<p>A little about me first. I'm a senior majoring in Chemistry who has been diagnosed with ADHD and currently take 70 mg of Vyvanse. I am thinking about attending grad school in 2014 (I'm on the four and a half year plan) for Chemistry, specifically the field of physical organic chemistry but am worried that I just flat out don't have the brain power for it. I took physical chemistry 1 this past semester and crushed it (90+ on every test) but it was the hardest I've ever worked or studied for a class in my life. I would routinely put in 15+ hours every week of straight studying time for this one class even when we didn't have tests. And though I did well in the class, I struggled mightily early on with basic math such as rules of exponents and logs, basic derivatives and integrals etc. I eventually relearned all of the math skills I had forgotten but always struggled to keep everything straight. </p>
<p>Now I'm in Physical Chemistry 2, aka quantum mechanics, and am loving the class but it is just so brutally hard. I study for it at least 15+hours a week, but there is just so much to know, and so many basic math skills that continually elude. It sucks because I really, really love my quantum mechanics class and would love to be able to pursue it more but I am really doubting my intellect at this point. So my question is, "Did anyone with a P.H.D in a STEM major struggle with upper level coursework, specifically with math heavy courses?" Or are you all just genius at math and could read through Schrodingers wave equation one time and understand it?</p>
<p>I have a close family member with a Ph.D. in analytical chemistry. I have heard many stories of their struggles in undergrad and grad school. Several classes presented massive challenges and they considered dropping out many times. But, they happen to be incredibly stubborn and they hung in there, even with a few Ds in classes. Now they have a secure job earning over 100K. </p>
<p>There are so many online resources available now, I would just keep plugging away at the math classes over the summer. Khan academy, coursera, udacity, online University courseware, etc. </p>
<p>Not everyone who gets a Ph.D. is a genius in math. Some people are more gifted as experimentalists than theoreticians. it sounds like you are a determined individual and you know how to work hard to achieve your goals. If you have a passion for research and really want to go to graduate school, you should do so.</p>
<p>Also remember that physical chemistry is the most mathematical part of chemistry and you may be more adept at other aspects.</p>
<p>Hell, I was a math major as an undergrad and nowhere close to being as “genius” at math. I struggled with Calculus I, Calculus III (I despise vectors to this day), Advanced Calculus/Real Analysis and Computational Complexity.</p>
<p>Never had problems with quantitative undergrad classes ever. Grad school classes are indeed more difficult. </p>
<p>However, if you’re getting As in your grad school classes, you’re spending too much time doing classwork when you should be in lab. Just get the minimum level you need to pass your classes in grad school, that’s it. No one cares about your classwork in grad school.</p>
<p>While I wouldn’t say I really “struggled” with anything, some of the upper level classes were certainly challenging. Being really good at math is less important for experimentalists than it is for theorists (though you still have to be competent in math, of course).</p>
<p>No, I did not struggle with upper level courses. I think most Physics students found the upper level courses easier as we progressed. You get better at analyzing what you are reading, focusing on what is important and applying what you previously learned.</p>
<p>Thanks for all the replies guys. So to those of you who either struggled in your upper level courses or know someone who did, what did you do to get through it? And if you struggled in calc I, II and III how did you still manage to grasp the harder concepts? Just a lot of elbow grease and hard work?</p>
<p>There many factors that can affect one’s successes/failures in the list of math courses geared to the STEM majors.</p>
<p>1) Revised study habits - As you start to interact with other students from other backgrounds and paths, you may pick up some pointers on how to study and take notes more efficiently.</p>
<p>2) Professors - This range from professors who almost hand-hold you through a course (with sample quizzes, sample tests, etc) to the professors who basically erase the board almost as they are writing class notes. Some profs do not mind repeating a concept to make sure everyone is on the same page while some profs are not going to repeat anything until the next offering of the course during the next semester. Some profs lean more to either theory or applied. Sometimes getting a prof whose research specialty is the course you are taking can make it challenging.</p>
<p>3) Course structure - I had some math courses where your grade was only determined by midterm-1, midterm-2 and final or by a combo of midterms, quizzes, homework, discussion participation, computer assignments and final.</p>
<p>4) Student interest - Numerical analysis, optimization, numerical linear algebra…YAY!..Vectors, real analysis?..Eh.</p>