Bad first semester. Changing study habits?

[imistty]

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(Sorry for the unorganized ramble, just had to vent)

I am a week away from finishing my first semester at a state university and I just got my results for the gen chem 1 4th exam. I studied very hard for it and ended up with a D. I got an A, B and another D on the other 3 exams. The only reason I did decent on the other two was because they are conceptual, while the other ones are math.

For biology 1, my exam average is an 80 so I am not doing too well in that either.

I am taking pre-calculus this year and am 0.5% away from an A so I may be able to pull it off based on my final exam score.

I got a very bad professor for gen ed course and will probably get a B in that class.

My grades are just horrible and getting my exam score today just made me rethink everything. I don't know what to do since everyone says the courses just get harder. I am scared of chemistry 2 because it is mostly math and I am much better at the conceptual stuff. I think I am going to come out with a 3.2-3.3 GPA for this semester.

I feel like I am at a disadvantage because I have never taken chemistry or biology in high school, and my math teachers were horrible. I am going to be taking chem 2, chem 2 lab, calculus, and 2 easy classes next semester. If I do not do well next semester I am going to rethink the pre-med route.

I guess what i am trying to get to is, for people who were in my position, how did you raise your grades? what did you do different? I know that I am a visual learner so I always try to watch videos. I have also noticed that I am usually pretty confused in lecture because I don't study the material as hard as I can before the class. About a week before exams I try to learn everything on my own using lecture notes and the internet.

I really have a passion for medicine, I just don't know how to study in general. My high school was a joke so I am basically having to learn the basics of each class on my own.

 

[Mclovin0351]

Do every single practice problem at the end of the chapters in your chemistry textbook. When you get stuck on one, reread the relevant parts of the chapter to figure it out. Repeat until A

 

[Turkishking]

Go to the learning center, there they will teach you techniques.
Chemistry is all repetition, and Biology in most cases is memorization, and application.

 

[treesnm3s]

How much do you study for each class? How do you study for each class?

Chemistry is all about practice (and a little memorization). Do the problems in the book, multiple times if you have to.

Biology is all about memorization. For me, writing (not typing; you will remember the material more if you write it old fashioned) outlines for each chapter, reviewing them, and making flash cards (Anki is your friend) is what got me an A in General Biology 2.

 

[longhaul3]

If you can get an A or A- in precalculus, you've demonstrated that you have all the math skills you need for your pre-med studies. The math you see in general chemistry is algebra II level at worst, and most importantly, it's all the same stuff over and over again. Logarithms and their inverses, the odd quadratic equation to be solved. I agree that simple repetition is a good way to gain proficiency in solving problems you see in general chem. But don't cheat yourself on the basics either, like the concepts of acids and bases and, most importantly, how electrons like to associate with atoms and create bonds.

If your school uses Cengage, you might be able to get access to OWL, which is a bona fide one-stop shop for learning general chemistry.

 

[stickgirl390]

Studying a week before exams is not nearly enough time, and it definitely won't be enough for Chem 2, based on what you've said above. I tutored Chem 1 and 2 at my university. The students who came to me the week before a test averaged Cs and Ds on their exams. Those that had weekly or biweekly meetings with me all semester scored As. I saw a good sampling of students as well; freshman, transfers, and non traditional. I'd say I tutored about 20 different students each semester, and the trend was always the same.

It can be overwhelming to try and force yourself to study for say, 2 hours every day. At that point you're just staring at the clock waiting for 2 hours to be over. I'd suggest this goal: do something chemistry related every day. It doesn't matter how much time you spend each day, as long as you do something. You can watch YouTube videos, read, go to tutoring, try practice problems, etc. The week before a test, study at least 1 hour every day.

Also, see if your professor has any old exams for you to practice with. Try taking the test in 1 hour or however long your class is. Practicing working at a quick pace is just as important as learning material.

I hope that helps. And yes you're right, chem 2 is almost ALL math. But ochem is almost no math. Good luck!

 

[imistty]

I've decided to only take 12 hours next semester and try to get the highest grades I can.

I don't really look at the time when I study, I just study until I understand or until I'm tired.

 

[imistty]

Studying a week before exams is not nearly enough time, and it definitely won't be enough for Chem 2, based on what you've said above. I tutored Chem 1 and 2 at my university. The students who came to me the week before a test averaged Cs and Ds on their exams. Those that had weekly or biweekly meetings with me all semester scored As. I saw a good sampling of students as well; freshman, transfers, and non traditional. I'd say I tutored about 20 different students each semester, and the trend was always the same.

It can be overwhelming to try and force yourself to study for say, 2 hours every day. At that point you're just staring at the clock waiting for 2 hours to be over. I'd suggest this goal: do something chemistry related every day. It doesn't matter how much time you spend each day, as long as you do something. You can watch YouTube videos, read, go to tutoring, try practice problems, etc. The week before a test, study at least 1 hour every day.

Also, see if your professor has any old exams for you to practice with. Try taking the test in 1 hour or however long your class is. Practicing working at a quick pace is just as important as learning material.

I hope that helps. And yes you're right, chem 2 is almost ALL math. But ochem is almost no math. Good luck!

What do you generally do with people who are struggling and take weekly sessions with you? I might have to look into a tutor as well

 

[partypantss]

What do you generally do with people who are struggling and take weekly sessions with you? I might have to look into a tutor as well

I got a 3.05 my first semester taking only 13.5 credits while had straight As my last 5 semesters taking 14-16.5 credits. For me my biggest problem was learning how to study efficiently and getting used to spending significant time studying. For example at first I tried actually reading all of the assigned textbook chapters however I eventually learned that that is a complete waist of time and energy for the majority of my classes. My advice is to figure out what works, pay attention to where your profs get their questions from and how much detail u need to know.

 

[stickgirl390]

What do you generally do with people who are struggling and take weekly sessions with you? I might have to look into a tutor as well

The students would read at home and try some practice problems on their own. Then they would bring specific problems to tutoring that they needed extra help with. The best way to learn chemistry is to try the sample problems, GET THEM WRONG, and then find out what you messed up on. If someone just shows you the right way to do the problems every time, you'll always be missing a deeper understanding.

 

[imistty]

Thank you guys for the help. Once I am done with finals, I am going to look over my studying habits and try to fix them over the break. I feel much better about crushing next semester

 

[purplefrog13]

Talk to your professors and see what they advise. Depending on your final grad in Gen Chem 1, your professor or pre-health adviser might recommend waiting to take Gen Chem 2. The concepts and math from gen chem 1 area foundation for gen chem 2. You want to do what you can to improve from here on out. One bad semester doesn't hurt you as long as you recover. Take your time, it's not a sprint.

As far as study habits, I had to review each lecture before and after class, and then over the weekend I would review all the lectures up to that point. i.e. for a mwf course, week one I had 3 lectures to review, week 2 I had six, week 4 I had 9, etc. It definitely builds up, but this is what works for me. I make a one page review of each lecture immediately after the class and that is what I do nearly all my studying from. If I feel like I've mastered the material, I might add in some extra notes. I tried to keep up with problem sets and book problems during the week, but that didn't always happen. I was in the professors office hours nearly every week. Use the resources that are available to you!