I hate Bs. And study habits.

[DrWanahbe]

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Well, no, I like having good study habits. 👍

All right, I'm sure by now everyone here is aware of how upset I am with my Chem I grade. It's a B. Yep, a B. It sucks, because I know so keenly that every little grade counts.

It was my first class, so I have a long way to go yet. I know the obvious "don't let it happen again, get As in the rest of your classes" is the main advice.

Plus you add in the rest of the factors, and it's just one small piece.

But, is this really something I should worry about? There's a small voice in my head that says, "What the hell? Why couldn't you do better? Is it because it was a "accelerated" summer class in a subject you haven't touched since you were 16? Or is it because you're truly dumb?" I have such high expectations of myself, when I don't meet them, I just can't see the good in what I DID do. I mean, over 1/2 of my class did worse than I did. Plus, my professor says that the med school knows just how difficult Chem 103 is, and they take that into consideration.

I hope and pray that taking things during the regular semester will be better. I know I'm capable of the grades - I just need to figure out how to get them!

Also, side question...Do you feel there are different study habits for the sciences than for the humanities/business? If so, what are they? I know that my study habits need to evolve, but I'm not sure the best way to go about it.

 

[thoffen]

Go over the lecture material directly after class for half an hour. Derive the equations, work a few problems, do your homework, make sure you use your resources to understand the things you missed. Get help from your professor if you don't. Study with others. Get help if you don't understand something. You are not in this alone. Recognizing you need help and conquering your ego is a great quality. In medicine, you won't be an island. You need to know how to work as a team.

 

[Quix]

(1) Don't worry too much about the B.

(2) In regards to studying for the humanities, I've found that there is *a lot* less rote memorization *cough*Biology*cough* and a lot more "let it percolate and let the pieces fit together". Of course, this is based on my twelve years in philosophy; other fields may be different.

 

[DrWanahbe]

Go over the lecture material directly after class for half an hour. Derive the equations, work a few problems, do your homework, make sure you use your resources to understand the things you missed. Get help from your professor if you don't. Study with others. Get help if you don't understand something. You are not in this alone. Recognizing you need help and conquering your ego is a great quality. In medicine, you won't be an island. You need how to work as a team.

Great advice! I'm Sloooowly learning to let go of that "individualistic" attitude I've always had towards studying. Hard part for me is just finding others to study with, meaning those that are serious about learning and are not in it for the "social aspects" that being with a group can bring. But I enjoy puzzling things out with others, which I find more rewarding then doing some kind of "Apprentice" type project.

And you better believe I'm willing to ask for help. I want this too much to let a little ego get in the way! Yep, I'll be the one going to the Chem Learning Center for the additional help they provide, I know what I need is just the repetition, someone to explain it until I get it. That, in itself, I think will make all the difference!

 

[JamieMac]

Do you feel there are different study habits for the sciences than for the humanities/business? If so, what are they? I know that my study habits need to evolve, but I'm not sure the best way to go about it.

I'll throw in my two cents and say that it is imperative that you get a good idea of how each professor may test you. When I took Chem I last year, the only chemistry that I had was from the 2 books that I purchased from Borders. Upon taking the first test (and not doing so well), I realized that the professor didn't really stick to lecture problems at all - he mainly utilized the conceptual type questions similar to those in the back of the text that applied to lecture. These were questions that he never referred to or recommended. Once I started doing them, I started crushing the exams. Unfortunately, I had to figure this out myself.

You might also want to ask a few classmates what they have heard about each professor and develop your game plan from there. Some professors can be elusive, and will suggest that you just understand the material in the lecture - and you'll be OK. Unfortunately, this is quite vague and can imply just about anything in a class like chemistry. I really knew the material covered in that first exam in chem that I previously mentioned...the key was being able to recognize a problem and apply the concepts quickly. Practice problems will help you do that. It is important for you to adjust to each professor's teaching style. I hope this helps and good luck. 👍

 

[poly800rock]

gen chem for me (it is by far my weakest course) is all about practice. It's a bit like physics in the sense where by doing every type of problem will help you in understanding the concepts.

for me personally, orgo was a different beast and especially 2nd semester (oxygen compounds) and reactions was all logical in my mind. my teacher said 2 things about orgo at the beginning of each semester which held true and when all was said and done, was probably the easiest way for me to think about stuff,

1. + attracts - (which is the easiest way to remember reactions)
2. nature likes the most stable compound (easiest to understand in rearrangements and conjugation)

I'd personally add, and the best memorization there was, is to memorize some of the reagents like oxidizing/reduction agents. that way you can always predict the outcome.

i am probably a minority in saying that I wish the bio section of the MCAT was almost all orgo.

bio....just beat that stuff into your brain as you'll start to see the recurring themes

that being said, nothing is easy, but it helps when you break it down.

hope that helps

 

[Nasrudin]

good job on the B. Gen chem is a tough class and its aceability has a lot to do with the instructor. As far as finding good study partners it pretty easy just look around for other serious students, the one's who sit up front and listen, etc. Unfortunately "getting the grade" can also be a test in seeking and finding the edge through networking and fishing the instructor for particular emphases. This is just part of the game and the hustle....just play it, it aint' gonna change, so you might as well get down with it. good luck!

