Has anyone that wasn't so good at Chemistry before become so successul in it after several courses?
596973
Not just chemistry. I was never a very good student, and didn't help that my teachers were incompetant. \n\nOne day I sat down with some books and starting teaching myself things that I felt like I didn't understand from formal schooling. There were two major advantages here: 1) I was learning on my own initiative, and 2) I was learning at my own pace without any pressure of time limit or fear of being tested. It wasn't until then that finally began to understand a lot of things.
1119300
Yeah I have failed on a lot of my labs many times before I got it right. Lol
922787
At least GCSE (or 'O' level) is needed for any branch of chemistry at post 'A' level. Physical chemistry needs a much higher understanding (involving calculus for rate equations for example and in entropy calculations). Inorganic requires somewhat less but is needed in crytallography and energy level calculations and organic chemistry probebly requres the least. I got by with just a bit more than 'O' level and I did all thee branches.
683196
Wow, she's depressing.  I've actually loved a lot of the college classes I took.  I've got one now that I hate, but you can't win 'em all, right?  Actually, college classes are usually a lot MORE interesting than what I got in high school.  I can't speak about Chemistry much (I've managed to avoid it most of my life), but I've found that most subjects in college just go deeper into areas I didn't know existed, and I got to find out lots of neat things.  I suspect you'll find you like some of what you find in college, and not so much in others.  But if you like Chemistry, give it a try.  A lot of how much you like a subject in college depends a lot on how good the people teaching it are.  You can always change your major if you don't like the professors or something.  As long as you've decided for sure by the beginning of your 3rd year, you are probably not going to lose much time.
500937
Yes, of course...some gifted people go to different schools than regular people do, or they skip grades.  If you stop using the knowledge, then you'll lose it.  It's better to keep on learning.
821941
Even PhD's have a rough go of it in organic chem - would recommend PhD before looking for ajob.  DuPont would be great if you can get in.
1173142
I was just like you didn't want to take the final exam and definitly didn't want to be in the class. However, when I actually paid attention I realized that chemistry is a part of every day life stuff that we use as for soap and so on. I began to get interested in it. Especially, when I learn how to find out how many mole is in chalk and so forth. Just give it a try and pay close attention trust me you will love it.
404386
I BLEW UP MY VERY FIRST EXPERIMENT\n\nI have the dubious distinction of having been the only one I know to have\nblown-up my very first chemistry experiment.  Basically it was done not so\nmuch to acquire knowledge as to familiarize us with the equipment.  The\nidea was to put some materials on a flat piece of steel, place it on a ring\nabove a bunsen burner, and heat it.  As I recall we had a strip of\nmagnesium, some sugar, a piece of iron, some sulfur and a few other odds &\nends.  The sulfur was the only thing that did anything interesting (so\nfar).  It's important to note the arrangement of the counters on which we\nworked.  The tops had a sink off to one end and there were two gas valves\nfor the burners, one on each side of the sink's faucet with the outlets\npointing toward the sink.\n\nAnyway, once I had successfully made the collection of stuff on the steel\nplate red hot and noted the results on paper it was time to clean up.\nUnfortunately in the process of shutting down the heat I had pulled the\nhose off the gas valve shortly before turning it off.  The gas collected in\nthe sink.  When the hot metal met the gas: WHOOMP!  Credible observers tell\nme I was standing there momentarily enveloped by a bright blue ball\n that stretched from the sink to the ceiling.  I lost most of my eyebrows,\nthe hair on my arms, but got a fairly good haircut once I'd shampooed the\nodor out.
407984
Chemistry can be very hard, but it can also be a game.  If you apply yourself, you should do okay.\n\nIf you are a visualizer, this helps.  As you learn the concepts and reactions, close your eyes and try to "see" the atoms in your mind.\n\nIf you can do this for each type of reaction that you study, then during an exam you only need to close your eyes to get help.
439658
I would suggest a computer science class.  Being able to program can be helpful to a chemist.
627919
depends what field.\nBut for all fields success is a mix of factors. \nnatural ability, hard work, and luck(God's grace)\n\nI mean some people are not smart enough to be rocket scientist, some people can become one with a lot of hard work, and some people breeze through all the classes with ease. Depending on your natural ability determines how hard you have to work for the same level of success.\n\nLuck also plays in. Like if your dream is to play sports for a certain team or work for a certain company. If the person doing the recruiting went to the same college you are in you may be more likely to get the spot.
118185
Not unless you intend to pursue a career in chemistry.
765065
richard lyon- he was just a brilliant college tutor. he originally hailed from liverpool in england and he had this wonderful knack of being able to motivate students but in a laidback, down-to-earth way. i actually owe him a lot of gratitude for unearthing my writing and grammar skills, of which i'd always felt i never had the ability to do. since as when i left school at 16 with no qualifications to speak of, i felt at that time that that was it for me. but doing a study skills returners course at 18 back then gave me the confidence to realise that i could make and achieve something out of myself and alas, richard's feedback and encouragement gave me the imputus to carry on pursuing education, ever to this day.  i am in my final year at university, and alas, i wouldn't have really got to this stage had it not been for richard's expertise and knowhow. he was able to detect my academic strengths and weaknesses, whilst acknowledging also my work efforts in class and suggest other ways for me to always improve and work further on my writing, particuarly essays. \n\nthe greatest thing i learned from him though is knowing that i could do it; that i could write essays, have a voice, to believe in myself. when i first arrived to commence on that returner's course, i was still young at 18, lacked confidence and motivation, within myself and i'd felt that i wanted to learn but its seems as if whenever i turned round a corner, when i'd believed that there was something there for me, when i got there and looked, it just wasn't there. fortunately, richard was there and he did a wonderful job: he was intelligent, respectful, honest and very friendly indeed.  \n\nwhen i graduate from university, next summer of next year at the age of 26, when i go and pick up my degree i will be honouring it to people like him. if it wasn't for richard, i just wouldn't be at university and alas, he has got me to where i am today and i am thankful to him for that .\n\nthanks! i really enjoyed answering this question as it definitely made my day!
303109
From India?Want more info then you may contact me.My friend did his honours in chemistry and a year later went abroad.
975218
i've done it ... im signing up for 24 credits and this semester i took 21 creds + full time job + full time social life + full time boyfriend... its not as hard as ppl make it out to be
1175841
I believe becoming an instructor or teacher in the skill that this person has developed by now is the best way to go. goodluck.
940113
Lucky, yes... I just have a good memory when it comes to some things and I just know what to do to make A's... other than that, I'm pretty dumb... \nI'm probably going to be valedictorian, but I don't think I deserve it... :-)