Every day contains a total of 24 hours, and depending on whichever is less convenient for you, that will feel agonizingly excessive or not be nearly enough. In a utopian society, I’d likely spend a maximum of 2 hours being productive and languish for the other 22, but academic responsibilities unfortunately prevent me from living my truth. In all seriousness, however, I make an effort to work despite my unproductive tendencies by convincing myself that doing so will either help me understand the assigned material or at least help me practice it. This works out more often than you’d expect, but it’s been markedly ineffective in motivating me to complete work for my chemistry lab. This isn’t immediately surprising; after all, chemistry is not easy. Sometimes getting my foot run over by an eighteen-wheeler sounds more pleasurable than redoing another chain of dimensional analysis.
However, I’d argue there’s a more institutional problem at hand, that being the overall triviality of much of the work assigned prior to and after labs. It’s an issue I’ve had with several classes over time and one I’d argue severely dampens students’ learning experiences. I’d like to preface my upcoming remarks by saying I have the utmost respect for everyone in the chemistry department. My instructor has been very accommodating and given vital guidance through difficult tasks and the rapport has been cordial. I mention this to clarify that my following complaints are not directed at any individual(s) and are purely reflections of my own neurosis. Think of this article not as a hit piece and more as the ramblings of a whiny, indolent first-year college student (Coincidentally, that was also the logline for Wes Anderson’s first draft of “Rushmore”.).
With that said, I believe chemistry labs contain various trivialities which exist not to further understanding of the subject, but to create more work to grade. Students are required to prepare a litany of tasks for a given lab before class, expected of any college lab. My instructor is kind enough to even provide an outline of all the necessary work prior to each lab, which I greatly appreciate. What I take issue with is the monotony of some of this work. The report sheets for experiments must be copied down into your lab notebook, which includes carbon copies behind every page, which are submitted to the instructor. Next class, the original report sheet that you copied into your notebook is to be submitted with the exact same information collected in your notebook. The only reason I can surmise for this doubling-up of work is to produce a cleaner version of our lab notes, which are written in pen to visualize any mistakes. I ask then, why do those reviewing my lab notes need to know about my every misstep? Copying down data from an experiment isn’t arduous, but it feels purely pedantic.
Even more superfluous, in my opinion, is the request that we paraphrase the provided objective and procedure of an experiment in our notebook, the reasons for which entirely elude me. I gain no better understanding of the assignment by copying down this information, and if I have a question, it’d be far more economical to either reread the given procedure or ask the professor than return to paraphrased notes. I don’t mind being expected to do an influx of work; college is supposed to be challenging and reward effort. However, I am nettled by feeling as if I’m doing work for no actual purpose other than doing it.
I don’t wish to project the wrong impression with this piece. While it can be draining, General Chemistry Lab is far from the worst experience in the world; that’s obviously Organic Chemistry Lab. I am lucky to take such a course, and even I must admit that the feeling of finally getting something right in the lab is nothing short of serendipitous. I write this piece specifically to air out a grievance I’ve held towards school curricula for a long time: the assignment of work to fulfill a quota rather than stimulate learning or help students achieve a better understanding of the material. The grade I obtain should be the result of confronting various mental challenges that I will (ostensibly) not be thwarted by in the future, not the amount of menial tasks performed. Life is already so overcomplicated and tedious in every respect; why add even more banality to arguably the most obnoxiously technical subject of all time? I will continue to grit my teeth late into the night and prepare each of my notebooks with all the necessary information, but I will always believe that there’s an easier way to get down this information.