YUCK. I HATE Chemistry.

[bethanygm]

I am so bored. This is a problem, since my major is Biochemistry. Hahah

Yikes. I don't know what to do.
Do I hate it because it takes me longer to get it?
Do I hate it because it's all rote memorization?
Do I hate it because it's a whole bunch of math and abstract concepts and I'm not being shown why I should really care about it?

Maybe all of those?

I truly don't know. I don't want to just give up, but I am having one hell of a time sitting with my book for long periods of time. I do not actually think it is that difficult to understand. I just lose interest very easily and my mind wanders while I am trying to read.


They covered some basic Chemistry concepts in my Bio class and I picked all those up very easily and enjoyed learning them. Within the context of all I was learning in the Bio Chapter.

I truly don't know what to do. I used to not practice songs because they were too hard and my old psycho producer made me sit down for as long as necessary to learn the runs and stuff. After ten hours of an Aaliyah song, I could sing the thing like I was her.
My experience there taught me the value of perseverance. I had never really challenged myself like that before that.

I am frustrated I don't get to be on my own time table for learning this, too. I need more time, damnit! I was sick and missed my test and now I have to make it up and if I can focus I might get a decent grade this time.

My teacher has his own set of notes that don't follow the chapters in the book and that don't explain how the info fits into other areas of interest and that offers a few practice problems with no corresponding answers. This may work for the linear thinker who doesn't ask "why and how?"

Clearly, that is not me.

Blah.

I am also on a scholarship and so far I got a 75 and I keep avoiding reading this stuff so.. ;(

[Sliderule]

Buy the solutions manual for your textbook, and no not the crappy student one the teacher's addition with every problem.

or you can visit this site

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Generally very helpful people.

[Deliberator]

I don't know what to tell you. I can say that the worst grade I've had in chemistry was General Chemistry I because it was all wrote memorization. It wasn't necessarily intuitive either.

I call myself "Deliberator" for a reason though. If I have decided that I'm getting a good grade, I work my butt off to ensure that it is so. So I was able to get through it even when I didn't see the point.

I recommend working on chemistry directly after lecture, doing problems based on what the teacher just talked about.

[redbaren]

I am taking High School chemistry and if I have learned if you give up on how and why? It gets pretty easy.

I admit I have a hard time seeing the electron shells and such like that,but Schrodinger's Equation comes pretty easy to me after a few examples.

[Kisai]

I only got a 'B' in Chemistry for Engineers. Probably because it was a mess of memorization not fitting neatly together. Not taking any chemistry since high school didn't help either.

Still, I like chemistry. I like all of the practical sciences.

[Monte314]

Time to change majors.

[luna]

I love chemistry (high school). The blind memorization can be hard and pointless if you don't know the system behind it, though. I am taking it this year, and have managed to pull an A-. Pretty good for not studying.

I have a great teacher. He makes learning everything fun, even if you find it hard. Next week, for example, we are blowing up pumpkins for halloween. We also are making gravestones with scientist's names on them to go along with our essay of that scientist.

[Nikita]

The only fun thing in chemistry back in high school was memorizing the Periodic Table of Elements. I only remember a little bit.

[Anderson]

Time to change majors.

He's dead on.

First, examine your long term goals. What do you want to major in and why?

Why did you choose biochemistry?
--Med School aspirations?
--You thought it might be more marketable?
--You have a genuine interest in biochemistry?

Talk with your academic advisor.

[Vagrant]

I think I have a similar problem to the OP -- the problem with a lot of chemistry courses is that they deal too much with abstraction, and even the lab experiments fail to bring the course back into reality of why the subject is important and interesting. However, I'm a general biology major instead of biochem, because I had a feeling that pursuing chemistry was not what I wanted. Regardless, I still need to take a couple of chemistry classes.

I'm enrolled in Organic Chemistry at the moment, and lab last week finally hit it home for me -- We created artificial flavorings in lab, and the entire lab smelled great. It was refreshing for once to see something that is commercially done and makes you feel great to see (in my case, smell) the end product.

The trouble is obviously making the courses hit home. General biology allows this for me, because I can try to relate chemistry to the behavior of organisms.

[Mozzes]

Guys, memorizing information is part of the deal in academics. I mean, to build anything you need some sort of raw material.

Some subjects are better than others, of course. I could derive an entire first semester of physics from F = ma though you could also just about reduce a first year chemistry sequence to the periodic trends for electronegativity and atomic radii.

[Vagrant]

Guys, memorizing information is part of the deal in academics. I mean, to build anything you need some sort of raw material.

Some subjects are better than others, of course. I could derive an entire first semester of physics from F = ma though you could also just about reduce a first year chemistry sequence to the periodic trends for electronegativity and atomic radii.

But of course. Rote memorization is necessary in most fields. In traditional photography, you have to know which chemicals to use to process the film and the prints, and what concentrations are good. Even in the arts, you still have to know what certain things do and don't do, and the extent to which they can do something.

[bethanygm]

I can learn things,..memorize, if you will. But they just STICK so well when I'm learning them in an interesting way... I like to see how things relate to one another and where they sit in the scheme of things.. I often link up the knowledge I have of other, random, things to what I am currently learning. I don't get to do that if I'm only given tables to memorize, you know??

It's more about how I learn. I like and need more info at one time, rather than less.

I'm making a huge effort to conquer this Chemistry book.
I am not ready to give up. Thank you all for the advice though!
If I can teach myself from the book (not my teachers short notes)..I may be able to handle the rest of the curriculum (and maybe switch to a bio major only)


I made so many mistakes in the way I handled this class. I should've got the book and learned it this summer, so I would be reviewing and clarifying in class.
Oh well..
Thanks!

[Seraph]

I think Anderson and Monte314 offer very sound advice. If you dislike chemistry then why choose a major with 'chemistry' in the name?

Coming from a former biology/chemistry major I would definitely urge you to take their advice and ask yourself why you want to major in biochem. I always used to enjoy science, but following organic chemistry I realized that it wasn't for me. I had the grades, but I would never have been happy pursuing such a degree. I think those decisions are the hardest- knowing you can succeed in something but taking another path for the sake of your happiness. It reminds me of what my English professor used to tell me: that often you must 'kill your darlings' -referring to irrelevant paragraphs/sentences- for the sake of your essay. I switched my major and couldn't be happier in what I'm studying now.

Or don't switch and grit it out- if you really love the subject and that is your goal you'll make it happen some way or another.

[Kisai]

Guys, memorizing information is part of the deal in academics. I mean, to build anything you need some sort of raw material.

Some subjects are better than others, of course. I could derive an entire first semester of physics from F = ma though you could also just about reduce a first year chemistry sequence to the periodic trends for electronegativity and atomic radii.

Yeah, but chemistry is up there in number of things to memorize with anatomy & physiology. Newtonian physics is too elegant to compare.

[Marcus]

My teacher has his own set of notes that don't follow the chapters in the book and that don't explain how the info fits into other areas of interest and that offers a few practice problems with no corresponding answers.

The simple answer might be that your chemistry teacher is a poor teacher. I never understood why people could hate physics up till I had a very poor teacher at an undergrad course (but it wasn't my major).