Chemistry

Eire-Dearg

It's the biggest regret I've ever made. Why oh why oh why did I pick it?

I've finding it extremely difficult. I just don't understand it. I can't learn it. I can't do one single little thing in it. I got a E in the summer test. :rolleyes:

I'm generally very decent at most subjects, but this one is simply unbearable and if I could turn back time I would've done anything else instead of this (The group was Art, Biology, Ag Science and Chemistry.)

I've been slacking this mid-term. Hadn't opened a book until about an hour ago. I started with chemistry and after scratching my head I said **** that and came back on here. It's so hard and frustrating. I've got the marking schemes in front of me and I still can't bloody figure it out!

Anyone else finding it as hard?

Johnny Giles

I never understood why people chose to do chemistry...or any science subjects for that matter - unless of course you want to be a doctor.

Every year you will hear that not enough people are taking honours science subjects or honours maths. The government will be moaning about the future of the country being unstable due to our lack science people.

I'll do what I want and I'm not doing a science subject and I'm not keeping my options opened because I never want anything to do with science.

Good day.

Eire-Dearg

I know Johnny, but check out the group I had to choose from. Three science subjects .. and art.

Johnny Giles

I would have taken Ag.Science over the rest. It seems pretty handy.

Eire-Dearg

Yeah, I'd go back and do that now if I had the chance. Or Biology, but the lads who do it are really struggling though.

So, anyone else in the same boat as me?

Anyone have tips to get your head around it?

Eire-Dearg

Yeah, I'd go back and do that now if I had the chance. Or Biology, but the lads who do it are really struggling though.

So, anyone else in the same boat as me?

Anyone have tips to get your head around it?

zoom!

Don't be put off by it. Yes it is quite tedious but if you take it chapter by chapter it is pretty bearable. I used to hate it aswell in 5th year. It was awful. But after a few months I got my bearings and I understood the terms used and how things worked a lot easier. Just keep goin with it, its quite interesting which cant be said for biology, which is really boring

Lawliet

Johnny Giles wrote: »

I never understood why people chose to do chemistry...or any science subjects for that matter - unless of course you want to be a doctor.

...or a scientist, or a vet, or a nurse etc. there are a fair few courses that require a science subject.
Besides some people are really into science; I love biology and really enjoy chemistry.

Anyway, at OP: If you're struggling so much you should ask your teacher for help, they might be willing to take you during lunch times to explain what ever is confusing you. Or if your teacher is a bit useless, grinds might be the way to go.

tooler08

If you are realy worried about not passing chemistry just study the hell out of organic chemistry and all the practicals. This should at least give you a pass and it wont be much hassel

Four-Percent

I always thought that the chapters done in fifth year were much harder than the sixth year ones.You're through the worst of it

almostnever

I really suck at giving advice on things like this,but I'll try anyway.

Chemistry is one of my best subjects,and I really do love it,find it very interesting. I do physics too,which maybe helps a bit with certain aspects of the course.

Are there any parts of the course you prefer to others? What one do you totally hate? What have you covered in class? It can help to make a list. The course is shorter than you probably realise,and although it can seem daunting,if you can target specific areas,it might help.

Also,what kind of learner are you? Is there anything you can do to make it more interesting for you? If you can pinpoint certain topics,it should help. Most things come down to a fundamental understanding of atomic theory,so if you can get that in the bag,you're doing really well.

The experiments are of critical importance too. I find,more so in physics,but to a certain extent in chemistry, that each experiment reinforces some information or a law or something like that. If you have a grasp of the experiments in a chapter,you can start to fill in other information around them and build it up slowly.

Maybe get together with some people from your class and have a study group or something? I'm a repeat,and last year I helped one of my best friends who really struggled with chemistry. We reduced the course down as much as possible,and in the end,it worked for her. Make out your own notes. What book do you use? Chemistry Live really is the best one out there,I feel. Also,if you can afford it or whatever,I hear the Rapid Revision Chemistry is amazing,but I don't know from my own experience. I do recommend going through each chapter/topic and making out your own notes,though. If you need a hand with anything,feel free to PM me.

Also,are you doing higher level? If you really are finding it to be an unbearable struggle,you could consider doing ordinary level,if you can afford to in terms of points and honours etc. Good luck!

Eire-Dearg

I think it all started when i didn't actually want to do it in the first place back in 5th year.

There's four people in our class, and the teacher is far from good to be honest.

