#chemistry students

[iowacitypast]

Blast from the Campus Past: Pre-medics chemistry students, The University of Iowa, December 20, 1910

Creator: [listed as]: Frederick W. Kent

[last-lab-on-the-hall]

How a "normal" STEM human being uses Microsoft Office programs:

Word - papers, essays, reports

Excel - graphs and tables

Power point - Presentations

OneNote - maybe some odd docs

How I use Microsoft Office programs:

Word - template emails, maybe a manuscript

Excel - All of my experimental protocols

OneNote - PDF editor

Power point - ALL MY STUFF literature notes, data screen grabs, actual processed data, things for slapping together presentations, SOPs, educational materials for the undergrads, animations, figures, actual presentations

[planetarysciences]

Today I wrote up some Ecology notes. I’ve recently begun using the Focus Keeper App, and its fantastic. I believe its only available on iOS. The app is free, and works wonders to keep you on track with study. I highly recommend it

The second image is a picture of a succulent teapot I bought the other day and that I’ve endearingly decided to call Kevin. I’m very happy with my purchase

[theprofstutors]

How to Get a First in Your Undergraduate Chemistry Degree

If you want the full version of this advice, read the original guide here: how to get a first in your undergraduate chemistry degree. If you already know you may want expert support during your degree, have a look at The Profs Online Chemistry Undergraduate Tutors. Chemistry at university can be exciting, intense and genuinely demanding, so it helps to know from the outset what strong performance actually looks like.

A lot of students begin a chemistry degree assuming that success will come down to intelligence alone. It does not. The students who consistently achieve high marks usually have something else in common: they build reliable systems. They do not only revise when exams are close. They do not wait until they are lost before asking questions. They do not treat lectures, labs and coursework as separate boxes to tick. Instead, they connect everything together and work steadily throughout the year.

That is good news for anyone preparing to start a chemistry degree, because it means top performance is not reserved for a tiny group of naturally gifted students. A First is usually the outcome of good habits, strong academic judgement and consistent effort over time.

If you are a prospective chemistry undergraduate, here is what you should know before you start.

Why Chemistry at University Feels Different

The jump from school-level chemistry to university chemistry is bigger than many applicants expect. You may recognise some familiar areas at the beginning, such as organic, inorganic and physical chemistry, but the pace changes quickly. The material becomes more detailed, more mathematical and much more interconnected.

At university, you are expected to do more than remember facts. You need to explain mechanisms clearly, interpret data confidently, move between theory and application, and solve unfamiliar problems under pressure. In many modules, especially physical and analytical chemistry, your mathematical confidence matters far more than students first assume.

You are also dealing with several academic demands at once. There are lectures to follow, practicals to prepare for, reports to write, tutorials to attend, and revision to manage across multiple modules. The students who do best are not necessarily the ones who never struggle. They are the ones who respond early when something starts to slip.

Key Takeaway

University chemistry rewards structure, not last-minute panic.

Start with the Fundamentals and Keep Returning to Them

One of the biggest mistakes chemistry students make is moving on from the basics too quickly. In reality, the advanced material only makes sense if your foundations are secure.

Focus on Core Areas

That means you need to be genuinely comfortable with core ideas such as:

Atomic structure and bonding

Equilibria and thermodynamics

Reaction mechanisms

Stoichiometry

Spectroscopy basics

Kinetics

Acid-base chemistry

Essential mathematical methods

These are not topics to study once and forget. They come back again and again in new forms. A weak grasp of the basics can quietly drag down performance across several modules at the same time.

When you arrive at university, it is worth revisiting your school notes, especially if there are areas you never felt fully confident in. That is not a sign you are behind. It is a smart way to prepare. The strongest students often spend more time reinforcing fundamentals than weaker students do.

Key Takeaway

If the basics are shaky, everything becomes harder later.

Treat Maths as Part of Chemistry, Not a Separate Problem

Many new undergraduates underestimate how much maths supports chemistry. Even students who liked chemistry at school can feel caught off guard by the level of quantitative thinking involved once they begin university.

Physical chemistry is the obvious example, but maths also shapes your work in analytical chemistry, kinetics, thermodynamics, statistics and data interpretation. You do not need to become a mathematician. You do need to be comfortable enough with calculations that they do not slow down your chemistry thinking.

A useful rule is this: if a calculation method confuses you once, address it immediately. Do not leave it sitting in your notes hoping it will look easier later. It usually will not.

Build a habit of reviewing equations, practising quantitative questions, and understanding what the maths means in chemical terms. You are not only learning how to calculate. You are learning how chemists think.

Key Takeaway

Stronger maths usually leads to stronger chemistry marks.

Make Your Revision Active, Not Passive

A chemistry degree creates a lot of material very quickly. If your revision method is only rereading notes and highlighting pages, you are likely to feel busy without making much progress.

What Active Revision Looks Like

Active revision works better. That means doing something with the information rather than simply looking at it.

Useful methods include:

Answering past-paper questions under timed conditions

Creating mechanism sheets from memory

Explaining difficult topics aloud in your own words

Using flashcards for reactions, definitions and structures

Building summary pages for each module

Comparing similar concepts so you can see distinctions clearly

Reviewing mistakes and rewriting model answers

Past papers are especially important. They show you how your department frames questions, what level of depth is expected, and where your weak spots really are. Many students believe they understand a topic until they try to apply it under exam conditions.

Key Takeaway

Revision should reveal gaps, not hide them.

Use Lectures, Tutorials and Office Hours Properly

A lot of students underuse the teaching support around them. They go to lectures, write notes and leave. Then they struggle on their own for weeks with problems that could have been clarified in ten minutes.

