How do I learn to LOVE chemistry?

[thehopefulstudent]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently doing Unit 2 Chemistry and I will not lie - I don't enjoy it. At all. But I have to do it because it's a prerequisite for one of the courses I want to get into (either chemistry or physics, which I'm not doing). I recently got my test back. The topic it was on was 'Water' and I got a 58%.
I used to get straight A's last year and this year my grades have been falling. It's not a good time for my grades to drop since I'm in year 11 and doing two 3/4s (Biology and HHD), and I need to get my grades up ASAP.

The problem is, I don't love chemistry. I love my other subjects, especially English, but whenever I hear chemistry, I just don't want to do it. I dread going to chemistry class. The equations and the mol concept and all that stuff doesn't make any sense to me, it's like it just goes in one ear and out the other. It just doesn't stick in my brain. When I get home and I need to study for a test I literally don't want to study for it so much that I will do other homework just to procrastinate. I just have no idea what do do, I feel hopeless.

I need to learn to love chemistry. I used to hate English, then I got a good teacher one year that was fun and easy to work with, and my grades went up immediately and have stayed that way ever since, even though it's been three years. Now I need to do the same for chemistry. Does anyone have any tips on how to make chemistry fun? All I see right now is equation after equation, calculation after calculation. There's a barrier in my brain that I need to break. Can anyone help?

Thank you.

[studybuddy7777]

Hi everyone,

I'm currently doing Unit 2 Chemistry and I will not lie - I don't enjoy it. At all. But I have to do it because it's a prerequisite for one of the courses I want to get into (either chemistry or physics, which I'm not doing). I recently got my test back. The topic it was on was 'Water' and I got a 58%.
I used to get straight A's last year and this year my grades have been falling. It's not a good time for my grades to drop since I'm in year 11 and doing two 3/4s (Biology and HHD), and I need to get my grades up ASAP.

The problem is, I don't love chemistry. I love my other subjects, especially English, but whenever I hear chemistry, I just don't want to do it. I dread going to chemistry class. The equations and the mol concept and all that stuff doesn't make any sense to me, it's like it just goes in one ear and out the other. It just doesn't stick in my brain. When I get home and I need to study for a test I literally don't want to study for it so much that I will do other homework just to procrastinate. I just have no idea what do do, I feel hopeless.

I need to learn to love chemistry. I used to hate English, then I got a good teacher one year that was fun and easy to work with, and my grades went up immediately and have stayed that way ever since, even though it's been three years. Now I need to do the same for chemistry. Does anyone have any tips on how to make chemistry fun? All I see right now is equation after equation, calculation after calculation. There's a barrier in my brain that I need to break. Can anyone help?

Thank you.

Hey thehopefulstudent!
Im not going to say how youll instantly love chem simply because after Year 11 i dropped it from a lack of interest.

Instead i am going to ask you a few questions.
1. Why dont you love chemistry now?
2. What is your dream course, and how much does this rely on chem/phys?
3. Do you want to pursue a career where chemistry is a component (if so, how much so?)
4. Look at the course you want to do. Ask around and find out just how much chemistry is involved, and whether it is like year 11 chemistry.

You do not need to answer these questions on here, but it is important to ask yourself these questions. I always wanted to pursue a career in chemistry, but changed my mind (quite drastically) to psych after experiencing both of them. Also, go to uni open days and ask questions!

If you don't actually like chemistry then you may find your grades start to slip. Havong said that though.. You can go great in chemistry if you do not enjoy it. However, if you do not enjoy it is it what you want to be doing for the next 50 years?

Hope I helped!
Feel free to pm or post any questions or comments you may have!

I am just one person out of billions. Do not go purely on my advice. I have focussed on the negatives, but there are many positives to chemistry as well. Most of my friends love chemistry

[thehopefulstudent]

Hey thehopefulstudent!
Im not going to say how youll instantly love chem simply because after Year 11 i dropped it from a lack of interest.

Instead i am going to ask you a few questions.
1. Why dont you love chemistry now?
2. What is your dream course, and how much does this rely on chem/phys?
3. Do you want to pursue a career where chemistry is a component (if so, how much so?)
4. Look at the course you want to do. Ask around and find out just how much chemistry is involved, and whether it is like year 11 chemistry.

