I'm scared of Chemistry!!!!

maryshome8 · Aug 14, 2006

I appreciate all of the advice that everyone on this board has given me.

I guess my main concern, is I probably wouldn't be as worried if it was just one Chemistry course, but it's in two parts, and I'm taking a full courseload (4 other classes) with it. Because my father is financiall footing the bill for my daughter and I (we moved in with him...I'm 37, she's 2, and he's 77)...I haven't lived at home since I was 23, so this is a huge adjustment for all of us. This will allow me to not work while attending school.

Retaking anything, even once, will cause me to add another year to my program...so I really have no choice but to make this work.

I never, ever thought about being a nurse until 2 years ago when my daughter was born as a micropreemie...2 lbs 3 oz...she was born 4 months after my mother died.

I sort of had this "calling" to be a nurse after that and want to spend my life working with babies in the NICU...I feel like I could bring something special to the families because I know exactly what they are going through...clinging to every ounce your baby gains and not getting to hold your baby when you want to until they get much stronger. It's devastating.

My Mom always wanted me to be a nurse, and I want to do this, not only to have a great career and be financially stable, but to help others in the process, fulfill a dream of my mother's, and hopefully, make my father very proud in the process.

So, obviously, this venture means alot to me, but everyone on this board has their own reasons and story that brought them to this level.

Thanks again for the great advice...this has really made me feel much better!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Aug 14, 2006

Where there's a will, there's a way. It's going to be tough, demanding and exhausting. Know this to be true.

But also know this.........you can do it.

Good luck to you.

Finally2008 · Aug 14, 2006

I agree with Tweety. I have had to change my self-talk from "I'm so scared" to "I'm so excited!" I took Chemistry 25 years after high school Chemistry (which I failed) and ended up with an A in both my Chemistry classes this time around There were some really challenging moments (dimensional analysis), but once I got the hang of it, I really loved it! Try to find a study group or at least a study buddy and just practice, practice, practice. I always did the problems in the chapter as I read and the questions at the end of the chapters. Good luck!

smattles1of2 · Aug 14, 2006

I have a bachelor's degree in chemistry, so if anyone needs any help ask me! :) I'll be around for awhile...taking 2 more prereqs before nursing school. Yay!

miranda819, BSN · Aug 14, 2006

I completely understand how you feel because I am going through the same exact feelings right now. I start my first chem class on Aug. 29th and am worried about how I will do. I haven't had any kind of chem since high school and that was over 10 years ago! Add to that, my nervousness about attending class and lab. Up until now, all but one of my classes have been online. So this will be like stepping into a different world for me. I had been excited about it, but as it gets closer I am becoming more and more worried.

I did want to say thank you for the post, as it has helped me feel a little better about my upcoming journey into chemistry. I'll do my best, that's all I can do!

Miranda

Asklepios · Aug 14, 2006

I'm taking Chemistry this Fall. The last time I took it I was a sophomore in high school. I didn't pay any attention. It all sounded like a foreign language, and I wound up with a "D". My philosophy is that, if I didn't pay attention or study and didn't actually fail, then I should at least get a "B" because I'll be applying myself and I know I need it to achieve my long term career goals.

HARRN2b · Aug 14, 2006

I took chem 101 over the summer and I have not been in school for over 20 years. It is very hard. However, if you keep up with the material you will make it. Every concept builds on to the prior concept. Make sure that you understand stoichiometry. Sounds much worse than it is. It is just converting grams to moles. The periodic table will make so much sense to you after this course. I actually loved the class. I got a B, but had a horrible instructor. He was working on his PhD and was far more consummed with that, than his students. I ended up getting together with other students and and a tutor. I also read and worked problems that I found on internet sites. I got the concept down pat. Now I am on to 102 this fall.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Aug 14, 2006

i am terrified of the upcoming two semesters of chem i'll have to take for my bsn. . .i have never had chemistry before. . .i'm planning on getting a tutor for it, but i just can't pass. . .any advice would be greatly appreciated!

first of all, i highlighted the op's statement "but i just can't pass". you've already failed before you've even taken the class if you are thinking that way.

with chemistry, you need to memorize and learn the first 40 or so elements of the periodic chart right off the bat. that includes their atomic numbers, electrons and protons. use flashcards to do this and review them often. a good part of the first chapters of chemistry is memorization, so utilize flashcards. keep up with them. if you get behind with the memorization of learning of the early information you will have serious problems later. a tutor can't help you with this memorizing.

here's a couple of weblinks to sites that you should bookmark to help you out as you go through your class to help you learn chemistry. i listed them in the order i think they are the best. don't laugh or poo-poo these as they are high school sites. what better way to take complex information and break it down to understandable terms? remember to memorize as much as you can for later use in the course--you'll be glad you did. best of luck to you.

http://www.cs.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/nph-pertab/tab/periodic-table and http://www.wfu.edu/~ylwong/balanceeq/balanceq.html - the periodic table. click on any element to bring up a page with more specific information about it

http://regentsprep.org/regents/chem/onlineresources/index.cfm - this is an online resource with many links to all kinds of help with chemical subjects on a website for preparing for the new york regent's exam in high school chemistry. within the links are explanations of the topics as well as some worksheets with answers, particularly in solving equations.

http://sphs.spusd.net/groves/chempage.html - website of a high school general chemistry class. lots of links to helpful information and tutorials

http://dbhs.wvusd.k12.ca.us/webdocs/chemteamindex.html - the chem team. a tutorial for high school chemistry.

http://www.learnchem.net/tutorials/ - listing of links to all kinds of tutorials on subjects in chemistry

casi, ASN, RN · Aug 14, 2006

I was absolutely terrified of college chemistry. I kinda took it in high school and I failed out miserably. I took the remedial course first, just because I did so terribly in high school and assumed I would fail it in college as well.

I got into my college chems and absolutely LOVED it. I got an A in the 'high school' equivalent and pulled a B in the big college class (I took A&P1 at the same time so a B is quite the accomplishment when most of my study time was elsewhere). If I didn't think it would hurt my GPA I'd take more chem! I also considered momentarily switching my major to lab technologist.

What I found for chem was you needed a solid foundation in math and you needed to think a bit more abstractly. Chemistry is hard to acctually SEE so you have to use your immagination a bit. You can see a chemical reaction, but you aren't able to see what happens at a molecular level, so you just kinda have to imagine it.