Struggled hard in Intro to Chemistry

[Lilrunninmama]

Hi, I wanted to ask for some advice about a very familiar topic? I didn't do so well in my Intro to Chem course that I enrolled in as a 7 week fastrack. I previously spoke with my professor about a few issues I'm struggling with at home and he said he will give me a C as a final grade in the course. Now, I know I shouldn't be too upset because its still a passing grade, however, I struggled with understanding concepts in his class. All of his test questions were to determine if the statement is true or false and providing explanations on what we have learned. Because of the way he teaches, I had to relearn the way I study, which is to study for deeper understanding of abstract concepts (I did not take chemistry in High school but I wish I had.) So it takes me hours to read one chapter because the text my professor provided is vague, as well as his lectures. I resort to using the internet along with extra study aides to obtain the right answers for the practice problems.

I feel discouraged & disappointed because I know I can do better, however, circumstances prevented me from getting as much study time that I needed to successfully pass with an A. I wish I was smart enough to learn at a quicker pace like the rest of the students around me -- I admire anyone who can successfully pass condensed Math or Science classes with an A or B. In order to get into a BSN program I have to take General Chemistry 1, yet the required prerequisite for Gen. Chem.1 is Intro to Chem. The only remaining courses I need are Statistics, A&P 2, and Microbiology. Should I retake Intro to Chem in a full 14 week format this Fall?

I was hoping to complete Intro to chem and general chem as accelerated courses this Spring, unfortunately, I realized I'm having a hard time catching up and absorbing the information, so I dropped my accelerated Gen. Chem course for fear that I would not achieve the grade I needed. I also feel that maybe I should enroll in one full science course per semester. In doing so, this would post pone my graduating time from my community college another year and a half.

[PrereqTaker89]

It sounds like you know what you need to do to be successful. I'm taking Chem now and have a 98%. I'm taking it for the full semester. It is my only class and I believe that's why I've been able to be successful in it. And it doesn't take me hours to read a chapter, it takes me days. Like three days and reading for 2+ hours a day not including all the equations I'm doing to get proficient in my process of working them out.

In nursing school we'll have an exam on fluids and electrolytes and we learn a great deal about electrolytes in chemistry! Not to mention dimensional analysis which we'll need to do for dosage calculations. I really think slow and steady wins the race. I'm taking my sciences one at a time because it gives me ample time to study and gives my brain enough time to process the information before learning more complex material. Sure it'll set me back some time to do it this way but I think a thorough understanding of the material will better serve me in nursing school.

How old are your children? I have 18 month old which is another reason I'm taking my time. I'm an attachment parent and don't want him with sitters until at least 3.

Good luck to you!