 

[Quix]

What helped me in O.Chem was doing problems as they occurred in the book (we used Vollhardt and Schore), on top of doing the chapter problems.

 

[poly800rock]

good job on the B. Gen chem is a tough class and its aceability has a lot to do with the instructor. As far as finding good study partners it pretty easy just look around for other serious students, the one's who sit up front and listen, etc. Unfortunately "getting the grade" can also be a test in seeking and finding the edge through networking and fishing the instructor for particular emphases. This is just part of the game and the hustle....just play it, it aint' gonna change, so you might as well get down with it. good luck!

agreed, getting the grade is only part of the hustle, best phrasing of the situation i've heard! but remember this also, this is how i justify getting a B+ in orgo 1, even though it wasn't an A, i learned it, and now I do very little prep for orgo for MCAT, and aced orgo 2, at least you learned it.

 

[Skaterbabe74]

Well, no, I like having good study habits. 👍

All right, I'm sure by now everyone here is aware of how upset I am with my Chem I grade. It's a B. Yep, a B. It sucks, because I know so keenly that every little grade counts.

It was my first class, so I have a long way to go yet. I know the obvious "don't let it happen again, get As in the rest of your classes" is the main advice.

Plus you add in the rest of the factors, and it's just one small piece.

But, is this really something I should worry about? There's a small voice in my head that says, "What the hell? Why couldn't you do better? Is it because it was a "accelerated" summer class in a subject you haven't touched since you were 16? Or is it because you're truly dumb?" I have such high expectations of myself, when I don't meet them, I just can't see the good in what I DID do. I mean, over 1/2 of my class did worse than I did. Plus, my professor says that the med school knows just how difficult Chem 103 is, and they take that into consideration.

I hope and pray that taking things during the regular semester will be better. I know I'm capable of the grades - I just need to figure out how to get them!

Also, side question...Do you feel there are different study habits for the sciences than for the humanities/business? If so, what are they? I know that my study habits need to evolve, but I'm not sure the best way to go about it.

Taking a class or two over a 15 week period is definitely easier than taking it over 10 weeks or less. You'll find that you actually have the time for the repetition to get the info down. For what it's worth I have the same issue (but I'm way further than my first class). I have all the potential in the world, but actually getting the A's is hard for me. I just finally got my first science A (since returning to school) last spring (my second BCPM A) in immunology. But the key to that one was rote memorization so it's not really representative of the prereqs. I also tend to run out of steam at the end - especially if I have more than one hard final on a given day. There just never seems to be enough hours in the day at the end of a semester (and I'm not a crammer at all, but when you have regular exams and assignments due up until the weekend before finals start it doesn't leave a lot of extra time to prep for finals). I'm now finished with my prereqs but still have a long way to go on my bachelors and raising my BCPM (especially since Orgo turned out to be my nemesis).

You will get there. It just takes a little time to adjust to being in school again, figure out how your prof's test, and figure out the study schedule that works for you. I had my best semester yet this summer and I had an insane schedule - 16 credits in 10 weeks. I ended up not working at all (which sucked because I wanted to use my student loans to pay down my bill at my normal school). I ended up with 3 A's, a B, and unfortunately a C in Calc III, but a 3.3 overall. I hope I'm finally getting the hang of it. I was literally studying from the moment I got up until the moment I went to bed other than the two nights off a week I scheduled to keep my sanity. But that's because it's summer school. Cramming 15 weeks worth of work into 10 weeks is hard (some classes drop certain topics to compensate but most don't).

I found that I do better when I take the pressure of "needing" the A for "med school" off myself. It's true, we do need those grades. But by not letting myself think about getting the grade because I need it in order to apply to med school I'm able to not stress as much about it and just work towards doing MY best and the grades come.

This fall is a big challenge for me. I'm tutoring at least 6 hours a week, doing another 15-20 hours a week at my other job, taking 17 credits (micro, diff. eq, and 3 comp sci classes), and unofficially auditing Physics III (to get a jump on the course from a good teacher for when I'm back at my normal school and end up with a not so good teacher lol).

Believe me, I know it sucks when you don't live up to your own standards, but try to remember that your performance in your first class after time off from school, and a summer class on top of it, is not going to be completely representative of the rest of your academic career. Give yourself a break, and move onto your fall class knowing you can do it given enough time (which you will have since it's a regular semester). Good luck!

