Chem II Nightmares

[iatros13]

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I am non-trad (37) and returned to school about 2 years ago. I have been taking close to full time and trying to recover from a crash and burn attempt at college back in 1994. (Not many classes taken, but gpa was 1.87).

I have done much better since my return. Only 1 B and 2A- (the rest were A's). After 76 credit hours my GPA is now 3.46 and if I manage to make A's on everything else, it could be a 3.6 almost 3.7 in the end.

However... Chem II has been really killing me this semester. Chem I was tough but I pulled off an A-. I really don't know what my grade will be in Chem II (first test I did horribly on 13/20, but I was still a little above the class average). Second was a little better, 14/20... Third test just killed me this morning 11/20... And I honestly feel like I understand the things we go over in class at least 85% or more... I study, do practice tests, research to understand what I did wrong on problems from homework and practice tests....

But the tests.... I swear, this is some of the hardest stuff I have ever tried to do. Mind bending. The concepts are there, but the way the questions are asked and the information given is very different from what we do in class.

Professor says that those planning on med school should be making 16/20 on these tests to be competitive... and from what I hear Orgo is way harder than Chem.

I have always excelled in school... I feel truly dumb right now. I wonder if I am just wasting my time? If I can't do this, how will I ever do the MCAT? Am I just over-reacting?

Feeling rather defeated....

 

[mavric1298]

Testing is so prof to prof, it's hard to make much of anything. All of my chem series had averages on exams in the 40-50% with high's in the 70-80%. Are the GPA's in the end curved? If so, I wouldn't worry about what one prof said, as long as you come out with a decent grade. All that matters is you know the material enough to get a good grade in the class, and to build on in your later classes.

 

[iatros13]

Thanks for your response. I do feel good (to a degree) about the fact that my first score was above the class average. (Started out with 650 students - lots of drops, down to 520 now). But I walk in to these tests feeling like I have a decent grasp of the material, and these questions just come out of left field - sometimes I don't know where to start. I think the goal is to make us combine concepts to show we understand them... But it seems impossible...
I think I will get a C at the least (providing I don't bomb the final). There is a reasonable chance I might get a B. If I get an A, it will be nothing other than a gift from God...

It does seem like Chem is just hard all around... I am just not used to completely being lost on a test... 11/20.... 🙁

 

[Quik]

Holy smokes that's a huge lecture class! I'm fortunate enough to be taking mine at a CC with a class size of about 25 students. Our prof has been teaching for 20+ years and is a fantastic instructor. That helps, a lot.

Where are you having trouble? I'm in Chem II at the moment as well, and while the material can be difficult at first, with more practice you should be able to improve. It is all pretty simple algebra, but applying some rather complicated concepts.


Here's my formula for success in Chem II:
Read the sections of the next class prior to the lecture. Take notes on an excel spreadsheet of each definition or concept in bold, summarize charts, etc. When lecture comes, you are actively engaged, moving along with the professor as he explains and clarifies all the material you have already started learning. This takes discipline but pays off big-time.

Do all the homework shooting for perfect scores... Having high expectations for your scores helps mastery of the material. We do online homework via mastering chemistry. I use hints on almost every problem, even if I don't need them, it might help explain something I might have missed.

Prior to each test, I do as many practice tests and re-do for practice much of my homework. I'd say I spend the majority of at least 2-3 days prior to a chem exam studying and practicing.

You need to memorize the strong acids and bases, have these down cold. Memorize which half-life equation goes with each order of reaction, How to set-up an ice table and equilibrium expression, and memorize the what delta H, G, and S values mean (greater or less than 0). Yes, there is a lot more, but these are the basic big ones, at least so far for us.

Good luck w/ the rest of the course, and if you think it might help, feel free to pm me any questions you might have. Explaining anything further helps my own understanding, so I'm happy to do it.

 

[mavric1298]

I felt the same way, got a 52% on my first midterm when i transferred to UW but ended up with 3.8 in the class because for us they set a mandatory mean of 2.8, so all that mattered is how you did in relation to other students, and I kept above 1 std dv above average. How do they do final scores for that class? Our teacher was amazing at pulling out questions that pushed you to the limit of what you learned. Solving things backwards, needing to apply multiple concepts together, things you had never seen before, but could all be solved using what you knew. Some times it pays to slow down, figure out what you know and what's been taught, and apply them to the problem at hand. It's always hard to get over that initial "I have no f'in idea what's going on or how to solve this problem", but I find if you just calm down, you can almost always walk yourself thru it if you've studied enough. It will kinda just click after you get over the initial shock of the left field questions meant to push you.

 

[68PGunner]

I felt the same way, got a 52% on my first midterm when i transferred to UW but ended up with 3.8 in the class because for us they set a mandatory mean of 2.8, so all that mattered is how you did in relation to other students, and I kept above 1 std dv above average. How do they do final scores for that class? Our teacher was amazing at pulling out questions that pushed you to the limit of what you learned. Solving things backwards, needing to apply multiple concepts together, things you had never seen before, but could all be solved using what you knew. Some times it pays to slow down, figure out what you know and what's been taught, and apply them to the problem at hand. It's always hard to get over that initial "I have no f'in idea what's going on or how to solve this problem", but I find if you just calm down, you can almost always walk yourself thru it if you've studied enough. It will kinda just click after you get over the initial shock of the left field questions meant to push you.

Ditto. You just need to calm down and relax. It's going to be the same thing for Orgo. As long as you put in the time and understand the concepts, you can pretty much stumble to the answer when you play around with the reactants and products reaction.

The key is to set up the right reactants and products for your reaction. For this step, it's not hard. You just need to pay attention to what's worded in the problem.

 

[iatros13]

Thanks guys... It helps to know it's not just me!

I have a final next Friday... Hopefully that will go better, since it is 40% of my semester grade...

 

[FCMike11]

Edit: see below.

 

[FCMike11]

Dude I made A in chem 1 and B in chem 2. I just hated chem 2 and my professor sucked.


That being said ive made comfortable A's in ochem 1 & 2 (enjoyed the material many many many times more).

Try additional resources, I frequently look at freelanceteacher and khan academy on YouTube.

 

[Quik]

I have a final next Friday... Hopefully that will go better, since it is 40% of my semester grade...

Guided practice, my man!

 

[iatros13]

For what it's worth - an update!

1 dropped test
decent HW / guiz (attendance mostly) grades
13/20 Test 1
14/20 Test 2
27/40 Final (I really thought I was doing better than that... Studied my butt off, and thought I knew how to work about 35 of the questions...)

+ about a 5 point curve

= B-

Not the grade I dreamed of... But better than I feared...

Thanks for the support... I really hope Orgo isn't as much harder than Chem 2 as it sounds!

 

[medic86]

Congrats!

As far as organic goes... it is different. You'll never need a calculator on your exams, unless you get some wacky professor that wants you to actually do some of other old gen chem stuff that pops up in later chapters (I find this unlikely).

There's a little carry-over from gen-chem, but it's not significant. There's a gen chem review chapter or two at the beginning of organic 1, but not all of those concepts are applied when actually doing organic chemistry.