For my first post, I would like to thank everybody on the blog who showed up with study tips and "cheat" sheets for the reactions and mechanisms.
Organic chemistry is a class that is difficult for students who have all of their faculties, but imagine the obstacles for a student with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Enter my life.
I have been dealing with PTSD from an incident in the Army, and the symptoms are all counterproductive to succeeding in this class. I will spare you the details, but I need every edge I can get my hands on to get the grades I want.
I am eager to learn, and would appreciate any other study tips you may have. This weekend, every minute that isn't Superbowl Sunday I will be working on gaining a better grasp of the material we learned in chapter 9 and 10.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI read your post a few weeks ago and meant to post a reply earlier, but exams rolled around and I admittedly pushed it off.
I did my Undergraduate work at UNC-Chapel Hill and came to UNCG after graduating to do a Post-Baccalaureate Program. When I think about my struggles and the differences between the two schools, there is one thing that specifically sticks out in my mind: UNCG's emphasis on student collaboration.
At UNC, I was never approached by others students in my Chemistry classes to work in groups or share ideas. To the contrary, I felt like it was always a competition to see who could achieve the highest grade and any attempt to collaborate was viewed as an infringement on personal study time. However, when I arrived at UNCG, I was surprised to find a very different approach and philosophy to learning.
Within the first few lectures, I was inundated with information about SIP Sessions, Study Groups, and even approached by several students to work on homework assignments. At fist, I was a little pessimistic about working with others and wasn't comfortable with the idea (By nature, I'm a loner anyways). However, I eventually fell susceptible to the idea and strongly believe it was one of the most positive academic experiences I have ever had.
Although I do not and cannot fully understand what you're going through with PTSD, I strongly encourage you to engage in studying with others. It has helped me out tremendously and I have achieved so much more by sharing ideas than I ever could have working alone.
All the best,