<p>i know you need to take one of 3.091, 5.111, or 5.112 to complete the chemistry core...how hard are they, specifically 3.091 (or 5.111)? would it be better for me to complete a chemistry course before taking them, or is there really barely any difference? i'm wondering because since i'm going to have to take chemistry at MIT again, i'm thinking of dropping my chemistry course next term (i don't like chemistry and especially dislike the teacher) to take something more interesting, but as i'm not that great at chemistry anyways, i don't know if this would make the chemistry class at MIT rather painful.</p>
<p>Take 3.091. I took 5.111 and it was much harder than 3.091. 5.111 is a traditional chemistry class and 3.091 teaches a lot of different stuff than normal chemistry classes do from what I hear.</p>
<p>I've heard people say that 3.091 is a somewhat easier alternative to 5.11x, but because the problem sets are optional, it's easy to not do a lot of work until you have an exam, at which point you have to study frantically for the rather difficult exams. The material covered in 3.091 is somewhat different from 5.11x because it's housed under the materials science department, and so you learn stuff like semiconductors and crystallography. Don Sadoway (who teaches it in the fall) is an amazing professor though.</p>
<p>5.111 is the more traditional intro chem class, and 5.112 covers that material at greater depth. For more info on the different flavors of chem, check out <a href="http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2008/subjects/chem.html%5B/url%5D">http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2008/subjects/chem.html</a>. </p>
<p><a href="http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2008/subjects/Comments_on_5.111_2003.pdf%5B/url%5D">http://web.mit.edu/firstyear/2008/subjects/Comments_on_5.111_2003.pdf</a>
has comments from students about their level of high school chem preparation and how appropriate they thought 5.111 was, given their background.</p>
<p>If you've never taken a chemistry class before, you'll probably struggle with chem freshman year, regardless of what you take. Chemistry tends to be a difficult subject for a lot of people, and if you've had exposure to the material, it makes life a lot easier. However, if you really dislike the teacher and think that taking the chem class will be both an unproductive and unpleasant waste of your time, then spend your time on something more interesting.</p>
<p>What about the physical education requirements? I'm zero at "regular" sports and only slightly experience with alternative ones (skating, cycling etc.). My interviewer said it's easy, as you can learn anything from scratch and be able to satisfy the requirement. Is that so?</p>
<p>I'd like to add that if you're planning on taking any chemistry in the future after general chemistry (such as orgo), you're probably better off taking 5.11x. I know that when I mention any of the "assumed knowledge" from orgo to my 3.091 friends, they have no idea what I'm talking about.</p>
<p>I dont like chemistry :)</p>