You do not need to answer these questions on here, but it is important to ask yourself these questions. I always wanted to pursue a career in chemistry, but changed my mind (quite drastically) to psych after experiencing both of them. Also, go to uni open days and ask questions!

If you don't actually like chemistry then you may find your grades start to slip. Havong said that though.. You can go great in chemistry if you do not enjoy it. However, if you do not enjoy it is it what you want to be doing for the next 50 years?

Hope I helped!
Feel free to pm or post any questions or comments you may have!

I am just one person out of billions. Do not go purely on my advice. I have focussed on the negatives, but there are many positives to chemistry as well. Most of my friends love chemistry

Hi studybuddy! These are the answers to your questions

1. I don't like the calculation aspect of chemistry, like having to use the mole to find the concentration of different substances and things like that. I don't enjoy it because whenever I learn something new, it just doesn't make any sense to me, and whenever i'm in chemistry class, it seems like everyone else completely understands what the teacher is talking about and that makes me more hesitant to ask questions because I'm afraid the answer to the question I want to ask is something I should already know and that the teacher will think I'm a bad student, and the people in my class will think less of me. I get that's a stupid reason not to ask questions but it's the truth. Also I put more pressure on myself to feel like I should get the concepts immediately because my dad works in nanotechnology, so I feel like this should come easy to me. That's what I thought at the start of the year, then as I went on, the subject just became really boring and difficult.

2. My dream courses are aeronautics engineering + business, or nutrition + business (both double degrees).

3. No, I would never want to pursue a career that had any chemistry in it whatsoever - that would be the last thing I would want to get a job in! (Unless if it was to do with nutrition, then that would make it more interesting - I wouldn't mind being a nutritionist and doing research, but studying things like mol and concentration and all that is horrible to me)

4. The courses I want to do don't necessarily have any chemistry components in them, it's just that chemistry is a prerequisite because I need a science to get in. I'm already doing biology but for aeronautics engineering it says I need to do either chemistry or physics, and I'm already doing chemistry and changing to physics is out of the question (I don't know if all schools do this, but for some of the subjects including physics, you must do unit 1/2 before 3/4).

Thanks for asking these questions, they made me think a bit more. I'm not sure what it is but it literally feels like there's a wall in my mind and it won't let me enjoy or understand chemistry. I wish I could just get the subject!

[ayesha2011t]

Hey thehopefulstudent! I was exactly like you, mainly it was because I never understood my teacher. Usually, I was the kind of student who did all the work, got straight As and *tried* to study ahead. But for chemistry, it was the opposite. My teacher and I never understood each other. This provoked me in failing a few of the tests, not doing my hw and even skipping class. I realised that if I wanna get good in chemistry for year 12, I better step up my game. Moved classes to another teacher and voila, I love chemistry now. My present teacher unknowingly motivates me, I put 110% effort so I can make her proud!

So my solution, try and find out why you don't understand. If it is because you just can't understand the topic, find other resources (watch YouTube vids, listen to chemistry songs, or just AN). However, if you don't understand your teacher, ask another chemistry teacher if you can join her class for a day just to see. Even though my entire timetable was jumbled up, I don't regret it a bit. Know that if you want to take the subject in year 12, you need to have a good foundation which would be impossible if you don't put the hard work.

[studybuddy7777]

EDIT: a.t just brought up a very good point! You know those cringing chemistry videos and songs? (The names bond. Gold metallic bond ) These are quite painful to watch at times because they are this cheesy 🧀 but are vital to locking info into your long term memory simply because they sre so annoying and so 'good' you cannot forget them! Of course all credit goes to a.t keep up the good work mate!

1. I can certainly relate to this not only for Chemistry, but also for English Advanced and Mathematics (Y11) (sorry these are NSW subjects :p). I'm not going to waste time by saying that this is not a good enough reason largely because i felt the same and this is the only way I can describe it. You dont want to look dumb in front of a class of smart people (who seem to judge an awful lot! - sorry not helping )

Without turning this into an informercial, do you have the VCE unit 2 Chem? These notes are an amazing resource and with these you dont have to so much get chemistry so much as just to drum in concepts that may not still make sense. Rote learning is not recommended but it can work..

