General Chemistry vs. organic and everything else

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skyeblue0610

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Did anyone dislike chemistry, as in general chemistry? I'm struggling in general chemistry one and I've just about lost all confidence. Right now, my mind just won't let me process numbers and I'm studying and I'm getting it, here and there then when the test is in front of me and I have to whip out the calculator I get stuck on stupid and choke😱 just did that this morning🙄

I've gotten so much stronger school wise in the past year but I basically had a breakdown this past weekend. I cried more than I have in the past 5 months🙁 I know I'm so much better than this but chem is beating me like a drum. I feel like I'm on life support in chem. I did fine in high school but now, it's just all over the place

I really like bio, I don't know why. Maybe it's a words vs. numbers thing. I'm definitely not taking chem 2 anytime soon (chem 1 and 2 are required for a bio major so I'll get around it it before 2010) Is organic chem anything like this.

(Don't need sarcasm. I'm not asking if my medical school dreams are over, and I don't need a "apply to Stewart pep talk")

I'm just asking how is organic chem compared to this. I have to take chem 1 and 2 first but I feel like I'm never going to get there. I'm told that chem 2 is straight calculations😱 which made me literally cry even more.

How is chem compared to bio classes? To me it seems like bio is easier, but maybe that's because I can grasp bio and actually retain it
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I personally like organic alot more than I did gen chem. Gen chem 1 no where near as bad as 2
 
I find that the MCAT is calculation heavy in physics moreso than for general chemistry .. if I'm not mistaking you're probably studying stoichiometry, and general chemistry in general is calculation-heavy .. 2nd semester as well .. bio is much more conceptual .. you will rarely see quantitative questions in the BS section on hte MCAT .. although I did get a hardy-weinberg equilibrium question on my MCAT
 
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Gen Chem 2 can eat s**t and die.

As for the others, they may be more difficult but are infinitely more enjoyable.
 
majik1213 said:
I find that the MCAT is calculation heavy in physics moreso than for general chemistry .. if I'm not mistaking you're probably studying stoichiometry, and general chemistry in general is calculation-heavy .. 2nd semester as well .. bio is much more conceptual .. you will rarely see quantitative questions in the BS section on hte MCAT .. although I did get a hardy-weinberg equilibrium question on my MCAT
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That sounds promising🙁 just saying calculation heavy and MCAT just made me choke back a tear
 
I had freaking questions about COLORS of elements on my MCAT. All sorts of weird questions about properties of elements. Crazy stuff I definitely didn't know. (My score was fine, so it really must not have been *that* horrible.)

Skyeblue0610, you need a tutor for general chemistry. Don't be ashamed. Get help. One of the most important things to learn is when to ask for help and if you are struggling and sincerely want to improve, you should go to the professor, the TAs, or to an academic advisor for advice on ways to improve. Their job is to give you those resources necessarily to improve. Even if it will be tough to get the grade you want at this point in Chem 1, anticipate getting some extra help for Chem 2. Chem 2 does have more calculations than Chem 1. Organic chem is much less calculation heavy but is more heavy on memorizing reactions and reaction patterns and applying them to molecular structures. It feels quite different than general chemistry.
 
skyeblue0610 said:
That sounds promising🙁 just saying calculation heavy and MCAT just made me choke back a tear
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sorry, I was trying to make you feel better actually .. I didn't say the PS section was overall calculation heavy, although some test-takers have reported that to be the case .. I simply said that, as an example, if just 6 problems are calculation based, then expect more than 3 of them to be from physics.
 
Organic chemistry is completely different in the sense that there really aren't any calculations. It's more of understanding concepts and applying it. For me, I got by with a lot of just memorization so it was similar to biology in that sense. As for general chemistry, practicing as many problems as you can is your best bet. Talk to your professor about any problems you're having. I'm sure that they will be willing to help you succeed in their class. Take it day by day and you'll be fine. You've already gotten stronger this past year school wise, as you said, and you will get better once you get the hang of how to go about tackling gen chem 1. Keep your head up and you'll get through 🙂
 
Personally I liked gen chem a lot better than o chem, but I have a lot of friends who felt just the opposite. Pretty rare to find anyone who love both, FWIW. In fact, there seem to be plenty of my classmates who really didn't like either one. Best advice I got for getting through gen chem was to do tons of problems. Just skim the chapter, then start solving problems. Makes the concepts a lot easier to grasp. Also helps on your exams, and the MCAT.

