Is Gen Chem II really that hard?

[jackal head]

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Gen Chem I was not easy for me. I still got the A but it was not a walk in the park. Now after reviewing for the PCAT, Gen Chem I doesn't look so bad.

I've heard Gen Chem II is like Gen Chem I on steroids. Even still, what is it that makes it a more "challenging" class?

I'm taking it in the Fall and my life depends on scoring an A.

 

[cjflahave]

Gen Chem I was not easy for me. I still got the A but it was not a walk in the park. Now after reviewing for the PCAT, Gen Chem I doesn't look so bad.

I've heard Gen Chem II is like Gen Chem I on steroids. Even still, what is it that makes it a more "challenging" class?

I'm taking it in the Fall and my life depends on scoring an A.

Gen Chem II is acid/base chemistry and a bunch of different calculations. If you put in the time it isn't as bad as people make it seem, just like any other science class.

 

[aocutiepi]

I actually found Gen Chem II easier than Gen Chem I. Had the same prof for both. I had always heard from my friends that if you work hard in Gen I, Gen II isn't terrible.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

I am going to agree and say that it is easier than the first semester. Just make sure that you register with a good professor as that can make all the difference. And study and do not fall behind.

 

[SparkLy09]

I personally thought they were pretty similar in terms of studying/workload. Just keep the study habits that earned you that A in GenI and you should be fine.

 

[chemguy79]

Most important things about Gen Chem II ... Strong Algebra/Pre-Calc skills and calculator competency.

I have tutored students in that class and I've had to teach them how to use their fancy TI-*insert random number here* calculator because they didn't know hot to take a log or whatnot. The concepts aren't very complicated and if you understand the math, the concepts are much easier to grasp.

Good luck!

 

[Passion4Sci]

In my Gen chem II class we were not allowed the use of anything past a Ti-83 (basic scientific, no memory) calculator on anything except for lab experiments! Why do I always get the hard-asses.

 

[MeowMeowCAT]

In my Gen chem II class we were not allowed the use of anything past a Ti-83 (basic scientific, no memory) calculator on anything except for lab experiments! Why do I always get the hard-asses.

Because according to your profile you went to somewhat hard-assed schools.

 

[Passion4Sci]

Because according to your profile you went to somewhat hard-assed schools.

Oh pish posh!!! There are PLENTY of easy professors who care more about their research than grading/teaching, even at the farm.

 

[Project2015]

In my Gen chem II class we were not allowed the use of anything past a Ti-83 (basic scientific, no memory) calculator on anything except for lab experiments! Why do I always get the hard-asses.

TI-30 you mean 😉

Oh pish posh!!! There are PLENTY of easy professors who care more about their research than grading/teaching, even at the farm.

What's the farm?

 

[Passion4Sci]

TI-30 you mean 😉



What's the farm?

Yeah, I did mean the 30. =p
The farm is a colloquial nickname for Stanford.

 

[Project2015]

Yeah, I did mean the 30. =p I am not an expert at Texas Instruments for sure. I use Casios!!!

The farm is a colloquial nickname for Stanford.

TI rocks calcs.

The farm... as in the crazies?

 

[Passion4Sci]

TI rocks calcs.

The farm... as in the crazies?

Yeah I know... I was just kidding about Casios anyway. I am way too much of a conformist to use anything but a TI.

I still have my TIs! I have a pink one too. 😀

No, it's called that b/c originally it was on Leland Stanford's farm.

 

[Notecard]

I remember it being easier as well for some reason. Can't say why though. It might be because after a semester of general chem I was already used to the subject.

 

[Pojman]

Most important things about Gen Chem II ... Strong Algebra/Pre-Calc skills and calculator competency.

This is some wisdom speaking here! If your tests are timed, calculator competency is a huge bonus.

Also, I memorized the molar masses of the most commonly used elements in calculations such as C, Ca, Na, Cl, N, O, etc. Calculator competency, and simple memorization of commonly used numbers will save you upwards to 10 minutes per test.

As for your question - I thought Gen Chem II was freaking hard.. But that's just me. I got out with an A, but I had to put in about 15-20 hours per week into study. I thought the lab was a nightmare also..

 

[Corpseman]

Gen Chem I was not easy for me. I still got the A but it was not a walk in the park. Now after reviewing for the PCAT, Gen Chem I doesn't look so bad.

I've heard Gen Chem II is like Gen Chem I on steroids. Even still, what is it that makes it a more "challenging" class?

I'm taking it in the Fall and my life depends on scoring an A.

I honestly thought Gen Chem I was harder. Gen Chem II is memorizing formulas and plugging numbers, that's it really.

