Tips to do well in and prepare for chemistry?

inthegarden
Sun, 24 Dec 2017 02:56:33 +0000

Hi @SuperGeo,

I know very little about chemistry myself, but my husband is a chem professor. He’s not home at the moment to ask, but I do think (from years of listening to him talk about his job) that the # 1 tip is to go to every extra study session the professor offers and/or visit office hours whenever you feel confused, and to stay on top of the work. Attention to detail and accuracy are important (I know this from watching him grade stacks of lab reports!) Just like in math, the concepts build upon each other, so you don’t want to miss any steps or get behind. My husband has said many times that the students coming to his extra sessions are rarely the ones he has to worry about.

I would think it’s a great idea to audit an intro chem class this summer…whether you end up actually enrolling for credit in the fall in the intro OR the general class…auditing it in the summer may give you a feel for which course you will be able to handle in the fall (I think you said you will be taking some challenging math classes at the same time?) I know you are very focused lately on improving your grades so you can get into a four-year college…I think going slow and steady will help you the most in the long run if it increases your ultimate chance of success…even if it takes a semester longer to get there.

I’m not sure about your last question but I’m assuming your high school chemistry class was also introductory, so I think n introductory college class would be more advanced than the high school class.
Not sure if the concepts or the lab skills are more important…they probably go hand in hand…it might have more to do with which YOU find more difficult, as different people have different strengths.

You sound great lately, btw! I’m glad to hear you’re focused and optimistic and getting better feedback from professors than you did last year (I read your other thread the other day.)