advice!
Click to expand...

OP, sorry if I misinterpreted what you were trying to say. Yes, there are definitely tons of great resources online. Even just simply googling the topic you're on can sometimes land you some great sites, articles, and simulations (just make sure they match-up with what you're book says!)

Also, as I mentioned, the tutor is another great resource. They'll probably be able to provide more supplemental material.
 
Just to update, got grades back-aced that sucker! Thanks again for all the responses!
 
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