Do you think this is a good idea? ...

Mudflap_Marilyn · May 28, 2009

My boyfriend kinda did this. Its a lot of extra time to spend at school. If you are that terrified of the class, maybe it will be a good idea. On the other hand, if you just finish it the first time, you can take another class the following semester and be that much closer to graduation.

KateRN1 · May 28, 2009

If you drop the class, most of the time you aren't allowed to continue attending. Most colleges offer the option of auditing the class. You pay a reduced tuition, can attend the class (but not take exams), but don't receive a grade. It might be better to just take the class and find someone to help you study or a tutor. If you don't do well, you can always retake it to get a higher GPA and you have the benefit of having taken the exams and knowing what to expect. I was terrified of Chem, too, before I took it, and passed with flying colors.

J87513 · May 28, 2009

Well all that I need are four classes and two labs, and I just want to do really well in those four pre req classes and labs. I don't care how long it takes, I just gotta get in! I don't want to be a redneck construction worker the rest of my life

displacedfloridian · May 28, 2009

I tried to take Chemistry w/ lab, with no prior chemistry classes ever, had to withdraw after a few weeks (I tried to take it in a condensed summer session, stupid idea!) So, this spring I just finished a non-credit chemistry intro course, got an A and my confidence back- do you have an intro type course you could attend? and actually get a grade, it might give you more motivatioon to actually be in the class, than to observe, or do you get to actually take the tests & do experiments?

J87513 · May 28, 2009

They do have a program that is similar to what you are talking about, I might do something like that. But if I sit in the class for a "practice" semester and then take the class for real the following semester with the same professor then it will be alot easier because I will already have the exams and quizes.

I'm 22 years old right now, and I tried college for a year after high school and did so-so because my living arrangements were not very good, family problems etc. I studied the whole summer before I took chem 101 with a Schaums Outline book. I studied so hard on my own before the class and then during the course I did the same and all I got was a lowsy 77%, C+. I just have such bad memories of working so damb hard and not getting any results.

displacedfloridian · May 28, 2009

Oh...so you already were in a college chem course w/ a lab? Are you trying to repeat it and get a better grade? if you already had a class, at least a similar class, and earned a C+, then maybe your idea is just fine, and I don't think you have to pay for it, do you? I just worry I wouldn't be disciplined enough if I didn't feel the grade mattered.

Is this for getting into a BSN program or ASN? I started back to school for nursing program at Edison in Ft. Myers, husband took a job in Maryland, I finished all pre-reqs & applied to nursing program up there, w/ a 3.9 GPA, was accepted to fall program, but he took a job here in central Florida, so now I'm entering Lake Sumter Community College..and have to take two course more, just one credit each...

Chem is fascinating, but it sure can seem intimidating, the professor I just had, had a great way of making it all seem so easy and "un-scary"..she was great.

You sound very dedicated, don't worry...Good luck!!

J87513 · May 28, 2009

I went to city college in So California for one year. Now I live in the Fort Lauderdale, FL area. For right now I'm just going for an ASN so I can become an RN. Is anatomy and physiology easy? Is it just memorizing stuff, the right bone is connected to the...left bone

displacedfloridian · May 29, 2009

Sounds like you, like me, are getting the Chem out of the way for your BSN? Or is it required for the ASN? It's so maddening when you have to transfer around and each school has different requirements....I'm taking the chem w/ lab this fall, it wasn't offered during summer, while the intro course is fresh in my brain.

All of A & P was heavy memorization. A & P I was heavy on anatomical parts and A & P II was heavy on physiology. I actually loved it, I mean it was hard, and some sections were SO boring, like I'll NEVER be in danger of wanting to be a histologist. Tissue is fascinating, but identifying it under a microscope was just yawn-yawn, it all looked pretty much the same, a few subtle differences here & there...but geez louise, do it for a living- no thanks!

It was easy if you give yourself the time to memorize, and don't freak yourself out by thinking you have 10,000 muscles to memorize, just spend time on each section till you get it, then move on....arm, then torso, thigh, THEN leg...little baby steps & you'll get the whole thing :))

Greetme2 · Jun 3, 2009

No, I don't. You'll take a spot in that class that someone else might need. If you are worried, get the textbook early and start reviewing what you think you have the most difficulty with. Also, see if you can find someone in the class that will either share their notes or notes and class handouts so you can get more comfortable with the points the instructor will cover. Also, it never looks good on a transcript if you have to take classes repeatedly to pass and it will look like you threw in the towel on the first try. I just don't think you should follow this path. Good luck.

MsLoriRN, BSN, RN · Jun 3, 2009

hello,

i can relate to what you're going through...i struggled with this also, but ultimately got through it with an "a." one person wrote that he/she tried to do chem during a condensed summer session and that it was a bad experience...i had no choice but to do it during a condensed summer session after failing it during the regular year, and it turned out to be the best thing i could have done! we did a year's worth of chem in 6 weeks...alot of advisors said it was "academic suicide," but i found that because we had to "eat, drink, and breathe" chemistry for 6 weeks, well, it was all i had to do. the concentrated focus really chiseled your brain for it, and i got an "a." so it's different for everyone, i guess.

that was a long time ago...now, i homeschool my 2 highschool sons, and i have an idea for you. the best science curriculum, imo, is aplogia by dr. jay wile. :up: here's a link for you to read about it: http://www.apologia.com/collegeprep.php . there is a less expensive place where you can purchase it, rainbow resources. here's a link to their site, the page where apologia chem is offered: http://www.rainbowresource.com/prodlist.php?sid=1244042392-594888&subject=11&category=2706 .

this is a curriculum that is written for students who are self-directed learners, self-teachers. that's very different than your typical science textbook designed for classroom use. we purchase the student text, solutions manual, and the audio book mp3, which is simply the textbook read aloud to you, word for word. you can read it by yourself, silently, but i find that following along while someone reads it aloud to you is better. makes it "stick" more, and if something is confusing, you realize it right away, and can stop and go back. sometimes reading silently you're just tired, and you'll gloss over things. then we get the lab supplies...but in the book, dr. wile offers substitutions for some items that you may just have around the house, so that can bring the cost down.

anyway, doing it on your own, at home, will save you a lot of time...you can work at your own pace. if you have q's during your study that you can't figure out, you can call apologia, and they will help you (only for their customers...don't try calling during nursing school pre-req's at your other colleges!) with your studies. also, you won't have the problems of showing dropped or incomplete classes on your transcript, low grade, re-takes, etc. if you drop a class, you may get away with sitting in on the lectures, but in chem lab you have to work with a partner...if you're not registered for the course anymore, the numbers won't work. you can't work on your own, and you cannot be partnered with someone. i found the lab to be more challenging to me than the coursework was. it is a huge part of your grade. if you do the home study course, you can get the lab concepts down. once you take it for a grade and for credit, then, you'll be doing the same things conceptually, just with more expensive equipment and supplies, but you'll have a good idea of the concepts behind the results...that's key!

good luck to you!

lori, rn bsn

lakotasu · Jun 3, 2009

No matter what you decide, *get a tutor* for chemistry. I did this and it made all the difference in the world! Does your school have learning labs with computer tutorials? These can be very helpful as well. Also, most schools have student tutors who do this for free and are pretty good at helping their fellow-students. What ever you decide to do, good luck! "I feel your pain", as Clinton used to say, LOL!! Hang in there!