 

[Passion4Sci]

I honestly thought Gen Chem I was harder. Gen Chem II is memorizing formulas and plugging numbers, that's it really.

It definitely depends on how your professor approaches the material.

 

[qmoto]

IMO the first few chapters of gchem II are not bad if you are good with your calculator. After that it becomes a question of whether or not you are good at understanding reactions. I struggled with complex ion formation/reactions.

 

[delano2000]

I actually found Gen Chem II easier than Gen Chem I. Had the same prof for both. I had always heard from my friends that if you work hard in Gen I, Gen II isn't terrible.

👍


To the OP, if you think Gen I or Gen II is hard, check us back after you've gotten done with Organic Chemistry I&II and Biochemistry.

 

[Passion4Sci]

👍


To the OP, if you think Gen I or Gen II is hard, check us back after you've gotten done with Organic Chemistry I&II and Biochemistry.

*Booming voice* STEREOOOOOOOO-ISOMERISSSMMMMMMMMM

 

[rxlea]

👍


To the OP, if you think Gen I or Gen II is hard, check us back after you've gotten done with Organic Chemistry I&II and Biochemistry.

And I will be checking back with you after pharmacology and med chem this fall...

 

[confettiflyer]

And I will be checking back with you after pharmacology and med chem this fall...

I'm gonna chime in here and say that pharmacology was WAY easier than any of the basic chem courses I took in undergrad.

I found chem to be extremely abstract, at least with pharmacology there was some physiology thrown in so I could at least apply PC concepts to something biological and tangible.

 

[owlegrad]

And I will be checking back with you after pharmacology and med chem this fall...

And you just wait until therapy 3+4!

This is fun.

But seriously, people always say just wait until blah, blah, blah, but the truth is fractions are no easier to a ten year old (or whenever you learn them, can't remember) than Calc 3 is to an engineer student. Learning is learning, regardless of what "level" it is at.

 

[sde780]

I found it to be in much more detail than Chem I. Also I had to memorize a ton more formulas (rate laws and half lifes were confusing)

But if you put the effort in I'm sure you'll do fine. I got a B because my professor tricked us a lot and I didn't catch on until the end

 

[confettiflyer]

My old chem professor would staple mcdonald's applications to anyone who scored below the mean, the department chair told him to knock it off.

He was a genius though, I remember his car's license plate was "K LOG W"

 

[owlegrad]

My old chem professor would staple mcdonald's applications to anyone who scored below the mean, the department chair told him to knock it off.

He was a genius though, I remember his car's license plate was "K LOG W"

That is funny.

 

[Passion4Sci]

My old chem professor would staple mcdonald's applications to anyone who scored below the mean, the department chair told him to knock it off.

He was a genius though, I remember his car's license plate was "K LOG W"

What, an application... on paper???? What was that, 1995!?

I wonder where he got them though. Who did he know at a McD's that just let him have hundreds of applications? Did he make photocopies (that'd be easy to tell..)??

 

[confettiflyer]

What, an application... on paper???? What was that, 1995!?

I wonder where he got them though. Who did he know at a McD's that just let him have hundreds of applications? Did he make photocopies (that'd be easy to tell..)??

yeah they were photocopies, and he'd stick them on scantrons.

no they were not from ditto machines or on plain paper tests, i'm old but i'm not ancient. 😡

maybe i am old, i just said "ditto machine"

 

[owlegrad]

yeah they were photocopies, and he'd stick them on scantrons.

no they were not from ditto machines or on plain paper tests, i'm old but i'm not ancient. 😡

maybe i am old, i just said "ditto machine"

I bet when you need to make copies you "Xerox" them, am I right?

 

[Passion4Sci]

I bet when you need to make copies you "Xerox" them, am I right?

And you use "kleenex" for tissue!

 

[cjflahave]

yeah they were photocopies, and he'd stick them on scantrons.

no they were not from ditto machines or on plain paper tests, i'm old but i'm not ancient. 😡

maybe i am old, i just said "ditto machine"

Do you know what a rotary phone is?

 

[owlegrad]

Do you know what a rotary phone is?

Pssh, I bet he used to send telegrams.

or

Pssh, I bet he still tries to make calls by telling the operator the three digit number

or

Pssh, I bet he still remembers the phonograph

 

[rxlea]

I'm gonna chime in here and say that pharmacology was WAY easier than any of the basic chem courses I took in undergrad.

I found chem to be extremely abstract, at least with pharmacology there was some physiology thrown in so I could at least apply PC concepts to something biological and tangible.