At university, asking questions is part of studying well. It is not a sign of weakness. It shows academic seriousness.

How to Use Academic Support Better

If a lecture did not make sense, review your notes within 24 hours and write down exactly what confused you. Bring that question to a tutorial, a lab session or an office hour. The more specific your question is, the more useful the answer tends to be.

You should also keep hold of feedback on coursework and practical reports. Feedback is one of the most valuable resources you get at university, but many students read it once and never return to it. If a marker points out a repeated issue with structure, accuracy or analysis, that comment can help you improve across several assignments.

Key Takeaway

Good students do not only collect feedback. They act on it.

Take Practical Work Seriously

In chemistry, practical performance matters. Labs are not an optional extra or a secondary part of the degree. They test a different kind of competence, and they often influence both your marks and your overall development as a scientist.

Before the Lab

To do well in practical work, preparation is everything. Before entering the lab, make sure you understand:

The aim of the experiment

The key method steps

The relevant safety points

What data you need to collect

What could go wrong and why

How the experiment links to the theory

Students often think lab success depends on being calm under pressure in the room itself. That helps, but strong lab work usually begins before the session starts. If you know what the procedure is doing and what the expected outcome should look like, you are much more likely to spot problems early and record useful observations.

After the Lab

Then comes the write-up. A good practical report is clear, precise and analytical. It does not just describe what happened. It explains what the results mean, how reliable they are, and where the limitations lie.

Key Takeaway

Careful preparation turns lab work into an academic advantage.

Manage Your Time Like It Matters, Because It Does

Time management sounds obvious, but in chemistry it becomes a real performance issue. The workload is heavy enough that disorganisation can cost marks very quickly.

A sensible weekly routine is far more valuable than occasional bursts of motivation. That routine should include lecture review, independent reading, problem-solving practice, practical preparation and protected revision time.

Try not to divide your term into “teaching weeks” and “revision weeks” in your mind. Revision should be happening all the way through. Even short weekly review sessions make a difference because they stop information from disappearing before exam season arrives.

You also need to break large tasks into smaller pieces. A lab report, for example, becomes much less stressful when you separate it into reading, planning, data handling, analysis and editing rather than trying to do everything at once.

Key Takeaway

Steady work beats dramatic catch-up.

Study with Curiosity, Not Only Pressure

Students aiming for a First often become so focused on marks that they forget something important: curiosity improves performance. When you engage with chemistry beyond the minimum needed for the exam, your understanding becomes deeper and more flexible.

That might mean reading around a topic, discussing an idea with classmates, attending a department talk, or paying closer attention to how a concept appears in different modules. Real interest helps you remember more, write more intelligently, and think more independently.

This becomes especially important in later years, when projects, research and specialist topics require more than surface-level learning. The best work often comes from students who are not only trying to score highly, but also trying to understand something properly.

Key Takeaway

Curiosity is not separate from achievement. It strengthens it.

What a First Usually Comes Down To

If you strip everything back, getting a First in chemistry usually depends on a few repeatable behaviours.

The Habits That Matter Most

Keeping your fundamentals strong

Reviewing content regularly instead of cramming

Practising problem-solving under realistic conditions

Taking labs and reports seriously

Using feedback to improve

Asking for help early

Staying organised across the whole year

None of that is glamorous. But it works.

Final Thought

If you are planning to study chemistry at university, the best thing you can do now is start thinking like a successful undergraduate before the degree even begins. You do not need to know everything in advance. You do need the right approach.

Chemistry rewards consistency, precision and resilience. If you build those habits early, you give yourself a far better chance of thriving academically and finishing with the strongest result possible.

[trendynewsnow]

Cartels Target Chemistry Students for Fentanyl Production

Emerging Threat: Cartel Recruiters Target Chemistry Students In a surprising twist on recruitment tactics, cartel operatives are infiltrating university campuses under the guise of everyday roles. Recently, a cartel recruiter disguised as a janitor approached a sophomore chemistry student, carefully selecting his target. With a casual demeanor, the recruiter divulged that the cartel was expanding…

Cartels Target Chemistry Students for Fentanyl Production

[last-lab-on-the-hall]

Chemistry grad students: nooming on the spoils of the faculty meeting in the middle of the hall

Chemistry undergrad exiting research lab: silent staring at his mentors' abilities to find all of the left over catered food in this building

[vedprepscience]

Physical Marathon

✅ 𝐏𝐡𝐲𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐧 🔴 𝐋𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐓𝐮𝐛𝐞 | 𝟑𝟏 𝐃𝐞𝐜 | 𝟔:𝟏𝟓 𝐏𝐌 ============================ 👥 𝘾̳𝙝̳𝙚̳𝙢̳ ̳𝘼̳𝙘̳𝙖̳𝙙̳𝙚̳𝙢̳𝙮̳ 𝐉̳𝐚̳𝐢̳𝐩̳𝐮̳𝐫̳ ̳𝙤̳𝙣̳ ̳𝙎̳𝙤̳𝙘̳𝙞̳𝙖̳𝙡̳ ̳𝙈̳𝙚̳𝙙̳𝙞̳𝙖̳:̳ 👍 𝗜𝗻𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: www.instagram.com/chem_academy_jaipur ✅ 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗧𝘂𝗯𝗲: https://bit.ly/2SzEUhe ✅ 𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗿𝗮𝗺: https://t.me/chem_academy_official . . . . #chemacademy #chemistrystudent #physicalmarathon #NewYearsEve2022

[vedprepscience]

The Open Research Lab 2.0 | Session 1 | CSIR NET | GATE | IIT JAM | Chem Academy