<li><p>Orgo. How far does Orgo 1 cover? Does it pretty much end at spectroscopy/Dienes/Aromatic compounds? Or does it go all the way to Pericyclic reactions and Biochemistry?</p></li>
<li><p>In applying for grad school/med school, does it look bad that you took MAT 201/202 rather than MAT 203/204?</p></li>
<li><p>If you don’t take any physics classes in college (because you got 5 on Physics C) are other chemeng classes doable based on the stuff you learned in Physics C?</p></li>
<li><p>When is the best time to take the MCATs? After Orgo? After Biochem? After Molecular Biology?</p></li>
<li><p>If a course description lists reading at 150-200 ppw, how many hours on average does one spend studying for that class? I know when I took APUSH in summer school, we had about 150 ppw of reading, and that was doable, but I wasn’t taking any other classes. I guess I want to know about how much time per week will an average Humanities class (100-200 ppw) take up?</p></li>
<li><p>Are Freshman seminars worth it?</p></li>
<li><p>Would you recommend taking freshman seminar and writing seminar in the same semester?</p></li>
<li><p>Is General CompSci (COS 126) much harder than AP Compsci A/AB ?</p></li>
</ol>
<p>I think that’s pretty much it for now.
Thanks!</p>
<p>2.It doesn’t matter. I found 201/202 has more work but easier tests.</p>
<ol>
<li>You may want to check that the schools you are applying to for medical school accept Ap credit. Make sure you talk to the premed advisers. From what I hear they’re good. I’m not a chemE but I know people who skipped physics and are doing fine.</li>
</ol>
<p>4.Talk to the premed advisers/check out premed section on the board</p>
<p>5.2 hours for me, but it depends on the person and the level of preparation they want.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Most aren’t from what I hear, but a few are. </p></li>
<li><p>It shouldn’t matter. A freshmen seminar has the same level of work as any other course and its not like they’re related and make the experience better.</p></li>
<li><p>Didn’t take AP comp sci. Cos 126 is more time consuming(annoying bugs) than hard.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Hopefully a premed princetonian can come and answer some questions I couldn’t.</p>
<ol>
<li><p>CHM303 (Orgo1) covers acid/base chemistry, spectroscopy, SN1 and SN2, E1, E2, and a bit of oxidation/reduction. CHM 304, (Orgo 2) gets into dienes, aromaticity, carbonyl chemistry. </p></li>
<li><p>You don’t need multivariable for med school, some form of Stats is often a better option for many people since it is more practical. But since it is required for engineering, unless you absolutely love math, and enjoy doing light proofs, take 201. It’s just a lot easier, especially if you’re taking orgo. </p></li>
<li><p>Yes, I know people who placed out and are doing fine in CHE. If you got 2 5s, you have no reason to take PHY103/104.</p></li>
<li><p>Take the MCATs after you have taken all of the relevant coursework, either at Princeton or in high school (Physics, math, mol bio, gen chem, orgo). There is no biochem (at least the material in CHM 345) on the MCATs. You still have to study though, a lot of the bio stuff isn’t covered in EEB211 / MOL214.</p></li>
<li><p>A lot of reading is not completely necessary. The numbers listed in the course guide are the max possible for the course, so 150-200 is pretty standard. Just stay on top of it and its fine. Anywhere from 2-4 hours a week probs, depending on how in depth you are reading it.</p></li>
<li><p>Some are good; but certainly take one that interests you. They’re generally pretty easy, but almost all of the humanities ones end with a large term paper. One of the best parts about seminars, at least for me, is getting to know the people in your seminar. </p></li>
<li><p>Some people do that; freshmen seminars are generally on the easy end, and writing seminars are typically more work-intensive, so they balance nicely. </p></li>
<li><p>COS126 is pretty similar to AP cos A/B, the class is a bit more theoretical, and not entirely coding focused, and some stuff on the AP, like trees isn’t covered in 126. If you are interested in computers and got a 5 on AP A/B, I’d recommend 226, since you’ll probably enjoy 126, but it’ll be very easy.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Thanks so much! Both of you have been super-helpful.
I ask about Orgo because I’ve had some exposure but I didn’t know how far that would cover. But it looks like we covered Orgo I and II, which is great.
A quick question: when you recommend Stats? Is that past AP Stats? Or if I got a 5 in that would you still recommend taking a higher-level stats class in college.
You say Molecular Bio is covered in the MCAT. Is that like the basic stuff you learn in College Freshman Bio/AP Bio or would you have to take MOL 345 to cover that stuff?
2-4 hours per week. That sounds good. I’ve heard anywhere from 2 to 6 or 7, but if it hovers between 3 and 5 in general, then one of those classes per semester should be okay, I think.
I heard from one guy that taking the freshman and writing seminar together would be great because the two complement each other, but if its not really necessary or recommended, then that allows more flexibility I guess.
Finally, I didn’t get a 5 in compsci AB. I got a 4. Boo. As such, I’ll have to take COS 126. But the theoretical stuff sounds icky.
Anyways, thanks so much for all of your help!</p>
<p>Stats is just a good thing to know, especially for independent work, stuff like the junior papers and the thesis, or senior project, if you’re an engineer. Most med schools want you to take math, but it’s not required, so some people who do well on the Calc AP opt to take stats instead of multivariable. You’ll have to talk more to pre-med advisors about this. I opted to take both multivariable (not linear algebra) and stats. </p>
<p>I was told by Health Professions Advising that you do not need to take MOL345 before taking the MCAT. They recommend taking EEB211, MOL214, PHY101+2, CHM201+2, CHM303+4, and MAT 104 (calc2) before taking the MCAT. And of course, most people either opt to take an MCAT course or spend a summer studying, as these courses don’t cover everything on the test. I’m not sure if other courses at Princeton cover the specific material? I think there may be some genetics stuff on there, but not so much that you need to take MOL342 (Genetics)</p>