UoM General Chat

[lzxnl]

re amino acid memory

I found it helpful to group the amino acids together based on structures (I ranted on this a while ago so I'll keep this brief)
So for instance, valine, leucine, isoleucine have small hydrocarbon side groups
Cysteine and methionine have sulfur
You should know glycine is the simplest and that alanine has a methyl side group. If you know that phenyl means benzene ring, phenylalanine shouldn't be too hard to work out.
Then, glutamine is just the amide form of glutamic acid; same with aspartic acid and asparagine, with asparagine having one less carbon atom than glutamine in its side group
That's thirteen amino acids grouped already. I think you can see the point of this

[vox nihili]

Doesn't Biomed get a Chem subject in first year to prepare them?

Yeah, like Belgarion said the first year Chem subject is way too rushed. Cuts out things.

[litaluta]

Wow. They actually give you that data.

Reflects on the poor structure of the course/bad teaching more than anything.

on the next slide she started to say how well this subject is organised I am not sad with it,its not that hard maybe but results from last year is scary for sure :-s

[LeviLamp]

Lots of people also got good marks, you'll do fine if you study hard! Good luck

[xenial]

Are we having a rant about chem for biomed?? Can I join in?

Well, Stephen, we only found out we had to learn them today. And by the sound of the talking that drowned out the lecturer for the next five minutes I think people feel the same way haha. The fact that you're actually studying for chem is better than the rest of us. I just occasionally rewatch a lecture and cram before MSTs. Oh and I make lecture summaries except I'm about 6 behind.

Chem is so confusing. It feels like a rote learning subject half the time, the other half of the time I have no idea what the fuck's going on. I walked out of a lecture once having understood nothing from slide 2 onwards.

But yeah, the course has totally changed. We're on our third lecturer and only one of them you guys have had (the niceish old guy who did the nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur cycle etc). Like I can't tell if those cycles are rote or not. What do I need to know or your slides and what is irrelevant? Because I feel like half of it is just background but I don't know which half haha.

We've also done thermodynamics which was pretty screwed up, I taught myself the entire of thermodynamics in the week before the MST out of a textbook, I would literally listen to the lectures and understand less. And then 3/12 questions he didn't talk about and I googled them at my computer.

I used to think I loved chem but this sort of turned me off. That and the practicals... RaaghhbhhgGHGHRbwghw it's not my fault my fucking yield wasn't very high. I'm tempted just to make up my yield and MP altogether.

[Shenz0r]

Are we having a rant about chem for biomed?? Can I join in?

Well, Stephen, we only found out we had to learn them today. And by the sound of the talking that drowned out the lecturer for the next five minutes I think people feel the same way haha. The fact that you're actually studying for chem is better than the rest of us. I just occasionally rewatch a lecture and cram before MSTs. Oh and I make lecture summaries except I'm about 6 behind.

Chem is so confusing. It feels like a rote learning subject half the time, the other half of the time I have no idea what the fuck's going on. I walked out of a lecture once having understood nothing from slide 2 onwards.

But yeah, the course has totally changed. We're on our third lecturer and only one of them you guys have had (the niceish old guy who did the nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur cycle etc). Like I can't tell if those cycles are rote or not. What do I need to know or your slides and what is irrelevant? Because I feel like half of it is just background but I don't know which half haha.

We've also done thermodynamics which was pretty screwed up, I taught myself the entire of thermodynamics in the week before the MST out of a textbook, I would literally listen to the lectures and understand less. And then 3/12 questions he didn't talk about and I googled them at my computer.

I used to think I loved chem but this sort of turned me off. That and the practicals... RaaghhbhhgGHGHRbwghw it's not my fault my fucking yield wasn't very high. I'm tempted just to make up my yield and MP altogether.

It's natural to feel confused right after the lecture. Just give it time to sink in. At every organic chemistry lecture I would fall asleep because I didn't understand anything, but come MST and exam time, everything just sort of clicks. That said, Chemistry for Biomed shouldn't be focusing on rote-learning...it was more about understanding the concepts when I did it.

As for that lecturer, no, you don't need to remember the cycles. They will come up in the MCQ as "true/false" questions, and you will need to apply redox to them. It's hard to explain, but once you look at the exam papers you will see what I mean.

And yeah I was never really a fan of the chem practicals either. More of a nuisance really, considering that half of your pracs don't even relate to your material.

[Stick]

Are we having a rant about chem for biomed?? Can I join in?

Well, Stephen, we only found out we had to learn them today. And by the sound of the talking that drowned out the lecturer for the next five minutes I think people feel the same way haha. The fact that you're actually studying for chem is better than the rest of us. I just occasionally rewatch a lecture and cram before MSTs. Oh and I make lecture summaries except I'm about 6 behind.

Chem is so confusing. It feels like a rote learning subject half the time, the other half of the time I have no idea what the fuck's going on. I walked out of a lecture once having understood nothing from slide 2 onwards.

But yeah, the course has totally changed. We're on our third lecturer and only one of them you guys have had (the niceish old guy who did the nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur cycle etc). Like I can't tell if those cycles are rote or not. What do I need to know or your slides and what is irrelevant? Because I feel like half of it is just background but I don't know which half haha.

