Rant: I hate college Chemistry...

[SOSTrooper]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Let another 67% roll in!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is absolutely ridiculous. I followed the instructions to the T and never once did it mention the stuff she has written on this one:

Apparently, I didn't define all the terms (Yet there are only two and they definitely have definitions next to them from the book). That is -5.
Despite that the book says to use the table on this page, for the experimental data table, apparently that is wrong and im not supposed to have one of the columns. -5.
Although the book does not ANYWHERE list the need for a table in results and conclusions apparently she had different ideas. -8.
And finally to top this whole damn thing off: INCORRECT CALCULATIONS!!!!! I copied the equation from the book and got the exact same number she did!!! EXACT SAME!!! Yet her equation went about it differently so i get another -5!!!!!
Then on the next page i have a minor error that the Stoichiometric Coefficient definition isn't good enough for her...thats right, the definition out of the book is not good enough: -1.

Then on the pre-lab questions this is a real joke. I forgot to, IN MY CALCULATIONS, write a subscript 2 for Na(2)SO(4)....-2.
Then I dont have a clue why but i got -1 for the result. No explanation, all work is shown, but there is a nice -1 sitting next to it (Yes it is the right answer).
On the reverse side I didn't answer a question..-2 acceptable. I didn't know how to do it so i gave up.
The next questions i answered fully and correctly yet i have -2 written next to them with no explanation!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a joke. The class average was a 72; I received a 67.

Guys what do i do? I am follow the instructions, i am explaining needless amounts of information and yet im getting counted off for apparently nothing at all!!

-Kevin

If you scan in your lab report, then maybe we can have a better understanding on whether or not you wrote sufficiently enough. One thing you'll learn in chemistry labs is that you need to be very meticulous. Wrong subscripts, wrong charge, wrong sig figs, and sloppy calculator can really get you down.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: SOSTrooper

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Let another 67% roll in!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is absolutely ridiculous. I followed the instructions to the T and never once did it mention the stuff she has written on this one:

Apparently, I didn't define all the terms (Yet there are only two and they definitely have definitions next to them from the book). That is -5.
Despite that the book says to use the table on this page, for the experimental data table, apparently that is wrong and im not supposed to have one of the columns. -5.
Although the book does not ANYWHERE list the need for a table in results and conclusions apparently she had different ideas. -8.
And finally to top this whole damn thing off: INCORRECT CALCULATIONS!!!!! I copied the equation from the book and got the exact same number she did!!! EXACT SAME!!! Yet her equation went about it differently so i get another -5!!!!!
Then on the next page i have a minor error that the Stoichiometric Coefficient definition isn't good enough for her...thats right, the definition out of the book is not good enough: -1.

Then on the pre-lab questions this is a real joke. I forgot to, IN MY CALCULATIONS, write a subscript 2 for Na(2)SO(4)....-2.
Then I dont have a clue why but i got -1 for the result. No explanation, all work is shown, but there is a nice -1 sitting next to it (Yes it is the right answer).
On the reverse side I didn't answer a question..-2 acceptable. I didn't know how to do it so i gave up.
The next questions i answered fully and correctly yet i have -2 written next to them with no explanation!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a joke. The class average was a 72; I received a 67.

Guys what do i do? I am follow the instructions, i am explaining needless amounts of information and yet im getting counted off for apparently nothing at all!!

-Kevin

If you scan in your lab report, then maybe we can have a better understanding on whether or not you wrote sufficiently enough. One thing you'll learn in chemistry labs is that you need to be very meticulous. Wrong subscripts, wrong charge, wrong sig figs, and sloppy calculator can really get you down.

Hmm i dont have a scanner but i do have the .docx files. If i can find somewhere to host those files or something.

-Kevin

 

[Fausto]

So....you're a huge whiner in real life as well as on the internet, eh? :laugh:

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: Fausto
So....you're a huge whiner in real life as well as on the internet, eh? :laugh:

Huh? I'm not following you man.