2. I could tell somehow that is was an engineering degree maybe because i was interested in engineering as well before developing a strong disliking for chemistry But this wont help you. You need to be surrounded by people who love chemistry!

This is my next point. What friends/acquaintances/people you could possibly study with do chemistry with you and more importantly have a positive mindset about it?

If neither of these things work, im afraid you will have to learn chemistry by force. This makes chem even less fun, but at the end of the day you acquire the knowledge. Things like getting anyone to make you do chem through to locking yourself in a room with nothing but chemistry textbooks (an extreme!). But if you can find any interactive games, are creative and like to do posters or even simple things like flash cards this can help.

Also putting up post it notes on everywhere you always look (around your room, on your phone case , bathroom mirror, on the ceiling above your bed ). Helps if you can make mnemonics (think thats what they are called!) or puns. Make them about how you hate the chem teacher, the subject itself, try recording yourself sounding very nerdy and then play it back to yourself. Make them about people you dont like bur just make them memorable!!

Besides this, i am at a loss. Feel free to look at my How to study for any science! guide though under HSC > Science Stuff >scroll down the bottom (most of the stuff still applies to any study of science!)

Hope i could help! Cheers

[Gogo14]

In the same boat. Our teacher is never there, and we have CRTs all the time. Just wondering, does 3/4 chem get anymore interesting than 1/2?

[Pyromaniaa]

My question is why are you trying to force yourself to "love" chemistry? If you find that you don't enjoy it, then it's not something that you should be wasting your time on. Move to something else... Do something that you love don't force love upon something that won't love u back is what I'm tryna say... Chemistry is a difficult subject, I'm not gonna lie; It's either u know it or u don't. But I'm not saying you just give up on it, surely there's other ways around it to make it less 'hate-able.' All the best (=

I did Chem is yr 11 too and didn't enjoy it either, it wasn't a matter of me passing it or failing it, it was just that it did not interest me so I swapped it with something that evoked interest and good me better grades in the end

[AngelWings]

In the same boat. Our teacher is never there, and we have CRTs all the time. Just wondering, does 3/4 chem get anymore interesting than 1/2?

It varies for the person. The general consensus is that they don't like it and need it for their degree, however, some do quite like it. (I'd probably say the ratio of disliking vs liking is 70:30.)

Personally, I found Unit 3 to be quite nice, particularly on Organic Chemistry. (That's the part that's causing me to want to minor in Chemistry. Uni Chem is very interesting, just ask Melting Meithy for his opinion.) Unit 4, however, I terribly sucked at and disliked to the point where I was leaning away from Chem in uni! (How I laugh at that now.) On the other hand, I have seen many others who think that Unit 4 was awesome and Unit 3 was the worst. As I mentioned, this is a very subjective opinion.

So, how do you answer the question of doing Chem 3/4 or not? Simply put, go back to the questions Studybuddy777 said above:

Instead i am going to ask you a few questions.
1. Why don't you love chemistry now?
2. What is your dream course, and how much does this rely on chem/phys?
3. Do you want to pursue a career where chemistry is a component (if so, how much so?)
4. Look at the course you want to do. Ask around and find out just how much chemistry is involved, and whether it is like year 11 chemistry.

Answer these and come back. If you're still undecided, have a look at these additional questions:
5. What other subjects are you doing?
6. What are you looking to do as an alternative?
7. How willing are you to doing said alternatives?
8. Why did you do Chem to begin with? (No judgement/ negativity here, just here in case it brings back any interest in Chemistry. Sometimes it helps if you refocus.)

Please take note that if you're hoping to study many of science-related ones in areas such as Engineering (will need Physics and Chem, particularly if Bioengineering is in your sights) and Medicine/ Biomed (Bio and Chem), then you may not complete the prerequisites or have troubles in that course. If you are uncertain of where you're headed, then please consider all the paths you're looking into. Also, have a look through the study design and see if any of that seems interesting.     

