Is it just me, or Chemistry is random info.?

[FantasyVesperia]

I don't know if it's just me, or Chemistry is just a bunch of random information. I don't want to say my teacher is teaching it wrong, but it seems like I'm missing a huge chunk of information. It's hard to express what I'm feeling right now. It's one of my favorite classes and I feel like I'm not studying properly for it. Usually science classes come naturally to me, (except for physics -.-) but I usually read my book and the information sticks, but when we go over the information in class, it's totally different from what I've read and I pick up only little of the topics.

What's the best way to study for Chemistry?

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[Kahr]

I found chemistry to be very linear, quite the opposite of what you've expressed. I can understand frustration with a teacher's methods, but when you're going through the textbook, does that also feel random? It's very foundational, you learn the parts of an atom, you learn about the periodic table and the physical and chemical properties. You learn about molecules, how to draw them, how each atom interacts, how much it weighs, charges, etc. Eventually you get to reactions between difference molecules, etc etc. Does this sound familiar?

The best way to study chemistry is much the same as studying for a math class. You must do practice problems! Usually there will be several practice problems within a chapter as you learn new concepts, and then in the back of the chapter there will be a ton of practice problems for each section of a chapter, do them ALL. Though you'll also possibly need to make flash cards for learning/memorizing terminology and things like the polyatomic ions.

My final suggestion is that you find someone you know is doing well or that offers tutoring. I had trouble with certain concepts and having a very very good tutor helped me get through these difficult concepts miraculously.

Edit: Did you take your name from Tales of Vesperia?

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

All lower level science classes are pretty much just a bunch of random segmented pieces of information. It's simply because of the need to survey as much information as possible to help prepare you for the more advanced courses that will expand in detail.

 

[ComradeDoktor]

When you're just starting out, chemistry is pretty much random info, or at least it was to me. There are definitely a few underlying principles that connect all of chemistry (I think you can explain just about anything through energy, probability, and electrostatic forces), but you have to be good at chemistry before you actually start to see those principles at work in all of the random stuff they teach you in class.

 

[Seahawk]

It's not once you get into higher chem classes. Organic has very logical progression.


The thing about GC I is that the information is all very basic for doing any kind of chemistry. If you were to go deeper into any of the topics, it would be MUCH more confusing. So instead you just cover the basics of a lot of stuff. You use that stuff A LOT.


In fact a lot of the more advanced classes I take I get told "We lied to you in gen chem." because they dumb the stuff down a lot.

 

[At0mic]

When I was taking gen chem, it felt very scattered. But now that I've been done with it for a while and have some distance, looking back there was a logical progression.

For me, orgo was the opposite of gen chem. It builds on itself in a more obvious way. Even though the syllabus said the exams would be non-cumulative, you have to take that with a huge grain of salt, especially in orgo 2.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

It's not once you get into higher chem classes. Organic has very logical progression.


The thing about GC I is that the information is all very basic for doing any kind of chemistry. If you were to go deeper into any of the topics, it would be MUCH more confusing. So instead you just cover the basics of a lot of stuff. You use that stuff A LOT.


In fact a lot of the more advanced classes I take I get told "We lied to you in gen chem." because they dumb the stuff down a lot.

I felt like organic chemistry 2 was more systematic, though organic chem 1 followed the same suit as gen chem 1 & 2 and is a lot of random information.

 

[FantasyVesperia]

I found chemistry to be very linear, quite the opposite of what you've expressed. I can understand frustration with a teacher's methods, but when you're going through the textbook, does that also feel random? It's very foundational, you learn the parts of an atom, you learn about the periodic table and the physical and chemical properties. You learn about molecules, how to draw them, how each atom interacts, how much it weighs, charges, etc. Eventually you get to reactions between difference molecules, etc etc. Does this sound familiar?

The best way to study chemistry is much the same as studying for a math class. You must do practice problems! Usually there will be several practice problems within a chapter as you learn new concepts, and then in the back of the chapter there will be a ton of practice problems for each section of a chapter, do them ALL. Though you'll also possibly need to make flash cards for learning/memorizing terminology and things like the polyatomic ions.

My final suggestion is that you find someone you know is doing well or that offers tutoring. I had trouble with certain concepts and having a very very good tutor helped me get through these difficult concepts miraculously.

Edit: Did you take your name from Tales of Vesperia?

Yeah, I did get it from Tales of Vesperia lol. Thanks a lot though. My chemistry book can get confusing sometimes, but when the teacher explains it to me one on one, it makes more sense.

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

Yeah, I did get it from Tales of Vesperia lol. Thanks a lot though. My chemistry book can get confusing sometimes, but when the teacher explains it to me one on one, it makes more sense.

in college this usually becomes the opposite, the book explains better than the tenured research professor.

 

[Seahawk]

in college this usually becomes the opposite, the book explains better than the tenured research professor.

So true.

 

[FantasyVesperia]

in college this usually becomes the opposite, the book explains better than the tenured research professor.

That's odd lol.