Couple things:
- I would avoid making assumptions about people's study habits, some people may study a lot and just never mention it or you never see it. Doesn't mean they necessarily put in less effort into the course
- It doesn't matter how long you study, it matters if you study effectively. What's effective is different from person to person but I promise you that 1 hour of effective studying is worth at least 5 of ineffective studying.
- These courses are difficult for just about everybody, I bet if you talk to some more classmates you'd find others having similar issues to yourself
- The professor probably deals with these issues all the time and can point you in the right direction for effectively learning the material. I recommend talking to them about it
Best of luck with your chemistry class!
You have no idea what your classmates do when you're not around, and it's really not your business. To say they don't actually know anything but are still mysteriously doing better than you sounds like you feel pretty entitled to earn the same grades just because you think they don't understand the material just like you don't. They earned those grades, even if you were under the impression (or assumption....) that they "don't know their ass from their hand."
You also may be making them uncomfortable by asking these types of questions/having these types of conversations, so they try to dodge the topic by saying they're confused too. It seems like students that do well feel ashamed when they find out their friends aren't doing as well, and that shouldn't be happening. Don't be that friend, seriously. I've had friends get legitimately mad at
me because I did well on an exam they didn't. It's stupid and shouldn't even happen, but it does. I've been on the other end of it too, none of us are perfect. I've had the same convos with classmates and had the same frustrations, but you have to know that you can't be angry/frustrated with someone who is doing better than you. It's not going to be of any benefit to you.
If you need help, approach your professor or your campus learning/tutoring services. I was surprised to find out that some of my professors were actually happy to sit down with me and go over an entire exam. Ask for help on how to actually study, and if you feel you need more professional help, don't be afraid to seek it out. See if any of these friends are willing to start a study group, too. I know that I actually do well in study groups if everyone is supportive and we all are able to bring something to the table.
Anyways, good luck! Undergrad can really suck sometimes, but keep chugging along and do not hesitate or wait too long to seek out assistance.
