<p>Susan King talked to our chem 1c lecture into taking honors Ochem. Her statistics said alot of people gets As and Bs taking honors o chem. I know its beneficial when considering research, and the class doesnt curve but it seems skeptical that grade distribution is better than taking regular Ochem. I need opinions here plz.. :)</p>
<p>If you can’t get higher than a C in regular O-chem, you probably aren’t interested in it. And if you aren’t interested in it, you probably won’t get much out of an honors class. I don’t know if that helps but try to extrapolate that backwards, if that makes any sense.</p>
<p>Without having taken either class, it seems to me that looking for a casual relationship between higher grades and honors O chem (when all you have is data indicating a correlation) would be a mistake.</p>
<p>In other words, students taking honors O chem are better students and that’s why the grades are higher. Not because the grade distribution is easier.</p>
<p>bump… I’m still thinking about it…</p>
<p>sndebrosse’s explanation is correct. The honors students are typically better prepared and what not. More importantly, they’re more motivated.
Note, that students who aren’t prepared and don’t study do get poor marks in honors ochem and do get kicked out of the sequence.</p>
<p>In terms of how the courses are different, the big thing is the emphasis on spectroscopy in the honors sequence. If you ever decide to go into organic chemistry (or a similar field) you’ll realize that you live and dye by your spectra. 51B offered a good introduction, although 51C (with weiss) didn’t cover it at all! Also, the laboratory techniques in the honors sequence are FAR more useful. 51L series is mostly to emphasize concepts and kill time.</p>
<p>In general: the difference between the two is spectroscopy and lab work. I don’t know what type of bio major you are but if you think you might go into a field that uses a lot of organic chemistry (pharmacology?), def take it. If you’re a more, say, neruo science or ecology-type bio major, I don’t think it’s worth it. You’ll learn enough of the basics in general ochem.</p>
<p>Also keep in mind: regular ochem is when a lot of wannabe biomajors/doctors give up/flunk out of the major. That padding will probably keep you from a F/D. Hopefully…</p>
<p>I wanted to get into the food science industry… it sounds ochem fits in…i think</p>