Freaking Gen Chem I!! please help

[Yadster101]

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Okay so... ive pretty much had 2 exams in my gen chem I class so far and i have gotten a C+ both times. I recognized, after the first exam, that i could be working harder so i started working harder for the second exam but i STILL GOT A C+!!! The class has quizzes every week (that are not very difficult so i have like an 85% on those) and then 3 exams and then a big final. + a hw grade/participation grade that im doing really well in cuz its easy

I dont know what im doing wrong. Im studying pretty hard and im doing well in all of my classes except this one, even though i study for this one more. Im still determined but what can i do to fix this? It's really frustrating when you invest so much time into something and get no results... FML

 

[Astarael]

Okay so... ive pretty much had 2 exams in my gen chem I class so far and i have gotten a C+ both times. I recognized, after the first exam, that i could be working harder so i started working harder for the second exam but i STILL GOT A C+!!! The class has quizzes every week (that are not very difficult so i have like an 85% on those) and then 3 exams and then a big final. + a hw grade/participation grade that im doing really well in cuz its easy

I dont know what im doing wrong. Im studying pretty hard and im doing well in all of my classes except this one, even though i study for this one more. Im still determined but what can i do to fix this? It's really frustrating when you invest so much time into something and get no results... FML

Well, what are you doing to study? Gen Chem really requires you to work problems over and over. If you're not doing that, you should start.

 

[Yadster101]

Yeah i guess i really have to change the way i study. Ive been approaching this class like i would approach a bio class but thats because ive never really dealt with a difficult class in high school thats like chem.

How should i study for this class?
I usually spend a lot of time taking detailed notes on the chapters, but that often leaves me less time to focus on practice problems.

 

[itellitlikeitis]

I usually spend a lot of time taking detailed notes on the chapters, but that often leaves me less time to focus on practice problems.

there's your problem

 

[Barcu]

there's your problem

Exactly. In chem, you need to do practice problems. This necessity continues into Orgo.

 

[Jeebs89]

If you're one of those people that HAVE to get A's and will kill yourself if you get an A-... then I'd suggest you do every problem at the end of each chapter 2-3 times. If you're a normal person that just wants decent grades, then I'd suggest you do almost all the problems at the end of each chapter 1-2 times.

Viola, A/A- in Gen Chem

 

[Sesom]

This is what I do and seems to work well. I go straight to the problems, if I can't do the problems by checking my notes, then I will flip to that section of the chapter.good luck

 

[alexrgross]

IMO, gen chem is a practice practice practice type of subject.

In your practice problems, note ones that you do not get correct.

Talk through the solution steps with a TA or tutor. This really should help you learn the points that you dont know as well.

 

[gravitywave]

consider what your chem exams look like. my guess is that they looked a lot like mine: 80-90% of the points are problem-based. discrete questions and questions on theory are the other 15%

your study time should reflect this balance, more or less. you fight like you train.

 

[Yadster101]

thanks for all the replies i really appreciate it

The thing is i just don't feel that comfortable doing the problems w/o having a detailed set of notes. Im going to try getting down some good notes quickly and then spending a significant amount of time doing practice problems this round of studying. This class is killing me, im just trying to get a B now

 

[wlee43]

Gen chem is so boring

 

[DM3]

The thing is i just don't feel that comfortable doing the problems w/o having a detailed set of notes.

First of all, take a deep breath. I'm assuming this is your freshman year; there is a learning curve to taking college science classes that you're only just beginning to climb. Med schools know this, a B or even a C in GCI will not hurt you, especially if you learn from the experience and get better from here on out.

That being said, in response to the quoted bit of your post, you need to get quicker at absorbing the concepts and tackling problem sets. As you get farther and farther into undergrad there will be less and less time to spend 10(or whatever) hours outlining every chapter. Getting the general concepts down and then tackling problems is a much more efficient way to proceed.

For example, I'm in my last semester of undergrad, and my biochem professor covered 10 chapters of text in three weeks. And I have three other classes just like that going on at the same time. Needless to say I have no time to outline.

Good luck! (and throw out your solutions manual. It's only hurting you.)

 

[DM3]

From my Baylor interview:

Interviewer: "I see you received a C in calculus. What happened there?"

Me: "To be honest sir, it was my second semester of college, and I hadn't yet developed the study habits necessary to succeed in what felt at the time to be a rigorous course. But I hope my subsequent work demonstrates that I learned from the experience."

Interviewer: "I'd say two years of As in restricted electives more then makes up for it, but you know I'm required to ask."

True story (though I may not have been quite that eloquent irl 😉

 

[BeachBlondie]

Slow down, sucker fish!

Depending upon the weight of your final (and if you ace the next midterm), you still have an opportunity to receive an A in the class. You mentioned that you've been doing well in your homework, and I'm assuming you're doing well in labs. so, don't sweat it. The past is the past and there's nothing that you can do about it. So, focus on these next two. And, as everyone else mentioned, practice until the very sight of chem triggers extreme, inexplicable rage.

If it makes you feel better, I just got my scores back for my second chem midterm today and I've got a B average.....along with my B average for homework (bullocks!). So, I'll also have an uphill battle for an A.

 

[orthomyxo]

OP, just try to rethink your study habits, do your best for the rest of the semester, and most importantly stop freaking out. Remember that the grades you have now aren't curved yet.

