<p>Hi Everyone, I am going to be a freshman this fall in the College of Engineering at U of M. Sorry of this question has been asked (I couldn't find a thread on it), but I was wondering if it would be a good idea for me to take organic chemistry as opposed to general chemistry in my first semester. I took IB Higher Level chemistry, got a 6 and placed into organic on my placement exam. Some engineers at UM have told me that this is okay to do, so I'm looking for some other opinions to be safe. I've heard that organic can be really tough course, so what have your experiences been with organic chem, especially those who took the IB HL or AP credit? Thanks!</p>
<p>Are you going into Chem E or BME? </p>
<p>If not, are you interested in Orgo?</p>
<p>If not, why not take the easier class so you can focus more on your actual interests?</p>
<p>I’m not totally decided, but my top choices are Materials Science Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Electrical.</p>
<p>I was in a similar position last year and decided to take Gen chem first because I preformed poorly on the AP Chem test. It was nice to adjust to college classes/college life with a familiar topic, especially in the science classes. The lab for Gen chem is a weeder class though and made to be more difficult than it needs to be (lots of group work outside of class). </p>
<p>Having taken both Orgo and Gen Chem I would say if you feel comfortable with chemistry then go ahead and take orgo but I’d hold off and take it second semester. Orgo is taught to be focused on group studying, the course pack problems don’t have answer keys so you need to get with friends in the class to compare answers. If you hold off and take it second semester you’ll have established yourself at school and will have a group of friends in the class that you can study with. If you’re not comfortable with you’re chem knowledge go ahead and take gem chem first semester.</p>