High School Chemistry (Was it easy or hard for you back in the day?)

[momofkhm]

Easy but then i went on to major in chemistry in college.

[JFSinIL]

My oldest went through public school for high school and Chemistry was his hardest subject. He barely got a B. He HATED it.

 

Now he is in college...and after starting out thinking Bio, has declared himself a Chemistry major! He just won an ACS (is that it?) honor as best sophomore in Organic all year (a 300-level course - he got A's!).

 

So go figure.

[AngieW in Texas]

Chemistry class was a no-brainer at my high school. As long as you were awake in class, you would get at least a B.

 

Biology was difficult, but the teacher was great. Lots of As, but you had to work for it. Everybody wanted to work for it because the teacher made it fascinating. It helped that she was really into genetics, so we spent a lot more time on that than anything else and most of us thought it was cool.

 

Physics was completely meaningless. The teacher was trying (and failing) to learn the material along with us. The grades in that class meant nothing. I got a B, but learned nothing.

 

My high school science experience was pretty dismal. The math teachers at my high school were fantastic (except for the French, chalk-throwing geometry and calculus teacher).

 

I ended up majoring in physics, but that had nothing to do with my high school experience. I just really loved the physics classes I took my freshman year.

[swellmomma]

Chemistry is done differently in Canada. You take it in grade 11 and 12. My grade 12 class I hated the teacher, I had her for grade 10 science and grade 11 chemistry and found she lacked the ability to properly teach. So in grade 12 when I was assigned to her chem class again I requested a transfer to the other class and was denied so I simply never attended class. I taught myself the material. Now the way a grade 12 class works here is at the end of the year you write a provincial exam to see if you pass that class towards your diploma. The class work is work 50% of your grade and the exam is worth 50%. I spent the semester teaching myself the material, never went to class, never handed in homework, never wrote a class test. I walked into my chem diploma exam and passed the class with a 51%. Not a great mark but in order to have passed the class at all I pretty much had to ace to the provincial exam kwim. So while it certainly was not easy peasy it is was easy enough.

 

Now physics on the other hand... I dropped physics in grade 11 and took foods, I never studied physics in high school beyond the first week.

 

Biology was my fav and it turned out to one of my highest marks all through high school

[happyhomemaker25]

I guess it depends. I did ok in my 10th grade Honors Chem class, however I had to drop my 12th grade AP Chem class because I after 2 weeks I had no idea what that man was talking about!! He was a great teacher one of Disney's Teacher of the Year finalist and everything, I just could not get it! LOL, of course most of the kids in the AP Chem class had dropped out of the IB Chem class. I guess that would explain a lot!! :)

[LostSurprise]

I'd say HS Chem was normal/equal to humanities. I averaged a B and took it as a sophomore (most people took it as juniors or seniors).

 

I loved parts of it. Other parts were ill-explained.

 

Biology was my first love though. I started college as a Bio major. College Chem was actually hard.

[nukeswife]

I took chem as a Junior. It was hard, and I was a straight A student that took Pre-calc for fun (the only AP my school had was English Lit) I loved math and science but Chem really stunk. I attribute it being hard to having a Teacher that was older than Moses who should have retired about 30 years before teaching my class who by that point could never actually articulate what she was teaching well. We were basically on our own.

 

I will never forget the 2nd day of class. She was trying to show us that a candle will go out if the gas surrounding it is only carbon dioxide. Well her CO2 tank was not working, so she had the brilliant idea to hold a beaker in one hand and blast CO2 into it with a fire extinguisher. Well not only did she not have the ability to hold the beaker because she underestimated the force of the extinguisher (the beaker shot about 10 feet across the room right at us, one boy had to hit the deck in order to not get hit with it) but she also failed to realize it was a sulfur based extinguisher thus shooting a wonderful yellow powder everywhere.

[Night Elf]

I think perhaps my high school wasn't a good academic school, and that can make a huge difference. I was not good at math. I only went through Algebra 1. In fact, it was my 10th grade year when I took Algebra 1 and Chemistry. I don't remember it being easy peasy, but I remember thinking it was so fun. The one thing I remember the most is balancing equations. I loved that! I made either an A or B. I am not a math/science person at all.

[Tutor]

It was very difficult for me, but I was placed in AP Chem on request of my bio teacher even though I told the academic counselor that I found chemistry difficult and wanted to take regular chem since it moved at a slower pace. I ended up pulling a B, but barely. On the other hand, I found college chem much easier in comparison. :D

[Word Nerd]

It was harder for me than any other class besides Geometry (though admittedly I didn't have any other classes that were hard at all, so comparatively speaking, it was hard for me--but I still got an A). I especially had trouble with molality and molarity.

Edited May 10, 2012 by WordGirl

[6packofun]

I can't vote, either, but because I took honors organic chemistry...and I got a C in it. My first C. LOL It was hard, but doable, so I have no idea if "regular" chemistry would have been different.

[catz]

I thought high school chem was easy, but I took a full year of honors chem in college and I thought that was difficult! I survived with good grades though!

 

I'm not sure this board population would necessarily reflect the experience of an average high school student!

[mchel210]

I love science and could pass it now with an A easy...BUT not in 10th grade! Yuck! I had to retake it in summer school!

[Lisa in the UP of MI]

Just realized that you meant general chemistry. I took honors chemistry my sophomore year. I loved it and it was easy for me. Most of my classmates didn't feel the same. I went on the be a biochemistry major. :)

[Amy in NH]

I didn't answer the poll because it is my belief that high school Chemistry was only difficult because I refused to memorize my common ions. I did memorize them in college and found Chemistry to be easy and wonderful.

[tex-mex]

Early in the second semester she had us mixing up "mystery chemicals" and I started getting sick from the fumes put off by the reaction. When I expressed my concerns that the fumes were noxious/toxic, she said: "I've been doing this 30 years." I was already convinced the woman was certifiably crazy (now I wondered if this was why), and I walked out of class and went to the Councilor's office where I told them I was done with her. In an unusual move they let me do a clean "drop" and I took the second semester of Chem at a rival high school over the summer. That summer class was a breeze.

 

Bill

:lol::lol::lol:

[ThisIsTheDay]

I did not vote.

 

My gem of academic excellence (CA ps) required one year of science. I took general science in 10th grade with a young first year teacher. One-fourth of our class copied off of me. I technically had an F (we were all quite lazy), but since I was the one doing the "work," the teacher gave me a C and failed all of my friends.

[SwallowTail]

I liked it and thought it was fun and easy, but I have an aptitude in that area and have pursued it as my career path.