General Chemistry

[DrewTT]

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Hey I am looking for some advice regarding General Chemistry. Now I know it is the junior class compared to its big brother Organic Chemistry but I must crawl before I can walk. I took AP Chemsitry last year. We finished the book, but I am worried on how I will transition to college General Chemsitry. I didn't have a good teacher last year. I'm not saying I didn't do alright but, there were some chapters that absolutely rocked me. I feel like I never really knew how to study or better yet how to to excel in College Level Chemistry. If anyone has essential advice for an incoming freshman please post as any help is welcomed. 😳

 

[OREdwardsJR]

A lot of people come and go through this stage and honestly I do not know any REAL practical advice. You can begin to watch Khanacademy videos if that comforts you. I did that before starting Chemistry, and I won't say that I had an edge up but at least some of the things in class seemed familiar.


I think if you're willing to put in the study hours, which aren't too excruciating, then you should be absolutely fine in Chem I.I do understand your worry, however.

 

[altamont850]

Whenever you're in a class which has both qualitative and quantitative concepts/topics, I find it best to learn in tandem by which I mean you should first learn how to calculate and then learn the underlying theory. For example, if you're learning about pressure you should learn to calculate using the simple and ideal gas law(s) and stoichiometry problems involving pressure. When you've done enough problems to where you feel comfortable, learn how the laws you used where derived, learn about kinetic molecular theory, etc.

I've found only studying qualitative or quantitative material for an extended period of time leads to quick diminishing returns, but if you learn in tandem you can study a little longer and your retention and overall understanding will improve.

About 3-5 days before exams, do ALL your end of chapter problems and time yourself. When reviewing your answers you should take into consideration the time you took as well as any minute errors which affect accuracy (e.g. sig figs).

 

[OCDOCDOCD]

Relax dude. I struggled to get a B in high school chemistry (not advanced or honors or anything, just normal high school chem) and forgot everything by the time I got to college (literally everything other than the fact that there are things called atoms and they're really small). The only reason I even managed to place into gen chem at my university in the first place was because 10 minutes before the placement exam I went to the library and read part of the "chemistry" article on wikipedia. I then proceeded to get an A in the first semester and an A- in the second semester (which was due to a single botched test). If I could do it, anyone can.

 

[NickNaylor]

Intro college courses are taught with the assumption that you have no previous knowledge of the subject. As long as you study and work hard your high school teaching (or lack thereof) won't matter.

(sent from my phone - please forgive typos)

 

[NightGod]

It had been almost 20 years since I took Chemistry and I remembered about as much as OCDOCDOCD did. On top of that, what little knowledge I did have was mostly outdated. Pulled an A both semesters without any issues. They literally start off assuming you know nothing beyond basic algebra-Chapter 1 covers sig figs and standard units of measurement.

 

[mrf618]

GenChem is highly mathematics based. Get to know your calculator and make it your best friend. The first half of your first semesters worth of material might be regurgitation of AP chemistry but the rest is purely collegiate material. I found the second semester of genchem to be more comprehensible than the first. Find your TA or see your professor for office hours, it helps! Good luck.

 

[Frazier]

I took gen chem without any chemistry knowledge coming into the course.
The professor was one of the "harder" ones, I think only 9-10% got A's.
That said, I did well and so can you....just takes time and effort.

 

[Cozell]

You could just take an Intro I think Nick Naylor was hinting at that butttt, Will Med schools look down on students who took an Intro Chem course.

I have to register tommorow and I have the choice between taking Intro to chemistry (its a 4 credit with lab) and General chem 1, I will be taking Bio 1, Spanish1, Stats, and a PE class also.

I never took chem at all like some of you guys, would it be worth it to take a Intro to ensure an A in chem 1 and 2(over the summer) or will the schools look down on that.

Thanks

 

[mapandterritory]

I summarize big ideas on one side of standard printing paper, and use the papers I've accumulated over several weeks to review. Instead of blindly copying something down I try to see if it makes sense (e.g. relationship between vapor pressure and intermolecular bonds). What is its relationship with everything I learned so far?

Some people struggled with dimensional analysis and shifting gas law equations around. That's just...frightening. D:

 

[NightGod]

You could just take an Intro I think Nick Naylor was hinting at that butttt, Will Med schools look down on students who took an Intro Chem course.

I have to register tommorow and I have the choice between taking Intro to chemistry (its a 4 credit with lab) and General chem 1, I will be taking Bio 1, Spanish1, Stats, and a PE class also.

I never took chem at all like some of you guys, would it be worth it to take a Intro to ensure an A in chem 1 and 2(over the summer) or will the schools look down on that.

Thanks

I wouldn't bother with the Intro class. If you're really that worried about it, watch kahnacademy videos before the class starts, you'll learn at least as much as the Intro class would show you, likely a lot more.

 

[darkjedi]

Right before I started my postbac and about to take Gen Chem, I picked up the Chemistry Examkrackers book and tried to read through it. It definitely helped for some of the concepts of first semester. Second semester was a little tougher though. That said, it was totally unnecessary to do so, but I was so looking forward to school I actually enjoyed it.

 

[HealthE]

Whenever you're in a class which has both qualitative and quantitative concepts/topics, I find it best to learn in tandem by which I mean you should first learn how to calculate and then learn the underlying theory. For example, if you're learning about pressure you should learn to calculate using the simple and ideal gas law(s) and stoichiometry problems involving pressure. When you've done enough problems to where you feel comfortable, learn how the laws you used where derived, learn about kinetic molecular theory, etc.

I've found only studying qualitative or quantitative material for an extended period of time leads to quick diminishing returns, but if you learn in tandem you can study a little longer and your retention and overall understanding will improve.

About 3-5 days before exams, do ALL your end of chapter problems and time yourself. When reviewing your answers you should take into consideration the time you took as well as any minute errors which affect accuracy (e.g. sig figs).

I am finding this true a well.