-Kevin

 

[imported_vr6]

welcome to chemistry. Our chem labs are the same way. They justify it by saying thats how a professional chemist should keep their research notebook and when you do your lab report, its like presenting your research to your peers. By making you write the reports their way, they are making sure you don't get laughed at when your present your reseach to your peers.

suck it up. you are paying for it afterall

 

[aidanjm]

transfer to IT

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: vr6
welcome to chemistry. Our chem labs are the same way. They justify it by saying thats how a professional chemist should keep their research notebook and when you do your lab report, its like presenting your research to your peers. By making you write the reports their way, they are making sure you don't get laughed at when your present your reseach to your peers.

suck it up. you are paying for it afterall

No im not being counted off for not reporting information that I was told to. Im being counted off for information that was not in the Lab Report guidelines. Im being counted off for illogical little things.

I was counted off two points for missing an unnecessary subscript in my calculations. The next problem i didn't answer and was counted off 2 points for. I might as well have not even done the problem!!!

-Kevin

 

[GoPackGo]

Is your prof the dean of chemistry? If not complain to the dean.

Its total BS if they dont tell you whats expected.

Obviously there is a problem if grades are so low.

 

[isekii]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: vr6
welcome to chemistry. Our chem labs are the same way. They justify it by saying thats how a professional chemist should keep their research notebook and when you do your lab report, its like presenting your research to your peers. By making you write the reports their way, they are making sure you don't get laughed at when your present your reseach to your peers.

suck it up. you are paying for it afterall

No im not being counted off for not reporting information that I was told to. Im being counted off for information that was not in the Lab Report guidelines. Im being counted off for illogical little things.

I was counted off two points for missing an unnecessary subscript in my calculations. The next problem i didn't answer and was counted off 2 points for. I might as well have not even done the problem!!!

-Kevin

With grades being that low, the class will most likely ending going on a curve.
I dont think you really need to worry,
If the class averages are low, you'll all probably end up with atleast a B

 

[aidanjm]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Guys what do i do? I am follow the instructions, i am explaining needless amounts of information and yet im getting counted off for apparently nothing at all!!

The only way to improve is to grab a tutor or the person who marks the parpers, or the lecturer, and ask them what you are doing wrong.

 

[5to1baby1in5]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
I don't know if it is just Virginia Tech's teachers but Chem Lab is an absolute joke.

All we do is measure the temperatures and what not. I can deal with that, its freshman year, we aren't going to get anything really really interesting yet.

But then the Lab Reports are ridiculous. The guidlines are vague, and no on ever manages to get an A on them. The content is extremely circular (recovers everything talked about at least 3 times). But then you get a load of points off for every little thing. Sometimes 2x.

Hah!

Welcome to Freshman Chem Lab. The guidelines are written by PhD's who assume you already know what you are being taught and have no grip on reality anyway. The labs are taught by Grad. Students who don't really have any more clue than you do what the experiments and reports are supposed to look like.

You are being sieved (maybe I should say 'strained' into people who go on to get a Chem degree, and those who go on to get BA majors. I took a first year Circuits lab for an elective, and got the same feeling. Just deal with the BS, and future labs (i.e. organic chem) will be a little less confusing.

If you have a professor grading the labs, take your report in before it is due, and ask some questions. The Prof. may not give you any direct answers, but should help with the format of the report. Each proff has a format that they like to see the lab reports come back in, and they will grade you on if your work is displayed in that format at least (if not more) heavily than if your data and answers are correct. The sooner in the year you learn your teacher's quirks, the sooner your grades will improve.

If you can, try to get into an honors lab in organic chem. I did this, and only had to do four labs the semester vs one each week for regular organic chem lab. My grad student was really cute too.

 

[5to1baby1in5]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek
Hey guys i just checked my grades in the class. On avg they are about 4 points higher than the class average. However the class avg on most of the assignments hovers around 66%. What should i do? Obviously this TA isn't grading something right, or is grading too harshly. Will the grades curve at the end seeing as the entire class has a D right now?

-Kevin

Scores are right on track. Ref. my above post about being sieved.

 

[beemercer]

Sounds like my AP Chemistry class, you just gotta pay attention to every detail, for example Na(2)SO(4) not NASO(4).

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: isekii
Not sure what your major is, but wait till you hit Organic Chemistry.

You'll wish you were back in Gen Chem

I was a TA for Organic Chemistry. You'll look back on your Gen Chem lab days and wonder how the world all of a sudden got so cold and cruel.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: jbourne77
I had to take Chemistry for Engineers. By far the most difficult class in college. I spend 90% of my study time on that class and barely squeaked a B.

I know what you mean. In college i have found that i actually have to study. In high school, i could see it and know it. In college, the sheer volume of work is overwhelming.

