Has anyone taken Chem in the summer??

Published

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a good week so far. I need some advice... I took Chem last fall and got an A. It wasn't easy, but I worked at it and did fairly well. I have one more Chem class to take (my final pre-req) before applying and I'm wondering if I can hack it during the summer. I was registered for it this semester but had to drop because I got sick and had to spend some time in the hospital. I can take it in the fall, but my plan was to have ALL of next year off just to focus on the kids and prepare for NS the following year.

If I take it this summer... it's 3 days a week for 4 hours a day for 5 weeks. I'd have to find a babysitter (not too hard, I have nieces)... but it's my summer time with my kids. However... I'd get it done and have the year off for fall/spring.

I don't know what to do? Has anyone taken a class like Chem during summer session?? Is that too much to handle??

The one thing I'm thinking is that my kids are going to be in school in the fall (well 2/3 of them) so they won't be home anyway and they will be this summer when I would have to be gone... ugg, I just don't know what to do. I'm so mad that I got sick and the whole plan got screwed up.

TIA for any advice or thoughts you might have. I'll take anything at this point!!!

Jen

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in critical care.

If I were you I think I would take it in the Fall. Not that I don't think its doable in the summer, especially since you got an A before... but in your situation I think its worth it to put it off. The fact that your kids will be home in the summer is important, I think. Plus, its not always good to have a long time off from school!! More than a semester and you can start to "lose it" a bit I think. Those two things combined with the simple fact... 4 hours a day of chem... I think most people would try to avoid that situation if at all possible!! Personally my summer chem class was only 3 hours a day and it was not fun. At all. I would have much preferred to take it during the year, and looking back I don't even remember why I chose to take it in the summer.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Thank you. That's the way I'm leaning too. I just feel that if I wait another semester my brain won't remember the stuff from my last Chem class! LOL

I'm sure it will come back to me though! Thanks again!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in critical care.
Thank you. That's the way I'm leaning too. I just feel that if I wait another semester my brain won't remember the stuff from my last Chem class! LOL

I'm sure it will come back to me though! Thanks again!

If you're worried about it, why don't you buy the book ahead of time and start casually reading it over the summer? That way you will keep your brain primed in "chem mode" AND you'll already be ahead when the class starts. You could even just get an idiot's guide or chemistry for dummies if you wanted to.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Only you can decide what will be best for you - how quickly you want to complete things, etc. I hadn't had any kind of chemistry since high school which had been over 20 years. I took an intermediate chem with a lab in the summer assuming I could do it no problem. Most people in the class had already taken an intro course or at least more recently in HS as the prereq. Well, it kicked my butt! Totally. First it went very quickly, like a chapter a day, the instructor did not speak English as a first language (so I didn't understand half the material in the lecture) and several things happened in our family (serious injuries, illness) that made it so hard. Being a summer course, one had to drop in the first week or two - I missed the cut off and had to stick it out. Not only was it a horrible time for me, but my kids missed out on so much! They went to summer day camp, which I paid dearly for, and one liked and the other hated. One the weekends and after school I couldn't do a thing because I had to do study every minute. We tried to go camping one weekend and all I could do was study. One time my little guy came to me and put his hands on my face and said, "Mommy, I am sorry this bad chemistry is so hard for you." :cry: Then to top it all off, I had to take my final with a 101 fever. It was the worse class ever. It devastated me.

Also, consider how competitive your school choices are - what happens if you don't get an A? How much will it impact your chances? Any core prereq might deserve a full semester.

Now, don't let my bad experience have any influence. I think I would have gotten an A in a regular semester, or if my kids weren't wrecking motorcycles, or passing GI bugs around, etc, or even if my prior chem had been more recent. If you recently took an intro chem and you got an A and are going to an intermediate chem, you will probably be just fine. Though you are going to miss summer with you kids. If you are taking an Organic Chem - the two chems have absolutely no relation! I would never take O chem during the summer!! Ever. It is hard enough during a regular semester. When possible, I try to take the "gimmee" classes over summer and especially online, so I can still have fun with my family.

