Studying chemistry tends to have its ups and downs. But most of the time, it can be a battlefield of rigorous materials and time-ticking understanding. While you might lay low to avoid being effortlessly attacked with elements, compositions, or calculations, sometimes you see your classmates swiftly fighting like it’s an easy task. At times, you might eventually wonder: How can they easily understand and study chemistry like it’s nothing? Well, if you’re still struggling to hold your ground, you don’t need to worry! Here are some strategies to flawlessly study chemistry.
1. Utilize sources to your advantage.
There are many sources that a person can access when trying to study chemistry. At some point, your teacher might give you some preferred materials they have already prepared. While each source of material might be equipped with different sets of explanations, it is always recommended to study using at least multiple sources. After all, we all know how confusing and perplexing chemistry can get. This way, you will be able to explore different narratives and explanations, utilizing them to your advantage. You will also find many opportunities to study different types of chemistry questions from each source material, providing you with many ways or possible tricks when it comes to complex chemistry questions.
But it is also crucial to know that you should choose multiple sources from the start and abide by them until you fully comprehend the materials. Whether they are textbooks or online videos, you should know which of the materials fits your taste. Though this doesn’t mean you should study using all sources of materials on the internet, it might be quite overwhelming, which is why two or three sources of materials should be enough to strengthen your knowledge of chemistry.
I use three sources in total, one being my school textbook and the two other being YouTube channels that I find most entertaining and easy to understand. If you’re looking for channel recommendations for studying chemistry, then I advise you to check out MiniTool’s article titled: 10 Best Chemistry YouTube Channels for Chemistry Enthusiasts.
2. Discover your purpose for studying.
One of the personal downfalls of learning chemistry is the loss of passion when being forced to do so. It might be surprising—or not—but chemistry is not a subject that you can master by just learning the materials and being done with it. If you don’t develop any passion and dedication for chemistry, you’ll be struggling when having to take advanced or rigorous chemistry coursework in the future. That’s why you should try to wind down and find enjoyment in studying chemistry. It doesn’t have to be a well-thought-out reason that involves deep searching. You should evaluate what got you studying chemistry in the first place. If you’re studying chemistry out of personal favor, use it as your anchor to keep flourishing. If you’re studying chemistry because of the potential income, then use it as your main purpose to study more.
3. Implement daily exercises.
While you might understand certain materials in chemistry the first time you learned it in class, it's still recommended to exercise your brain daily to fully grasp the material more. Like any other subject, chemistry might be easy to follow if you’re studying it in class, face-to-face with your teacher and friends. But as soon as you’re finished with class and done with school altogether, chances are that you’ll have difficulties remembering certain lectures regarding chemistry if you’re only relying on your memories. Thus, it is always recommended to implement daily chemistry exercises every chance you have.
Of course, when it comes to daily exercises, you would probably link them with typical demanding work such as practice questions. But you can always make these exercises more fun, by downloading certain apps, linking chemistry with everyday life, or creating simple games that can make the learning experience much more special. I prefer the latter to the rest, as it’s a fun way to keep exercising my comprehension without getting bored or tired quickly. If you’re looking for a way to exercise your comprehension daily, you can also create your own game to learn chemistry or you can check out Legends of Learning’s article to provide you with a better chemistry game recommendation titled: Chemistry games.
There are many websites online that provide special learning experiences about chemistry that you can access daily, such as LabXChange, an online learning platform provided by Harvard University, with a specific cluster titled: Introduction to Chemistry.
4. Create a structured mind map layout.
When it comes to chemistry, there are many materials that you might have difficulty grasping. When that happens, creating a structured mind map tends to be a good way for you to evaluate your mistakes and weaknesses in studying chemistry. Of course, there are no limitations when it comes to creating your structured mind map. But for it to become effective, you must be ready to dig deep and discover your strengths and weaknesses in chemistry. This way, you’re able to differentiate which materials you’re having more difficulty with and divide your time to study them more efficiently. This doesn’t mean you’re only going to focus all your attention on that specific material and set others aside. Instead, it’s a chance for you to deepen your understanding more, as you already know which layout you’re familiar with. If you’re struggling with more than one material—say two—then it can be a chance for you to balance your time and deepen your understanding by studying both without getting burned out. In a way, creating the structured mind map layout is equal to creating your designated chemistry timetable and priority list.
To put it all together, studying chemistry will eventually have its challenges. But if you can find the time and effort to solve these challenges, then chemistry shouldn’t be a difficult subject to study! Just remember the different study methods you use should revolve around your own self and how you best learn. As long as you make it work, then you can pass through with minimal effort!
References:
Harvard University. (2020, January). Introduction to chemistry. LabXChange. https://www.labxchange.org/library/clusters/lx-cluster:ChemistryResources
Jocelin. (2023, September 7). 10 best chemistry YouTube channels for chemistry enthusiasts. MiniTool. https://youtubedownload.minitool.com/youtube/chemistry-youtube-channels.html
Legends of Learning. (No date). Chemistry games. Legends of Learning. https://www.legendsoflearning.com/chemistry-games/
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