A guide to making chem your b*tch
As a survivor of general chemistry and now a tutor for gen chem students, I have seen and experienced my fair share of struggles getting through this weed-out class. I’m here to tell you how to avoid getting weeded out and how to not only survive gen chem but thrive in it. Here are five ways to help so that the class doesn’t seem quite as scary.
1. Change your mindset
Many people make general chemistry out to be one of the scariest classes. If you go to Rate My Professor or your college classes’ stories, people will tell horror stories that they have experienced during gen chem. However, I’ve found that if you don’t subscribe to the belief that it will be the scariest experience, then it simply won’t be. The fact is that most people take the classduring their freshman year and simply aren’t prepared for a different style of education than high school. But, your professors do want to make it work for you; I promise they aren’t out to get you. So, if you change your mindset going into the class, it will seem more manageable and you will feel prepared to tackle this challenge.
2. Know your resources
General chemistry is a huge class that all STEM majors have to take. I know people who have also taken it to fulfill a science credit who aren’t even pursuing anything STEM-related. The fact is that many people are in the same boat as you, and the professors know that. There are so many resources out there for this class. Just at UW-Madison, there is the Chemistry Learning Center which takes on students to tutor and also provides help sheets for studying. There is Chem Compass, a Canvas page dedicated to providing study materials to make sure you are on track learning-wise. There are many centers that provide free chemistry tutoring including GUTS (shameless self-promo) where all you have to do is see when drop-in tutoring sessions are or choose to join a dedicated tutoring group that meets weekly.
That isn’t even a complete list of all the resources available to students – you can also go to your professor or TA’s office hours. It’s important to use these resources as many things in chemistry build on prior knowledge, and even getting a simple question answered can mean the difference between a test score you wanted and one that left you crying in the chemistry building staircase (potentially based on a real experience).
3. Ask questions!
While this may seem intuitive to some people, asking questions is one of the most important things you can do for your understanding of chemistry. I have often felt like a fool for asking questions that people make out to be common sense, but it’s not common sense! As my organic chemistry professor said, “No one is born with a knowledge of chemistry.” Ask questions, because even if they seem stupid to you, they aren’t. Oftentimes many others have the same questions and are too afraid to speak out; but speaking out is how you learn and grow. Even if you consider yourself an introvert who doesn’t want to speak out in class, don’t let your questions go unanswered. The vast majority of professors and teaching assistants will stay late to answer your questions one-on-one.
4. Carve out everyday chemistry time
Unfortunately, chemistry isn’t one of those classes that you can forget about for a week, do all of your weekly assignments in one day, and then forget about it again for another week. One of the most helpful study techniques for me was to do a little chemistry every day. This could mean anywhere from five minutes working out a question to dedicated hours for study time. No matter how much time you spend each day, it’s important to not let the material get cold. A little daily work helps a lot in the long run. Everything builds on each other in these courses, so by continuously refreshing yourself on everything that you’ve learned, you will be prepared to keep learning more material.
5. Practice perseverance
One of the hardest experiences is trying really hard for a grade that you want but don’t get. General chemistry is not unlearnable, and everybody takes a different amount of time to learn. If you aren’t succeeding yet, don’t give up! Chances are you haven’t found the right study techniques and you just need to switch up how you are approaching chemistry. Professors, TAs, tutors and even peers can always be great resources to figure out ways to change up study techniques. Especially if you are just making the transition from high school to college, it can be difficult as things that worked in high school may not work in college. Don’t be too hard on yourself as you adapt to a new style of learning.
General chemistry will not kill you, I promise. In fact, it might even be smooth sailing if you use these five tips regularly. Don’t let the anonymous people on Rate My Professor tell you that the professor will fail you if you look at them the wrong way, or that the course was the cause for all their life’s troubles. This is what I was told myself, but through changing my mindset, knowing my resources, asking questions, carving out everyday chemistry time and practicing perseverance, I was able to succeed and so will you.