Chemistry - please help !!!

needhelp12345

Hey
I know its a huge ask but was just wondering is there any chance someone could just explain the chemistry course to me ?

Is it hard ?
Do you need to be good at maths ?
Is there a lot of maths involved ?
whats it like compared to junior cert chemistry ?
is there a lot of learning ?
whats the layout regards experiements etc. ?
is it a subject that requires grinds ?
and so on and do forth thanks

Goafer

needhelp12345 wrote: »

Hey
I know its a huge ask but was just wondering is there any chance someone could just explain the chemistry course to me ?


and so on and do forth thanks

I never actually took Chem for the LC, I did physics, but I am doing chemistry in University now !! so I'll give it a go, seeing as I've given grinds to some people in it.

Is it hard ?

yea and no. It's an appallingly outdated course which is based on learning by rote rather than understanding. If you are good at cramming and regurgitating facts then you're grand. You need to get the experiments step by step into your head and the definitions too

Do you need to be good at maths ?

Nah, basic LC math skills are enough.

Is there a lot of maths involved ?

See above.

whats it like compared to junior cert chemistry ?

JC chemistry = facepalming galore. Forget EVERYTHING you know about electronic orbitals NOW and most of the other nonsense you were taught.

is there a lot of learning ?

Yes, like I said, facts and definitions and experiments

needhelp12345

Thanks so much great help
You said basic lc maths skills i did do honours for jc but chances are i will be doing pass for lc would this suffice ?

Goafer

needhelp12345 wrote: »

Thanks so much great help
You said basic lc maths skills i did do honours for jc but chances are i will be doing pass for lc would this suffice ?

You'll do fine !! So much organic chemistry in the course!!!

They also have other tit bits like how to determine water hardness and test for impurities .. it's a mickey mouse course compared to Uni chemistry ...

Just Like Heaven

You don't need to be good at maths. just be able to shuffle numbers around an equation really.

Err I would say that chemistry is a little tough in parts, but never in a 'You can or cannot do this' kinda way, some things will just require more time, but there's nothing really difficult.

The experiments are okay, it can count for 25% or 37.5% (I think) of the paper, depending if you choose to do 2 or 3 experiments, so there is choice. One is always organic etc... so you can even make a good stab at guessing (I revised 10 the night before and got all 3 the next day).

When I started chemistry in fifth year I asked a friend who was in leaving cert how he found chemistry and he said it was okay, but he wish he had stayed on top of it from day one, and so I did and I enjoyed most parts of chemistry and never needed any grinds. I don't yet know what I got in the leaving cert but I got an A2 in my mock.

So stay on top of it from the start of fifth year is the moral of the story.

needhelp12345

Goafer wrote: »

You'll do fine !! So much organic chemistry in the course!!!

They also have other tit bits like how to determine water hardness and test for impurities .. it's a mickey mouse course compared to Uni chemistry ...

Thanks so much really cleared things up for me

needhelp12345

fewtinsoffroth wrote: »

You don't need to be good at maths. just be able to shuffle numbers around an equation really.

Err I would say that chemistry is a little tough in parts, but never in a 'You can or cannot do this' kinda way, some things will just require more time, but there's nothing really difficult.

The experiments are okay, it can count for 25% or 37.5% (I think) of the paper, depending if you choose to do 2 or 3 experiments, so there is choice. One is always organic etc... so you can even make a good stab at guessing (I revised 10 the night before and got all 3 the next day).

When I started chemistry in fifth year I asked a friend who was in leaving cert how he found chemistry and he said it was okay, but he wish he had stayed on top of it from day one, and so I did and I enjoyed most parts of chemistry and never needed any grinds. I don't yet know what I got in the leaving cert but I got an A2 in my mock.

So stay on top of it from the start of fifth year is the moral of the story.

Yeah iv heard a lot of people say that they regretted not keeping ontop of things alright oh right was wondering about the experiements alright :)thanks and good luck in your results !!

leaveiton

Is it hard ?
That really depends on you. Some people find it really hard, others think it's fine. Personally, what I always found with it was that I never found it hugely difficult but it always took a while for things to click. In other subjects, I'd understand things immediately, but with chemistry, I'd have to revise over things a couple of times. If you work at it and you're dedicated, you should be fine.

Do you need to be good at maths ?
No, just basic operations.

Is there a lot of maths involved ?
There can be a lot of calculations, but the actual maths is quite easy.

whats it like compared to junior cert chemistry ?
Completely different! Honestly, forget everything from junior cert chemistry, it won't be relevant :P This isn't a bad thing though!

is there a lot of learning ?
The course is quite short in comparison to others, and it's mostly down to understanding. It's not a subject that you could get by on by just rote learning, but obviously there's some degree involved.

whats the layout regards experiements etc. ?
There are about 20ish (give or take a few) experiments on the course. There are 3 experiment questions on the paper, you have to do at least 2. Question 1 is always a titration, Question 2 is always an experiment from an area known as organic chemistry, and Question 3 comes from any experiments not included in either of those two categories. The experiment questions are usually quite nice.

is it a subject that requires grinds ?
It definitely doesn't require grinds, but I definitely think that it's a subject where if you're having difficulty, then grinds would be a better option than trying to teach yourself. So if you find that your teacher isn't great, or if you're struggling to understand it, then I'd look into grinds.

Goafer

Another thing to bear in mind if you plan to take science all the way up to 3rd level is that it's a different ball game altogether. The leaving cert idea of a teacher spoon feeding you and babysitting you all the way goes out the window. Like I said secondary is based on learning by rote and cramming easy to understand information. College lecturers are as the name suggests, lecturers. The give you information, they don't teach. It's up to you to teach yourself and understand the information. There often isn't regular assessments in college and it's up to you to keep on top of things from day one to be prepared for semester exams. You're expected to be a "big boy/girl" when you go there, and there is a stark transition that not everyone is prepared for when this happens.

