<p>Can any current students tell me about their personal experiences in the following courses?</p>
<p>5.12: Organic Chemistry I
5.60: Thermodynamics and Kinetics
10.10: Introduction to Chemical Engineering</p>
<p>What do you want to know? I took the former two.</p>
<p>Just about your general experience in the classes.</p>
<p>Well, I took 5.12 as a sophomore. I found it pretty difficult – some people “get” organic chemistry pretty readily, and others don’t, and I’m one of the latter. The first-half-of-the-course lecturer when I took the class was Sarah Tabacco, who was [pretty</a> universally adored](<a href=“http://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/love_organically]pretty”>Love, organically | MIT Admissions).</p>
<p>I enjoyed 5.60 (which I took as a senior) quite a bit more. I could take or leave thermo, although the professor, Moungi Bawendi, was great. I was much better at kinetics.</p>
<p>I got a B in both courses.</p>
<p>Thank you molliebatmit! Can anybody comment on 10.10?</p>
<p>I can’t comment personally on 10.10, but I’ve known a couple of people who’ve taken it who find the class both fun and challenging. </p>
<p>Wish I could say more 
Clearly we need more Course 10’s on here.</p>
<p>My information is based on second hand information, but it seems that 5.12 in the fall is a much easier and well-taught class than 5.12 in the spring. However, for premed it is common to do 5.12 in the spring to allow for 5.13 in sophomore fall and the same holds true for Course 5 and 10.</p>
<p>Once again, for 5.60 I have mostly second hand info, and most of it comes from my Course 20 friends (who take 20.110/20.111, which meets with 5.60 for part of the term then becomes a separate class) and it seems like a relatively easy class. I’ve even been told that I could take 20.110 next semester simultaneously with GIR Chem, despite it being a pre-req, so long as I have a good AP Chem background.</p>
<p>Nothing on 10.10, sorry.</p>
<p>Is that to say that Danheiser and Jamison aren’t good? Does anyone know about these professors specifically?</p>
<p>Danheiser is a good teacher. He has a very logical and rational way of presenting the material. He’s not as eloquent as Dan Kemp was, who was a great lecturer, but I believe Kemp retired some time ago. </p>
<p>Jamison is newer, so I have no idea.</p>
<p>I just want to add that the reason for fall being considered a better semester to take organic chemistry, at least among my group of friends, may be because that means you’re taking it as a sophomore and not a freshman. A 2nd semester freshman may not be as well prepared as a first semester sophomore to cope with the workload of 5.12 (many people have told me that their 2nd semester was rough because they let the P/NR mentality bleed into it). So, the notion of the quality of the class being better in the spring than in the fall may be because of the students who are taking it, rather than the actual quality of instruction.</p>