Welcome to General Chemistry II

This will be an exciting semester for you. Chemistry is a wonderful subject that touches almost every aspect of your life. The title of our text is "Chemistry - The Central Science". Indeed chemistry is central to all of the physical and natural sciences.

Chemistry is a beautiful subject that I love to teach.

My second most favorite course is CHEM II. I hope to share my love of chemistry with you. This will be at least the sixtieth time that I have taught CHEM II. So you might say that I have some experience.

Some students say that chemistry is an easy (?) subject, while others say that is not very easy at all. The expression " beauty is in the eye of the beholder " certainly applies here. So, what can I tell you about this course?

CHEM II is a subject which is both qualitative and quantitative in nature. You must understand the concepts involved (memorization is not always enough, but it helps) and be able to apply them to problem solving (numbers and formula).

CHEM II requires your constant attention. You must decide when, where, how, and with whom you are going to study chemistry. Another expression applies here " no man (person) is an island ". It is a very disconcerting feeling to be alone and not understand what you are studying! Networking can help quite a bit here.

There are many ways that you can increase your success potential in chemistry. First I suggest that you set up a study schedule for all of your courses. A general rule-of-thumb is that you should spend three hours of studying for each hour that you are in the classroom. I do not know if this is true for all subjects, but it is true for science courses.

Please try to read the text before you come to class. Hopefully the lecture will then clarify the subject and answer any questions that you might have. I have always liked to copy my lecture notes over, as soon as possible, after a lecture. In this way I am reorganizing the lecture and formulating questions about the subject that I must have answered. Using different colors also helps me quite a bit.

Now, how can you have your questions answered and increase your understanding of the subject material?   There are several ways:

[1]	When your professor asks the class: Do you have any questions pertaining to the subject material we have discussed thus far?
	ASK QUESTIONS

[2]	Attend your professors office hours. Take your shopping list of questions with you and
	ASK QUESTIONS

[3]	Visit the Science Enrichment Center (free / no cost $) and establish a relationship with a student tutor and
	ASK QUESTIONS

[4]	Establish a study group with other students in your lecture or laboratory. Set up a time (or times) during the week that you will review chemistry and
	ASK QUESTIONS

I guess the bottom line here is that . . .

" the more you study chemistry . . . the happier you will be ".

Study, study, and then study some more!

Do not wait until the day before an examination to open the book and work out problems. Harold Ramis in the movie " S t r i p e s " may have been able to cram a semesters worth of geology the night before the final, but it will not work here (it doesn't work in Geology either!).

There is no magic pill that I can suggest to help you to learn chemistry and to be successful in chemistry. There is no magic here at all! Well, maybe there is a path  to success, happiness, and contentment with your studies.

The path requires you to develop a good work ethic and a concrete set of goals. Desire to succeed, perseverance and tenacity are necessary positive attributes.

Remember . . . . . . . . .

the road to knowledge is straight and true,

one errs, and errs, and errs again . . .

but less, and less, and less !

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