<p>My S has emailed his Honors advisor. I have emailed her as well and also a phone call to the honors college was made. He wants to get out of the O Chem class she advised him to register for and get in Chem 141 (which had plenty of seats last week) the class if filling up and he hasnt heard a thing back from the advisor. The honors college just stated that they were very busy with orientation and that my S's advisor was not in for a few days but assured him that she would check emails. He tried to schedule the class but could not due to needing honors approval. The Honors college rep stated that there were no other counselors available to help him. Frustrated! Any advice?</p>
<p>Can you register for both and let the advisor have input afterward, then you can withdraw one? Likely you’ll have and answer before you can vet this option.</p>
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<p>1) It is June and an outstanding time for a professor to take a vacation outside of email reach.<br>
2) This is your son’s and only your son’s problem to deal with. Professors don’t and shouldn’t deal with parents.</p>
<p>@sohoist he can’t sign up for anything in an honors section without advisor approval…he already tried.</p>
<p>@ ClassicRockerDAd…Advisor didnt respond to my S’s 3 emails and phone calls. Honors College promised more than that…also no other advisor available to fill in during vacation-?? and no not wanting to talk to any professor or advisor as a parent but footing the tuition without asking government help says we have a right to be frustrated with college… have received some really useful advice from other parents/students on this site as well… sorry</p>
<p>That is frustrating. I would advise that your son sign up for chem111 ( I think that is the number for non honors) now to secure a spot. Then keep trying to reach the advisor. My daughter could not fit Chem 141 into her schedule last year so she took the non honors chem. She then got in the second semester honors chem. She had no problem going from non honors to honors and clearly of the advisor suggested OChem your S must be a strong chem student. It is much easier to drop a class than add one. Don’t drop the OChem yet - just hold onto both until you hear back from the advisor. The only problem for my D taking the non honors is she was bored!</p>
<p>FWIW, I like the advise of @ahsmuoh … My D actually chose to take CHEM111 (non-honors Gen Chem) over the Chem 141… Chemistry is not one of her strong suits though. Instead she is taking the honors level for all her other classes - MATH141 (Calc), BIOL101, UNIV101, and a Biomed eng. class- BMEN101 (12 honors credits total). So if you ended up in CHEM111, you could always make up the honors requirements in other classes. </p>
<p>We were told that anyone in honors office could help with change…but ended up getting hold of regular advisor (different from orientation one who was a fill in). Although this was several years ago. Sorry about this but just keep calling …starting very early am 
If no response, try calling Dr. Lynn, head of honors.</p>
<p>@coleman4 @scmom12 @ahsmuoh Thanks for all of the advice. My S called the honors college again and expressed his frustration. They connected him with an assoc. dean and was advised to drop OChem and take physics instead. He was also told that he cannot take Chem 141 due to his APscore and that the instructor would ask him to leave the class (does not make sense as ahsmuoh daughter took reg chem). S asked for Chem 111 and also told that it was not worth the time. In any case he also needs a physics class for premed so he is happy with the decision and really liked the Dr. that he spoke with. His schedule is much more balanced and he is comfortable with it. So success was had…by encouraging him to keep calling </p>
<p>@VinMic2 - Great S got that worked out. I’m curious though if CHEM111 is ‘not worth the time’ and he would not be able to take CHEM141, then if Gen. Chemistry is a requirement for his program, what other option is there? </p>
<p>I agree that CHEM111 is probably easy after having taken AP Chem in high school but my daughter wanted something ‘easier’ with all her other classes being honors level (she doesn’t know what to expect re: the difference b/t the honors level and regular class). Her AP score wasn’t great either in AP Chem test so she wanted a review again before going into Org.Chemistry. </p>
<p>Good luck to him though. Glad he worked it out! </p>
<p>@coleman4 too funny because that’s the exact statement I made to my S…“what else is there”? the dean told him to take Ochem spring of freshman year and that he did not think that general chem or honors CHEM did anything special to prepare him for OCHEM. I am confused but at least S is happier at this point. I guess thats what advisors are for? </p>
<p>hmmmmm…my d got a 5 on her AP Chem test (but she took it senior year so her score may not have been posted when she scheduled - I don’t remember). My D is a pre-pharm major so chemistry is very important. I do not think she got anything out of Chem 111 but she was advised to take it (well really 141 but she couldn’t fit it in her schedule) and it was an easy A - which always helps first semester freshman year while adjusting. This also was my D’s only non-honors class.</p>
<p>@ahsmuoh I 100% agree with what your daughter did and would have preferred my S to do the same but I cannot say anything more to him. They know he is premed and that GPA matters yet they still advised skipping the first CHEM class even though he has not had chemistry since junior year. </p>
<p>Well he can always revisit what order and which chemistries he takes for spring. Once he is here in the fall it will be much easier to sit down with advisor and have long talk, plus have chance to get professors opinions and talk to other premed students. If he has a schedule he’s happy with and he’s taking “real” stuff that he needs then he should be good to go.</p>
<p>Its all good and @scmom12 you are right he can figure the rest out once he is actually a student in the school. I was just relieved that an advisor helped him and even fit him into a class that was already full. He chose the school for the extra advising sessions etc. so hopefully this is a good sign. </p>
<p>FWIW my daughter had took AP Chem junior year and scored a 4. She took Chem 141 and loved the professor so much she took 142 I the spring even though she had decided not to major in chemistry and didn’t need the science credit. She found both classes very doable without an unusual amount of work. Her honors advising was Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride last year. She did not have her schedule set either semester until right before classes began. She thinks it was partly due to the fact she had “undeclared” and so many AP credits that no one could really offer advise as to what to take. I had to take chill pill and let her just deal with it.</p>
<p>@GCBMIB thanks for the advice! Also finished orientation and couldn’t be more impressed with Honors College. S is in good hands…</p>
That sounds unusual to have him start with O chem. Usually it’s Chem 1 and Chem 2. With AP chem credit maybe they will take Chem 2 right away or take honors Chem.
But if he is premed he needs to be careful to make sure opting out of a class with AP credit will be accepted.
this thread might be helpful.
I don’t really understand the advice given that the intro chem classes would be a waste of time. Doesn’t a premed need a very high gpa? I’m glad your son didn’t jump right into O Chem, esp. after a year break of having chem.
@mommdc This is an old thread from last year. Chem 141 is a bridge chem class for kids with reg chem credit who want to not go straight to OChem.