By the way, back to the question in the title: How do we love Chemistry?
It's not easy, but find something that makes you enjoy it. Not just the cheesy ones, but genuinely good documentaries or shows. Alternatively, you could try to find out why you like other subjects. I figured that I actually liked to discover what an NMR spectra (search it up if you don't know what that is) actually was meant to represent, which is actually a part of Unit 3 Chem. It's like a long jigsaw puzzle that you made from scratch, kind of like a long Methods question.

EDIT: Pyromaniaa posted whilst I was typing this post, but I thought my insight may be helpful too. So far everyone here has been quite critical. (I was too, but now am really grateful that I did Chem 3/4!) Please note that I'm trying to direct some of these already answered questions to Gogo14, so please don't be annoyed.

[studybuddy7777]

My question is why are you trying to force yourself to "love" chemistry? If you find that you don't enjoy it, then it's not something that you should be wasting your time on. Move to something else... Do something that you love don't force love upon something that won't love u back is what I'm tryna say... Chemistry is a difficult subject, I'm not gonna lie; It's either u know it or u don't. But I'm not saying you just give up on it, surely there's other ways around it to make it less 'hate-able.' All the best (=

I did Chem is yr 11 too and didn't enjoy it either, it wasn't a matter of me passing it or failing it, it was just that it did not interest me so I swapped it with something that evoked interest and good me better grades in the end

While this is true pyromaniaa, i think the point that thehopefulstudent is trying to bring up is that they do not enjoy chemistry but it is a prerequisite for their course that they want to do.

Thehopefulstudent, i do hope you know what you are getting into if you do decide to pick engineering. Seeing as you dont like physics, you probably wont like engineering, its basically "physical (physics) applications to the real world"

Is the double degree of business and nutrition an assumed knowledge/pre requisite of either chem or physics? I personally would encourage you to go down that side seeing as you said that you liked nutrition.

Just remember, do the degree(s) you want to do, not what your parents want you to do, not what your friends are doing, and not the highest atar course you can get into. Its your life and you have got to be working the career that you pick for the next 50 odd years. So make it count

Hope this helps

EDIT: AngelWings posted while I was typing up this post, so be sure to take on Angel's advice as well.

[studybuddy7777]

It varies for the person. The general consensus is that they don't like it and need it for their degree, however, some do quite like it. (I'd probably say the ratio of disliking vs liking is 70:30.)

Personally, I found Unit 3 to be quite nice, particularly on Organic Chemistry. (That's the part that's causing me to want to minor in Chemistry. Uni Chem is very interesting, just ask Melting Meithy for his opinion.) Unit 4, however, I terribly sucked at and disliked to the point where I was leaning away from Chem in uni! (How I laugh at that now.) On the other hand, I have seen many others who think that Unit 4 was awesome and Unit 3 was the worst. As I mentioned, this is a very subjective opinion.

So, how do you answer the question of doing Chem 3/4 or not? Simply put, go back to the questions Studybuddy777 said above:Answer these and come back. If you're still undecided, have a look at these additional questions:
5. What other subjects are you doing?
6. What are you looking to do as an alternative?
7. How willing are you to doing said alternatives?
8. Why did you do Chem to begin with? (No judgement/ negativity here, just here in case it brings back any interest in Chemistry. Sometimes it helps if you refocus.)

Please take note that if you're hoping to study many of science-related ones in areas such as Engineering (will need Physics and Chem, particularly if Bioengineering is in your sights) and Medicine/ Biomed (Bio and Chem), then you may not complete the prerequisites or have troubles in that course. If you are uncertain of where you're headed, then please consider all the paths you're looking into.     

EDIT: Pyromaniaa posted whilst I was typing this post, but I thought my insight may be helpful too. So far everyone here has been quite negative. (I was too, but now am really grateful that I did Chem 3/4!)

I do apologise for double posting but please direct yourself up to where thehopefulstudent has answered the first 3 questions I have asked as it may give you some insight on how to go about this.
Eg OP is planning to do aeronautical engineering + business (advised not to by me) or nutrition + business (advised by me as OP likes nutrition)
Eg OP didnt want to do chemistry in the first place except for the fact it was a prerequisite (to do nutrition <likes this side> or aeronautical engineering <too physics based>)

I hope this helps you AngelWings as well as the OP

[thehopefulstudent]

5. What other subjects are you doing?
6. What are you looking to do as an alternative?
7. How willing are you to doing said alternatives?
8. Why did you do Chem to begin with? (No judgement/ negativity here, just here in case it brings back any interest in Chemistry. Sometimes it helps if you refocus.)

