How hard is Chemistry if you are not good in math?

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Specializes in Registered nurse.

I have taken A & P and am in Chemistry starting next week. My math skills are poor and I need help with pre algebra level math. Am I doomed in Chemistry?? How much of it depends on your math skills. I want to take it this semester because I am 46 years old and all I will need to get on a three year wait list is Medical Micro biology which I would take in January. The program I am applying to allows you to get to the appropriate level math while you are on the 3 yr wait list. I did well in A & P and have all my other pre reqs finished.

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Specializes in MS, ED.

Never say 'doomed'. You've pushed through your pre-reqs and shouldn't let anything stand in your way!

If you're feeling that your math is a little weak, I'd do two things now:

1) Find out your school's study lab hours and sign up for a tutor ASAP

2) Invest the time into self-study and really push for this class

When I went back to school, I was a little worried about not having been in school for so long. Math and science have always been my strong points, but it's been some long stretches of years since I had to find X. *laughs.

I bought a few of the 'Demystified' series books - Algebra, Chem and Calculus. I found them very helpful, making concepts simple and giving me some practice without having to wade through the textbook! I bought them for $7-$12/each on Amazon.

Best of luck!

Southern

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scootersuz said:
I have taken A & P and am in Chemistry starting next week. My math skills are poor and I need help with pre algebra level math.

I in NO WAY want to discourage you. But this is a big flag for me. (Stick around here long enough and you'll figure out I adore chemistry, so take that into consideration when reading my remarks! LOL)

The math in Chem I is NOT difficult. There is a lot of math in Chem I, but it's mostly solving simple algebraic equations. But if you need help with pre-algebra, you *might* get into trouble quickly. And you might feel a bit overwhelmed by dimensional analysis, which drives students crazy. ?

So my advice is to get a tutor NOW. Start as soon as possible. Do all the chemistry homework at least once, multiple times if necessary. Get one of the Dummies books or something similar and work through the problems. Find extra problems online and do them. (Look through all the old Chemistry threads and you'll find lots of good sites.) If you start to feel confused about a problem, ask immediately in class and/or see the professor immediately after class. Figure out who the smart people are in your class and make friends with them. ? Post questions here so lifeless people like me can answer them and feel smart. :chuckle

Don't let fear, confusion, frustration overwhelm you. Stay on top of the work. If you can do that, you have a good chance of doing well in chemistry. It's not ALL math, and a lot of it is conceptual stuff that doesn't require any math at all.

Chem II is another matter -- you would feel like you signed up for a math course. LOL. But for now, don't worry about that. Stay focused on your goal. And maybe you'll love chemistry as much as I do!

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The math needed for Chemistry is not going to make or break you. Just brush up on Pre-Algebra and Algebra, and you're definitely good to go. When I took General Chemistry, I had not had any math classes in about 5 years. And math was my weakest subject. Sure, I lost petty points here and there for really dumb math mistakes, but I still made out with a B. And keep in mind, I took PRE-MED General Chemistry!

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For chemistry I the math is pretty simple. Mostly simple algebra. Used a lot of proportions. I really wouldn't stress much about it. In chem ii you begin to use some more complicated math such as the quadratic formula when dealing with chemical equilibrium and acids/bases.

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I am in the same boat....however I listened to the people on this board. I got some books and started working the problems and I signed up for a tutor. My Chem Lab starts next Mon and it is a Chemistry Math Lab. My Prof wrote the book....ugh! I e-mailed him and he said to freshen up on exponents and basic Algebra....I have Chem Lecture Tues & Thurs...it will be a long 16 wks.

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scootersuz said:

I have taken A & P and am in Chemistry starting next week. My math skills are poor and I need help with pre algebra level math. Am I doomed in Chemistry?? How much of it depends on your math skills. I want to take it this semester because I am 46 years old and all I will need to get on a three year wait list is Medical Micro biology which I would take in January. The program I am applying to allows you to get to the appropriate level math while you are on the 3 yr wait list. I did well in A & P and have all my other pre reqs finished.

I have the same schedule this semester. I have been working a lot of problems and its starting to come together. I think if you don't give up, and keep plugging at the problems you'll be fine. You can do it.

Heck!!! We can do it!!

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My advice as a former chem tutor is this:

- Get help now. Sign up for tutoring now at your college's tutoring center and have it in place. You may not need it the first week but you can always start working on math problems now since you know going in that they will be a challenge for you.

- Work as many problems as you can. You will most likely have problems assigned to do, do more than those problems. DO as many as you can get your hands on from as many sources as you can.

- Take one section at a time. Work on understanding what is going on in this section, do not worry about the math or the problems from the next section...focus on the one you are working on and keep plugging ahead one section at a time.

- Do not be afraid to go to your professor if you are having trouble understanding things. They are often more than willing to answer questions from students in their office during office hours.

- Find a study partner. Try making friends with someone and study together. You can fee doff of one another.

But perhaps most importantly.....Go in with a positive mindset. Do not go in thinking "I can't do this" or "I will never understand". You will surprise yourself by how much you know.

Best wishes

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Specializes in Registered nurse.

Thanks for all of your support. I am wondering if anyone has any good pod casts for chemistry that I could listen to as well??

Scootersuz

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scootersuz said:
Thanks for all of your support. I am wondering if anyone has any good podcasts for chemistry that I could listen to as well??

MIT has their lectures for general chemistry posted here:

https://ocw.mit.edu/index.htm

or

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=5.111&search_type=

Definitely helped me out. video is much more helpful than audio.

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http://www.khanacademy.com for all things math, man. It's a dream come true.
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Specializes in Neuroscience.

Not doomed. Trust me, I suck at math, and I passed Chem with an A. I had a great teacher that cut out the crap, showed us dimensional analysis (best way to solve problems ever!) and I maintained an A without struggle. You just have to know where to put what. It all follows a pattern, and once the pattern is good to go in your head, it becomes second nature and you will whiz through problems. Chem problems try to slip you up with extraneous info in the word problems, but you'll become so good at it that you'll learn to recognize what's excess and what's needed to solve the problem, put the numbers in their spots, bam, bam, calculator, done.

Once you get it, it can actually be kind of fun. I have Pharm right now, and those skills are helping me a lot when it comes to these problems! Fall in love with chemistry -- you will thank it later.

Good luck!

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