Chem Major

College Majors Science Majors
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<p>So I didn't really know where to place this thread. Anyway, I'm planning on majoring in chemistry and I'm not sure if my C in AP Chemistry will hinder me. Coupled with the fact I got a 740 on the chemistry subject test and a 5 on the AP exam. The only reason I got a C is because my teacher was a wonderful teacher but your worst nightmare when grading anything.</p>

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<p>If I were you I’d declare a different major and then when you’re in college switch majors to chemistry.</p>

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<p>It’s not going to hinder you!!! you can major in anything you want. my brother is actually the same as you, actually. it just goes to show that your teacher prepared you very well for the external examinations. go for what you’re passionate about and do it …your high school grades won’t matter when it comes to what you want to major in, trust me 100% on this. and don’t listen to the person above me lol … i know people who’ve done really badly in higshschool grade-wise and external examinations, but choose to major in, for example, physics, because it is where they found their interest…nobody’s stopping them.</p>

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<p>Are you aware of the poor pay and job prospects for chem majors (see other threads on this subject)? Be advised a science degree = go to professional school, or live in poverty.</p>

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<p>SS, not necessarily. Employers, wthether scientific employers or not, are more likely to hire a hard science major over someone who went into business administration/management or a liberal art like philosophy or history. Why? Because not only do you obtain technical skills from a hard science, but also more in depth research and analytical skills, as well as quantitative knowledge. Remember, the majority of graduates do not go into a directly relative field. If I were an employer, I’d rather pick someone who earned a Chemistry degree over a dime a dozen business admin. degree. At least I know that the Chem major is a competent person, and is determined by going through a rigorous course(numerous amount of math courses, like differential equations and multi-variable calculus)</p>

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<p>Really?</p>

<p>For 2008 UC Berkeley graduates, compare different majors (note: 2008 is the latest year for pay average information for chemistry graduates):</p>

<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Chem.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Chem.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/BusAd.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/BusAd.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Hist.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Hist.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Philo.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Philo.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Someone interested in chemistry may want to consider majoring in chemical engineering:</p>

<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/ChemEngr.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/ChemEngr.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Not all sciences. Chemistry and biology do poorly, but physics, math, statistics, and computer science do considerably better.</p>

<p><a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/AppMath.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/AppMath.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/CompSci.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/CompSci.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Math.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Math.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Physics.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Physics.stm&lt;/a&gt;
<a href=“https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Statistics.stm[/url]”>https://career.berkeley.edu/Major2008/Statistics.stm&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Still thats too small of a survey sample. Also opportunities differ by location. I live on the east coast, where the majority of the industrial/financial hub is.</p>

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<p>Other schools’ career surveys (when they have them – few schools actually make publicly available the survey results of how well their graduates do afterward) generally show similar trends on how graduates of different majors fare in the job market.</p>

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<p>Why do so few schools publicly show survey results? Isn’t it the responsible thing to do, so that students don’t just sign up for empty promises?</p>

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<p>You couldn’t be more wrong. Business majors have their own Math, Statistics, and Programming requirements better suited for business world. And your technical skills don’t mean jack when you don’t know that A = L + SE or how finance works. Pragramming skills like SQL or SPSS is far more valuable than knowledge of Physical Chemistry. Of course there are quant positions that look for scientists but these generally require Ph.D. I’ve seen a few business jobs that look for undergrad in hard science but there aren’t many.</p>

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<p>Correct me if I’m wrong, but I thought that happens to top students at top schools like MIT. Or is it just for investment banking?</p>

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<p>You seem to be confusing Chemistry and Chemical Engineering’s major requirement. Chemistry major doesn’t even require Differential Equations or anything higher. At my school you only need to know up to Multivarible since it is needed for P-Chem. A Finance/Accounting/Economics major with a Math minor blows a Chem major out of water in business job market.</p>

<p>If you business major isn’t quantitative enough for your taste then you’re better off majoring in Statistics or double major in business and Math.</p>

11

<p>I’m not quite sure how this turned into a war on hiring into business…I’m not all that interested in business.</p>

<p>Anyway, I’m planning on going into graduate school for a masters/Ph.D or possibly going into pharmacy. Chemical engineering is also possible, chemistry covers so many different things and I’m not sure what I want to do with it yet.</p>

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<p>^ChemE is more Math/Engineering heavy but covers all basic Chemistry major courses such as Gen. Chem, O-Chem, and P-Chem. Chemistry major goes deeper with research techniques such as spectroscopic methods but you can take that as a ChemE major for elective anyway. The only reason to choose Chemistry over Chem-E is if you’re scared by the latter’s intensity…</p>

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<p>The chem-e major here doesn’t actually cover pchem, so I don’t think that’s universal, and pchem is the part of chemistry I’m most interested in… I don’t think you can say that chem-e is strictly better than chemistry because the material covered in the chem-e classes is completely different than that in the chemistry classes beyond ochem. The chem-e professors here will tell you from day 1 that chem-e has very little to do with actual chemistry. </p>

<p>I know it makes more money, but I’m not trying to avoid difficulty by doing chem instead of chem-e. I’m trying to do something that doesn’t make me bored to the point where I can barely function from day to day like chem-e did. So I plan to graduate with a chem major and a math minor (I’d make it a major if I had an extra year, but alas) so that even if I’m poor at least I’m doing something I feel passionately about, and don’t spend every day just wanting to die like I did when I was a chem-e major. That’s no way to live.</p>

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<p>What type of things do chemical engineers do anyway?</p>

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<p>Don’t know why. But possibly because if students knew what to expect after graduation, a lot of those who would study biology, chemistry, or humanities would go to cheaper schools, want more non-loan financial aid, or not go to university at all.</p>

<p>Even among those that do publish career survey information, the information given varies.</p>

<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/internships-careers-employment/1121619-university-graduate-career-surveys.html&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

16

<p>How’s QC Manager job like this one? </p>

<p>[Find</a> Jobs - Quality Control Manager / QC Manager Jobs in La Vergne, Tennessee - Lucas Group](<a href=“http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?IPath=JRKV0A&ff=21&APath=2.21.0.0.0&job_did=J3H42V6QZM29MMHQW8C]Find”>http://www.careerbuilder.com/JobSeeker/Jobs/JobDetails.aspx?IPath=JRKV0A&ff=21&APath=2.21.0.0.0&job_did=J3H42V6QZM29MMHQW8C)</p>

<p>It only requires a BS degree with experience and the pay is $70,000 - $90,000 which isn’t too bad.</p>

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<p>10 years specific tool industry experience. Plus once they start getting applications they will have their pick of people with 10+ years experience in that industry, 6-sigma black belts, several years management experience, Master’s degrees (even PhD’s). Don’t think for a second someone with a BS and some quality experience has a chance in heck of that job.</p>

<p>BTW just for the heck of it I applied for it. I’ll let you know what happens.</p>

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<p>Btw, how bad are QC jobs (entry-level)? </p>

<p>O_0</p>

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<p>They are pretty bad. $15 an hour no benefits through a temp agency. No benefits, no career development, you are doing the same mind numbing method over and over again, you are pigeon holed into doing that year after year. No company will hire you after a few years of it as they assume you are a mindless automaton no longer capable of research or doing anything other than running an instrument and following directions.</p>

<p>If you find yourself in one the best thing you can do is save as much money as possible and do a career change.</p>