I really have trouble in my labs....need advice

[Paulz]

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Whenever I have lab I find myself always having trouble understanding what we are doing in it. I listen to the teacher explain themselves and then when I look at the lab manual to do the lab I feel totally clueless. I feel that the lab manual isn't giving enough information for me to do the lab and I am always really reluctant to do anything because I fear I will totally f up the lab and be embarrassed. I read the lab manual several times and just don't ever seem to exactly get it.

I normally have a partner but I fear that when I get into upper division labs I will struggle badly on my own. I can get through a lab fine with partners but when I am own my own I really struggle and I don't know why. I do just fine in elcture but lab I find hard.

Can anyone give me any advice or suggestions to help me in the lab?

 

[MsKrispyKreme]

1. Read the pages of the manual that will be covered a few days prior to your class.

2. Create a REALLY simplified outline that lists the steps you should do in order. (For example, Step 1 -- Add 1.5 ml ether).

3. Follow that outline.

4. Buy me a damn glazed doughnut.

5. Rinse & repeat.

 

[TehDoc]

Labs are pretty straight forward... It might suck, but MsKrispyKreme is right. Re-wright the steps in a way you can understand.

 

[zenlike]

When you go through the directions at home before you go to lab, shadow (rehearse) the movements that you are going to go through in each step. If you don't understand one of the steps, look it up on the internet.

 

[p30doc]

Labs were pretty simple, but for some reason 80-95% of the class seem to ALWAYS have no clue what to do. So I guess your problem is normal. I usually ended up helping 25-50% of the class on any given lab day =P. Try reading the labs in advance and outlining the procedure in your own words, maybe that will help you.

 

[Livingapparatus]

is this your first lab class at a university?

 

[Paulz]

No. I have taken Gen Bio labs but been in a group of 4-7 people. In Chem lab we have 3 partners and in my other Upper division Bio lab I have 2.

I do read the lab several times before hand but I just don't really get what they exactly want. Like I understand what they want me to do but I feel like I am always hitting a road block somewhere or wind up doing something totally wrong or not knowing how to work something.

We even have to hand in pre-labs which I always do really well on but I just can't get it well in the actual lab.

 

[Ennis]

Oddly enough, inorganic labs seem to be the most confusing. Organic and bio labs always seemed more or less straightforward. Just do your best, you'll be fine.

 

[Nobuo]

the simplified outline is a good idea.

what i usually do is imagine myself doing the parts of the lab when i read the lab manual the day before lab.

for inorganic especially, i always write down any colors or observations that i'm supposed to see or get so i can gauge how the lab is going on lab day.

for hard labs i also go through the reactions at each step. so like if you bubble a gas into liquid and the liquid turns yellow, then i would note that and write down the equation and what the expected products would be. a lot of times in those kinds of labs you end up doing multiple reactions to get to a final product, but have to report about each of the steps on the lab write-up, so i find that it helps to note things that way.

of course it all depends on which kind of lab you're doing. i remember for organic lab sometimes all we have to do is synthesize stuff (like ibuprofen or something), so the notes for each step don't really matter, just pour, mix, etc until you get the final product.