Lab Techniques

[Verum]

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We've all seen the threads asking for tips for the academic side of things (study tips, memorization etc) but what about the labs. Those of you who aced all of your pre-req labs, what was your secret? How much time did it consume? Does having a capable lab partner help or does it not matter? If you get stuck with an aweful lab partner, how can you salvage the situation and pull off a solid A?

Thanks.

 

[maybemed2013]

I have a do nothing lab partner right now for o-chem lab... but I still have an A.
For the pre-lab, I read through the entire lab to get an idea what I have to do.
I look at labs from other uni...just google the title of the experiment and tons of info should come up.
I also have to do my post-lab with my lab partner... I end doing both their part and my part for the post lab and of course my lazy partner doesn't mind..

Summary---just do the lab by yourself as if you don't have a partner.

 

[xXIDaShizIXx]

First of all let me say - NEVER RELY ON A LAB PARTNER. Just read the lab before hand, fill out all necessary things in your journal (especially for O-chem). Make sure you fill it out throughout the experiment (and then you can do the calculations at the end). Know why and how the reactions are happening, so that you could explain to others. Other than that, that is all you really need.🙂 Ugh. Labs suck.

 

[ur2l8]

We weren't allowed to work with our lab partners for anything other than the actual lab. I can't imagine having such a terrible partner the actual experiment goes awry.

 

[tiedyeddog]

I am so glad I never had lab partners, that would have been horrible. I

 

[ShoTyme]

First of all let me say - NEVER RELY ON A LAB PARTNER. Just read the lab before hand, fill out all necessary things in your journal (especially for O-chem). Make sure you fill it out throughout the experiment (and then you can do the calculations at the end). Know why and how the reactions are happening, so that you could explain to others. Other than that, that is all you really need.🙂 Ugh. Labs suck.

This X 1000. You have to take responsibility for your own lab and your own knowledge base. If you don't understand what you are doing when you walk into the lab, there's a problem. Reread the lab, or google it. Youtube videos are widely available for most of the prereq labs. Keep in mind that labs are a pain in the *****. They are typically very time consuming but not really all that difficult in my experience. Chemistry labs for me were the biggest time sink.

 

[neuro nephrons]

as an aside, my organic chem lab was horrid. Our professor was a year away from retirement and just sat on her computer the entire 3 hour lab period and rarely be available for help. This allowed some of the kids in my class to goof off the entire time....half of them didn't even wear goggles and measured out strong acids and bases at eye level.....it was horrible. I can honestly say that when I walked out of that lab for the last time I said a little prayer and thanked God for not dying during that lab.

 

[CuttingCorneas]

In addition to reading the pre-lab before class, ochem lab can become quite enjoyable if you make a game out of it. For instance, I nicknamed my classroom "The Dungeons" and acted as if each experiment was my attempt at brewing a potion, Harry Potter style. My TA was Professor Snape, and if I made any mistake, I'd lose ten points for Gryffindor. All in all, it was a pretty entertaining semester, although it did get awkward when my owl delivered a package in class...

 

[Verum]

Moral of the story: Trust neither your classmates nor your professors. I think Khan + Youtube + OCW will help me more than college. Sigh. But yeah, gotta jump through this hoop to get the prize 🙂

 

[OwlPower22]

I frequently went to office hours and lab "tutoring" sessions. It really helped me pull off an A- on OChem lab. 🙂

 

[Midwestern Blot]

organic chemistry lab:

lol

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I think the key is knowing your TA's expectations and giving them exactly what they want. I did this and got As in every lab class.

 

[loveoforganic]

I think the key is knowing your TA's expectations and giving them exactly what they want. I did this and got As in every lab class.

Read lab thread. See TMS in your quote. Tetramethylsilane won't leave my head. Thanks.

 

[obgyny]

We weren't allowed to work with our lab partners for anything other than the actual lab. I can't imagine having such a terrible partner the actual experiment goes awry.

For an ochem lab, my lab partner would just add things to the solution without reading the directions 😕. On more than one occasion, I had to restart the entire experiment because of her. I ended up having to do everything myself. Definitely don't assume your lab partners know what's going on.

The biggest thing is really understanding the theory behind the experiments (Why are we adding this reagent? Why does this happen? If something goes wrong, why?). This involves pre-reading the steps of the lab and any assigned reading. They don't really care about the results too much, just that you understood what was going on.

 

[Verum]

Not sure how this works but do you guys get to pick lab partners? If so i'de much rather stalk fb for pre-meds and ask if they want to partner up beforehand so i know they will at least take it srsly.

 

[SnowyRox]

We weren't allowed to work with our lab partners for anything other than the actual lab. I can't imagine having such a terrible partner the actual experiment goes awry.

It's a good thing we weren't lab partners. I got an A in every lab simply because none of them graded on accuracy. I was known for doing things like squeezing a test tube so hard that it shattered in my hand (containing part of our experiment), dropping the final product on the countertop where it went everywhere, etc. etc. etc. It's a miracle I never made anything blow up.

I love Chemistry but there's a very good reason I will never be a chemist!

 

[obgyny]

Not sure how this works but do you guys get to pick lab partners? If so i'de much rather stalk fb for pre-meds and ask if they want to partner up beforehand so i know they will at least take it srsly.

That girl I mentioned was premed . Just because they're "premed" doesn't mean they take things seriously. It might be different at other schools, but we were never assigned lab partners, you just walk into lab and pick a bench to sit at. Just pick someone who looks friendly. As we mentioned, just make sure you know what you're doing just in case your partner/group doesn't. I've also had really cool/smart lab partners too that make things fun, you never know.

 

[hiyaman]

What i've learned is don't be lazy. When I was lazy I got B's in labs and when I stopped being lazy I got A's...