freaking out..help!

[kimt2234]

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I am by no means old (25) but man do I feel it right now. I just finished my first week of general chemistry and physics classes on the road to finish my premed prereq's and holy crap. I am so lost and confused and rusty. I mean I don't even remember how to convert a centimeter to a meter for God's sake.

I really want to get A's in the 8 prereq's I am going to take, but man o man am I feeling already like that is a lost cause. I don't know what to do. We have homework due in physics this Monday and I have tried starting it to no avail. The book makes abosulutely no sense for both chem and physics.


Please help with any advice on how to get A's in these classes or something. I have not retained hardly a shred of math or chem from high school, or college....I am ancient

 

[Scottish Chap]

I am by no means old (25) but man do I feel it right now. I just finished my first week of general chemistry and physics classes on the road to finish my premed prereq's and holy crap. I am so lost and confused and rusty. I mean I don't even remember how to convert a centimeter to a meter for God's sake.

I really want to get A's in the 8 prereq's I am going to take, but man o man am I feeling already like that is a lost cause. I don't know what to do. We have homework due in physics this Monday and I have tried starting it to no avail. The book makes abosulutely no sense for both chem and physics.


Please help with any advice on how to get A's in these classes or something. I have not retained hardly a shred of math or chem from high school, or college....I am ancient

Stay calm and take it one day at a time. Do not let this stuff intimidate you; you CAN do it. Focus on getting a lot of points on homework assignments and class quizzes and that will reinforce the subject material for the exams. As I found out, it's a marathon, not a sprint.....so study consistently and be focused. You will make it! Also, getting straight A's is nice but not nearly as critical as some folks will make you think. I'm living proof of that.

 

[ShyRem]

First: FIND THE MATH TUTORING CENTER. I think every school has one - most people are math phobics. And they have certainly seen it all - one guy in my school's math center had a girl who couldn't figure out where to put 2 on a number line with 0 and 4 marked. No kidding. They get people who literally cannot convert fractions to a decimal.

Second: START A STUDY GROUP. I guarantee there will be more folks having problems with physics and chem than you have any idea about.

Ok, before first and second should be calm down, breathe, and have a drink (just one or you won't be able to do your homework 🙂 ). Also helpful is professor's office hours. If you get lost this early you'll be struggling the rest of the semester. Get on top of stuff, move into your professor's office if need be, and get it all straightened out now. Believe me, this will all get easier later.

 

[DaveinDallas]

I am by no means old (25) but man do I feel it right now. I just finished my first week of general chemistry and physics classes on the road to finish my premed prereq's and holy crap. I am so lost and confused and rusty. I mean I don't even remember how to convert a centimeter to a meter for God's sake.

I really want to get A's in the 8 prereq's I am going to take, but man o man am I feeling already like that is a lost cause. I don't know what to do. We have homework due in physics this Monday and I have tried starting it to no avail. The book makes abosulutely no sense for both chem and physics.


Please help with any advice on how to get A's in these classes or something. I have not retained hardly a shred of math or chem from high school, or college....I am ancient

Hey,

Been there, done that. I went back at age 40 and had to take gen chem/orgo chem/genetics/a&p/bio. You'll do just fine. It had been over 15 years for me. You're gonna make it. I pulled straight A's.

Just do what you have to do. Get a tutor and don't be afraid to ask for help. A bit of advice though. Really learn the material for understanding, not just passing the test. It'll help you later on. Trust me on this one.

 

[blee]

Keep your head down! Get help if you need it, and just keep plugging away. Chances are that you'll adjust and do quite well. If you don't, then you have to know that you gave it your absolute best shot. I hope it works out for you.

 

[kimt2234]

thank you sooo much for the encouragement. I just feel so stupid. The professors ask "so, is their anyone who doesn't already know these basic concepts...no one raises a hand and I don't want to hold up 200 people because I have forgotten such basic stuff. I am definitely researching getting a private tutor for both chem and physics.

I let you know how it's going.

 

[Truth_seeker]

Yes, there are basic concepts you have to master before jumping into gen. chem. Maybe it might be wise to get out of gen chem and take like an intro. to chem class. I'm in chem 101 right now and took an intro class this summer. Totally laid a strong foundation for me. If that's not an option, then I'd suggest forgoing to private tutor unless you can really afford it. I know at NCSU, they have a chem tutorial center where professors have hours as well as upper level chem students and TA's working. Find them and work with them. As for specific issues, the math is the biggest problem. If you can get a grasp of that part, you should be okay. If not, back out and take some pre-req's such as a college algebra class as well as the intro to chem. It's important that you gain as much understanding and knowledge in these foundational courses b/c it's not going to get easier. Even in my bio class we're doing conversions for molarity and computing metric. It's just something you have to know to move ahead. Sure it may add some time onto your marathon but in the end you'll be grateful b/c all the stuff you learned will make some sense and when you get >30 on the MCAT, you'll be diong well. I'm not discouraging you from taking these classes but wish somebody would have told me earlier on that math is crucial to performing well in chemistry, physics, and even biology but to a lesser degree. Keep in mind that most of the kids in that class have just graduated from high school and took 3-4 years of math such as algebra, statistics, pre-calulus, and calculus. Some may even have AP credit so we're talking about people fresh off a math mountain and doing this stuff in chemistry like conversion factors, algebraic formulas for light wavelengths, molarity, stoichiometry and what not is easy for them. That's kinda what I'm proposing in taking those foundational courses. Think about it this way...you drop physics and chemistry and take a college algebra and intro to chem class, get A's there and gain good understanding, then you take gen chem and physics next semester, bang you're getting an A in both because you understand the math concepts and have a totally good foundation for grasping this new language of chemistry. Keep up the hard work. You'll make it. PM me if you want cause we're all in the same boat!!!

