<p>Hi guys, I got a 5 on the AP Chem exam which gives me credit for CHEM131/132 or CHEM135/136 and CHEM271 which is a total of 6 credits or so I've heard.</p>
<p>However, I'm doing engineering + pre-med, so I was just wondering which chemistry class i should take, since I have options. CHEM131 or CHEM135? I heard Dixon is a good teacher, but do you think the engineering focus is not as necessary?</p>
<p>Where are you getting that a 5 on the Chem AP places you out of Chem135? </p>
<p>The chart online doesn’t say that…</p>
<p>[Transfer</a> Credit Center | Advanced Placement Exams (AP)](<a href=“http://www.tce.umd.edu/apchart.html]Transfer”>http://www.tce.umd.edu/apchart.html)</p>
<p>If you look at the course description below (taken from testudo), take note that it is specific to engineering.</p>
<p>CHEM135 General Chemistry for Engineers; (3 credits) “The nature and composition of matter, solutions, chemical reactions, equilibria, and electrochemistry, with applications to various fields of engineering.”</p>
<p>With a 5 on the AP, you do get credit for Chem131 which is "An overview of the Periodic Table, inorganic substances, ionic and covalent bonding, bulk properties of materials, chemical equilibrium, and quantitative chemistry. CHEM131 is the first course in a four-semester sequence for students majoring in the sciences, other than Chemistry and Biochemistry majors.
AND
Chem132 “Introduction to the quanitification of chemical substances, including the concept of the mole and chemical stoichiometry. Additional work involves the synthesis of ionic substances and their qualitative characterization. Must be taken concurrently with CHEM131. Laboratory sessions will begin after the first lecture. Students must pay a $40.00 laboratory materials fee.”
AND
Chem271 " An introduction to the physical aspects of chemistry; chemical kinetics, thermodynamics and electrochemistry in the context of current chemistry research. "</p>
<p>You can check out course descriptions on testudo.umd.edu</p>
<p>@yodelo,
</p>
<p>I don’t understand what you mean. If you are in the school of engineering then you have very few “options”. You take the courses the engineering school says you should take. This should all be explained to you at orientation. Don’t worry about it until then.</p>
<p>As for your “options,” check out this link - you can scroll down to find your engineering major and click on it to get a very helpful planning tool… </p>
<p>[Undergraduate</a> Advising: Four-Year Degree Plans | A. James Clark School of Engineering](<a href=“http://www.eng.umd.edu/advising/four-year-plan]Undergraduate”>Four-Year Plans | A. James Clark School of Engineering, University of Maryland)</p>
<p>I would appreciate actual answers to my questions, rather than telling me that I’m wrong in my thinking and copying and pasting information/websites that I can (and have) seen online already. </p>
<p>My question is giving the option, as a pre-med (who needs to retake chem) and engineer (who has the option to take chem135), which course do you think is more in depth and would better prepare me for the MCAT?</p>
<p>I’m not planning on taking the lab portion because I have AP Credit, and I believe that I’ve seen somewhere that a 5 on Chem gives you exemption from chem135 (even though not on the AP credit site)</p>
<p>First off, I never said you were wrong. I was merely questioning, for my own edification, where you got that info from, and showing you what I was basing my questioning on.</p>
<p>However, I will tell you that are wrong now. You are wrong to expect “actual answers” on CC. The only source for “actual anwers” is the school itself. </p>
<p>So, rather than giving bogus advice, I just referred to school-based links (actually cut and pasted the info and added the links as the source for verification) since I (mistakenly) thought that would be helpful to you or anyone else reading your question. </p>
<p>The reason why I assumed you didn’t see these links on your own is because you phrased your OP with “OR SO I’VE HEARD.” </p>
<p>When you rephrased the question, it is worded more specifically and I get a different impression of what you are asking. So, you may not deem this worthy of being categorized an “actual answer,” but I will share advice I heard…look up the class syllabus online and you’ll have a better sense of the content, giving you a basis for you to judge how in depth each class is. </p>
<p>As for preparing for the MCAT’s, well, one class alone over another is not going to make or break your prep for it. I would suggest following the engineering route only because there was a study done that showed engineers out-performed pre-med students on MCATs. I’d refer you to that source/link, but I’m afraid to offend you further with things that you can see online…</p>
<p>Oh, and before people misinterpret me, when I said giving bogus advice, I was only referring to myself and my advice given the potential for me personally to give a wrong answer…</p>
<p>Obviously you are taking this way too seriously. I apologize for whatever made you get in a hizzy.</p>
<p>The point I was trying to make is that I’ve done my research and I don’t want facts. I want student opinions, people who have actually taken the courses and have experience</p>
<p>Seriously? You made maryversity “get in a hizzy.” You were remarkably ungrateful and disdainful in response to maryversity’s perfectly reasonably reply.</p>
<p>High school immaturity</p>
<p>Yep, some of the attitudes people have are unbelievable. Nobody should be discouraging informative answers, or honest questions for that matter! We aren’t mind readers :)</p>
<p>uhh…well…let me try to just end this discussion, lol.</p>
<p>I had Dixon for chem135 this semester. She’s a great teacher, really cares about her students, and will answer every question thrown at her. She’s really great at office hours too. Don’t cross her though and don’t mess around in class. If she gives out directions, DO THEM. If you don’t or if you jerk around, she WILL humiliate you (deservingly to be honest). Other than that, she’s really nice. Since you got a 5 on the ap chem exam, I would say you should be ready for the class. The silent pre-req for this class is some chem experience or ap chem, because Dixon is by no means an “easy” professor and she moves really fast. You start orgo early on in the course. I hadn’t taken chemistry in 5 years and then I was sick the first 2-3 weeks of the semester, so it proved to be way too much for me and I had to withdraw unfortunately. Her exams are definitely difficult (the average for the last exam I had with her was in the 50s according to my TA), but supposedly she gives a nice curve (this curve means nothing though if you don’t try at the very start).</p>
<p>As for your question on whether it’s really necessary since it’s engineering-oriented, I’m honestly not quite sure. The class probably fulfills basics that all engineers need. My major, atmospheric and oceanic science, requires me to take chem135 because I was told they have certain topics that are not discussed in chem131. If you want to LEARN chemistry and you absolutely NEED it, take Dixon, engineering or no.</p>
<p>Hope that helps.</p>