<p>Should I take Chem 31L or 20D? I never take AP Chem and only took regular chem my sophomore year in high school.</p>
<p>20D is basically for people who has never seen chemistry before</p>
<p>Is it necessarily “bad” to take organic chemistry (I or II) over the summer since the information is learned at a much quicker pace which might become problematic when it comes to retaining information for the MCAT?</p>
<p>I’ve finally decided to do the 151 –> 152 –> 32 –> Biochem route. I’m just going to brush up on some AP chem before I head to Duke.</p>
<p>Thanks everyone for your advice and input.</p>
<p>That is a solid choice and I wish you the best of luck!</p>
<p>I’m also thinking about taking that 151 route. I figure I can drop out of it in the first 2 weeks, if I’m doing really badly, but I guess I’m still not completely sure. How many hours of work would you say is chem 151 per week to get an A?</p>
<p>^ depends on the teacher, your understanding of the material, and how you study and work best. But that whole 2-3 hours of studying per hour of class thing is probably a conservative ballpark figure for most people. </p>
<p>As for getting an A, there’s really no guarantee. College classes aren’t like high school where you work like dogs and get A’s. In classes where each midterm counts for 20-30% of your grade, it really comes down to how well you can understand and apply the concepts in a timed, high pressure environment as compared to your classmates. Some people hardly study but have a knack for it and do well, some people study hard and do well, and some people have a lot of trouble even though they study hard.</p>
<p>As for dropping, I’ll just say that it’s very hard to gauge your performance on two weeks of class unless you are really out of your depth. Orgo has maybe one pset a week most of the time and that might not even be graded or may be a completion grade. Most of your grade will be midterms, final, and lab and you won’t start getting feedback and grades for those until probably 3-4 weeks into the semester. So I would encourage you to stick around for at least that long unless, like I said, you feel completely lost. The chem department allows dropping beyond the deadline for much longer than is normal so you’ll be fine. You’ll most likely be able to drop down even after the first midterm. Hell, my friend dropped orgo after the second midterm.</p>
<p>Thank you very much, SBR! That is very helpful. I’m pretty much set on freshmen orgo then. I hope I’m not way too out of my depth, but as long as I can drop it, I think I’ll be okay. When is usually the first midterm?</p>
<p>anyone know which teacher would be better for 151 lec? McCafferty or Baldwin?</p>
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<p>Baldwin. Period. If you don’t take Orgo with Baldwin when he’s available, you’re basically shooting yourself in the foot. His tests are straightforward, his lectures are clear and understandable, he’s approachable outside of class, and he replaces your semester grade with your final exam grade if you do better on the final. Best of all, he’s really funny in lectures, and due to this, you will actually want to go to lecture every day.</p>
<p>Wait, so if a professor is teaching a section first semester (as Prof. Baldwin is), is it guaranteed that he won’t be teaching second semester? Do professors of large classes like orgo/gen chem/physics/bio only teach one semester or the other?</p>
<p>Is it worth taking Chem43 over Chem31? How is the Chem43 curve?</p>
<p>I think I asked this question earlier in this thread, but I guess it got lost in the shuffle: What material do you learn in 32? I know that the Duke Courserank website gives a short description with some of the topics covered and says that the course also goes over modern applications of topics from 31/43, but would someone who’s taking the course mind giving a better idea of what to expect when that time comes? Thanks!</p>
<p>Is it possible to still take Chem 151 with a 4 in AP Chem? If so, is there any special way of registering for it?</p>
<p>So i got a 4 in AP Chem and I’m considering taking the course above Chem 31. Is that 43? I’m not too confident in my Chemistry ability though.</p>
<p>is it possible to take chem 43 with a 3 on the AP test?</p>
<p>No, no placement will be given for a 3 on the AP test. Frankly, if you scored a 3, then I’m not sure Chem 43 would be a right fit anyway.</p>