new fall accessory: dunce cap

[hello3angel]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

Okay, so I am just getting this off my chest. I am taking general chemistry, and I constantly get the feeling of being slow and a little stupid. No matter how many practice problems I do right/answers I get correct, I feel like I'm always behind, and that I wouldn't be so behind if I was just a little smarter. I seem to have to read things over and over again until they sink in. Does anyone else ever feel like this? I mean, is this normal? For some reason, for example, I had to stare at the section about atomic mass units/avogadro's #/moles/molar mass/molarity conversions for like 2 years before it made perfect sense to me. And once I got it, I got frustrated at how long it took me to get such a simple concept. It's like my brain refused to accept the information until it could toss it around and play with it from EVERY angle.

I have to keep in mind that most everyone in my class took chemistry atleast in high school--this is a pre-req for taking the class actually. I never took chemistry, and now I'm kind of regretting it...

So I just got back from class, am eating dinner, will shower, put on my dunce cap, and continue studying. Thanks for listening to my boo-hooing for the night. 😎

 

[TobiasFish]

a lot of the concepts are not intuitive. Practice makes perfect.

 

[FrkyBgStok]

1) if you are decent in math, chemistry gets less conceptual as you go along.
2) gen chem sucks.
3) just keep working at it. it is tough but it'll be worth it.

 

[eablackwell]

Ok, so I spent about 5-10 minutes writing you a long response on my iphone and then (of course) I hit the wrong button and it erased the entire thing.

So, now that my students are busy taking a test, I'll write it again. 😉

Don't get down on yourself about struggling with chemistry. People are not born knowing how to balance redox reactions nor do they begin magically solving stoichiometry problems of their own accord. Chemistry is a tree-killing science, and it takes crazy amounts of practice.

I always tell my students that they should be proud of each achievement in chemistry, because for the most part, society is terrified of the subject. If your math skills are lacking, chem 1 & 2 might be extra trying. Perhaps it's actually a math tutor you need an not a chemistry one? Chemistry is usually the first science people encounter that isn't memorization based. It's very math and logic driven.

And I'll tell you what I tell my students, if there are problems in the book you haven't done, and you're still having issues, you haven't done enough. 🙂

Good luck! You'll get it! 👍

 

[HenriMatisse]

I feel your pain man. I'm taking physics 1 now and I feel totally lost by the math. I haven't done algebra, geometry, or trig for 8 years now. I look at really simple stuff like balancing a quadratic equation and it looks like cuneiform. On top of the that BU decided to "save" me money by publishing its own test and keeping all of the profit. It's full of errors and doesn't explain how to do any of the math. blahhhhhhhhh

 

[EdLongshanks]

I look at really simple stuff like balancing a quadratic equation and it looks like cuneiform.

If I tried to "balance" a quadratic equation, I'd be in cuneiform territory too.

 

[Lazarus]

Have you tried meeting with the professor, SI sessions, or TAs?

Sometimes all it takes is a little one on one time and for someone to run through your hangups, and describe a theory/process in a different way for it to sink in.

If you are really struggling I would be proactive and get help asap, getting behind is such a mental drain. Maybe look into a tutor through the school? They are not that expensive, and it forces you to go over your problem areas and get to the bottom of them.

Good luck!

 

[HenriMatisse]

^^ I've been hounding the professor after class. I'm investing in a different text as well, this one isn't doing anything for me.

I'm taking physics 1 and chem 1 on top of full time work, hopefully this is just an adjustment period.

 

[hello3angel]

Ok, so I spent about 5-10 minutes writing you a long response on my iphone and then (of course) I hit the wrong button and it erased the entire thing.

So, now that my students are busy taking a test, I'll write it again. 😉

Don't get down on yourself about struggling with chemistry. People are not born knowing how to balance redox reactions nor do they begin magically solving stoichiometry problems of their own accord. Chemistry is a tree-killing science, and it takes crazy amounts of practice.

I always tell my students that they should be proud of each achievement in chemistry, because for the most part, society is terrified of the subject. If your math skills are lacking, chem 1 & 2 might be extra trying. Perhaps it's actually a math tutor you need an not a chemistry one? Chemistry is usually the first science people encounter that isn't memorization based. It's very math and logic driven.

And I'll tell you what I tell my students, if there are problems in the book you haven't done, and you're still having issues, you haven't done enough. 🙂

Good luck! You'll get it! 👍

Oh mannnn! I hate when stuff like that happens! I'm glad you were still motivated to write a second response after that happened, lol!

So far, I haven't had any issues with math--thankfully I took Calculus during undergrad and had to brush up on math concepts anyway for that. So it's been pretty reasonable... so far!

I think what I am taking the longest time to grasp are mostly concepts... why something relates to something else and how certain equations were derived to solve certain problems. I hate plugging in numbers and finding shortcuts to ideas I don't completely understand. Sure, you might get the right answers, but you are not 100% understanding it even though you can do the problems... does that even make sense? And the understanding part is what is taking me the longest time, and it's frustrating to me because I don't have much time. If I had more time, I would feel better about it. I am the kind of person who likes to have everything just right before I move on... I guess that is something I will need to learn to let go of?

 

[hello3angel]

I feel your pain man. I'm taking physics 1 now and I feel totally lost by the math. I haven't done algebra, geometry, or trig for 8 years now. I look at really simple stuff like balancing a quadratic equation and it looks like cuneiform. On top of the that BU decided to "save" me money by publishing its own test and keeping all of the profit. It's full of errors and doesn't explain how to do any of the math. blahhhhhhhhh

Erroneous tests/textbooks kill my soul. I spend an hour fretting over a few problems I just CAN'T get... come to find out they were right the entire time. 😡

 

[hello3angel]

Have you tried meeting with the professor, SI sessions, or TAs?

