I have to take this class for two semesters for my Chem major. What study techniques do you people suggest for this class? What is the most important thing to learn?
Do problems in your textbook, and know all aspects of the ideal gas law really well. I'm so glad I'm finished with that course. Good luck.
P chem isn't all that bad, I actually kind of liked it. Unfortunately, I had a bad professor who didn't teach squat, so I kind of taught myself everything and still managed to do well. Just make sure you feel very comfortable with your calculus going in (ie, integrating, taking partials, etc.). I think this is usually the main obstacle people have since it's usually been a couple years since people have taken it. But as long as you brush up on it and have a good p chem book handy (McQuarrie or earlier version's of Atkins),you should be fine. Good luck.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by aesculapian: <strong>But as long as you brush up on it and have a good p chem book handy (McQuarrie or earlier version's of Atkins),you should be fine. Good luck. </strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Word of warning about Atkins - it's great for quantum, but they completely screwed up thermodynamics in the latest version. Definitely go McQuarrie for thermo and Atkins for quantum (yes - buy both books...you'll be glad later that you did).
My advice: go to all the discussion sessions and kiss up to the TA or the professor. Go to office hours at least once a week. I used this tactic and pulled off 2 A+'s and 1 A (my school is quarterbased) while I didn't understand jack in the whole year.
To do well in Pchem--please brush up on Calc II. It is important to know and understand the ideal gas law + its deviations. Do not slack on your labs either although they can be a drag.I had a great Pchem prof--he quizzed the class so often that the concepts are still with me two semesters later. HOW CRAZY IS THAT???? Good luck.
While I agree about Atkins' older texts being more "user-friendly," I liked McQuarrie's quantum a lot. Also, here's a tip: THE INTERNET IS A GREAT SOURCE FOR PCHEM HELP...old exams from other universities, some great explanations of thermodynamics, and a guy in Virginia (I think) who has his quantum chem lecture notes on pdf. Great stuff! Reminds me of an actual PChem test question: "Is Hell exothermic or endothermic?"
First year medical student..almost done... ...all i can say is..man, nothing in med school has been more difficult than pchem in undergrad! ...I still dont remember anything..its all a blur...
oh wow... pchem. i've erased all of it from my brain!!! it wasn't too bad where i took it, but i guess it can be a real nightmare. what sucks is i got a's in it and can't include it in my bcpm gpa b/c i took it abroad. such is life. we used atkins, and i thought it was a pretty good book. that was 7 years ago, though. i would suggest brushing up on multivariable calculus before taking the class. it makes it much easier if you have a handle on the math before starting in on the chemistry material.
Last week I got a "Honk if you passed Pchem" bumper sticker from my pchem prof! I agree that it'd help to review calc II, and I'd reccomend reading your gen chem book again. We used Atkins, and the prof supplimented for thermo - it worked out okay. For me it was a chem class unlike anything I'd seen before - some of the theories were so "out there" that there was no way for me to be prepared for them. However, some of it makes a lot of sense, and it was easy to see applications to engineering and other fields. The lab class we had was small, and we were all able to ask as many questions as we liked. Sometimes the actual labwork only took an hour - it was the calculations that took several hours and several graphs and such. Lastly, keep on top of the assigned problems, and remember the jist of everything for a while - we found that things had a funny way of coming back again (and if I didn't get it the first time things got tricky).
you're at the mercy of your professor. the first semester i took it i had a horrible professor and made a C+, the second semester i had a great professor and made an A. it's all luck of the draw. find someone who took the class before (with the same prof) and see if they can give you any advice. good luck! and it doesn't really matter what you make in p-chem. most med school interviewers never took the class anyway.
It does take a lot of work in the class, and it does include a lot of calculus in there. The things discussed in class might seem impossible at first, but if you do a lot of practice problems, it will be managable i think. Dont be too scared of it though since you can conquer it..!! good luck
I suggest becoming really really really really good friends with the smartest person in the class and have them help you. That and praying. Good luck.
</font><blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">quote:</font><hr /><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Originally posted by 2BanMD: <strong>you're at the mercy of your professor.</strong></font><hr /></blockquote><font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">actually, i think you're at the mercy of "the curve;" my exam average of 70 was 2nd highest in the class <img border="0" alt="[Laughy]" title="" src="graemlins/laughy.gif" />
I did fairly well in all three of my P Chem classes, and what I did was keep on top of the material. Basically, I picked out some problems and worked on them. When I had problems with HW or examples, I went to office hours. That's key to any class. Go seek help; that's what they're there for. Just to prove how helpful it is...by the end of the semester, my professor knew my name and the others who came to see her in a Berkeley class of 150. (I say Berkeley, because it's such a sea of students, you totally get lost). My advice: Don't stress too much. Just stay on top of it. Teach other students, cuz it's not only nice, but it helps you firm up your understanding.