We've also done thermodynamics which was pretty screwed up, I taught myself the entire of thermodynamics in the week before the MST out of a textbook, I would literally listen to the lectures and understand less. And then 3/12 questions he didn't talk about and I googled them at my computer.

I used to think I loved chem but this sort of turned me off. That and the practicals... RaaghhbhhgGHGHRbwghw it's not my fault my fucking yield wasn't very high. I'm tempted just to make up my yield and MP altogether.

My major qualm is with the lecturers more than anything - one that omits key information, over-complicates things, laughs at genuine questions that he thinks are second-nature, refuses to answer questions half the time and storms out while he's covering arguably the most difficult part of his course, and the other who consistently rushes through the lecture slides and finishes 20 minutes early. The only good one was the one you mentioned. :/

[xenial]

Couldn't agree more. Considering emailing that guy and asking him to slow down.

[simpak]

on the next slide she started to say how well this subject is organised I am not sad with it,its not that hard maybe but results from last year is scary for sure :-s

22% N is actually pretty good compared to some other subjects inc. third year MIIM subjects.  Re; the comment about poor structure of the course the course was really well structured when I took it, so I doubt that's it.  People just don't spend enough time memorising things/looking at the fine detail and think they can swing by on general concepts.  Or no study at all!

In other news, continue with MIIM and your life will rock.  I just got home from uni at 10pm after getting there at 8:55am and opened a packet of biscuits (my dinner).  And what's Easter!?  If anyone wants to hang I'll be at the Doherty Friday through Tuesday.  Then back to the usual 9-not5 grind.

[vox nihili]

I used to think I loved chem but this sort of turned me off. That and the practicals... RaaghhbhhgGHGHRbwghw it's not my fault my fucking yield wasn't very high. I'm tempted just to make up my yield and MP altogether.

This. Nearly did science so I could major in Chem. Completely turned me off it. Genuinely dreadful subject.

[hobbitle]

This. Nearly did science so I could major in Chem. Completely turned me off it. Genuinely dreadful subject.

Sad to hear. CHEM10007 has been really good so far.

[Stick]

While we're talking about chem...

Since we finish early all the time with Dr Jones, do you think it's also worth asking if we could do some kind of Q&A like we did in the first few lectures? I never have any idea what's going on - I'm pretty sure I don't understand enough to even formulate a question - but it was actually really helpful to hear what other people were asking.

That said, just slowing down a bit would be pretty good! I'm not sure how the non-native English speakers are coping, because I can barely digest the words before he's on to the next sentence.

In happier news, the biology lecture this morning was pretty good! All the stem cell stuff, and discoveries and everything, were actually a really great motivational boost. I felt like I was rediscovering why I do biomed (And then chemistry happened...)

It wasn't really a "Q & A" session - people were so confused they needed to ask their whole barrage of questions immediately before they completely lost it.

I'm loving Biology. In fact, I'm likely to enjoy any subject if the lecturers are good. Geoff, David and Mary have all been fantastic and it's been so sad to see them go!

[vox nihili]

Geoff, David and Mary have all been fantastic and it's been so sad to see them go!

GEOFF!!!!!


Also, David is a champ. He seriously sounds like he's come out of a movie. "Welcome to the amazing world of stem cells. Today you will learn about one of the most powerful resources that researchers have to fight disease"

[daphaneng]

Yo, if anyone's looking for a job on campus: http://ow.ly/vQzzb

[brightsky]

Are we having a rant about chem for biomed?? Can I join in?

Well, Stephen, we only found out we had to learn them today. And by the sound of the talking that drowned out the lecturer for the next five minutes I think people feel the same way haha. The fact that you're actually studying for chem is better than the rest of us. I just occasionally rewatch a lecture and cram before MSTs. Oh and I make lecture summaries except I'm about 6 behind.

Chem is so confusing. It feels like a rote learning subject half the time, the other half of the time I have no idea what the fuck's going on. I walked out of a lecture once having understood nothing from slide 2 onwards.

But yeah, the course has totally changed. We're on our third lecturer and only one of them you guys have had (the niceish old guy who did the nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur cycle etc). Like I can't tell if those cycles are rote or not. What do I need to know or your slides and what is irrelevant? Because I feel like half of it is just background but I don't know which half haha.

We've also done thermodynamics which was pretty screwed up, I taught myself the entire of thermodynamics in the week before the MST out of a textbook, I would literally listen to the lectures and understand less. And then 3/12 questions he didn't talk about and I googled them at my computer.

I used to think I loved chem but this sort of turned me off. That and the practicals... RaaghhbhhgGHGHRbwghw it's not my fault my fucking yield wasn't very high. I'm tempted just to make up my yield and MP altogether.

My major qualm is with the lecturers more than anything - one that omits key information, over-complicates things, laughs at genuine questions that he thinks are second-nature, refuses to answer questions half the time and storms out while he's covering arguably the most difficult part of his course, and the other who consistently rushes through the lecture slides and finishes 20 minutes early. The only good one was the one you mentioned. :/

THIS! man....sometimes i genuinely think that dr jones is just trolling us. :/