 

[unfrozencaveman]

Chin up. My experience was that the learning curve was pretty steep- and that a few weeks in, I was feeling exponentially more comfortable after a few years out of the saddle. Trying to ramp back up to being a 25 year old freshman was the downside.

The upside was, hey, you're a 25 year old freshman. What do you care if you stop an entire class an make the professor explain the basics. You think those kids know what they're doing either? Probably not. It was exactly that kind of deluded self-confidence that got me where I am today, and plan to take with me in my career as a physician (direct quote from personal statement).

Seriously though, I know how you feel. I had to work my butt off that first semester, just to get myself rewired to work in science, and school. Sadly, like everyone on here has said, there is no quick fix, or way to even work around it. It'll come back to you, just not before you close a library or two on saturday nights. Good luck! It gets better, I swear...

 

[QofQuimica]

thank you sooo much for the encouragement. I just feel so stupid. The professors ask "so, is their anyone who doesn't already know these basic concepts...no one raises a hand and I don't want to hold up 200 people because I have forgotten such basic stuff. I am definitely researching getting a private tutor for both chem and physics.

I let you know how it's going.

I agree: if you don't understand something, don't be afraid to speak up! I guarantee you that you are not the only person in that class who doesn't understand whatever it is. If no one tells the instructor that they don't understand something, it also makes it harder for that instructor to do a good job teaching. Getting feedback from students is important, because it's hard to know sometimes whether students are being quiet because they already know this stuff and they're bored, or because they're totally lost. (I know I have to go back over something when I ask what I think is an easy question and the whole class looks at me with blank stares.) Also, if you have science questions, feel free to come visit us in the MCAT Question Q & A subforum and ask away. 🙂

 

[DocteurMarion]

Hey! I'have been there too - Last semester I started my pre-req(I am 27) like you and had Phy 1 and gen chem 1...I especially freaked out with gen chem 1, I thought HOLLY ****

That's ok to feel overwhelmed. Just do what is assigned, even though you feel like you have no clue how to do the problems, just try it. And I know what you mean when you say that textbook made no sense at all, that is how I felt too . Also , this is not kissing @$$ but try to approach your professor at the end of class and ask him/her about some problems you do not understand.

A semester is long and you have time to do good, don't panic, you will do fine like the rest of us !!!!!!! 😛

 

[karlin009]

I felt the same way when I decided to go back. Try to get help before it's too late and don't get discouraged. I had a hard time with Gen chem too but I figured out how to be more efficient with my studies and to make sure I'm ahead in reading before class starts.

Don't feel down, you are transitioning...that's all.
I'm applying for Septenber 06 and I will be 28.

 

[Marpe]

I feel your pain. I'm 26 years old and also a pre-med major, this being my first semester and the first time in almost 10 years that I've taken chemistry/biology. I've always been considered as a good student, but the last 4 weeks of pre-med classes and I'm feeling so far from being anywhere near intelligent!

I agree with the other posts, do get help in any means possible... whether that's through the professor, study groups, or tutoring. If you have the option and if it's something you think would be best for you, you may also think about getting into some kind of introductory or prep class first. This is what I'm doing for my chemistry, since my first midterm results is far from being salvageable and I want to be able to do well in the classes that matter.

It can be really difficult and quite an ego crushing experience (at least for me) but take your time, think realistically about what grade you'll be able to pull off in class, and help yourself with whatever options is available.

Good luck! 🙂

 

[Toofscum]

I started my post-bacc with a summer of chem 1 and 2 plus labs. I remember feeling really out of it in terms of science--I started at 26 after not having taken science since age 18. What helped me was getting a tutor, and also doing the homework problems many, many times--like 2-3 times each problem and really going over the answers. I thought gen chem 2 was worse than 1, but I had an awful professor for 2.

What I did over breaks was to brush up on the material ahead--that helped me get a little more into it so I'd be ahead come the start of the semester.

Definitely look into a tutor, and definitely look into a study group. Also try other versions of books--I found some other chem/physics books in the library that seemed to explain things better and also had extra problems in them. I also made sure to see my prof a lot during office hours b/c sometimes they help better steer you in the direction they test, such as telling you what concepts they emphasize more on tests.

-Toof