Good luck to you. Just get through with a respectable grade and move on.🙂
 
nevercold said:
Skyeblue0610, you need a tutor for general chemistry. Don't be ashamed. Get help. One of the most important things to learn is when to ask for help and if you are struggling and sincerely want to improve, you should go to the professor, the TAs, or to an academic advisor for advice on ways to improve. Their job is to give you those resources necessarily to improve. Even if it will be tough to get the grade you want at this point in Chem 1, anticipate getting some extra help for Chem 2. Chem 2 does have more calculations than Chem 1. Organic chem is much less calculation heavy but is more heavy on memorizing reactions and reaction patterns and applying them to molecular structures. It feels quite different than general chemistry.
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I have talked to the professor and gotten help. And I missed the deadline for dropping the class so I'm stuck like chuck.

I do alot of problems, and when I'm studying I'm slowly getting it then that test is in front of me and I go blank.
Anything that says memorization is ideal. I can memorize almost anything with a little bit of time and I can retain it for a good while. I really wish I could just pass over chem 2. I'm so sick of my calculators😡 I'm running over those things as soon as a can.
 
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While chemistry is chemistry, there's definitely a different focus on ochem versus gen chem. Ochem is definitely a lot more concepts/theory based and there isn't a whole lot of hard number-crunching. Of course, you need to know some basic gen chem (stoichiometry, etc.), but that's not the focus of it.

Of course, ochem can seem difficult if you can't grasp initially grasp certain concepts and you resort to memorization.

But, if you do take ochem, remember this: It's all about the mechanisms!
 
I kind of learned general chem like physics, lots of practice problems. Organic chem for me, I studied like i did forbio. Learned the main concepts, and filled in the details through further study and problems.

It is definitely possible to hate Gen chem, and to enjoy Organic. I actually like them all alot more than botany or zooology. YUCK!
 
The characterizations of Gen Vs. Orgo are accurate, but I'd like to add one thing. Don't wait to take Gen Chem 2, it will only get harder after not doing it for a while. The most important skill is confidence. If you think you don't know the answer and you psych yourself out, you will choke! To paraphrase a common sports motto, 'If you think you'll pass you might, if you think you won't you're right.'
 
I like chemistry a lot. It wasn't pure memorization like bio was. I could just memorize a few concepts and apply it through math. Maybe you're having trouble because you're trying to memorize the equations first without knowing the thought process that derived it?
 
xrevision said:
I like chemistry a lot. It wasn't pure memorization like bio was. I could just memorize a few concepts and apply it through math. Maybe you're having trouble because you're trying to memorize the equations first without knowing the thought process that derived it?
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That's what my instructor said. I was trying to memorize it. But after I learned, or at least I thought I learned the concept I tried to memorize it by doing problem after problem. I feel so confident studying then I get to a test and a quiz and feel like I've learned nothing:scared:
 
Well keep your chin up because orgo is a lot nicer than gchem!
 
I was a biochem major and tutored some chemistry. The biggest problems i saw that people had was that they all tried to simply memorize without understanding the concept or why they were applying the formula/math. Do not worry about memorizing, you can do that with bio but it dosent work with well with chem. Take chem 2 right away or will regret it, it will seem much harder. chem 2 is a bit harder than chem 1 so no reason to make it more so if not needed.
 
[pj];6196299 said:
While chemistry is chemistry, there's definitely a different focus on ochem versus gen chem. Ochem is definitely a lot more concepts/theory based and there isn't a whole lot of hard number-crunching. Of course, you need to know some basic gen chem (stoichiometry, etc.), but that's not the focus of it.

Of course, ochem can seem difficult if you can't grasp initially grasp certain concepts and you resort to memorization.

