How To Be Productive Over Summer Break

How To Be Productive Over Summer Break

Congratulations! You made it through another academic year, and now it is time to celebrate with a well-earned vacation! Three glorious months of summer completely free of teachers, due dates, and studying. Maybe you are planning on visiting friends and family, earning some extra cash with a summer job, or just enjoying some personal time…

How to Get the Most out of Your Chemistry Study Group
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How to Get the Most out of Your Chemistry Study Group

Chemistry is a required subject for a wide range of college majors, and the experience is often different from other classes. We’ve addresses some of the approaches how to succeed in chemistry in other posts on when to take a chemistry class, how to develop good chemistry skills, how to study chemistry, and how to…

Two Ideas And A Dozen Tips to Make A Perfect Study Space
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Two Ideas And A Dozen Tips to Make A Perfect Study Space

People often talk about developing study skills as an act of willpower; you have to force yourself to do it. This is true up to a point, but if you make studying more enjoyable and task oriented then you won’t spend so much energy overcoming the dread of doing your homework. A dedicated study space…

4 Ways to Have An Awesome and Productive Spring Break
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4 Ways to Have An Awesome and Productive Spring Break

Spring break is coming up, which usually means big plans for students. Many of us will be traveling, spending time with friends and family, volunteering, or just looking forward to a week or two to decompress from our hectic school schedule. Unfortunately, the semester doesn’t end just because classes are out. Whatever else you are…

How to Succeed in Chemistry Class: An Incremental Gain Approach

How to Succeed in Chemistry Class: An Incremental Gain Approach

Success in a chemistry class is a particularly hard topic to discuss.  It is a multifaceted and difficult topic that is deeply rooted in the overall cognitive theory and the idea of intelligence.  Luckily, the cognitive science offers some guidance on how to succeed in chemistry.  Let me elaborate. There will be a moment in…

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Using Flash Cards to Study Organic Chemistry

There are many different ways to study organic chemistry. I’m pretty sure most of you know about, and many of you actually use this simple learning strategy—flash-cards. Now, how exactly do you make your flash cards? Do you just put some info you need to remember on it and flip through your cards from time…

Spectroscopy: Fine Details Matter!

When it comes to spectroscopy and solving spectroscopy problems (finding the structure corresponding to the spectrum), one would usually approach it in a sequence of steps. First, I’d look at the molecular formula (or calculate one from the mass-spec) to get the HDI (Hydrogen Deficiency Index or Degree of Unsaturation). That might give some hints…