Student Success

One of the most important parts to a successful start in chemistry is taking the right course! Often students get into trouble when they jump into a sequence without the right background and prerequisites. Therefore the department offers an online placement exam each summer to help you decide whether Chem31A or 31X is right for you – check out more information in our undergraduate program description.

As you progress through the major, each student chooses a major advisor within the department to help them create a plan for coursework, find research opportunities, and think about next steps. If you are not yet a major, or just wondering how to proceed through coursework in our department, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your current instructor or our Student Services Officer, who can suggest helpful people and information.

If you find yourself struggling, don’t be too quick to assume that you’re not cut out for chemistry. Often, students come from a high school where expectations were much different, and perhaps just memorizing the key concepts or knowing the steps to each of the homework problems was enough to ace that exam. But you came to Stanford to be challenged and grow, which means your studying will probably have to change too! It might be as simple as devoting a bit more time to practicing the material, but it is more likely that how you are studying will actually need to change, too. While it can be difficult, changes you make in your studying of chemistry will be sure to help you in your other classes too, so it is well worth the time.

Read our Study Tips for Chemistry.

Additionally, don’t forget that there are many other resources on campus that can help with general study skills, note-taking, time management, and more! Check out the Center For Teaching and Learning’s Study Learning Programs and resources here: https://studentlearning.stanford.edu/ You can even make an appointment with one of their academic skills coaches to get a personalized plan for improvement: https://studentlearning.stanford.edu/academic-coaching

Group Study Halls

As we mentioned earlier, chemistry is all about problem solving – and just like riding a bike, this skill needs practice to get better! This is certainly something that you can do on your own, or better yet, in a study group. If you are looking for additional guidance, our first year sequence of courses Chem31A (Aut), Chem31B (Win), and Chem33 (Spr) offer Wednesday study halls in the evenings, where students come together to work through course practice problems with TA support, so you can ask questions as they arise. The worksheets are also posted on the course Canvas sites so that you can work on these on your own too – the key is dedicating specific time to PRACTICE. If you can’t explain how or why you solved a problem in a specific way, then make sure to ASK.  The Center for Teaching and learning also leads general Study Halls on Sundays from 1-5 pm Study Halls | Student Learning Programs (stanford.edu).

Student Office hours with the Course Instructor or TA’s (OH’s):

All of our courses also offer Instructor and TA office hours. OH’s are informal and unstructured time for students and their instructor to discuss any and all aspects of the course and beyond!  A very common recommendation that more senior students give their “younger self” is that they should have taken advantage of the student hours in their earlier years at Stanford. Many students say that they were hesitant to go to student office hours -- or didn’t know what they were -- but later realized that OH’s can be enjoyable and extremely beneficial!

How can you use OH’s?

• Drop by the conference room at any point during the designated time.  Since there may be other students there, you will likely learn from their questions and can engage in the ongoing discussion, as well as ask your own questions. 
• If you did not understand a topic during class, we can work through the topic together and discuss specific parts you find challenging.
• If you have difficulty with an aspect of an assignment, we can go through it together, addressing any questions you might have.
• We can chat more generally about the course, other topics in chemistry, your possible plans for majors, research or internships in the private sector, or any other topics related to your academic or intellectual interests.

What are the benefits of Student OH’s with the Instructor?

For you:

• You get to know us and your peers better and enhance your academic experience.
• You can learn more by discussing topics in the course individually with us.

For the instructor and TA’s:

• We get to know you better and help you to be more satisfied and successful in the class.
• We can better understand challenges with the course material and how to teach the material more effectively.
• We get the opportunity to share our enthusiasm for chemistry with you, the students.

All courses also have general office hours where you can work with TAs to practice problem solving and ask questions about any course material to build a deeper understanding. Additionally, CTL offers free tutoring and drop-in hours for many of our courses as well: https://studentlearning.stanford.edu/tutoring

The Stanford Summer Bridge Program is designed to support incoming first-year and transfer students in their transition to university life. It focuses on academic preparation, community building, and equipping students with the tools and confidence needed for success at Stanford. The program particularly aims to support students who are first-generation college attendees, those from high schools with limited curricula or Advanced Placement options, or individuals seeking additional preparation before commencing their studies.

Like its predecessor, the Leland Scholars Program, the Stanford Summer Bridge Program includes a course in chemistry problem-solving, designed to help students build a “tool kit” of strategies for studying and approaching scientific problems, as well as gain practice taking a first exam.

Learn more about the Stanford Summer Bridge program