Sorry for the long post ... just something you should know if you want to take science all the way up

needhelp12345

leaveiton wrote: »

Is it hard ?
That really depends on you. Some people find it really hard, others think it's fine. Personally, what I always found with it was that I never found it hugely difficult but it always took a while for things to click. In other subjects, I'd understand things immediately, but with chemistry, I'd have to revise over things a couple of times. If you work at it and you're dedicated, you should be fine.

Yeah i suppose it depennds on the person

Do you need to be good at maths ?
No, just basic operations.

Phew

Is there a lot of maths involved ?
There can be a lot of calculations, but the actual maths is quite easy.

Phew

whats it like compared to junior cert chemistry ?
Completely different! Honestly, forget everything from junior cert chemistry, it won't be relevant :P This isn't a bad thing though!

Phew again

is there a lot of learning ?
The course is quite short in comparison to others, and it's mostly down to understanding. It's not a subject that you could get by on by just rote learning, but obviously there's some degree involved.

Fingers crossed ill understand :rolleyes:

whats the layout regards experiements etc. ?
There are about 20ish (give or take a few) experiments on the course. There are 3 experiment questions on the paper, you have to do at least 2. Question 1 is always a titration, Question 2 is always an experiment from an area known as organic chemistry, and Question 3 comes from any experiments not included in either of those two categories. The experiment questions are usually quite nice.

Thanks

is it a subject that requires grinds ?
It definitely doesn't require grinds, but I definitely think that it's a subject where if you're having difficulty, then grinds would be a better option than trying to teach yourself. So if you find that your teacher isn't great, or if you're struggling to understand it, then I'd look into grinds.

Oh i understand

Thanks so much great help and very informative

needhelp12345

Goafer wrote: »

Another thing to bear in mind if you plan to take science all the way up to 3rd level is that it's a different ball game altogether. The leaving cert idea of a teacher spoon feeding you and babysitting you all the way goes out the window. Like I said secondary is based on learning by rote and cramming easy to understand information. College lecturers are as the name suggests, lecturers. The give you information, they don't teach. It's up to you to teach yourself and understand the information. There often isn't regular assessments in college and it's up to you to keep on top of things from day one to be prepared for semester exams. You're expected to be a "big boy/girl" when you go there, and there is a stark transition that not everyone is prepared for when this happens.

Sorry for the long post ... just something you should know if you want to take science all the way up

Oh right so just because you do well at leaving cert level doesnt mean your going to automatically do well at college level it reguires more of an understanding :eek: definatley something to bear in mind :rolleyes: Thanks so much must have taken you ages to type out

Chuchoter

needhelp12345 wrote: »

Hey
I know its a huge ask but was just wondering is there any chance someone could just explain the chemistry course to me ?

Is it hard ?
Do you need to be good at maths ?
Is there a lot of maths involved ?
whats it like compared to junior cert chemistry ?
is there a lot of learning ?
whats the layout regards experiements etc. ?
is it a subject that requires grinds ?
and so on and do forth thanks

Once I finally got the hang of it (which was the end of sixth year) it was actually pretty easy. Up until then I hadn't a clue what was going on and if I'm honest, most of the two chemistry classes in my school found it very tough the whole way.

Not really. The maths isn't hard but its very odd at times, either way there isn't really that much of it in the scheme of the course

Forget everything you know from JC. All of it was wrong.

Yes and no. Theres not nearly as much to learn as say in Physics or Biology, but you need to understand what you're learning really well.

Layout of experiments is very technique and method based, like how exactly you physically did the experiments. Theres not too many graphs or anything. Experiments are pretty easy overall

I got grinds at christmas and for the last 3 weeks before the LC, I wouldn't be able to do it without them

Geo10

The Maths in it is very basic! I hate Maths and I found the calculations fine!
TBH you could really rote learn the course as while it would be very helpful to understand it, understanding isn't necessary!
It's much more detailed than JC Chemistry but having a good knowledge of JC Chemistry is a great start because its all developed on in LC Chemistry. Nothing in JC Chemistry is wrong by the way

jumpguy

Intense rote learning (definitions, predictable questions...) might get you the B, but understanding will definitely be necessary for the A.

Goafer

Geo10 wrote: »

Nothing in JC Chemistry is wrong by the way

Well, my 4 years of Organic Chemistry in College and my PhD from Changi University says different !!! :P

Look at the electronic orbitals from JC, 2 electrons, then 8, 8, 8 etc ... orbital hybridisation is completely different in LC and Uni. SPDF orbitals etc.

Coeurdepirate

Chemistry isn't actually that bad at all, as much as I bitched about it throughout the year. It can be annoying when you don't understand something but you usually do after reading over it a few times. It's quite a short course and it's a reeeeeally nice one towards the end! As in there are certain chapters that come up every year so you can focus on them. Honestly, I think chemistry is overall an easier subject than biology, just cause there isn't as much learning. That said the learning can be kind of difficult, especially the definitions, some of them took me ages to remember!

inkapinka

needhelp12345 wrote: »

Hey
I know its a huge ask but was just wondering is there any chance someone could just explain the chemistry course to me ?

Is it hard ?
Do you need to be good at maths ?
Is there a lot of maths involved ?
whats it like compared to junior cert chemistry ?
is there a lot of learning ?
whats the layout regards experiements etc. ?
is it a subject that requires grinds ?
and so on and do forth thanks

It is easer then biology for example,i never find it hard, i am in 6th year in september
You don't really need to be very mathematical, maths in lc che is very simple
there is more understanding then learning
it is very difirent to jc
it is the most interesting subject in my opinion.