Sometimes all it takes is a little one on one time and for someone to run through your hangups, and describe a theory/process in a different way for it to sink in.

If you are really struggling I would be proactive and get help asap, getting behind is such a mental drain. Maybe look into a tutor through the school? They are not that expensive, and it forces you to go over your problem areas and get to the bottom of them.

Good luck!

I have gone to help sessions to ask about some chemistry concepts and ideas... and a lot of times I end up helping other students by the end of the help session. So I get a little frustrated because I feel like I am not gaining anything substantial from it. I bring in my practice problems that I can't get right, and they end up being textbook errors.

I don't know... I'm trying to understand this feeling I'm getting. I guess I just feel like I don't have very much control over all the information that is getting thrown at us. I feel like I can't chew all the food being forced down my throat, and as a result, my digestive system is going crazy... although it's still functioning (just uncomfortably). When I go into lecture, I like to know EXACTLY everything the prof is talking about, and if I don't (because I didn't have enough time to read the text or work practice problems for a specific set) I feel REALLY stupid and slow.

 

[hello3angel]

a lot of the concepts are not intuitive. Practice makes perfect.

It isn't intuitive, and I need to keep reminding myself that everytime I get frustrated for not grasping a concept immediately.

1) if you are decent in math, chemistry gets less conceptual as you go along.
2) gen chem sucks.
3) just keep working at it. it is tough but it'll be worth it.

Thanks for the encouraging input. 😳

 

[Lefty Doodle]

Hey,
I felt really "behind" too when I took gen chem and am feeling the same way with physics. You just have to realize that a lot of these kids are taking this right out of high school, where they were probably actually even INTERESTED in it (I feel like the fact that I was good at it in HS wasn't enough, I wasn't interested so didn't really know the stuff). It's possible you might need a tutor but that might be overkill. I just studied every concept until I had it, did the problems until I got them right and as I went along had to put less time in because I guess I found my "groove." I don't know about you, but if I don't understand something I have to try to understand it myself first before anyone else's explanation will make sense to me. 90% of the time I begin to understand it on my own anyway. I hope this happens with physics too. It's just hard to get into something you haven't thought about in years!!

 

[Fay8]

Hey,

I couldn't help but reply to this message. Hopefully this will give you encouragement? I switched my major to the sciences in my junior year--and so I had to take Gen Chem. I hadn't taken a science course since 9th grade in High School.. On top of this, my Gen Chem was a major weed out course. Class average=C/C+. It was a brutal course.

Initially, I did really average. Lab was really like a nightmare (it still is for me)

What changed? I went to office hours A LOT, asked questions, and picked up a better chem book--and started doing the questions in the back of the book. The extra practice really helped me and gave me confidence. When one approach isn't working, sometimes you need to see the material presented in a different way.

After starting off in the C-range, I ended up scoring in the top 5% of the class each semester.

Bottom line, it can be done, just stay motivated--and try studying a different way!


Best of luck,

Fay

 

[hello3angel]

Hey,
I felt really "behind" too when I took gen chem and am feeling the same way with physics. You just have to realize that a lot of these kids are taking this right out of high school, where they were probably actually even INTERESTED in it (I feel like the fact that I was good at it in HS wasn't enough, I wasn't interested so didn't really know the stuff). It's possible you might need a tutor but that might be overkill. I just studied every concept until I had it, did the problems until I got them right and as I went along had to put less time in because I guess I found my "groove." I don't know about you, but if I don't understand something I have to try to understand it myself first before anyone else's explanation will make sense to me. 90% of the time I begin to understand it on my own anyway. I hope this happens with physics too. It's just hard to get into something you haven't thought about in years!!

That is a good point--many students are taking it right out of high school. And if not right out of high school, most of them ATLEAST took the class in high school at one point (I never did). I think a tutor would be overkill, like you suggested. I just need to take the time myself to do it, and I'll be fine. All I would like more of, really, is time. Tutors usually don't help me understand things any more quickly. In fact, I sometimes get frustrated because they waste time restating parts I already know. Only YOU know exactly what road blocks you come across, and pin-pointing those and taking them to office hours will suffice... and save TONS of time.

Thanks for another insightful message!

 

[hello3angel]

Hey,

I couldn't help but reply to this message. Hopefully this will give you encouragement? I switched my major to the sciences in my junior year--and so I had to take Gen Chem. I hadn't taken a science course since 9th grade in High School.. On top of this, my Gen Chem was a major weed out course. Class average=C/C+. It was a brutal course.

Initially, I did really average. Lab was really like a nightmare (it still is for me)

What changed? I went to office hours A LOT, asked questions, and picked up a better chem book--and started doing the questions in the back of the book. The extra practice really helped me and gave me confidence. When one approach isn't working, sometimes you need to see the material presented in a different way.

After starting off in the C-range, I ended up scoring in the top 5% of the class each semester.

Bottom line, it can be done, just stay motivated--and try studying a different way!


Best of luck,

Fay

Hi Fay--this is a very encouraging message! Lab is a nightmare for me too, lol! A fun nightmare at times, but a nightmare nonetheless (weird, I know). Great advice for picking up better text for new perspectives... I know this to be true from personal experience. That is amazing that you started with a C-average and worked your way up to the top 5%! I'll definitely stay motivated and have already started studying in a different way this week... and it's already made a major impact! I have found that organization skills are actually crucial for getting through the material, prioritizing, and managing time. Thanks so much!

 

[murfettie]

you can't do bad in a class if you spend 5 hours a day on it..
that's my principle.