 

[getright]

Depending on the class averages for the exams, two C+s might not be as bad as you think. But I still agree that you need to concentrate your just completing as many problems in the back of the book as you can. I'd really recommend buy a solutions workbook (if there is one for your textbook) as it will greatly help out.

Good luck 👍

 

[gravitywave]

(and throw out your solutions manual. It's only hurting you.)

disagree with this, a solutions manual is key for most people. a lot of textbooks only include answers to the odd numbered problems or whatever. plus, what good does it do you to get the wrong answer if you don't learn from the error? you can't be lazy though - you have to make a good effort to work the problem through before you look at the solution, which is I believe the point you were trying to make.

 

[Astarael]

thanks for all the replies i really appreciate it

The thing is i just don't feel that comfortable doing the problems w/o having a detailed set of notes. Im going to try getting down some good notes quickly and then spending a significant amount of time doing practice problems this round of studying. This class is killing me, im just trying to get a B now

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you, but if you don't feel comfortable with something, that's where you should spend the lion's share of your time. Gen chem problem sets typically have three questions covering the same concept so that you can scratch your head on the first one, then look it up, and then stumble through the second one. I wouldn't expect you to feel comfortable with the problem type until at least the third time that you try it, but my general impression is that you aren't doing that many problems. What you have to understand, as much as I know you don't want to believe it (and trust me, I've been in the exact same situation as you), is that the period where you're scratching your head on the first problem is when you're doing the most learning. It might not feel like it, since you're not getting anything done or written down on paper, but the process of thinking about the problem and ways of solving it literally makes the new connections in your brain that are necessary for you to do the problem on your own in the future. Taking notes and going to lecture form the ability for you to understand the subject when someone else is in control of the logic. It is a very closely related process, but in a class like gen chem that requires you to simply solve problems the majority of the time, you need to be solving problems during your study.

disagree with this, a solutions manual is key for most people. a lot of textbooks only include answers to the odd numbered problems or whatever. plus, what good does it do you to get the wrong answer if you don't learn from the error? you can't be lazy though - you have to make a good effort to work the problem through before you look at the solution, which is I believe the point you were trying to make.

I agree. I'd like to add my own suggestion of leaving the manual at home when you study, so that you aren't tempted to look up the answers too quickly. Try them somewhere else (library, coffee shop, whatever), and then come back and see how you did.

 

[DM3]

you can't be lazy though - you have to make a good effort to work the problem through before you look at the solution, which is I believe the point you were trying to make.

Absolutely the point I'm trying to make.

I had a similar experience as the OP in Chem Fund II, and my professor confiscated my solutions manual. Best thing that he could have done. This forced me to sit and think about a problem I was stuck on, sometimes for as long as two hours. When I had solved every problem, I checked the odds in the back of the book and brought the evens I was unsure of to him. I haven't bought a SM since.

I understand not everyone has a professor willing to sit and check their work. What I do with the students I tutor is take their SMs and have them bring their HW to me. I make them walk me through their answers, and I make them defend their thinking. If I see something is wrong, I tell them so, but make them continue working without the solution.

The temptation to glance over the solution to a tough problem and convince oneself that this is enough has proven far too tempting for nearly every student I've come across. This isn't a big deal if the course material itself isn't giving them much trouble, but in classes the student is struggling in it can make or break their grade.

I know it may seem radical, but desperate times call for desperate measures ; )

 

[markglt]

no outlines, no notes.
listen in class, problems at home.

 

[Dannyw]

READ the book and do every problem at the end of each chapter.

 

[gravitywave]

READ the book and do every problem at the end of each chapter.

fixed, just take good notes during lecture instead.

your prof should be assigning recommended problems anyway. only do all the problems if you feel compelled to, or if you're still having trouble. but the recommended problems are the ones you have to understand backwards, forwards, and every other kind of wards, because those are the templates for what will be on the exam.

 

[pharm B]

fixed, just take good notes during lecture instead.

your prof should be assigning recommended problems anyway. only do all the problems if you feel compelled to, or if you're still having trouble. but the recommended problems are the ones you have to understand backwards, forwards, and every other kind of wards, because those are the templates for what will be on the exam.

I agree with this. There aren't too many curve balls in Chem I. It's pretty much just learning a few things about chemistry and learning to solve problems based on that.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

I agree with this. There aren't too many curve balls in Chem I. It's pretty much just learning a few things about chemistry and learning to solve problems based on that.

Great advice. Although in undergrad u definitely have time to read, also. I'd do whatever it takes to up that grade. But yeah, #1 is practice problems. #2 is practice problems. #3? yep, practice problems 😉

 

[TropicalKitty]

Just to ditto - do problems.

And I suggest covering up the solutions of the in text problems. See how well you can do them along with the book while you are reading.

As for the material review, sometimes it's the manner in which the subject is presented. The text I had in inorganic I didn't help me, so I ended up befuddled and in a similar position as you. However, you have a great resource: the internet. There are tons of great gen chem reviews online that may help clarify the material so that you don't have to be so crazy about your notes. Like others have said, use the solutions manual as an assistant and not your immediate go to - it shouldn't end up being your crutch. Think about the situation and the info you've gotten from lecture.

Also, try your institution's tutoring center or study groups.