What to do...Man this sucks..

Transfer Students
1

<p>Ok,
I'm at a community college, attempting to transfer...and I'm having a horrible time in chemistry. My other classes are great, especially Biology (which is great since I'm a biology major). We examine live tissue, do WBC counts, ect in lab, and I've really learned a lot in lecture. My Chemistry however is another story...</p>

<p>I've always been great at science. I've average a 99% in my HS biology classes, and I received a 97% in Chemistry. My college Chemistry teacher, however, sucks horribly. He doesn't teach AT ALL, he simply reads a couple lines from each page of the book. Our class goes: Test on previous chapter for the first 3/4's of class, last 1/4 we study the next chapter briefly. I am learning NOTHING, and though I averaged an A in General Chemistry I (same teacher), that was thanks to my previous chemistry background. General Chemisty II (what I'm in now) is a lot harder, and I really can't keep up without him teaching. What's worse, Chem I and II are required classes for transfers at most schools I applied to, so I can't drop it.</p>

<p>I made a complaint to the dean, and he was extremely hateful. He basically said "You expect me to believe he's a bad teacher...when I had someone in here yesterday saying he's wonderful?" That got me nowhere. I've tried talking to the teacher, I told him it'd be nice if he would work problems out on the board or at least make notes, but he was also fairly hateful. He doesn't even have a Chemistry degree..I found out he only has a bachelor's in Chemical Engineering. </p>

<p>Even worse, the lab consists of a computer. That's right...he couldn't get a real lab like in biology...so it's a "virtual lab." I wanna scream everytime I log onto the computer and run a virtual lab session from like 1995. Our lab over 2 hours, and he makes us run through about 8 or 9 virtual labs and write lab reports. It's really horrible...and I just keep thinking how nice it would be to just have a transfer acceptance letter in my hand...just to know I will be getting out of here...and I don't know what to do in the meantime to keep from failing the class.</p>

<p>Note: I'm not the only one doing bad. No one is doing any better than me.</p>

2

<p>Does he hold office hours? Usually you can get more specific help there.</p>

<p>If you're intent on staying in the class, then I would recommend finding a tutor, or studying in a group (if permitted). I don't think you'll get anywhere complaining, though (at least not on your own); most everyone has had a professor they didn't like.</p>

<p>Best of luck :)</p>

3

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>Maybe he's not a good teacher by your standards, but that you're learning nothing is not his fault. If you can't keep up by reading the book than you are simply, sorry to say this, not smart or hard-working enough to take this class. That's a typical viewpoint of a CC student, you think your teacher is responsible for teaching you everything you have to know. You're wrong. Your primary source should be the BOOK, not the lectures. When you get to higher coursework you'll see that lectures, at best, complement the book, not teach you the same things step by step. That would just be a waste of time. You'll have massive problems at higher courses if you're not able to study things on your own. Because that's what it's all about.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
I made a complaint to the dean, and he was extremely hateful. He basically said "You expect me to believe he's a bad teacher...when I had someone in here yesterday saying he's wonderful?"

[/QUOTE]

If you studied like your supposed to (read the book), then you would maybe think he's a wonderful teacher too. Instead of wasting your time with repeating things over and over again, he gives you the chance to practice the concepts which are probably more theoretical in the book. And that he briefly touches the next subject is even better, so you will have less problems understanding the text. I would love his lectures. If you can't handle the material or the pace, as said before, that's not his fault.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
He doesn't even have a Chemistry degree..I found out he only has a bachelor's in Chemical Engineering.

[/QUOTE]

I don't think he only has a Bachelor's. You usually need at least a Master's Degree to teach at a CC. Maybe you didn't do your research well enough. But what's the problem with a Chem. Eng. Degree? It's a INTRO Chem class, everybody who has any degree in any kind of Engineering would probably be able to teach it, because it's basic stuff. My physics teacher who has a degree in Mech. Engineering is going to apply for a full-time Chem prof. position, he can teach all chem. class without any problems, because when you have a PhD, all of it is simply basic stuff that you have to know anyway.</p>

<p>
[QUOTE]
Even worse, the lab consists of a computer. That's right...he couldn't get a real lab like in biology...so it's a "virtual lab." I wanna scream everytime I log onto the computer and run a virtual lab session from like 1995. Our lab over 2 hours, and he makes us run through about 8 or 9 virtual labs and write lab reports. It's really horrible...and I just keep thinking how nice it would be to just have a transfer acceptance letter in my hand...just to know I will be getting out of here...and I don't know what to do in the meantime to keep from failing the class.

