View Full Version : How can I teach myself Chemistry on a college grade level?
uhhleesha
Aug 17, 2011, 07:35 AM
I'm looking online for tutorials to read and other literature. I'm wanting to teach myself chemistry and CLEP out of the "basics" to go for more advance classes in college. (Also it'll save me a lot of money and time.) However, online I'm not seeing any tutorials other than at Pink Monkey Chemistry (http://www.pinkmonkey.com/studyguides/subjects/chem/contents.asp). After reading through it, it looks more like high school stuff. Is this what I should be expecting for the basic classes?
Questions are:
1. Where can I find literature that I don't have to pay too much for (I'm broke ) to teach myself chemistry
2. If I do have to pay for it, what books would you recommend?
3. Are the basic classes at college refresh of high school?
kcomissiong
Aug 17, 2011, 07:50 AM
A general chemistry class at a good college is nothing like high school. The first couple of classes may be a refresher, but the rest is new material. (at least it was in the ancient time of 2003) Additionally, general chemistry is usually a year long course of study with the second semester based very heavily on the foundation of the first. Anything text that is going to offer college level material is going to be expensive. I would suggest that you contact the college you intend to submit these exams to for credit, find out what book they use in general chemistry and buy it used.
Fr_Chuck
Aug 17, 2011, 08:50 AM
Yes, it is like extreme sports high school, nothing the same,
And at least mine ( OK want to talk ancient back in 1975)
But you buy the same book used in the college class, and also the lab book ( there will be normaly a lab class to match up with the regular class) And learn it
ebaines
Aug 17, 2011, 12:11 PM
I'm assuming that you have already taken chemistry in high school - correct? If so, and you did well, then you can probably place out of first semester chemistry in college by just doing a bit of review and taking the test. That's what I did way, way back in 1974 (got you beat Fr_Chuck!). The material taught in first semseter college chemistry is not that much different than high school - they just cover material a lot faster. One semester of college level chemistry is about equivalent to a full year of high school chemistry.
uhhleesha
Aug 17, 2011, 12:30 PM
Well, technically I did take it. I'm home schooled, so I buy books read them and learn the material that way. I've done done some lab stuff as well. I had this really awesome chemistry book, it was a 2008 edition (new at the time) and it was amazing. The author's name escapes me at the moment, but I had to sell it to buy more books. My classes aren't very traditional in a sense. I typically like to buy the teachers edition because it gives answered as well. So, according to the tests in the book and some I found on the website to accompany the book I scored fairly well. Typically in the 95+ percentile. Same with whatever standardized test they wanted me to take.
I'll probably take the rote of visiting some thrift/book shoppes. I could probably check the public library, as long as the material is fairly recent.