Thanks for the advice!

jumpguy

I love chemistry, I think it's a great subject. But it's a subject that requires alot of explanation and abstract thinking - God help you if you have a ****e teacher. To revise it, I'd advise you read over your notes. If you have any questions why not post a thread and ask it here?
Chemistry is useful in a huge array of college courses, I'd say about 75% of science courses cover chemistry in some way or another.

Biology is a little less abstract than chemistry imo.

Eire-Dearg

Er, notes?

Seriously, we don't have any. :eek:

jumpguy

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Er, notes?

Seriously, we don't have any. :eek:

I dunno how I'd do chemistry without my notes. The book is alright, but there's loads, and with notes you get to write in what you don't understand, ask the teacher questions while the notes are being done, etc. You remember things better if you write them down yourself imo.

Fad

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

Er, notes?

Seriously, we don't have any. :eek:

Make your own!

Read through the book, summarise it a bit, it's not a complicated process.

jumpguy

Fad wrote: »

Make your own!

Read through the book, summarise it a bit, it's not a complicated process.

Good suggestion, lets say you choose to revise a chapter. Just get an A4 copy, and write in the needed information in neat bullet-points. Much easier to learn. If there's a good explanatory diagram, you could include that in your notes (or cite the page the diagram is on).

Eire-Dearg

That's what I had intended to do before writing the OP. I absolutely detest the book, so instead of wading through each page (I probably wouldn't be able to distinguish from the the important points and the less so) I went from the point of view of the exam papers. I had the marking scheme in front of me, and never mind not being able to understand the question, I couldn't understand the answers. (This was on a Fuels question...)

I just can't get my head around any of it. I'm nearly close to giving up on this subject.

jumpguy

You always have the less-advised option of doing pass (OL). I'm not sure what the difference really is, but it's gotta be easier anyway. That depends on what you wanna do though, what subject requirements you need, and importantly how much points you need. If you're doing 7 subjects though and say you're quite good at the other 6, it might not have such a big effect on your points, but you will have no "safety net" so to speak.

That'd be a last resort though, if you think you're gonna fail the HL paper. Do your best though.

Fad

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

That's what I had intended to do before writing the OP. I absolutely detest the book, so instead of wading through each page (I probably wouldn't be able to distinguish from the the important points and the less so) I went from the point of view of the exam papers. I had the marking scheme in front of me, and never mind not being able to understand the question, I couldn't understand the answers. (This was on a Fuels question...)

I just can't get my head around any of it. I'm nearly close to giving up on this subject.

Using the papers/marking scheme is useless unless you know what's being asked.

For fuels, start from the start, mark a notes about Alkanes Alkenes and Alkynes, (Naming, properties etc). Chemistry Live is a very good book, it doesnt contain everything, but it's all you have!

If you can get Rapid Revision Chemistry, do, it does everything except Bohr's theory very well. (The organic section is absolutely brilliant).

Mr.Helpful

Eire,

I was in the same postion as yourself two years, I was failing every exam which the teacher gave the class. I couldnt understand head nor tale of it, I was stressed and really didnt want to do the subject. After the summer exams of 5th year, the chemisty teacher STRONGLY advised to consider the OL paper after get 13% at HL.

So having discussed it with my parents it was decieded that I'd drop to OL. When I did drop to OL I found the material more accesible and I wasnt struggling as much. Over the course of the year, i made my own notes from the book and got to know the papers inside and out. I also kept on re-doing the questions till I was blue in face!! Getting to know the marking schemes is a real help. Even doing mock papers over and over again really did help also.

The first test i did at OL I got 57% (not to shabby but not great either), then the mocks came and I got 70% (still not great), then in the Leaving I got 90% (A1) (over the moon)

So, my best advice is talk to your teacher see what he/she thinks, have a chat with the parents also, if you don't need a HL C3 in a science subject for your course then I would advise you to consider OL because with HL if your not understanding it, you'll spend alot of time studying it while your better subjects will fall by the waste side.

I hope that was of some help to you, if you have any questions let me know!

Richard

ayumi

Mr.Helpful wrote: »

Eire,

I was in the same postion as yourself two years, I was failing every exam which the teacher gave the class. I couldnt understand head nor tale of it, I was stressed and really didnt want to do the subject. After the summer exams of 5th year, the chemisty teacher STRONGLY advised to consider the OL paper after get 13% at HL.

So having discussed it with my parents it was decieded that I'd drop to OL. When I did drop to OL I found the material more accesible and I wasnt struggling as much. Over the course of the year, i made my own notes from the book and got to know the papers inside and out. I also kept on re-doing the questions till I was blue in face!! Getting to know the marking schemes is a real help. Even doing mock papers over and over again really did help also.