[/QUOTE]

Sorry, no comment on this. It seems like you're just frustrated because you're not able to master the material and therefore you are hateful towards your teacher. That's probably what the dean thought too.</p>

<p>Instead of complaining so much you should try to make the best out of it. Put some work in, read the book, be happy you have labs at all. As I said before, if you're not able to deal with this kind of coursework you'll be in extreme trouble after transferring.</p>

4

<p>You won't like the way some of your profs teach. That's just how college is. But you're supposed to learn on your own anyway. Just read the book and maybe organize student study groups.</p>

<p>As for his degree: It's more advanced than a simple chem degree. Besides, your course is just an intro to chem, which really anybody with any kind of degree in nat-sci/math is qualified to teach.</p>

<p>I have to agree that the lab portion of the class seems a little boring.</p>

<p>Just do your best in the class, read the book and study on your own.</p>

5

<p>Thomas, you have no idea what you're talking about. A quote from your response to "Do you like your Community College?":</p>

<p>"I'm going to SMC and I love it. All my professors have PhD's. Last semester I had a Physics Prof with his PhD from Yale, a Chem Prof with his PhD from MIT and a Math Prof from UCLA. This semester I have another Physics Prof with his Degree from MIT (but his PhD from somewhere else). They are all great teachers and know what they're talking about. They have time for their students and stay late after class. I really can't say anything bad about the professors here, haven't had a single bad experience."</p>

<p>Not all community colleges are created equal. First, I live in southern West Virginia..one of the most uneducated places on earth. This community college was started only two years ago, and this guy only started teaching this year. I don't appreciate your accusatory tone of "I don't think he only has a Bachelor's. You usually need at least a Master's Degree to teach at a CC. Maybe you didn't do your research well enough." Yes, at a normal community college that may be the case, and I probably wouldn't have such an awful teacher. First off all, I flat out ASKED him what degree he has, and that's all he has. Second, he was the only guy this school could "scrape up" to teach the class. He's the only chemistry teacher in the entire school, because again, people with chemistry degrees aren't common in the uneducated and economically depressed southern West Virginia. </p>

<p>I really don't understand why you would would even comment when I ask for help when the only thing you have to say is basically degrading. You stated "I would love his lectures" so obviously I didn't get the point across of how bad he is. Allow me to actually give an example...and no I am not exaggerating:</p>

<p>"If you turn to page 529...you'll see a chart...look over it. On page 530, they talk about bond angles. Turn to page 531." No instruction, no lecture, he's like a reading guide. So let me try to explain again....someone would get the SAME grade whether or not they even come to lecture, because it's not even a lecture. He comes to class eating a biscuit every morning, talks about his day, ect. for a while, and we're lucky to get 30 mins of "instruction" out of each class (it's 4 hours long, once a week).</p>

<p>For further proof, when asked for help on a test, half the time he doesn't know what he's talking about. I've corrected him before when he's actually done chemistry problems WRONG. There are a grand total of 5 people in my class. The other 4 don't care...(like I said, southern WV, this isn't some big transfer feeder school or anything, they just want a quick associates in business or something), they just wanna pass the class, regardless of the grade. Most likely, the person who said he was wonderful teacher was simply happy that his tests are open book and he allows you to correct the ones you got wrong, meaning it's impossible to actually fail the course.</p>

<p>Lastly...by complaning my lab is virtual running on a windows 95 computer, I'm just being hateful? No, that's a valid complaint.</p>