Good luck!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If you're worried about it, why don't you buy the book ahead of time and start casually reading it over the summer? That way you will keep your brain primed in "chem mode" AND you'll already be ahead when the class starts. You could even just get an idiot's guide or chemistry for dummies if you wanted to.

I actually still have the book as I had to drop the class after the first day... I hope they use the same textbook in the fall or that's 110.00 down the tubes! :uhoh3:

Thats a good idea though... I think I'll try freshening up... I kinda miss my chemisty anyway. I really enjoyed it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Only you can decide what will be best for you - how quickly you want to complete things, etc. I hadn't had any kind of chemistry since high school which had been over 20 years. I took an intermediate chem with a lab in the summer assuming I could do it no problem. Most people in the class had already taken an intro course or at least more recently in HS as the prereq. Well, it kicked my butt! Totally. First it went very quickly, like a chapter a day, the instructor did not speak English as a first language (so I didn't understand half the material in the lecture) and several things happened in our family (serious injuries, illness) that made it so hard. Being a summer course, one had to drop in the first week or two - I missed the cut off and had to stick it out. Not only was it a horrible time for me, but my kids missed out on so much! They went to summer day camp, which I paid dearly for, and one liked and the other hated. One the weekends and after school I couldn't do a thing because I had to do study every minute. We tried to go camping one weekend and all I could do was study. One time my little guy came to me and put his hands on my face and said, "Mommy, I am sorry this bad chemistry is so hard for you." :cry: Then to top it all off, I had to take my final with a 101 fever. It was the worse class ever. It devastated me.

Also, consider how competitive your school choices are - what happens if you don't get an A? How much will it impact your chances? Any core prereq might deserve a full semester.

Now, don't let my bad experience have any influence. I think I would have gotten an A in a regular semester, or if my kids weren't wrecking motorcycles, or passing GI bugs around, etc, or even if my prior chem had been more recent. If you recently took an intro chem and you got an A and are going to an intermediate chem, you will probably be just fine. Though you are going to miss summer with you kids. If you are taking an Organic Chem - the two chems have absolutely no relation! I would never take O chem during the summer!! Ever. It is hard enough during a regular semester. When possible, I try to take the "gimmee" classes over summer and especially online, so I can still have fun with my family.

Good luck!

I have a feeling that everything that happened to you during your summer class would happen to me as well!! My family has been in a slump these last 6 months and it's probably going to get worse before it gets better...

I'm thinking fall is the best choice for me. It is Organic/Biochemistry... I only made it to the first day before I got sick so I have no idea how the two compare. Hopefully I'll retain enough to plug through it!

Thanks again for your input. I really appreciate it!

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in NICU.

If this is any help to you, I took both Chem classes in the summer, two years apart (I was pregnant the summer in between and too busy being miserable to want to add chemistry to that equation, LOL) and got A's both times. O/Bio chem was a lot different than intro to chem; I liked it much better. Taking a break in between probably won't be a big deal.

Summer classes tend to be a bit more mellow--usually--and I find that appealing. Of course, your lab coat has to be long enough to cover your shorts :D.

It sounds like Fall might be a better time for you, though. I'm sure whenever you end up taking it, you'll do well :).

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I'm taking Micro in Summer I, followed by Chem II in Summer II! :bugeyes:

If those weren't my last 2 prerequisites before starting NS in September, I wouldn't do it! I am an A student and I took Fundamentals of Chem and Chem I one right after the other, but I would much rather take my time and do 15 weeks of Chem II than 5 weeks! I told my husband I will live, breathe and eat Micro for 5 weeks, followed by living, breathing and eating Chem II for 5 weeks! :lol2: I also won't be able to work while I'm taking those courses, so my income will take a hit, too.

Really, it is nice to get the courses out of the way, but if you can do it at a more leisurely pace, then go for it -- especially sciences, which count so much toward NS's decisions to accept students. I wouldn't hesitate to get some other courses, like psych or nutrition, out of the way, though.

Bottom line, of course, is what *you* feel you are capable of, and what you *want* to do. Just fasten your seatbelt if you do decide to do Chem this summer. ;)

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion