<p>heh, i’m doing math1b+chem4a+phys7a+another class right now, as a freshman. life is bad.</p>
<p>I never took physics ever either, so yes, adjusting to 8A was a bit of a challenge at first. Just do many practice problems and by all means get help from tutors/GSIs. I was unused to the specific kind of problem-solving you use in physics - it’s not all plug-and-chug memorization like in math and requires a bit more critical thinking.</p>
<p>That said, I disagree with stly saying that 8A would be easier for someone who’d never taken physics. I’m currently finding E&M much easier to handle than mechanics last semester because this time around I didn’t need to spend the first half of the semester getting used to problem solving in physics - fundamentally, it requires the same kind of thinking and problem-solving as mechanics. Also, charge and polarization are concepts that you should have already been exposed to in chem classes. On the other hand, in math classes we never really went into the concepts or physical meaning of projectile motion; we only covered it for the sake of applying parametric equations. Though I will add that the curve for 8A is sort of ridiculous, which makes the class easier.</p>
<p>And coming from someone who took AP Chem in high school (which I’m assuming you did also instead of taking physics), o-chem is really not bad at all - it’s the same basic chem concepts you’ve had drilled into your head over and over again, whereas physics entails a different kind of thinking which may need a little time to sink in first.</p>
<p>^You assume AP Chem in high school covers more than naming the basic organic compounds.</p>
<p>Ok. Thanks.
the curve for chem 3a (frechet) was pretty generous though… how much more generous can it get lol.
isn’t the grading breakdown around 25%A’s 30% b’s 30C’s and so on?</p>
<p>In terms of actual “o-chem,” you’re right, AP Chem only covers nomenclature. But fundamentally, o-chem uses the same concepts of electronegativity, electrostatic repulsion, solubility, free energy as a measure of stability, acid-base/redox reactions, etc. on a very basic level which you should already be familiar with from gen chem/AP chem. </p>
<p>On the other hand, all physics problems require you to manipulate given equations using known values to find unknown values or to derive new equations/relations. It’s just a different kind of problem solving which I personally was unused to since I had never taken physics before, and it may be possible that it will also be harder for you to become used to compared with the types of problems you’ll be doing in o-chem. That’s the point I was trying to make.</p>