Chem Final

Colleges & Universities University of California - San Diego
1

<p>So I have my chem final soon and I honestly don’t think anything good’s going to come of it. </p>

<p>I pretty much bombed the quizzes and got 10 points below the average for the midterm.</p>

<p>At this point, I’m pretty sure my grade’s at least a D. I have some extra credit, did all my hw, etc.</p>

<p>But seriously, if I fail this class, then what happens? Can I retake it? But if I wanted to transfer out of SD, would it be a lot harder because I did so bad in this class, even if I did well the 2nd time around?</p>

<p>And I honestly don’t understand why I do so bad. I do the book problems and I’ll get them. I mean, I admit I don’t get them right away and some do take me a while. But on tests and quizzes, I just seem to do extremely bad and I don’t think in any way does it represent how much time I’ve spent studying for it. I really do try hard to understand the material, etc. but it still doesn’t help.</p>

<p>I’ve never felt so helpless ever :(</p>

2

<p>Keep trying but get that whole transfer idea out of your head. I am assuming you are a freshman. If so, you definitely have not given UCSD a fair chance yet and it is probably putting unneeded pressure on you. Just worry about getting good grades and realize it is not the end of the world if you can’t pull your grade up. You can retake the class, but it is certainly better that you do well the first time you take it.</p>

3

<p>Who do you have?</p>

<p>If you have Johnson, remember that your lowest quiz score (assuming you do all your homework and got 80% of the RAD points) gets changed to a 30/30 and that you can drop one of the midterms. Also, the final is worth 40% so remember that whatever your grade is can easily jump up.</p>

4

<p>Yeah, definitely stop thinking about transferring out. If you have that mindset… well, you’ll never give UCSD the chance it deserves. UCSD is truly an amazing institution, with many, many opportunities, especially in the science realm… more than most schools.</p>

<p>Most people feel like they bomb their Chem exams, anyway, that’s how its supposed to feel. And as the above poster said, who do you have? Johnson? The average on her final ranges from low 70’s to high 70’s out of 160, if that puts you at any ease. </p>

<p>Honestly, depending on how quickly Chem comes to you, it takes a lot of patience and a lot more commitment than most expect. I don’t know about other CCers out there, but I studied a good 3 hours/day on the 6 series to get my A… and if I ever needed to catch up, I’d devote an additional entire weekend day to Chem. UCSD is full of ambitious and driven science students, so the competition is pretty high.</p>

5

<p>The above posters pretty much sum it up.</p>

<p>And I do agree with Radiance as far as putting that much time into it. I admit I am not the best at chemistry, however, I was able to pull the straight A’s in chem6 series by literally studying the material everyday so that I knew it inside and out. </p>

<p>Make sure that when you do the book problems that you are eventually able to get them all without using the solutions manual to help guide you. Most likely you will need that solutions manual the first time round, but for the midterms/final you want to get in the habit of not referring to a guide to really prove you mastered the material. </p>

<p>Try Chem6A again. Honestly, yes, your current grade will hurt you if you want to transfer, but really redo chem6A. In my opinion, it was the easiest of the chem6 series. Then again, it may just be an adjusting thing for freshmen.</p>

6

<p>I guess but even without the whole transferring thought, I still feel the need to get near perfect grades because I really just want to do well and stray away from what happened in high school. I realize that maybe I could have put even more effort by listening to podcasts again and etc. But now it’s just too late. And I was even thinking of going the whole premed track and now I feel like it’s not possible. But that also makes me feel distraught and depressed to find that what I have wanted for so long is going to be unattainable just because of this one class.</p>

<p>And that’s why I’m thinking of transferring. I’m thinking of doing communications or business (if I’m really not considering premed any more) and I know SD doesn’t really have a business program, just management science. So I feel like transferring to USC to double in business and communications would be a better choice especially since they’re pretty strong in those departments. </p>

<p>And Radiance, I know that you transferred out and wish you were still here, why? Or why did you even transfer in the first place?</p>

<p>Also, I do have Johnson and thanks for all the advice. I’m also considering to hold back a bit and not take chem 6b next quarter? Will it be harder considering that I skipped a quarter in between 6a and 6b?</p>

<p>I wish that I took chem 4 actually…</p>

7

<p>And yeah, another reason I want to transfer is because I don’t really like big classes, etc. I mean, I do go to office hours but nonetheless, I don’t feel like it’s the same experience you get from being in a small class. I applied to small liberal arts schools my senior year and got rejected to the ones I really wanted to go to. Also, when I’m at SD, I never really feel that great. I have the longing to go home feeling at times and I would think that I shouldn’t be having such feelings at this time. I feel like part of the reason I feel that way is because the surroundings of SD can be so drab at times. I feel like it doesn’t have much to offer in comparison to LA or NYC. And for some people, I know surroundings don’t really matter, but for me, that’s a big factor. When I first visited the school, I was indifferent to it and I was honestly never excited to come to college so I feel like I chose SD for all the wrong reasons. And if I truly liked a school, I don’t think I should be feeling that way. Isn’t college suppose to the best part of our lives (in some ways)?</p>

