Study Advice

Chemistry can be a challenging course for many of you. In some cases it is the first time you are asked to concentrate very closely to such a large amount of information in such great detail. This may require you to study differently than you have in the past. Many of you are "passive studiers" and will have more success if you study the material more actively.

Homework is assigned with answers provided so that you can learn the material in a timely manner. You are provided answers to that you can self-correct at home and find out what you know and don't know. Getting the homework answers ahead of time from me does not mean you don't have to do homework. You absolutely should do homework; it will help you have success in this class. Homework is an opportunity, not a penalty. Homework should be "done" - not "looked at." Thus it is expected that you will "work" your homework. This means that you should use a pencil, calculator, extra paper if more room is needed and actually do out the problems. Only through practice will you get better and faster so you can be confident and successful in class. It is not necessary to do every problem; you will need to self-regulate and determine how many are appropriate for you, for each particular topic. The number of problems that you need to complete will vary from assignment to assignment and unit to unit.

Here are some suggestions:

• Use colored stickies to indicate items that you need help with the next day − alert me and we will spend time on it in class.
• Refer to your notes, documents, this website and others, the videos, and your friends.

• In class, when you detect some confusion, lack of understanding, or general uneasiness, try to formulate a question and ask it.
• Do something. It will not get better if you ignore it. In fact, it's likely to get worse. This course is very cumulative and you must keep up with it or you will soon feel overwhelmed.