5. I'm doing Business Management 1/2, English 1/2, Biology 3/4, Health & HD 3/4, Chemistry 1/2 and Methods 1/2.
6 & 7. I can't do any alternatives - I have to do chemistry for the courses I want to get into.
8. I chose it because it is a prerequisite. I definitely did not choose it because I have any interest in it!

While this is true pyromaniaa, i think the point that thehopefulstudent is trying to bring up is that they do not enjoy chemistry but it is a prerequisite for their course that they want to do.

^ Yes, this is true.

Thehopefulstudent, i do hope you know what you are getting into if you do decide to pick engineering. Seeing as you dont like physics, you probably wont like engineering, its basically "physical (physics) applications to the real world"

Is the double degree of business and nutrition an assumed knowledge/pre requisite of either chem or physics? I personally would encourage you to go down that side seeing as you said that you liked nutrition.

Just remember, do the degree(s) you want to do, not what your parents want you to do, not what your friends are doing, and not the highest atar course you can get into. Its your life and you have got to be working the career that you pick for the next 50 odd years. So make it count

Hope this helps

EDIT: AngelWings posted while I was typing up this post, so be sure to take on Angel's advice as well.

I never said anywhere that I don't like physics! (And if I did, I must have got it mixed up with chemistry). I do enjoy physics, I just haven't learnt much of it (the highest level of physics I learn was basic year ten level, about gravity and drag, etc., basically no formulas or anything). I enjoy maths as well. I know I would love engineering, and I'm leaning more towards engineering currently.

I hope this clarifies everything!

Thanks everyone so far for your suggestions! They are really helping. From experience if I love a subject, I find it more manageable, which I'm hoping to do in chemistry

[studybuddy7777]

well okay it sounds like you would love engineering! Just put little reminders everywhere (eg on Chem books) of how this is the only way to be an engineer, and your enrolment and completion of engineering lies completely in your need to do well in chemistry.

True you may have to lie to yourself a bit, but it will be 100% worth it in the end.
Excuse me for my ignorance, but is it the subject you hate or the teacher? Because if its the teacher, i would recommend you swap classes. If not, get advice from the teacher. They will understand that not everyone likes their subject, but for the good of everyone in the classroom including himself he will want to help you.

Im about to mention the unthinkable: go spend more time hanging around chemistry "nerds" (the ones that are really into it!) Sometimes if you are surrounded by people who (strangely!) have such a passion for chemistry you wont be able to help but show some appreciation for the subject as well.

But think about it logically. You have how long left? (Idk Not long anyway. Just struggle on through chemistry and do not whatever you do get stubborn about it. It may be of use to ban (extreme i know) yourself from your "fun" activities until you do some chem revision just to make your whole life hell instead of just one subject.

Just some more tips but think of it as "pre-engineering studies" not "chemistry" as there is a stigma already attached to that word that sends shudders through your spine every time you hear it. But believe me: There are so much other worse subjects than chemistry that chemistry seems good compared to them

Some more things to think about, hope i actually help and not just ramble on

[Mellyboo]

Hey! I was feeling the exact same way in year 11. In fact,  i received LESS than 70 percent on my end of year 11 exam...  At that point I couldn't hate chemistry much more than I already did.. Seriously I LOATHED it. When year 12 started I thought maybe I shouldn't be doing this.  But I think it all turned around when I started getting more involved in class discussion and putting my hand up for everything,  even if it was annoying to others haha!  Also,  watch some really cool chem videos online,  even ones that are completely silly like 'watch what happens when i dip my hand in sulfuric and nitric acid'  hahaha!  It has aalmost no relevance but it just gets you thinking and more immersed in the language of chemistry and its uses etc!  Basically what I think I wanted to say was,  like your English subject,  things can and will change!  From less than 70 percent to a 48 in chem and doing extension chemistry! You can too!