Undergraduate Student Voices

· Many websites allow undergraduate students to rate Professors anonymously, even if they were not enrolled in the course.

· Students provide polemic (negative or positive) comments on the individualized style of Professors who teach high-volume classes.

· Like Amazon merchandise reviews, these “rating” sites often dehumanize Professors and intend to help guide the students toward or away from a Professor 'product'.

·

'Student Voices' provides a different feedback perspective from top students to learn what they did to excel in and dampen fears of CEM 251.

For [CEM 251], most of my review was done through the in-class quizzes and practice problems [the professor] wrote out. I would do the problems once during the recitations, and afterwards, I would go through with the key to see what I missed. Before the exams, I would do each of the practice packets two or three more times to make sure I understood how to solve the types of problems that would be on the exams.

--RS

[I went to most office hours to seek help] throughout the semester, [and my questions were] always answer[ed]...without office hours I wouldn't have been successful.

--RB

I did a few things to make the class easier for me: 1) [I attended recitations where my TA [who also attended lectures], described in more depth some of the topics discussed previously in class]. 2) The practice problems looked very similar to the exam problems, so doing those was absolutely necessary. I prefer to learn by working through different problems, so working on problems as Walker explained them in class helped me learn how to do the problems that I would see on the exams. 3) The final thing I did was make sure to go to lecture and take detailed notes. Overall, CEM 251 is a tough class; however, with enough work and dedication, anyone can do [well] in it.

--EP

Something that really helped me was writing down any questions that I had while I was reviewing my notes, whether it was a small detail or a larger general concept I was curious about, just so I knew I wouldn't forget them as I kept going. It can feel really daunting sometimes, but asking questions when you have them (at office hours, by email, during class, etc.) really makes a difference, especially since a lot of the material you learn builds on itself throughout the course. 

Also, it's funny, but it was much easier to remember things after I'd already gotten them wrong than if I hadn't tried them myself, so if I had any advice for future students, it would be: don't be scared to get things wrong! You can always try again.

--SM

To students of this class, success in this course will be difficult, it is one of the hardest classes for a reason, but it is very achievable. When studying, the [End-Of-Chapter] problems posted are the most efficient and helpful way to study. They are almost exactly what you will see on the test, so getting used to their format and becoming good at them will help you a lot. Secondly, try to understand the overarching concepts and connections between units, rather than memorizing specific facts and problems. Nearly half of this class is understanding that electrons will move from where they are, to a space where they are not. Grasp the rationale behind problems and solving them will be easy.

--SF

I made sure to keep fresh on concepts throughout the semester and do extra practice problems to make sure I understood why I was getting an answer (becoming familiar with mechanisms, etc.). Attendance at all lectures and recitations was also key, as I felt there wasn't a day that could be skipped without causing some setbacks with learning. Practice was huge, doing all the chapter problems multiple times as well as old exams, quizzes and other material I could find online. Finally, having a really great TA who provided us with extra practice and helped to further our understanding of the material was soooo helpful. 

--JS

I think that the largest contributor to my success in CEM 251 was [a combination of] regular lecture attendance, [reading] the textbook, and [working] the end-of-chapter review packets. To prepare for lectures, I would read and take notes on the chapter we were going to discuss beforehand so that when I got to the lecture, I had an understanding of some of the topics. For me, lectures were great at furthering my understanding of topics as well as improving my mental image of certain processes and isomers. I would // recommend [that] new students [not] wait until the day before an exam to begin studying. The class has many difficult topics, so it's best to keep up with lectures.

--AP

Summary statement

· Understand what you are doing and seek the necessary help through office hours to gain that understanding

· 'Doing' the problems is different from 'Understanding' how to solve the problems

· Encourage your TAs to provide extra material that is different from what the Professor provides

· Don't be discouraged by FONK (Fear of Not Knowing). Don't get in a FONK, instead remain vigilant to go from an accepted state of Not Knowing to one of Knowing.