But, if you do take ochem, remember this: It's all about the mechanisms!
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I thought the phrase was: "Follow the electrons"
 
BMBPSU2008 said:
I thought the phrase was: "Follow the electrons"
Click to expand...

Hmm... Same difference (kinda sorta, not really, yes).

An amendment: "Follow the electrons - in the mechanism!"

But yeah, you're totally right. It's all about electron movement and what atoms are more/less "attracted" to electrons.
 
You've got a loooooooooooong road ahead of you if can't handle the first general chem test, Nurse Blue.
 
Revenant said:
Gen Chem 2 can eat s**t and die.

As for the others, they may be more difficult but are infinitely more enjoyable.
Click to expand...

I'm in II right now: it sucks. Currently we're in reaction kinetics which makes my soul dry up.
 
Gen chem isn't that difficult, is it? Some people may get it quicker than others, but as long as you have a decent amount of intelligence, and work at it, it should be no problem.
 
I liked gen chem....but that was before I actually took it. Ochem was academic kryptonite for me...resorted to drawing cartoons a couple of times on the tests hoping humor could get me a couple of pooints, 'cause I sure as hell wasn't getting any from my syntheses haha.
 
Revenant said:
Gen Chem 2 can eat s**t and die.

As for the others, they may be more difficult but are infinitely more enjoyable.
Click to expand...

Couldn't agree more. I'm in my second semester of ochem and so far gen chem 2 was the hardest chemistry class I've had. Ochem is definitely easier than second semester gen chem.

If you're doing bad in the first one, I'm not sure how much of an indication it'll be for how you do in the second one. I did ok in the first but terrible in the second. Gen chem really sucks. But once you get to ochem it's a lot better. Ochem takes a lot of time to study but it's still overall easier.
 
i had a terrible chem1 professor and naturally......i hated the course, i honestly loathed it from the core of my being haha but i have an excellent chem2 prof and i am loving it
 
i loved gen chem 1 and 2...... but i HATED organic 1 and 2 with a passion... and then I fell in love again with biochem 1 and 2
 
amwatts0322 said:
It is definitely possible to hate Gen chem, and to enjoy Organic. I actually like them all alot more than botany or zooology. YUCK!
Click to expand...

zoology is CRAP... pure CRAP... i hated that class so much that I cried while studying for tests and practicals... it made me sooo mad that I had to memorize all that useless information about spiders, scorpions, and whatever... i would definitely take organic again before i take zoology
 
Do you really use chemistry in medicine? Yes. Do you use organic or physical chem? Yes.

Chemistry is important in medicine. So are a lot of things. Chemistry, biology, English, history, sociology, anthropology, etc...

A person's place in community and their glucose may be important.

The point is = You might suck at chemistry, but you may be a phenomenal doctor. You'll never know until you try it out, take the stupid MCAT and do your best in school -> get your interviews and choose your school. Decide then, not now.

The decision about whether or not you can help people does not rest on physical chemistry, it rests on a balance of education, caring and empathy.

Actually, there are no real markers to say whether or not you'll be a good doctor. Schools use the MCAT and GPA to determine how you'll assimilate knowledge. Scores translate to being a student, not a doctor.
 
skyeblue0610 said:
I'm just asking how is organic chem compared to this. I have to take chem 1 and 2 first but I feel like I'm never going to get there. I'm told that chem 2 is straight calculations😱 which made me literally cry even more.

How is chem compared to bio classes? To me it seems like bio is easier, but maybe that's because I can grasp bio and actually retain it
Click to expand...

unfortunately it just gets harder...stop crying and start studying :luck:
 
The hardest thing about chemistry is scientific notation and sigfigs. Everything else is not that bad. Math is the bane of my existence.
 
LabMonster said:
Do you really use chemistry in medicine? Yes. Do you use organic or physical chem? Yes.

Chemistry is important in medicine. So are a lot of things. Chemistry, biology, English, history, sociology, anthropology, etc...

A person's place in community and their glucose may be important.

