Blog 4 - I Failed My First College Chemistry Course
This is a statement that, although may feel hard to admit, is very common. I failed my first college chemistry class. I was a straight A student all throughout high school, and often feared failure more than anything. In 2018, I started college as a biology major. As you probably know, biology majors often take many chemistry courses as well, so I was enrolled in General Chemistry I. I didn’t remember struggling in chemistry during high school, so I wasn’t stressed about this course. Yet very quickly my world was rocked. Admittedly, my high school chemistry course was very underwhelming, so I was extremely unprepared, and I didn’t know it. I couldn’t keep up in class, I was always behind on notes and readings, but I was determined to do well in this course. I spent hours every day going over practice problems and watching extra tutorial videos. I remember studying for 10 hours the day before my first exam, going over hundreds of practice problems and rewriting my notes too many times. I walked into the lecture room, head held high, calculator in hand, ready to be the curve setter for that exam. Unfortunately, I walked out with tears in my eyes feeling so bad about myself. How could that have happened? Maybe I just felt bad about it, maybe the grade won’t actually be that bad. 48 hours later, the grades were in…. and I made a solid 43%. I was devastated and had no idea how to take that in. I had a mental war with myself, part of me wanting to quit and drop the class, the other part wanting to try harder and pass the class with flying colors. Ultimately I decided I was going to pass this class no matter what. ( Spoiler alert… that didn’t happen).
The next few weeks, I was super focused in class, and found a way to get in with a study group. I was starting to enjoy it actually, the group I studied with really helped the concepts click. I studied for hours every day, I watched videos to help review, and did every practice problem I could find. I went into the second exam, nervous, but feeling prepared. Low and behold, I made a 57%. Everyone told me “At least you improved! That’s good!”, but I had never felt so defeated. It didn’t make sense to me. Yet, this continued for the rest of the semester. I eventually finished the course with a low D and was going to have to retake the course next semester. I was embarrassed at first. Most of my friends ended up passing the course and moving on to General Chemistry II. I didn’t feel smart, and I hated chemistry.
This is felt by so so so many students. Chemistry is not easy. If someone tells you that it’s easy, know that they are probably struggling just as much. I pretended that I was amazing at chemistry, even after I didn’t pass the course. It is important to know that failing doesn’t mean you won’t ever be good at it. I retook the course the next semester and passed with an A! I spent time developing a study technique that worked with me and built a time management schedule that I followed religiously. I still struggled, and honestly continue to struggle. Truth be told, I later also had to retake Quantitative Analysis, an upper-level chemistry course, and now that is my favorite class!
Although chemistry is something I have to work hard to understand, I love it. I have learned to love it. You, on the other hand, may continue to hate it, and that’s okay! But don’t let it tear you down, fight back and you can pass that class just like I did. I found many resources, in-person and online, that have helped me learn and grow as a chemist. At the end of this post, there is a list of some really amazing (and free!) resources. I will also be uploading my own notes in the next few weeks to have as another free resource. Chemistry is hard, but not impossible!
Nicki’s Top 3 Resources!
Melissa Maribel! She posts amazing videos on YouTube that help clarify confusing topics. She also works through common exam questions!
The Organic Chemistry Tutor! Despite the name, this YouTube channel covers so much more than just Organic Chemistry. You can find videos on Math, Chemistry, Physics, Biology, and more! Whenever I need more practice problems, I watch one of these.
ChemLibreTexts! This is a website that covers practically all chemistry concepts! Whenever I need quick help figuring out how to solve a problem, or reviewing a challenging topic, I use this website.
