<p>Hello, i was accepted Penn State's Main pre-med program for fall 2013. When i taking my placement tests it was late at night and i was really really tired. I think i did well on my math test because i was taking calculus 2 at that time and everything on the test was fairly easy. The chem part however i performed very poorly on. I took chem my first semester of my junior year i had a pretty good grade( 92 overall) and i took my placement test near the second semester of my senior year so i had pretty much forgotten everything about chemistry. My major requires a lot of chemistry and biology so i don't want to waste my time on remedial courses. Can i tell my adviser about my problem and possibly start off with Chem 110?? Thankyou so much for your answers!!!</p>
<p>If you have “pretty much forgotten” everything you’ve learned about chemistry, why on earth would you want to jump into a class that under the best of circumstances is pretty rigorous? College is not about some perceived status or standing as related to what class you take. It’s getting the best education and acquiring knowledge. That’s what placement tests are for, and you defeat the entire purpose by bringing a high school mentality of hurry hurry get ahead. You don’t have “problems”, you have a lack of current chem knowledge. Relax. Take whatever chem the placement test thinks would be appropriate, and if you don’t think that’s a great idea, go read the thread from the former student who is trying to get back in after flunking lots of classes freshman year.</p>
<p>Chemistry 110 is a big weedout course for science and engineering majors. Calculus 1 and 2 are also big weedout courses for science and engineering majors. If you have pretty much forgotten everything about chemistry, take chem 101 first. Why take 110 and risk either needing to drop it or starting off college with a bad freshman GPA? What is your intended major by the way?</p>
<p>I am planning to major is pre-med and i was planning to do a refresher in chem during this summer then just start off with chem 110 during the first semester.</p>
<p>I’m a biochemistry and molecular biology major, but my science classes are cluttered with bio pre-med students. I have a lot of friends who are bio pre-med. The biggest threat to a pre-med major is organic chemistry. In order to do well in organic chemistry you really need a good understanding of general chemistry. If you really had a tough time with the chemistry placement test, then do not start off with chem 110. The pace will be way too fast for you and you will quickly fall behind and be forced to drop the class. Do not feel ashamed about taking chem 101. One bad grade can spell disaster for medical school hopefuls. Do not risk doing poorly just because you think taking remedial chemistry may bruise your ego.</p>
<p>Thanks! I guess i will just take chem 101 first then chem 110.</p>
<p>The other option is to start off taking chem 110 for one week and if you find the pace is too fast, you can easily drop down to a chem 101 class and take 110 in the spring.
A lot of people do this with math 140 (calc 1). They are completely lost the first week of class and end up dropping back to math 40 (college algebra), then they take math 140 in the spring. There is not shame in it.</p>
<p>yeah that’s what i am confused about i was planning to do what you suggested but will the adviser let me to that if my chem placement score was bad but my math score was good? You are awesome thank you for your answers!</p>
<p>The adviser may advise against you taking chem 110, but he can’t stop you from registering for it. If you are set on attempting chem 110, then try it for a week, and if you find the pace too fast then drop back to chem 101.
If your math score was good you will probably be placed into math 140.</p>
<p>My son had not taken chemistry since junior year and spent a few days with an AP review book before he took the placement exam. He managed to avoid taking chem 110. (He was an engineering major so he didn’t have to worry about being prepared for Ochem.) You might register for 110 and look at a study guide over the summer.</p>
<p>My son hadn’t taken Chem since Soph year of HS and did poorly on the placement exam, but decided to take Chem 110 last year because although he was accepted into Smeal he was still considering engineering. He had to work his butt off and went to study groups, paid for group tutoring sessions, etc., but he ended up with a solid grade. There is a risk though, because for many students Chem 110 is a very challenging class. I think discussing the options with your adviser at scheduling is a good idea. Taking 110 and dropping early/entering 101 if necessary is also an option but not you’ll only have a week and a half to make that determination and will that be enough time?</p>