Fundamentals of chem :(

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Ok so right now I am taking Fundamentals of CHEM, its a 5 week summer course. Ive already taken it and had done poorly. I am so upset because chem is the only class that is hard for me. We have 3 tests. I got a 94% on the first one. I have coming up next week and the material is a lot and very hard. Its also hard b/c i am currently taking Mirco right now as well. The chemistry class has me very worried! The next chem test is over "percent yield, oxidation-reduction, limiting reagent, and aqeuous solutions problems,: I am having trouble with the concepts. It seems like there is no set way to attack these problems. Each question is worded differently. My prof. only has 20 minutes before each class for questions, which, is hard b/c of the :line: just to see her for my questions!

Someone please spill some motivational hints.tips!!

Thanks

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Just wanted to offer some words of encouragement to you. Keep your chin up, you will do well, I'm sure

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When I was taking my pre reqs... and actually to this day, if I didn't understand the material and asking the professor wasn't getting me anywhere, I went to my trusty best friend...

google!!!

If you do a search engine for the topic at hand, you will often find MANY different websites and tutorials that explain it in different ways. I know this might take some time to research, but I find that I have always learned so much when I did this... its just a suggestion...

When I googled "chem percent yield" the first site I got was this...

http://www.800mainstreet.com/6/0006-007-percent-yield.html

there were many more sites, videos and such... go to a few and read the different explanations and hopefully stuff will start connecting....

good luck!!!

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I also wanted to say keep your chin up :icon_hug:, keep plugging away at it, you'll get there!

The Google idea from Jezziemis is awesome...there is so much stuff out there on the internet, it's a vast resource!

Also, does your school have any kind of tutoring program? I know mine has a place where you can go and talk to someone specifically for the different subjects and I believe they're there all day/every day..well at least until 5 or 6PM..or you could get set up w/ an individual tutor maybe that you could meet w/ on a set time? Just a thought! Or maybe a study group w/ some of your classmates, especially the ones that you know are doing well in the class? You got a 94% on your first test, that's very good! You got it! Good luck! :D

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Specializes in NICU.

Your professor should have office hours that he/she is available to help with any questions you have, not just "20 minutes before each class for questions". Demand that he/she spend time with you individually so you can get the help you need.

I had a hard time with chemistry too, all through high school I never understood it and I struggled with it a lot. So of course I dreaded having to take it in college. But my first semester taking it in college, I went to the professor's office and she explained it in a way that I just got it ..... she had me do some practice questions until I was getting them right, and I really did understand it like I never had before.

Good luck to you!

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Check out Mr. Guch Explains:

http://misterguch.brinkster.net/explains2.html

If you click on Stoichiometry, you'll see that most, if not all, of your questions are covered there.

A site with a lot of practice problems (but no explanation, alas) is:

http://science.widener.edu/svb/tutorial/index.html

Here's what I did before a test: I spent one day reviewing CONCEPTS, reviewing my notes, making and reviewing flashcards, searching the internet for explanations, reading my (lousy) text. I spent another day doing nothing but PROBLEMS. I re-did all my homework problems. I did tons of problems off the internet. Before I re-did my homework problems, I asked myself (out loud, sounding like a nut): how would I approach this problem? What would I do first? You can also ask yourself: What do I know and what do I want to know. Before you do a problem, write down all of your knowns and unknowns -- a lot of times, that will immediately show you what you need to do.

Also, lay out the path for each problem: Moles of A ---> Moles of B ---> Grams of B. Or whatever the path is for that particular problem. Then you have a roadmap.

Finally, doing a lot of problems will give you a lot of confidence that you can handle whatever kind of problem comes along on the test. Be confident! You got a 94 on the first test after all! :)

Good luck!

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Specializes in Triage, Trauma, Ambulatory Care.

Iknow many people swear by the Mr. Guch website, but I did want to mention he does have some mistakes on there. If you know enough to catch them that is fine, but if you don't it can be a frustrating loss of time trying to figure it out. His site was very helpful, but those pesky mistakes can really be discouraging.

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Iknow many people swear by the Mr. Guch website, but I did want to mention he does have some mistakes on there. If you know enough to catch them that is fine, but if you don't it can be a frustrating loss of time trying to figure it out. His site was very helpful, but those pesky mistakes can really be discouraging.

I did find mistakes on his worksheets, too. But I find his explanations of concepts to be generally sound and easy-to-follow.

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hey everyone I cant tell you how much I appreciate eevryone's input! I know it's not the most enjoyable thing listening to other peoples problems with classes!!

Thanks again!

Brandon

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