The first test i did at OL I got 57% (not to shabby but not great either), then the mocks came and I got 70% (still not great), then in the Leaving I got 90% (A1) (over the moon)

So, my best advice is talk to your teacher see what he/she thinks, have a chat with the parents also, if you don't need a HL C3 in a science subject for your course then I would advise you to consider OL because with HL if your not understanding it, you'll spend alot of time studying it while your better subjects will fall by the waste side.

I hope that was of some help to you, if you have any questions let me know!

Richard

what if you already do 3 ORD subjects and need like 500 points for a course,its achievable if you do 3 ORD but not 4 ORD.Im struggling with chemistry but I have decided to stay at HL and study hard over the Christmas for our pre-mock exam.
You still have a chance wait until the mocks and see wot you get and decide then.

MaggieNF

i know how you feel believe me,

i chose chemistry in 5th year, had a really good teacher for 2 weeks then she went on maternity and then got a teacher who was beyond crap, she covered a load of topics that are completely irrelevant and i didnt understand any of the stuff we did for the whole year

but this year i am trying and i do still find it difficult so what i say you shoudl do if you have the chemistry live book, use that at the end of each chapter there are brief summaries on all fo the chapter that was covered, so if you go trough them, but what i find really works is to read through it page by page hi light words that are in bold or seem to be important and then make notes, liek have definitions in one colour calculations in another colour

i think it really does work i got an F on stochiometry last year and then start of this year we did a test on stochiometry again and i revised in this method and got an A1

but i thought it would be impossible, but its a specific subject in a good way, like in questions 1 2 and 3 its always experiments and there is allways a titration in the questions and it is always the same questions about transferring solutions and what not


so just try making notes and looking at questions or find specific sections you dont understand and look them up

also there is theory liek the periodic table and the atom, you just learn that straight off and you are sorted with another question gooood luck

Fad

Learn the procedure for filling glass wear! Comes up a lot and it's worth loads!

I'll make a list of stuff like this, might try and scan some notes (Not promising anything! DO NOT PM ME FOR THEM........happened last year, do not want that again!)

Eire-Dearg

Cheers for your help guys, going to get cracking on it tomorrow. I'm determined to beat it.

If you manage to get any of your notes online Fad I'm sure everyone doing chem will appreciate it.

Fad

Eire-Dearg wrote: »

If you manage to get any of your notes online Fad I'm sure everyone doing chem will appreciate it.

I'll try (It might be saturday before I get to it though, I'm never at home for very long).

segaBOY

Johnny Giles wrote: »

I never understood why people chose to do chemistry...or any science subjects for that matter - unless of course you want to be a doctor.

Every year you will hear that not enough people are taking honours science subjects or honours maths. The government will be moaning about the future of the country being unstable due to our lack science people.

I'll do what I want and I'm not doing a science subject and I'm not keeping my options opened because I never want anything to do with science.

Good day.

A lot of people really like science and are good at it. There are many many jobs that require a good grasp of science. Personally I hate languages, I would rather do 10 hours of chemistry study over 1 hour of Irish when I was doing the leaving.



With some extra help Chemistry can really be explained well. OP if you really are feeling that bad look for a good chem teacher to give you a hand, and if you need to do the ordinary level paper do it, it will make the world of difference.

G.ood luck

Edit: The Folen's revision book is pretty good at breaking stuff down if you are finding it difficult to digest the big text books

Fad

Johnny Giles wrote: »

I never understood why people chose to do chemistry...or any science subjects for that matter - unless of course you want to be a doctor.

.

Just noticed this crap.

Some people do subjects they are genuinely interested in........I have no intention on becoming a doctor, I just enjoy science, I could be maybe a scientist?

Johnny Giles

That's OK. I wouldn't say it's crap though. It's like football. Some people show contempt. Maldini was a great footballer, Pelé too. These men could have been scientists but instead they played soccer. Nowadays kids spend too much time playing computer games or stuck in a book than getting out and experiencing the game. Society has changed since my day.

Even Eamon agrees with me and he doesn't agree with me too often!

jumpguy

Johnny Giles wrote: »

That's OK. I wouldn't say it's crap though. It's like football. Some people show contempt. Maldini was a great footballer, Pelé too. These men could have been scientists but instead they played soccer. Nowadays kids spend too much time playing computer games or stuck in a book than getting out and experiencing the game. Society has changed since my day.

...So how's it like soccer again?

Johnny Giles

Maldini had a great head on his shoulders. You need to be smart to study Chemistry.