General Chemistry/Physica

[MexicanDr]

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Has any of you had General Chem and General Physics wihout having been exposed to chem/physics in high school?

What was the outcome, how did you manage?

 

[unhappytnt]

They are both introductory courses. You'll be fine.

 

[portlandpixie]

Just finished the year long gen chem sequence today!! woo hoo.

but to your question... you'll be fine. I took chemistry in high school my sophomore year but, honestly, it didn't help me at all. I didn't understand chemistry in high school and I remember I couldn't even do stoichiometry. It was horrible. But gen chem was fine for me in college. My textbook became my bestfriend and I spent hours studying but it was worth it because I did well. To my surprise, I actually ended up really liking gen chem. But physics on the otherhand... I've never taken it before so I'm kind of nervous for it next year.

 

[cfx]

Yeah, don't stress about it. I never took HS physics, and didn't remember a thing from chemistry. The classes will likely start from the beginning and, even if the prof assumes you have some background knowledge in the first week or two of class, you can catch up with some reading from your text, and the class will slow down pretty quickly as you get into new or more in-depth material.

Don't let the know-it-alls who have an answer to everything the first few weeks freak you out. It won't be long before they won't be so verbal. Chances are, they're just repeating the class

 

[FrkyBgStok]

You'll be fine. They are taught like you have no experience at all, so you will cover the basics.

 

[lorenzomicron]

i never took chemistry in high school but was able to do pretty well; but that may also be coz my prof spent the first week with the most basic of basic things.
i took physics in high school, not AP, and it doesnt prepare for college-level analytical physics.
best thing to do, come with no expectations or preconceptions, and learn everything from scratch as much as possible,

 

[Beaker 11]

I think it probably depends on your school. At mine everyone has to take a placement exam and score well enough in order to place into first semester chemistry. The professors are then able to assume everyone taking the class has had a strong high school background.

 

[MidnightSun32]

I've never taken a Chemistry class before college. I tried to take it in the summer and yeah, that didn't go so well. I was working too many hours and couldn't put in any study time. I ended up dropping it. I signed up for Chem 101 followed by gen chem the next semester. It put me behind in Chemistry, but I ended up with As in those two classes, so I would do it again. I probably would have been fine taking gen chem without chem 101, but I didn't want to risk it. It was just a personal choice. I'm a junior, but have to take a fifth year because I changed my major so being behind isn't that big of a deal.