<p>Thomas, the fact is that teachers are a big part of whether or not someone learns. A lot of times, yes, it's the student's fault, but a lot of times it's not. Apparantly you're the type that thinks that, no matter what, it's ALWAYS the student's fault, and that's a very narrow point of view. In high school, I remember in my friend's Calculus class that half of the students did horribly and almost failed, and the other half was making straight A's...the students making A's had had a different Pre-Calc teacher than the one's nearly failing. The Calculus teacher recognized this, and the Pre-Calc teacher was fired soon after. If teachers had no affect on the learning process, they wouldn't be called teachers, they'd be called facilitators.</p>

6

<p>I have to agree that you need to do more on your own, soccer guy. I am not pointing fingers at you, saying you are wrong in how you feel. I am just telling you that you have no choice ... if you plan to stay in the class, you have to suck it up & figure out what to do to be successful. Many of the profs at my engineering school were virtually impossible to understand. While they may have been good teachers, none of us ever knew it, since we couldn't understand a word they said. We still laugh about our self-taught computer classes all these years later ... and back in my day, with cards for programming, teaching yourself was a huge pain in the you know what. How did we manage? We worked our butts off, studying like crazy to figure things out. We also worked in groups, because what one didn't understand, another did ... and we worked it out together. You don't have that luxury, obviously, with the disinterested classmates you described. However, you have some amazing resources we did not have. You can search the internet for explanations of the topics being covered in your class. Open Course Ware is a free MIT site that offers lots of great info that would help you. I am sure that a search would yield plenty more sites with helpful lecture notes & explanations. </p>

<p>Again, I am not trying to be accusatory ... but you are going to have to change your attitude if you want to successfully transfer out. You need to make up your mind to excel regardless of your current situation, then you need to DO IT. The work you do to succeed in this particular class will serve you well if you are able to go on to a more demanding college environment.</p>

<p>Even at a good college, there are profs who are poor teachers. You need to figure out how to do well, regardless.</p>

7

<p>Thanks kelsmom. But understand I am not trying to find a way out without studying. I am, in fact, studying the book everynight and trying to learn the material on my own. Also, it's not that I don't understand what he's saying...it's that what he is saying is useless. I fully understand the meaning of "Page 500 talks about bonding, read it" but it doesn't help me understand bonding (I do understand bonding..just an example). I take his advice, and I do read it, but chemistry can be a hard subject with a complete lack of instruction. I was simply looking for suggestions...thought maybe someone else may have had the same problem I have now.</p>

8

<p>Your last post lacks the "attitude" of your earlier posts ... I am guessing that your frustration was showing through in earlier posts. I get that you are just trying to figure out what to do. Please take my suggestions about using the internet to find info that will help. There are schools that post lecture notes online. If you search for "covalent bonding," for example,you will find some useful info on the subject. Again, Open Course Ware is a good resource. You can find plenty of explanatory material online. That should help. I often do online searches for higher level math & science topics. I have helped my own kids with their classes this way, and I have found info to help me teach topics when I substitute teach. I have found a lot of great info.</p>

9

<p>Soccer_guy, as a student at Hopkins, (I transferred last fall), I can relate, I've had my fair share of battles with Chemistry. Based on my experience, some professors are better than others when it comes to teaching, many have honed the skills needed to be able to effectively explain and convey difficult concepts with appropriate detail, others well, are just not that talented, lol. Just because a professor may have a PhD, MD, MPH, etc. in whatever area, doesn't necessarily mean they automatically have earned an A+ in teaching ability.</p>

<p>I don't think it was very nice for other posters to attack your intelligence or work ethic. Obviously, you have proved yourself in the past and in the previous Chemistry course, and are motivated and dedicated, hence your interest in transferring. However, I do agree that maybe you need to fine-tune/hone your studying skills if you are continuing to experience difficulty.</p>

<p>Some suggestions that I can offer (some which have already been mentioned):</p>

<p>1) Securing a Tutor - Stop by your Academic Advising Office and request a tutor, or at least confirm if your college offers walk-in tutoring sessions, or extra help sessions. I would also post an ad on Facebook, Craigslist, etc. if you don't have any luck at school finding someone willing to tutor you.</p>

