Whirlwind semester

I haven’t posted in quite a while… too many things going on, having trouble digesting them all at once!


Apparently, I am some sort of latent chemistry savant, a talent that has hitherto gone unsuspected and unrevealed and unapplied in my life. In my first semester back as a sophomore undergrad, taking all entry-level science courses, I have been plucked from obscurity, asked to help tutor my classmates, and have been offered an opportunity to be an assistant in a research project that should have been offered to some grad student that will have applications in studying DNA by the end of it all, and I will be taught organic chemistry, x-ray crystallography, NMR spectroscopy, and several other fascinating things along the way by the PhD I’m assisting, one-on-one, out of the classroom, with full department cred.


I thought that wasn’t bad for a ‘mature’ sophomore in Chem 121.


I could use a hand with Physics 121 though!


Does this kind of thing happen much, or am I just weird…?


I started assisting just today… recrystallization of phenanthroline. Fun!

Congratulations! Don’t be so hard on yourself! Sounds like a great opportunity! Good luck to you!

I had the same experience with the exception that I took both general chem classes during the summer. There were several other post-bacc premed students in my classes as well. This was nice because several of us have become good friends or acquaintances. It was also a little tough because no matter how well I did, one (sometimes several) of the other post-baccs did just a little better. It turns out that we are a pretty competitive lot. Funny coincidence: we all seem to have problems with (or downright loathe) general physics. The point is, you’re not alone! It is really nice to have a supportive network of people with similar goals, even if it just ends up being the folks here on OPM. Chances are good that there are at least a couple other people in the same boat where you are taking classes. Find them and see if you can’t help each other out. If you are anything like the folks in my own circle, the competition to try to outperform everyone else on exams will provide some extra motivation (or entertainment).


Keep up the good work! :wink:


Tim

Thanks, guys! It feels good to get a word of support – especially about the physics. Stepping into this semester was like jumping onto a merry-go-round while it was moving at full speed… taking me a while to find my balance, but I think I’ll get there eventually.


Now, if only these lab reports would stop piling up – I have three labs, so there are always two or three reports over my head like planes circling LaGuardia waiting to land in a blizzard.


But the Chemistry? I’m actually having fun in there! Go figure.

Once you get used to the courseload of your classes, it’s actually not /too/ horrible stress-wise since it’s not necessarily what grade you get on each assignment that matters but what grade you get for the class!


Out of curiosity though, how much time do you think you spend on each lab for homework? I’m trying to get an idea of what it’ll be like if I take 2 or 3 lab courses in the same semester.

Hi Tim,


I’m taking three courses with labs this semester – Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.


I spend an inordinately long time writing up each lab because this is my first experience ever writing lab reports, so I spend a lot of time researching sample reports on the web to see what the expected structure and format should be, how to present the abstract, intro, procedure, data, results, conclusion, discussion, etc. As time goes by and I start to feel less paranoid about screwing up the format it will likely take me less time, but I end up proofreading and tweaking zillions of times before I’m satisfied… even for the simplest of labs. I’m A-retentive that way, I guess!


Some of my classmates brag about tossing theirs off in 15 minutes or so; I’m spending a couple of hours on each one, but so far I’m getting the “A+” marks and little scrawled comments like “Very Professional Report!!!” on mine, and they are getting B’s and C’s, so I suppose my pickiness is probably paying off.


I find lab reports to be a terrible grind though… hate’em passionately. Especially the ones that require diagrams and graphs and equations for Physics.


In the future I intend to never arrange for more than 2 labs per semester again – too time-consuming, and the pressure of the ever-due reports spoils every single weekend.

That’s excellent, Helice - congrats!


Sign me up as another non-trad who’s loving chem and loathing physics. Ya do what ya gotta do, though.

  • Helice Said:
Hi Tim,

I'm taking three courses with labs this semester -- Chemistry, Biology, and Physics.

I spend an inordinately long time writing up each lab because this is my first experience ever writing lab reports, so I spend a lot of time researching sample reports on the web to see what the expected structure and format should be, how to present the abstract, intro, procedure, data, results, conclusion, discussion, etc. As time goes by and I start to feel less paranoid about screwing up the format it will likely take me less time, but I end up proofreading and tweaking zillions of times before I'm satisfied... even for the simplest of labs. I'm A-retentive that way, I guess!

Some of my classmates brag about tossing theirs off in 15 minutes or so; I'm spending a couple of hours on each one, but so far I'm getting the "A+" marks and little scrawled comments like "Very Professional Report!!!" on mine, and they are getting B's and C's, so I suppose my pickiness is probably paying off.

I find lab reports to be a terrible grind though... hate'em passionately. Especially the ones that require diagrams and graphs and equations for Physics.

In the future I intend to never arrange for more than 2 labs per semester again -- too time-consuming, and the pressure of the ever-due reports spoils every single weekend.



Ahh ok, thanks for the input! I would certainly do the same thing and make the lab report look as professional and perfect as possible before turning it in. The problem with those people who get B's and C's is that if they ever want to do anything more than a bachelor, they're basically out of luck. Unfortunately, too many people don't realize how permanent transcripts are until it's too late.

I'll definitely try to make sure I never take more than 2 classes with labs in one quarter or semester!

Like you Helice, I’m taking orgo, physics, and bio this semester – the bio is my complete downfall! I agree – writing up the lab reports is difficult – I feel like I’m writing in a foreign language, and I never quite feel like I’ve expressed whatever is being asked of me. But so far I’ve been doing well – 10/10s on all the reports. Here’s an aside question – has anyone ever had biology lab exam? I have one coming up on Thursday and I have no idea what to expect…

We have a short (3-questions) quiz before each class, and a more comprehensive quiz per 3 or 4 experiments. I’m actually studying right now for one later this morning. The lab write-ups take the form of a pre-lab graphic play-by-play of the experiments to be done utilizing as few words as possible. Each experiment is accompanied by a set of data collection sheets in the lab manual for the class. The data collection sheets are nice because they demonstrate how a formal lab notebook might be laid out (for those who have never seen one, but will be expected to keep one for later classes). This is actually one of the best organized lab classes I think I have had, and my favorite as well.