Balancing Chemical Equations with AP Chemistry (OC010) Peer Tutor Emma Dreispiel

In this article, the Board of SASS interviews AP Chemistry peer tutor Emma Dreispiel. We hope that this article will help current and future AP Chemistry students in their academic journey!

What did you enjoy about AP Chemistry (OC010)?

I’ve loved Chemistry for years due to its ability to explain matter and its connections. I enjoy that chemistry gives a new perspective to topics also covered in physics - such as atoms and electricity - so that you get a more in-depth understanding of the topics The AP Chemistry course is extremely well-structured, and all the materials you need to understand the content are provided. Dr DeMello always does a great job of explaining the chapters during class. Moreover, asking questions in the discussion forum and working through problems with peers is an amazing way to understand how to solve the problems in the different units. I loved everything from the course, from the actual material to the way we learned it, and some labs were really fun to do as well.

What challenged you the most in AP Chemistry (OC010)? How did you overcome those challenges?

Honestly, time management. I did not have great time management of the assignments due for this course and handed way too many things in late. The labs take really long (3-4 hours) so make sure to schedule your lab time (I suggest doing it Saturday mornings) and staying consistent with that. Dr DeMello made the weekly questions available on Fridays last year (and they were due Friday) so if he does that again, just keep in mind that you will need to allot time on Friday morning to work on those. I recommend reading the chapters BEFORE the class discussions, but if you don’t get around to it don’t worry because Dr DeMello covers everything you need in class (but the chapters always have good explanations and techniques so don’t totally skip them). Lastly, you get two chances on the quizzes, so make sure to make them count. I don’t recommend retaking right away, but rather waiting until midterms/finals to retake all of them as part of review.

What tips do you have that could be useful to students taking AP Chemistry (OC010)?

I have a lot of tips scattered above, but my main tip is DON’T DESPAIR. Yes, it is a hard course and sometimes the material won’t make too much sense. Draw it out. Write down what you know and what you need to find out. Ask your peers over skype. Come to tutoring sessions (always here to help). Go to office hours. Dr DeMello is really kind and always available to help as well. Make sure to understand what you’re doing in the labs, as they’re the only real practice you get with the concepts. Enjoy yourself. You can make it a fun experience.

About how much time did you spend a week working on assignments and preparing for discussion sessions in AP Chemistry (OC010)?

Definitely the most time-consuming class in my schedule last year. Reading the textbook and taking notes took me about 3 hours on Sundays. Then I’d work for 2 hours on Fridays to solve the questions. Labs take 3-4 hours on Saturdays and the weekly quiz is 1 hour on Sundays. That is around 10 hours per week outside of class. Also, when posting on the discussion forum, that would take about another hour. Make sure to spread out your work, I definitely didn’t and probably should have. Read a few pages per day, if you can work on the questions after class (just a few if they’re out), and keep track of the comments you want to make in the discussion forum as the unit progresses. Don’t wait until the last minute to figure everything out because it will definitely not be as helpful.

What did the typical week in AP Chemistry (OC010) look like?

I had AP Chem M/W period 1, so it was my first class always. You have to read usually half a chapter per week, or a whole chapter over two weeks, preferably before the class (so it starts on Sundays). Class consists of Dr DeMello explaining the material in-depth and making some funny commentary along the way (he is iconic). I usually wouldn’t do much until Friday, when the weekly 20 questions became available. I’d try to tackle them in the morning, and they take about 2 hours. Then Saturdays was lab day, and I definitely ended up doing it at night because my family needed to use the kitchen (make sure to tell them in advance that you need to do labs). Then Sunday I’d read the next chapter and do the quiz. However, I definitely fell behind in the first weeks, and let me tell you it is not something I recommend. Once you fall behind it is very difficult to catch up. So I fully recommend NOT doing what I did, but rather taking your time with the class and really putting in the effort, because it is not fun to stay up for hours completing late work and trying to be active in class with new material. Just do the work, you definitely will not regret it.

What was your favorite topic covered in AP Chemistry (OC010)?

I loved so much of everything, but my favorites were bonding theories (VSEPR, Molecular Orbital, Valence Bond) because figuring out how molecules bonded together and which shapes resulted was very fascinating. I also loved the electrochemistry unit since I didn’t really know how batteries worked until then, so it was a lot of insight into electricity. Every topic has a fascinating depth and exciting new material (except for the first few weeks), and as time goes on you deepen your understanding. You’ll start by memorizing solubility rules only to understand how this is determined by the end of the course, so even throughout the course there was a lot of growth.

Do you have any resources (i.e. study tips, useful websites) to share with students who want to take the course?

100% read the chapters and try to take notes. Take notes in class. If you don’t understand, go to YouTube, there are really good channels out there and my favorite is The Organic Chemistry Tutor (he is great). For learning solubility rules and charges of polyatomic ions, LOOK UP MNEMONICS. Helps so much, my favorite is for polyatomic ions and if you want to know what it is come visit me in the writing and tutoring center. Also, I am a resource!! And so are all the other amazing peer tutors. Come visit us. Lastly, the CollegeBoard review videos on YouTube are really good too so I would use those as well.

If you took the AP exam, how well did AP Chemistry (OC010) prepare you for the AP exam? How would you recommend studying for the AP exam outside of class?

I think fairly well. I don’t think the exam this year was super great or accurate because so much material was left out, but AP Chem definitely prepared me well for it. The FRQs that we do along the way are awesome preparation and you should take them seriously. Lastly, buy the review book that Dr DeMello recommends, because it has a lot of good material. I studied by going over the review book and also watching the AP Chem CollegeBoard YouTube videos and I got a good score. Don’t worry, you got this.

Emma Dreispiel is a peer tutor for AP Chemistry and can be found on the Writing and Tutoring Center.

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