<p>2) Friends - Do you have any friends in the class that you can review notes with, form study groups? Working together with someone who might have a better grasp of the material can obviously benefit you in the long run.</p>

<p>3) Extra Problems - Visit your professor during office hours and request any extra problems, assignments, old midterms, etc., anything that he is willing to provide. </p>

<p>If the professor sees that you are proactively trying to address your difficulties in the course, he will be more receptive to working with you and may take that into consideration when calculating your final grade. Furthermore, if you are having extreme difficulties and are in jeapordy of failing, maybe send him an e-mail as well, outlining your problems so you both can work together to find a strategy that will improve your understanding of the material, and ultimately, your grade.</p>

<p>4) If your textbook is slightly confusing, or you are having difficulty grasping concepts discussed in class, stop by a Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com, etc. and pick up some "Chemistry for Dummies"-type books that will provide watered down explanations for more advanced topics, as well as offering additional practice problems.</p>

<p>5) Are you studying right after class? In the library? During the day, during your peak hours of productivity? Maybe change your study habits slightly, see if this helps. Make sure to review your notes right after class, and put together a quick list of any topics you would like to discuss with your professor after hours. In addition, I find it helpful to retype my class notes and take computer notes from the text, (obviously, your schedule dictates how much time you will have to do these type of things.) In addition, I would also suggest making "Study Sheets" in advance that you can review over time and prior to exams. </p>

<p>6) Labs stink, no matter where you go. (Except for Bio Lab. :)) My Hopkins Chem Lab was over 3 hours each week, and also included a half-hour Pre-Lab meeting, and about three days worth of lab reports after, lol. If the lab is too much for you to handle right now, maybe you could look into dropping the lab for the Spring and retake it during the summer when you have less on your plate.</p>

<p>All in all, stay focused and positive, and I'm sure you will do fine. Don't let this bump in the road discourage you from transferring, in the end, it will all work out. </p>

<p>Good luck!! :)</p>

10

<p>Thanks a lot Tanya, numbers 3 and 4 may be helpful. As for number 2, finding friends to study with...this is the only Chem II class the semester, and we have only 5 students including me. The other 4 couldn't care less...they just wanna get it over with, and since you can NOT study and still pass the class (thanks to the open book tests and corrections) they think that's "good enough."</p>

<p>This is really stressful...but I am trying my hardest. How nice it would be if there was no such thing as general education requirements...an entire 4 years of just Biology and Humanities classes.</p>

11

<p>
[quote]
suggestions...thought maybe someone else may have had the same problem I have now.

[/quote]
Yes. My S had problems in an Engineering class (his field and one he usually does quite well in) and a great part of it was a disconnect between him and the professor, just as yours is.</p>

<p>Tanya beat me to most of my suggestions, so I will reiterate and let you know which helped my S.</p>

<ol>
<li><p>Office hours: (Tanya's #3) My S did not find the prof any more helpful in office hours than in class (although he had hoped ;)). Maybe it helped some, but I reiterate that profs are human (even ones you don't jibe with) and may well take into account your noticeable effort when grading time comes.</p></li>
<li><p>Alternate text (Tanya's #4): S went online and ordered an alternate text, rush, and he says this is what helped him the very most. Worth the cost.</p></li>
<li><p>New study partner (Tanya's #2): He got a new study partner. He felt it seemed to help that kid more than it helped him, but hey... every possible avenue.</p></li>
<li><p>Let yourself off the hook pressure and stress-wise (my own contribution, not on Tanya's list :D): When our S told us he was afraid of failing the course (a completely foreign experience to him, usually an excellent student), we told him "Just pass the course." We didn't want him to worry that he would be letting us down if he didn't get an A or a B+. Eventually, he got a C+ in the course; worst grade he's ever had before or since and the one we are proudest of. Because he had to work so hard for it, because he didn't fold under pressure, because he had to try many different avenues to find a path to success.</p></li>
</ol>

<p>Good luck. And I also don't think one problem course will derail your transfer plans.</p>