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Thank you so much, mississippichem. c= I have definitely noticed that physics takes a major role in some of the topics covered in chemistry, like kinetic energy. When I'm ever having trouble with chemistry in the future, I'll be checking to see if I understand concepts instead of cramming to memorize all the stuff. I realize that my old ways of insufficient study or even no study will never be enough for college, and that I'm going to have to put in a lot of time. Having already taken AP chemistry, which is very similar to chem 101, I'm looking forward to being prepared and knowing what to expect - hopefully that'll get me off to a very good start. Thanks for the good luck. I'm feeling more confident after hearing your guys' advice.

Cap'n Refsmmat: Thank you for the advice. I will keep in mind that I should look out for those missing skills. I know that algebra can often times come back to kick people in the butt, for example, when taking courses like chemistry. I'm definitely not afraid to ask for help, as a lot of times I have asked my teacher to help me during both my lunch and study hall periods. It sounds like there are way more resources at college that can help me, so I'm really looking forward to having those advantages. Phi for All: Thank you so much for your response. Even though I didn't try my best, the extra work that I did put in helped with my confidence. It's a great relief and a reward when something finally clicks or when I get faster at solving a problem. Right before second semester, I even got myself a dry erase board to do math on at home, which has made studying a little more fun. I place high value on understanding the concepts over just memorizing the way a problem is solved. I really do hope that college is for me. Once I get myself the money to get in there, I'll finally have a fresh start, and will start cracking down on my study habits to improve. I'm looking forward to seeing what I can accomplish. =>

I'm about to graduate from high school on June 4th. I would really like to study chemistry in college and get some kind of job in the future related to chemistry. In the past, I never really had good study habits. Junior high and early high school, I never studied at home. I just used the time in class to do any practice or other form of studying. However, now that I took AP chemistry this year, that has started to change. I took AP chemistry all this year, and I made C's every quarter, both semesters. I'm a B student in math classes when I just do any studying and practice during class time. For chemistry, I tried a lot harder than I normally do, but I admit that I still didn't try my hardest. I did start to do practice problems on my own time, and occasionally made flash cards, etc. I sometimes read the text book. My laziness throughout my entire life came from a very poor confidence level and a lot of uncertainty about the quality of my future. My confidence has slowly risen throughout high school. While I'm not 100% confident yet, I've always been a curious person and have had a deep passion for the sciences, and I enjoy math, even if it's a pain sometimes. What I want to know from you is this: if I really, really get myself in order, will someone like me be able to stand a chance in college? AP chem served as a transition to help me prepare for college, and so far I've done just okay. If I really get serious about it, read my book for all the chapters and study consistently (and not cram the night before), do a lot of practice problems and work to understand concepts, do you think I will survive? Tell me about any of your experiences too, and tell me about what has helped you study in college - how you did it, which resources you used the most, etc. I really appreciate your input in advance.

I feel the same way. I'm actually 18 right now. While I'm familiar about many different things pertaining to various sciences, I'm not the expert. I'll be continuing chemistry when I go to college though, and will hopefully be one of the experts in that someday.

My writing isn't way too more formal than how I actually talk. I try to be casual and friendly in writing, but when the time is right and when I'm in the mood, I'll talk a bit more formal. I sometimes tend to be a bit shy in real life and I won't speak up much if I don't feel very comfortable with the people near me. Both in real life and online, I'm a very approachable person. I love to help people out and can make a great listener. I'm empathetic and understanding. I do, however, have a short temper. At times, if I'm not in the mood to try and be friendly (pretty rare), I'll just be an ass. If the time and place are appropriate (like with friends), I am very vulgar both in real life and online, even if I'm not angry. I won't show that side of me though when I'm trying to make a good impression on people I don't know and would like to get to know.

hypervalent_iodine, I hope you won't mind if I give my input here and there as well. I love helping people with problems. (: If you are familiar too with what the properties of acids and bases are according to the Bronsted-Lowry theory, it will be a huge help in getting started on the problem.

I like to think that I would be happier being immortal or at least being able to live for a very long period of time. I fear death and becoming old, and I fear the thought of no longer being productive or being able to contribute to society. I'm really, really interested in the future, and I would love to live and see the day when science and technology start advancing to levels that we now think of as science fiction. If I were immortal or able to live for a vast period of time, I could get so much more done and help contribute more to our advancement. I fear anything that could hinder my development or stop me from learning. I really do hope that scientists will find a way to prolong life before my lifetime is up.

I did regular chemistry my sophomore year of highschool, and now, during my senior year, I'm about to finish AP chemistry, which is one of the college level classes offered at my school. Like first year chem students, I have not seen or handled half of these dangerous-sounding chemicals listed here. I've handled the common stuff. We had a lab where 16 M HCl was used, concentrated NaOH, and various other skin irritants and the like. Before one lab, my teacher informed the class that one of the chemicals we'd be handling was a known carcinogen that definitely shouldn't be inhaled. I wish I could remember what the chemical was called... I believe the carcinogenic chemical was the small solution we made by dissolving blue-to-purple copper II chloride crystals in a certain alcohol. In my own time, I did do electrolysis of sodium chloride solution. All I had to do was use two ordinary 1.5 volt batteries with a couple of good electrodes, and I got a little chlorine gas. Can you really get chlorine with just two double A, 1.5 V alkaline Duracell batteries, or was my light green solution something different? =o I was wondering, because the videos and online instructions I've read always use 9 volts or higher.

Hey there, guys! My real name is Brittany, and I'm 18 years old. I'm going to be graduating from high school very shortly, and hope to start off at a community college within the next couple of years once I make my own money. I've loved science ever since I was really little, and have always been curious and wanting more knowledge. I'm definitely not a genius - I'm not naturally amazing at math. I grew up having more artistic abilities than I did a capacity for math. However, I'm very passionate about science. For a while, I've appreciated and respected math, and am willing to go through it so that I can find myself a place in the field of chemistry some day. My first interest in science evolved when I found curiosity about space phenomena as a kid. I love learning about black holes, the speed of light, and Einstein's theory of relativity and its implications about potential time travel. It's a really neat idea to try to wrap my mind around. I enjoy chemistry too and love to do little experiments at home with what little materials I have. I am an atheist myself as well. That means in no way that I am some cynical person, though. I'm actually most of the time quite optimistic, and I value the time that I have much more than I once did.