I'm going to be taking General chem 1 and 2 in the summer, I'm doing this because if I don't I'll fall really behind in my prereq requirements. I havent taken chemistry since high school, which was way easier than college chem. I don't know if I will be caught off guard. This is the first time I'm attempting at completing science courses during the summer. For any of you who have taken summer science courses, what were some of your tips on managing the work and doing well in the class? I know the obvious answer is study. But I'm looking for any other advice as well, thanks
Tips on managing summer science courses
- Thread starter gamer1000
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I haven't taken a summer science course, but I can give you what I think would be the key to your success. Basically, just study every single day. Taking on a summer course a challenging because you MUST STAY ON TOP OF EVERYTHING. I don't how you do during the normal semester, but if you're like most entry level students, you don't study everyday, but rather cram. This class should force you to not do that. Whenever you return from class, which im sure is like 3-4 hours during the summer, take a break, and then get to work and learn everything taught during class.
Chem 101 was in my opinion easier than 102. So you should be able to practice different skills for 101 and then apply them to 102.
Chem 101 was in my opinion easier than 102. So you should be able to practice different skills for 101 and then apply them to 102.
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I agree with Chuckde...summer courses are difficult to do well in unless you constantly study and review material. Chem is also one of those courses that require lots of thought and analysis, so its definitely going to harder to comprehend than a bio course, which most of the time is memorization.
Honestly, the best advice I have is put in both to time and effort. Despite the fact that when taking summer classes you are taking less credits (usually) you will be as busy as if you were taking a full class load (due to how fast the material flys at you). I took anatomy, and the lab, and I remember that we only had class like a few times a week but I still had to go into the lab about every day. I think we had like one test every week so you are going to have to stay ontop of your material. It is VERY doable and all you have to do is treat it as though it was a regular class load and stay current with your material! YOU WILL BE FINE!! Good luck.
Agreed. I took Chem 101 during the summer. That one class completely changed my study habits. Like Chuckde said, there's no such thing as cramming in summer science classes. You'll finish chapter 15 one day, and then have an exam over chapters 10-15 the next day. It's not like a regular semester where you have 5+ days of study time before a big exam. You definitely need to be absorbing things as you go.
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I think it really depends on your school and your professor. I took science classes over the summer, and I didn't think it was that bad. Incidentally, those classes during the regular fall and spring semesters are some of the hardest science classes at my school. It's all because the professor and TFs who taught the classes that summer.
Don't get me wrong, though. They were definitely still challenging courses simply because of the pace. You have to keep up with the work. One week in the summer semester is about 2-3 weeks of a regular semester, and there's definitely no time to review in class. It's up to you to review on your own, and you have to keep up with the work. Lab is pretty difficult too simply because you don't get a whole week to write the lab report. Often times we only had 2 days to write the whole report while also studying for quizzes and tests in lecture.
Go to every lecture. Review what you learned that day every night and do whatever relevent problems you are assigned. Definitely go to office hours if you need help because you can't fall behind.
Don't get me wrong, though. They were definitely still challenging courses simply because of the pace. You have to keep up with the work. One week in the summer semester is about 2-3 weeks of a regular semester, and there's definitely no time to review in class. It's up to you to review on your own, and you have to keep up with the work. Lab is pretty difficult too simply because you don't get a whole week to write the lab report. Often times we only had 2 days to write the whole report while also studying for quizzes and tests in lecture.
Go to every lecture. Review what you learned that day every night and do whatever relevent problems you are assigned. Definitely go to office hours if you need help because you can't fall behind.
