Help!!! Should I take Chem 1A or 4A?

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of California - Berkeley
1

<p>Hi,</p>

<p>I'll be a freshman in the fall and I'm not sure if I should take Chem 4A. I'm taking AP Chemistry right now and I'm pretty sure I'll pass the AP test so if I decide to take 1A then I should already have credit for it. I applied as undeclared engineering and honestly am not sure what kind of engineering I want to go into (if any engineering). I've always thought about chemical engineering but recently I've been looking at engineering physics. I know what I end up majoring in will definitely be something in science/engineering but I honestly do not have any specific plans.</p>

<p>Do I need to take Chem 4A?</p>

<p>Also, if AP Chemistry is very easy for me, should 4A be pretty easy as well? And how are the labs graded? In the course description, it says that emphasis is placed on quantitative work. Does that mean that your grade is based on how numerically accurate your results are?</p>

<p>Thanks</p>

2

<p>You need Chem 4A if you want to do chemical engineering. Otherwise, it’s Chem 1A.<br>

No, it just means 4A goes more in depth and is more analytical. The labs are more time consuming than 1A.</p>

3

<p>For majoring in chemical engineering, chemistry, or chemical biology (major in the College of Chemistry), take 4A. Otherwise, either 1A/1AL or 4A is accepted. The College of Engineering does accept a 3 or higher on AP chemistry as fulfilling 1A/1AL for majors which require it.</p>

<p><a href=“http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/advising/advising%20handbbk%2011-12.pdf[/url]”>http://coe.berkeley.edu/students/current-undergraduates/advising/advising%20handbbk%2011-12.pdf&lt;/a&gt;

</p>

4

<p>You might get the impression that taking Chem 4A is the best choice because it is good for ChemE or any other engineering.</p>

<p>However, it might be the best choice, but it could easily be one of the worst decisions you could make in college. I was exactly in your position few years ago and Chem 4A was too demanding and had almost nothing to do with doing well in AP Chemistry. The weekly problem sets and three difficult midterms and the lab reports are not worth your 4 units unless you have to.</p>

<p>In fact, if you are considering ChemE, you must have absolute dedication into it because there is no turning back as all the courses are laid out for you for each semester with almost no flexibility. </p>

<p>If you decided to do another branch of engineering, just do well on the AP exam and get a 5 and don’t take a single chemistry course in Berkeley. Take other introductory engineering courses that are in your interest so you can find the best branch for you. Either be Chem 1A or Chem 4A, it is not worth your time or risking your GPA after all that work in AP Chem.</p>

5

<p>Yeah, don’t take Chem 4A unless you’re absolutely sure you want to do chemistry or chemical engineering. A lot of people end up hating that class and switch out of College of Chemistry because of it.</p>

<p>In general advice for everybody: If you have AP credit to get out of a class, GET OUT OF IT! Getting a 5 on an AP test does not mean you’re going to find the class easy. Remember that a 5 on an AP test usually means you got about 60% of the questions right. That amount of knowledge will get you a D in the equivalent Berkeley class. That amount of knowledge is usually all you need to move on to the next class though.</p>

<p>I skipped Chem 1A and went straight to 3A with no problems. Should have skipped Math 1B and Bio 1B as well.</p>

6

<p>Bio 1B is a cakewalk.</p>