8

<p>Try the transfer forum for questions about transferring.
If you’re asking for advice on how to do better next time I would say just figure out how to do every type of problem. There’s only so many things your professor can put on the exams.
Lecture/podcasts aren’t helpful for 90% of classes. You’re saying you understand the homework problems. I doubt that. What I do is first time I go through all of the homework but if the solution isn’t obvious I’ll just use the key to figure out every detail of the problem. Then I’ll do it without using the key. Then before the test I’d go through all of the homework problems again in the same manner. So I saw each homework problem 3-4x at least. And all of the test problems are variation on homework problems for almost every class.
People in this thread are telling you how hard these classes are supposed to be. I’d say actually they aren’t that bad. You just don’t have the experience. Put me in any class I can figure out how to put in minimum effort for maximum gain. I’m not trying to be arrogant just saying there’s a better way. You can either give up or find a method.</p>

9

<p>I transferred out of UCSD because I couldn’t graduate in time. I’m also out-of-state, so tuition is comparable to USC’s… in the whole scheme of things, that is. </p>

<p>When I first came to SD, I felt the same way you did, but naturally, I fell in love with the school. San Diego is a BEAUTIFUL city to be in, it’s relatively safe (La Jolla is so ridiculously safe, you could just walk out to CVS at 3 in the morning…), and there’s a lot to do–there’s the many beaches, malls, fairs, etc. USC was originally my dream school, but I didn’t get in. And now that I’m at USC, I really, regret leaving SD. USC is in a terrible part of LA, and I never feel safe when I leave campus. I don’t have a car, so I bus everywhere with my boyfriend, and LA traffic is AWFUL. To get 10 miles away from campus via bus takes an hour, and since USC isn’t a public school, the bus fair isn’t subsidized. There are robberies/attacks quite frequently (reports are sent to students’ e-mails) and everything is expensive and just… dirty. Did I mention that everything at USC is super expensive? Even bottles of water come with a hefty price tag.</p>

<p>We may be two completely different people, but I miss the intense atmosphere UCSD offers. USC is more of a party school, and I have yet to find a group of students that I can just… study with. </p>

<p>And while it may seem counter-intuitive, USC doesn’t have as many clubs, events, or anything compared to UCSD. (Isn’t UCSD supposed to be socially dead?) You know all those e-mails you get saying ATTN ALL MAJORS: HUMAN BIO, BIOCHEM, etc? And then they offer you opportunities for internships or for research? Those e-mails that offer you scholarships funded by the school to study abroad, or just for academic achievement? What about all those flyers in Revelle’s quad or on the path from Muir to PC that name activities and events put on by college student boards/The Loft/DVC? All those performances in PC? And the never-ending list of student run organizations…
USC’s list doesn’t even begin to rival with UCSD’s list. I can’t find any science clubs like the ones I wanted to join at UCSD, and it seems that in order to obtain research positions, you have to know professors well, or just be lucky to land a spot. They aren’t just readily available to qualified applicants like they are at UCSD, because USC isn’t a research school, and if you’re really wanting to head into the medical field, hey, if you can pull that one bad grade up from Fall Quarter of your freshman year, and load up with extra curriculars, you’ll still have a chance. </p>

<p>Just… give UCSD another chance? I’d do anything to come back.</p>

<p>And as the above poster said, podcasts = not helpful. Neither are AS lecture notes… they’re filled with errors. UCSD professors are readily available, ESPECIALLY Dr. Johnson, if you just go into their office hours, or e-mail them. And yeah, you probably don’t understand the problems. You should be able to do each problem with confidence, and without a solutions manual. You should be able to explain how and why you did it a certain way, and be able to complete problems quickly. Johnson’s exams aren’t hard, but she does give you lots of problems with little time. If you know your material front and back, you’ll have no problem finishing her exams, and she’ll say that herself. And this, this is what you need to find:</p>

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<p>Because this is true, and this is how you get through college with good grades. I’m not even close to being one of the smartest girls in my Chem classes, or HUM/BILD/MAE or whatever I took at UCSD, but I came out with good grades because I made myself adapt to the course and I knew how to get out of the course with a good grade.</p>

10

<p>First of all, podcasts are a waste of time if you take decent notes in class. The only time its useful is if you’re taking a music or history class that tests on pure memorization on details discussed in class which only applies to chemistry very little. Johnson likes to sneak in a lot of problems/concepts she does in class on tests so pay close attention.</p>

<p>Second of all, everyone gets homesick (heck i even took a few days off in the middle of some quarters to fly home) and you really determine your own college experience. I know LA and NYC are pretty darn exciting towns but even those places can get boring at times. Also keep in mind that every college/major is difficult. </p>

<p>Johnson is really good at teaching you how to study. Keep in mind that everyone is doing the problems so the only way to get ahead of the rest is to do them several times especially if you are a person that is a hard worker instead of beastly smart like some students are (so jealous of those that can read the book once and own all the tests). 6B in my opinion was about 1.5x harder than 6a which came pretty easy to me in my opinion. I know this is contrary to what i said earlier but johnson is a type of professor where you either know the material or you don’t. Studying or cramming problems doesn’t really help for her finals.</p>

11

<p>^ Someone took my clicker for Johnson’s class, and so I never went. Just read the textbook, and still got an A.</p>