The point is = You might suck at chemistry, but you may be a phenomenal doctor. You'll never know until you try it out, take the stupid MCAT and do your best in school -> get your interviews and choose your school. Decide then, not now.

The decision about whether or not you can help people does not rest on physical chemistry, it rests on a balance of education, caring and empathy.

Actually, there are no real markers to say whether or not you'll be a good doctor. Schools use the MCAT and GPA to determine how you'll assimilate knowledge. Scores translate to being a student, not a doctor.
Click to expand...

Best post I've read in a long time, thankyou🙂
I so agree about the scores. I did okay on the ACT, near bad on the SAT. And those scores were NO indication on how I'd do in college. My grades were the complete opposite of my low scores.
 
Gen chem to me seemed far too abstract to really give a rats @$$ about, but o-chem makes a lot more sense, and by the time you get to reaction mechanisms and pharmaceuticals, its application makes waaaay more sense than gen chem ever could.
 
Well organic will be easier if you put in the proper effort in general chemistry. Advanced subjects are fun if you have the right foundation.

Learn periodicity very well in particular, I would even recommend getting older books because these days everything just seems dumbed down or glossed over.

Also, to echo a previous sentiment, it is unfortunately a very very bad sign that you can't even handle general chemistry.😳
 
I liked o-chem a lot better than g-chem. Also, in g-chem I studied (inadequately) for the tests and didn't always keep up with the material. I didn't much work into obtaining an overall general chemical understanding until it was time to take the MCAT.
 
i have the unique perspective in that i took Gchem2 after O-Chem and biochem (don't ask why, just a quirk) and i struggled! I aced ochem and biochem, they came soo much easier than gen chem. so have hope, you're not the only one!
 
skyeblue0610 said:
Did anyone dislike chemistry, as in general chemistry? I'm struggling in general chemistry one and I've just about lost all confidence. Right now, my mind just won't let me process numbers and I'm studying and I'm getting it, here and there then when the test is in front of me and I have to whip out the calculator I get stuck on stupid and choke😱 just did that this morning🙄

I've gotten so much stronger school wise in the past year but I basically had a breakdown this past weekend. I cried more than I have in the past 5 months🙁 I know I'm so much better than this but chem is beating me like a drum. I feel like I'm on life support in chem. I did fine in high school but now, it's just all over the place

I really like bio, I don't know why. Maybe it's a words vs. numbers thing. I'm definitely not taking chem 2 anytime soon (chem 1 and 2 are required for a bio major so I'll get around it it before 2010) Is organic chem anything like this.

(Don't need sarcasm. I'm not asking if my medical school dreams are over, and I don't need a "apply to Stewart pep talk")

I'm just asking how is organic chem compared to this. I have to take chem 1 and 2 first but I feel like I'm never going to get there. I'm told that chem 2 is straight calculations😱 which made me literally cry even more.

How is chem compared to bio classes? To me it seems like bio is easier, but maybe that's because I can grasp bio and actually retain it
Click to expand...


Organic Chemistry is completely different than General Chemistry, but do not let that fool you. It is still hard as hell. If you are struggling in General Chemistry, it is probably due to not doing enough practice problems. Chemistry is all about repetition. I struggled in General Chemistry II because I am horrible in math and as such did not do enough practice problems. While Biology is a lot of times, just sucking down facts, in Chemistry you have to apply knowledge. If you truly are working as hard as possible in doing practice problems, then maybe it could be possible that General Chemistry just isn't your thing. In which case, you may be relieved once you get into Organic Chemistry, but you will still have to work. To answer your question though, Chem II is a lot of calculations, so if you are struggling in Chem I, you may need to find some tutoring because it only gets worse. If you need help on practice problems, use your professor's office hours. Generally speaking, that is one of the best things you can do to raise your grade and do better on exams (unless your professor just sucks).