You must be uber smart then because pharm I and II are supposedly a couple of the hardest classes at our school. Even a couple of the 4.0 students struggled in pharmacology. I guess everyone's different, eh?

 

[confettiflyer]

You must be uber smart then because pharm I and II are supposedly a couple of the hardest classes at our school. Even a couple of the 4.0 students struggled in pharmacology. I guess everyone's different, eh?

it just clicked, but i got killed in kinetics and some class called biopharmaceutics. in fact, i don't even remember taking that class or showing up.

 

[IrunDaily]

Gen Chem II isn't too bad but it is, in fact, significantly harder than Gen Chem I. Put in a few more hours of study time and you will be fine.

 

[Outwork505]

👍


To the OP, if you think Gen I or Gen II is hard, check us back after you've gotten done with Organic Chemistry I&II and Biochemistry.

Is it weird to find that I am less motivated for Gen I and Gen II, and actually looking forward moreso to Biochem, and somewhat Organic?

I took an intro to Organic/Biochem(chem215, lab 216) at my school before I even took Gen I(chem 121, completing it next Thurs).

It seems like my brain does not comprehend Gen I/II math skills and such very easily, but I actually enjoy biochem and organic.

 

[delano2000]

And I will be checking back with you after pharmacology and med chem this fall...

We don't start pharmacology and med chem until 2nd or 3rd semester.😛

 

[delano2000]

Is it weird to find that I am less motivated for Gen I and Gen II, and actually looking forward moreso to Biochem, and somewhat Organic?

I took an intro to Organic/Biochem(chem215, lab 216) at my school before I even took Gen I(chem 121, completing it next Thurs).

It seems like my brain does not comprehend Gen I/II math skills and such very easily, but I actually enjoy biochem and organic.

I felt the same way too back in the day but that quickly changed a few weeks into Orgo I.😉

 

[Outwork505]

I felt the same way too back in the day but that quickly changed a few weeks into Orgo I.😉

Hey bro don't ruin my hopeful thinking 😀.

But srsly it is very hard for me to want to study Gen Chem. But for the intro to organic/bio chem, I was intersted in studying 20+hrs for exams, and got the 98 percentile on the standardized final. I guess well see in the end.. still got to get past gen chem II first.

 

[delano2000]

Hey bro don't ruin my hopeful thinking 😀.

But srsly it is very hard for me to want to study Gen Chem. But for the intro to organic/bio chem, I was intersted in studying 20+hrs for exams, and got the 98 percentile on the standardized final. I guess well see in the end.. still got to get past gen chem II first.

Well I guess it's independent on the individual. Orgo is like a foreign language and you have to practice continuously to be good at it (at least for most folks). Chem II was really not that bad to me though.

 

[Outwork505]

Well I guess it's independent on the individual. Orgo is like a foreign language and you have to practice continuously to be good at it (at least for most folks). Chem II was really not that bad to me though.

Gen chem II is a foreign language to me, one that I am not willing to practice much... I have this thought that the concepts being taught in Gen chem I and II are useless besides in those classes, and that prevents me from really trying to learn the concepts.

But with Organic/Biochem, it seems those things are very applicable to life.. and not just throwing random numbers around.. that motivates me.

 

[MissPharmB]

👍


To the OP, if you think Gen I or Gen II is hard, check us back after you've gotten done with Organic Chemistry I&II and Biochemistry.

For me, O Chem II was hard, but not so much Ochem I.... Biochem was alot of studying and memorization... it was time consuming, but the concepts were not so bad.... but that's just me. I think biochem II was more difficult than biochem I as well

 

[delano2000]

Gen chem II is a foreign language to me, one that I am not willing to practice much... I have this thought that the concepts being taught in Gen chem I and II are useless besides in those classes, and that prevents me from really trying to learn the concepts.

But with Organic/Biochem, it seems those things are very applicable to life.. and not just throwing random numbers around.. that motivates me.

You will see a lot of stuff from Gen Chem II again...equilibrium constants, acid-base reactions, half lifes, reaction rates and solubility product constants are just a few. The acid-base reactions popped up in Orgo I&II for me. I hated stereochemistry and synthesizing reactions in Orgo though.

For me, O Chem II was hard, but not so much Ochem I.... Biochem was alot of studying and memorization... it was time consuming, but the concepts were not so bad.... but that's just me. I think biochem II was more difficult than biochem I as well

Well it's all subjective but I agree with you. Orgo II was way harder than Orgo I.👍

 

[nicolemsm]

gen chem II raped me.... i aced gen chem i, but got a C in gen chem II. for some reason i just got absolutely demolished in this class... but i do think that semester was overall just a ****ty one and i stopped caring come finals time.