Advice From Upperclassmen

In the Fall of 1997, a new Chemistry 101 or 103 student asks you for your advice about learning chemistry. In your opinion, what is the single most effective chemistry learning strategy? Support your answer with two or three sentences.

Since the labs work with lecture, it is most helpful to  use the labs as a hands-on 
supplement to the concepts introduced by the lectures.  Labs should be carefully done and questions 
should be asked along the way.  That way, if any problem areas arise, problems from the text can be 
worked to help further understanding.

One cannot ask a book to clarify something, but one can ask a professor.  Also, what good 
are all the equations & examples if one can't apply them to problems?

I would recommend group drills on problems.  To compose a study group and find an 
empty classroom with a chalkboard.  Everyone should come to the class having done the 
problems recommended.  Then given the answer people must work the problem backwards  on the 
board and explain it.

Probably it is doing at least 1 chemistry problem a day to keep up with everything and 
understanding the concepts behind the calculations.

Carefully read the book before class so that you can ask questions and solve as many 
problems as possible, and do more problems and more problems and yet more problems.

To read the chapter, then the study guide but not the solutions manual.  If you buy the 
solutions manual you begin to rely on it and you can always go to the library to check you 
answers when you're finished solving the problems.  Then, meet with a group of acquaintances 
(not friends!) once a week to discuss problems.

Solving problems is what the field of chemistry is all about and the best way to become 
good at solving chemically related problems is to practice them.

Problems are more practical, hands-on learning than the conceptual material of the text.

Use the book.  Just reading through the chapter and following the example problems they 
do for you can save you a lot  of confusion.

Doing practice problems for me, because I learn best by actively studying (I remember 
something better if I write it out rather than just read it or hear it said - so taking good notes 
at lectures helps me because I write it down rather than just hear it said)

The most helpful learning strategy is  reading the chapters and doing MANY problems!!!! 

When you have a pal (be it professor, student, TA or whatever) who can help you through 
things you don't undrstand and sho you can help in the same way.

Doing problems!  There is nothng better than hands-on-experience.  Simply watching the 
professor doing calculations on the board can be helpful only to a certain extent.