In short,

1) Do masses of practice problems until you can do the problems with hardly any thought.
2) Use office hours and/or get tutoring
3) Not to sound discouraging, but it only gets harder. Find what you are doing wrong now, and correct it.
4) Organic is different than General Chemistry, but do not bank on it being any easier. You will have to work hard (if not harder) then Gen Chem.
 
skyeblue0610 said:
Did anyone dislike chemistry, as in general chemistry? I'm struggling in general chemistry one and I've just about lost all confidence. Right now, my mind just won't let me process numbers and I'm studying and I'm getting it, here and there then when the test is in front of me and I have to whip out the calculator I get stuck on stupid and choke😱 just did that this morning🙄

I've gotten so much stronger school wise in the past year but I basically had a breakdown this past weekend. I cried more than I have in the past 5 months🙁 I know I'm so much better than this but chem is beating me like a drum. I feel like I'm on life support in chem. I did fine in high school but now, it's just all over the place

I really like bio, I don't know why. Maybe it's a words vs. numbers thing. I'm definitely not taking chem 2 anytime soon (chem 1 and 2 are required for a bio major so I'll get around it it before 2010) Is organic chem anything like this.

(Don't need sarcasm. I'm not asking if my medical school dreams are over, and I don't need a "apply to Stewart pep talk")

I'm just asking how is organic chem compared to this. I have to take chem 1 and 2 first but I feel like I'm never going to get there. I'm told that chem 2 is straight calculations😱 which made me literally cry even more.

How is chem compared to bio classes? To me it seems like bio is easier, but maybe that's because I can grasp bio and actually retain it
Click to expand...

Bio is pretty much straight memorization to me. I really ever "think" per se. Gen chem is generally a matter of good book keeping with a few concept questions thrown in. I learned to like certain parts of it, but they were the parts we spent the least amount of time on. I like organic because it is very visual. If you can rotate 3d models in your ahead then it becomes a lot of fun. (Yea..I used the word fun) Most people work harder in organic. I actually did less until about 2 days before an exam and then put in about 16 hours of studying. I think biology is interesting, but the further you get into it, the more you realize that the light fluffy stuff is fun. I like to apply stuff I learn, and most of my science classes haven't done that on a daily basis. Everyone is different. Just find a point you like and focus on it. If you tell yourself you are miserable every second then you're going to be miserable it is just how it works.

If you are willing to invest time then most of this stuff isn't hard at all. Just time consuming. I think people like biology because you can sit there and stare at a book and that is your studying. Also, it is much more tangible. In chemistry you are just kind of taking their word for a lot of stuff.
 
I also enjoyed o-chem much more than gen chem, keep workin at it skyeblue!
 
I enjoyed the 2nd o-chem better than the 1st. I also enjoyed o-chem much more than g-chem.
 
From the biochem major:

Gen chem is number crunching
Organic is a new way of thinking
Analytical takes gen chem and turns it into a bully
Pchem slices at your core
Biochem explains a lot about you, by far the best.
 
suwaifo said:
The hardest thing about chemistry is scientific notation and sigfigs. Everything else is not that bad. Math is the bane of my existence.
Click to expand...

Lol well if that's "hard" in general chem then i guess he can call it a night.

General Chem is very practical, you just have to weed through some of the useless BS to get there. Besides, there's way too much chemistry for any one person to memorize. Not even your professors can to do it. If anything it's "muscle memory" for them lol.
 
Gen Chem 1 is not necessarily that telling about your chem ability. For example, I had a horrible Gen Chem 1 instructor- The guy was brilliant but as a physical chemist, he could barely relate to students in gchem. He only taught it because he was head of the department and wanted to scare kids away from chem if they couldn't handle it. I ended up taking Gchem 2 and orgo and loving chemistry. I'm now a chem major and have (strangely) really enjoyed pchem.

On an interesting side note, I ended up doing independent study in that Gen Chem 1 professor's lab and have since found out that he is an amazing PI and a Nobel Laureate. The moral of the story is: don't let Gchem 1 discourage you, especially if you've only had one test.
 
Im a Chemistry Major. 👍 ... I also drink alot of whiskey. 👎
 
I'm in my first quarter of gen chem also (and love it 😀 ).

My advice is if you are ever unsure, convert the number to moles. From there you might be able to figure it out or atleast recieve partial credit 😛
 
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