<p>I've been accepted to Penn as a junior transfer, but I don't really know much about the chemistry program other than what I've read on the website. If anyone could give me any insight into courses, research, etc., I would really appreciate it. I'm currently deciding between Penn and Hopkins, and I think I would fit in socially at either school, so the only other factor if the strength of their chemistry departments. Oh, and if it helps, I'm planning to go to graduate school to get my PhD.</p>
<p>Congrats. Talk to Dr. Don Berry who is a chem major adviser. You also need to work on getting transfer credits in fall. What chem major courses did you take from your previous schools? Based on my experiences, you need to beat 80% of your classmates to get solid As in orgo and p chem classes. It is doable if you work hard, but I’m not going to say it is easy. There are lot of smart kids who will do better than you no matter how hard you try. If you really work your ass off, A- is always doable. I know Hopkins has a good chem department but I would say getting As here at Penn is lot more difficult based on what I hear from friends who go to Hopkins… Ask anyone who is a chem major at Hopkins. In terms of grad school prep, I think both schools are great. By the way, why PhD? Good luck!</p>
<p>Thanks! I actually ended up deciding on Penn, so it’s good that I’m hearing this now. I’ve taken the general chemistry and organic sequences, biochemistry, and a polymers class. I never expected getting an A to be easy, especially considering Penn’s academic reputation. I’ve always been dedicated to my academics, so I’m actually looking forward to the challenge. As for why I want to get a PhD, I pretty much knew I wanted to go to grad school when I started research my freshman year. Research has always been fun for me, and I’m planning on making it my career. Do you happen to know anything about Dr. Topp? He’s teaching pchem in the fall, and I’ll be taking it.</p>
<p>I took his p chem last year. His curve was actually not that bad. 31% of the class got A+, A, and A-. Usually only one person gets an A+. But as I said in my previous post, if you want to get a solid A, you need to make sure you are above 80% of your class. Focus on his previous exams… Exams are not that hard if you are used to his previous exam questions and if you know the concepts well, but there are many physics and engineering majors in that class who will do very well. Usually the averages are between 70-80 out of like 120. Dr. Topp is very helpful outside of class. Use his office hours if you have any questions. If you are a p chem type of person who is good at math, you can study by yourself, but if you are not, organize a study group. It will make you study harder and eventually help you get a good grade. Welcome to Penn and I admire your passion for research! If you have any more questions let me know. I myself is a transfer student too. I declared my major in chemistry and need to take just 3 more majors to get my degree. I also found this post which might be helpful for you. </p>
<p>On the Penn Chem Department
I would strongly, strongly discourgage you from majoring in chem if you attend Penn, not because the program is poor (quite the opposite, and that’s the issue actually) or anything like that, but because frankly your chances for survival are not good. The chem department has the harshest curve of any department at Penn (set to a C+/B- with 15-20% A’s and A-'s), and the most brutal classes. Gen Chem is, in my opinion, the toughest of the intro sciences (though as a chem major you’d also have to take the engineering sections of physics, which is also brutal), and orgo at Penn is every bit as difficult as people make it out to be. Even that lab component for orgo (which is a 1 semester, 8-10 classroom hours/week course that most premeds at Penn actually take after they have completed both semesters of orgo lecture and submitted their med school applications) is brutal.</p>
<p>The other upper level classes only get worse. There are two main biochem classes at Penn, Bio 202 and Chem 251. The former is pretty tough and is the one Bio majors and the like take; the latter is what Chem and Biochem majors take and is probably the most difficult set of coursework I have ever seen in my life. My gf took it last semester and it was to the point where she thought orgo was easy by comparison. I’ve heard horror stories about p-chem and p-chem lab as well, though not quite to the extent of biochem, which I feel reasonably confident in saying is the single hardest class at Penn (except maybe for Bio 402, which is the advanced biochem class that at one point in its history had 4-hour long exams).</p>
<p>Now, let’s say you’re a real juggernaut at chem and are good enough to handle the major requirements- getting your research in is the next major hurdle. The Chem/Biochem departments at Penn are the most research/grad school oriented at the school, meaning that (and I have seen this numerous times) Chem professors do not want to take you on in the lab if they know you’re premed, because few Penn Chem majors are. Being a Chem major, you also do not have the advanced Bio coursework for work in a Bio lab, which will hurt your chances there as well (not to say you won’t find a spot, it’ll just be harder).</p>
<p>Now that I’ve probably scared you have to death, and i apologize for the lengthy post, I will say this: Penn is an excellent place to have success as a premed if you’re dedicated enough. The advising is excellent, the number of people who get into med school with comprably low GPA’s is striking, and the rigour of the premed courseload, if it doesn’t kill you, will prepare you for the MCAT in a way that few schools can. There are plentiful labs for research, and a world-class hospital for volunteer/clinical exposure, and a general preprofessional atmosphere that contribute to makeing Penn one of (in my opinion) the top two or three premed destinations out there. So, I strongly encourage you to look at Penn, but, if you’re sure you want to go into medicine, as something other than a Chem major.</p>
<p>genetics16, since you seem to be familiar with the chem department at Penn, do you what science and math courses freshmen generally take their first semester if they plan to major in chemistry don’t have plans to go to med school?</p>
<p>I’m surprised that there’s an A+ in the grading scale, since I’m so used to an A being the highest grade possible. Is that system in place just to recognize the few students who are at the top of the class? Thanks for the advice and that post; I’ll definitely keep all of it in mind when I start classes in the fall.</p>
<p>It sounds to me that you have made a very good choice. Given that you are interested in getting a PhD in chemistry Penn should prepare you well. Just make it clear to the faculty that you are hoping to go on to get a PhD in chemistry.</p>
<p>Furthermore, I would recommend you realize that for the Chem major, you need to take Orgo lab, Pchem lab, and Advanced lab.</p>
<p>They are 9 hours, 9.5 hours, and 10 hours a week respectively not counting the time you would need to do lab reports. By all accounts, they are huge time sinks that could really ruin a semester academic wise.</p>
<p>But on the chem department, it is very strong. I think of the Nobel prizes that those affiliated with Penn have received, 5 of them have been in the Chem department.</p>
<p>Thankfully, I already have organic lab completed, so I’ll only need to worry about pchem and advanced lab. It says that inorganic should be taken at the same time as advanced lab; any idea if this is absolutely necessary?</p>
<p>I don’t know whether it is necessary, but I suspect that the reason it says that is that the Advanced Laboratory is probably dependent on knowledge of inorganic chemistry.</p>
<p>Thus, it would most likely be okay to take Advanced Lab after Inorganic, but not Inorganic after Advanced Lab. I’d shoot an email to a Chem prof (the chair would probably be most responsive) for further confirmation.</p>