How to Study College Chemistry
Many college students will take chemistry classes sometime in their educational career, whether they are chemistry majors, completing prerequisites for majors such as nursing, or simply fulfilling general education requirements. Chemistry is a complex subject and can be one of the most difficult courses a student will take, but the proper study habits can make it more manageable.
Instructions
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Come to class prepared. Your chemistry lectures will likely cover a great deal of material at a rapid pace, including new vocabulary words and complicated formulas. If you are encountering this information for the first time, you'll likely be scribbling frantic notes without really understanding what's being said. Successful chemistry students read the material that will be covered before coming to class. Even if you feel like you don't fully comprehend everything you've read, you'll still be familiar with the material, which will help you get more out of the lecture.
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Study every day. Concepts in chemistry build on one another, so this is not a subject where you can cram random facts into your head the night before a test and expect to get a good grade. Set aside some dedicated time each day to review your notes and work on practice problems. Not only will this decrease your chances of falling behind without realizing it, but it will eliminate the need for a last-minute all-night study session.
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Get help outside of class if needed. Chemistry classes, especially introductory courses, are often organized into large lecture sections where there is little opportunity for individual attention from the lecturer. However, professors and teaching assistants typically hold office hours where students can get their questions answered. Some universities even provide free chemistry tutoring. For example, students at Iowa State University can attend up to five sessions a week of supplemental instruction, a program where upperclassmen who have already taken the course review the material with current students and teach strategies for effective study and test-taking.
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Work on your math skills. Even introductory chemistry classes will require some basic knowledge of algebra, and students who have weak math preparation may struggle. Students should also make sure that they are comfortable using their calculator. Even the best calculator is useless if you don't know how to operate it.
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Read the solution manual only after you have attempted a problem on your own. Many chemistry textbooks come with a solution manual or an appendix with solutions to certain problems. Simply looking over the solutions is not an effective way to learn how to solve problems yourself. Instead, work through each problem on your own. If you get the wrong answer, go through your work step by step, using the solution manual as a guide to show you where you went wrong. To make sure you really understand the process, rework the whole problem from the beginning once you've arrived at the correct solution so that you're confident that you know how to solve similar problems in the future.
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References
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