Im actually good at calculus and math. But right now most of my resources are focused on my Calc 1205 and Linear Algebra 1114...mostly because you relearn it a different way than in high school and they want you to show all work that way and what not. Linear Algebra is easy but Calc can be kind of difficult (I swear they dont have one non-foreign teacher in the math dept...no one speaks english as a first language lol- makes it just that much more challenging).

-Kevin

The closest thing I had to an english speaker was a German man. If you can understand your calc professor at all, consider yourself lucky.

 

[Golgatha]

Originally posted by: Tiamat

Originally posted by: isekii
Not sure what your major is, but wait till you hit Organic Chemistry.

You'll wish you were back in Gen Chem

QFT O chem sucks. More worse is quantitative o chem. You get to keep redoing the lab until you obtain the correct amount of product.

QFT! Any advanced analytic chem sucks major ass!

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: beemercer
Sounds like my AP Chemistry class, you just gotta pay attention to every detail, for example Na(2)SO(4) not NASO(4).

Trust me this is nothing like High School (No offense meant).

My teacher teacher is in fact the Dean of General Chemistry. I emailed her and very formally said that I am having problems in the Chem Lab class. She Emailed back and said I was more than welcome to come by during office hours and discuss things with her. She does not; however, regrade assignments. She also said if grades are low at the end she will curve them all. I then replied with a Thank you and that I didn't expect a regrade just a little more clarification.

What makes this isolated in this class is that I am getting 88's and 97's in my recitation class, and on my quizzes which shows that i understand the content.

As for O Chem, as an ECE i dont believe i have to take O Chem.

-Kevin

 

[Slammy1]

I remember in grad school one of the lab TAs came up to me. She said her arm was really burning after the lab, plus she had some discoloration of the skin (lloked like silver exposure, which shouldn't burn but they digested the samples with conc. acid). My response, were you working with anything water reactive, did you run some water over it?. No to both so we went to a sink, and while I was trying to figure what the exposure was we were talking. What was the experiment, did you read up on the chemicals that would be used, etc. I asked if she'd read the MSDS's on the chemicals, she didn't know what an MSDS was. It floored me thet they had a TA that hadn't heard the phrase MSDS before, but I remember they had problems finding TAs that spoke fluent English at the time. I recommended that when she was getting the chemicals together to at least read the label, she thought it was a good idea.

Moral of the story, don't assume a TA for a freshman level class has any special knowledge. It really wasn't her fault that they had her TA'ing her first semester without any real safety training. I taught her a couple of things, stressed the importance of knowing how to treat an exposure before the students start working with the chemicals for emergency response, etc. Like I said, school is poor preparation for the reality of working in the industry, not that higher education is worthless at all it's just a lot more challenging when you're working with a group of people in a common area performing experiments routinely that you might only have a limited understanding (my initial Mass Spec training was watch what I do for a half an hour, here are the keys, try not to break anything). A $400,000 piece of equipment should require more training than that!

 

[Noirish]

i only remembered i had a HOT TA.

 

[beemercer]

This is kind of off topic, but does anyone know what college courses AP Chemistry is equivilent to as far as material covered.

 

[Gamingphreek]

Originally posted by: beemercer
This is kind of off topic, but does anyone know what college courses AP Chemistry is equivilent to as far as material covered.

It is supposed to cover the same topics that Chem 1045 (Or the equivalent 100 level General Chem Class) covers. However, as I have learned, AP classes are way way different than actual college classes.

-Kevin

 

[SOSTrooper]

AP Chemistry is equivalent to first semester (or first quarter) of college general chemistry I believe. Some HS may offer more intensive AP Chemistry that covers the entire year of college general chem. I know a few freshmen that went directly to o-chem during their first year because they passed AP chem in HS.

 

[beemercer]

Originally posted by: Gamingphreek

Originally posted by: beemercer
This is kind of off topic, but does anyone know what college courses AP Chemistry is equivilent to as far as material covered.

It is supposed to cover the same topics that Chem 1045 (Or the equivalent 100 level General Chem Class) covers. However, as I have learned, AP classes are way way different than actual college classes.

-Kevin

Yeah, my Chem Teacher (or Professor, he has a Phd) reccomended that everyone still take General Chem in college, even if you got a 5 on the AP exam, because of the lab experience.