 

[datsa]

Go over the lecture material directly after class for half an hour. Derive the equations, work a few problems, do your homework, make sure you use your resources to understand the things you missed. Get help from your professor if you don't. Study with others. Get help if you don't understand something. You are not in this alone. Recognizing you need help and conquering your ego is a great quality. In medicine, you won't be an island. You need to know how to work as a team.

Good advice; although I've tried this and it does not seem to be working as I had expected/hoped. I know well how painful it is to get B's when one is capable of getting A's. I missed an A in general chemistry by a few points and in calculus by 1.6 points out of 600. Unfortunately, my school is one of those few that gives out straight grades with no pluses nor minuses, so if one misses an A by even 1 point, one gets a B. This is the 3rd time this has happened to me. Very frustrating.

 

[remo]

If the prof makes his old tests available, work them to death. Also try doing the assigned problems multiple times. By doing them 2-3 times in a row they will stick better. This will take longer but helped me get it down.

 

[rendenwolf]

I'm going to guess that the length of time since you were in school is one of the big factors. My first semester back, I got a C in gen chem I. Ever since then, I've had a 4.0 each semester. Getting back into the swing of things took a bit of time, but I've got the hang of it now.

Rena

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

Don't sweat the B. First of all, it's not a horrible grade all by itself. I got a B in Bio 1 and got straight A's in all the others, so it can be done. Summer classes can be hard because they are both fast paced and usually much smaller in size. The latter can have a huge impact on your grade if there are 30 people in your class and you happen to have 2 or 3 real geniouses there setting the curve....not very likely, but statistically far more likely than the same thing happening with a much larger sample size (ie: having 10% of a large college sized class be super-geniouses that you can't compete with). Transitioning to college level science can be pretty tough on its own though, and it sounds like you're finding that you'll need to develop better study habits.

So here's my 2 cents:

Specifically for intro Chem, the best things you can do are to go to lecture and do ALL the assigned practice/homework problems. I rocked my Chem 2 final because I went back and did ALL the assigned problems from the whole semester over about a day and a half (they go a lot faster the second time around 😉 ). Also keep in mind that Chem 2 will be very similar to the first semester, and you'll get right down to business starting where you left off, so sit down and think about what you could have improved and make some adjustments.

Try to stay as calm as possible during your tests. It's hard to go in there and "perform" quickly, but you'll become de-sensitized to it eventually and you'll probably do even better if you stop stressing about your grades (as much). I hated G. Chem with a passion, mostly because I forced myself to do tons of work..It was actually harder for me than O. Chem... but it payed off...you gotta do what you gotta do.

Bio is different. I found it really challenging at first because of the specificity of some of the questions and desired answers. You really have to learn to know what you don't know, the stuff you're glossing over when your studying...because sometimes a precise definition or drawing can be much harder to come up with than you think it is. When you can learn to raise red flags over these subjects and honestly evaluate your knowledge of a piece of material then you are set...I don't study in groups but I think some people find that doing so accomplishes this as well.


As a psych major, I've observed that one of the crazinesses of being a pre-med is that you have to learn to care enough about your grades to do well, but not so much that you go absolutely insane and make everyone hate you. I've found that it works to just focus on "doing your best"..then you'll find your happy place...just like Happy Gillmore. Good luck to ya, keep on chuggin.

 

[Hoberto]

Y'know, figuring out how to study is really a good thing. I am a first year med student and am just now starting to learn how to learn. Think about how you best learn. Do you learn from lecture, reading the book, workign out problems, talking it out?? When reading the book are you actively reading or are the words going from your eyes out your ears? Undoubtedly there is a learning center or some such thing at your school. Have a short talk with them for ideas about what will help you.

It seems stupid but you really need to work on leanring what will help you learn most efficiently. For me, I had usually attended class, did the homework and took the exams. I am finding that that method isn't going to work now. So, I am trying everything in an effort to pin down what works for me. My biggest problem is rote memorization. I hate doing it and I don't want to do it. I don't have a lot of motivation to do it, either.

Some things I am trying:

Coloring books aimed at specific topics
Recorded lectures
Games
Flashcards
Explaining material to my cat (or a human if one is around)
Writing things out/drawing
Online videos

So far, coloring and explaining have been huge helps for me. I enjoy doing it and actually look forward to it. This is a big big big part of studying for me...actually doing it. By finding that I enjoy explaining and doing, I find I am spending more time that I have ever before looking at the material. I get practically nothing out of lecture and not very much out of reading either. For me, it is pointless to waste hours and hours reading and watching lectures as I just don't get very much out of them.

Anyway, don't wait too long to figure out what will work for you and maybe try some methods you hadn't tried before.

My background was engineering.....with math based fields, I think it is best to teach others and work problems. That's just me, though.

 

[thoffen]

Hoberto, I have to try that. When reading something, it is very easy to take shortcuts in understanding or make mental notes that you will come back to material, but these strategies never work out. Teaching something forces you to critically think and organize material in a way that facilitates understanding.