<p>Or, more specifically, would a biology major have to take a remedial college chemistry class before taking the chem required for the major? Most kids end up with only one semester of HS chemistry, and plenty of biology classes. I'm wondering if D should add a year of chemistry, but she'll have to drop fine arts. :(</p>
<p>I think that first year general chemistry would not have a "year of high school chemistry" pre-requisite, but that having taken a year of chemistry in h.s. would make first year general chemistry much easier.</p>
<p>Check the catalog at the schools she is most interested in. The course prerequisites should be listed.</p>
<p>If your daughter plans on being a science major in college, she should take standard 4 year sequence of high school science--1 year Earth Science, 1 year Biology, 1 year Chemistry, and 1 year Physics. She should also take 4 years of math including calculus.</p>
<p>Well a lot would depend on how good that one semester high school chem class was. I took a lab course in physics without any high school physics (not a physics for poets course). It was difficult, but not impossible, at least not until the last week or two of the course when they gave us a bunch of material that assumed I'd had a college chemistry class. I'd had high school chem three years earlier and didn't remember anything from it.</p>
<p>NYsmile, no one in the honors track in our high school takes Earth Science. They jump right into biology in 8th grade. I know that's a bit unusual, but Earth Science isn't required by the Regents or any college.</p>
<p>I'd think a prospective bio major would want a good grounding in chemistry.... but most colleges offer different options and there should be an intro course your daughter can take that will not have any specific prerequisite. Usually there will also be a more advanced option for students who have a strong high school background, like AP Chem -- for example, they might go straight into organic chem in college whereas your daughter would start with general chem as freshman, then onto organic chem her sophomore year.</p>
<p>Actually, I'd prioritize math over chem. I changed majors from science to humanities after one semester of organic chem, but it was the math part of the course that was the killer.</p>
<p>I took a college course with no hs chem. I had to work really hard, but I got Bs on my finals. Whew--really difficult!,</p>
<p>Earth science? Nope - not an option.</p>
<p>Karen, it really depends on how thorough that one term of chemistry was. Talk to the school and find out if the course is a standard college prep chem course that will prepare the student for a science major's chemistry course. The student can also take a sample exam from an SAT2 Chem book and see how he fares with the material. If most if the stuff is unknown to him, he is going to be in for a tough ride with the standard chemistry course at college. </p>
<p>College have different types of chem courses as well. I took an chem course that was only a semester at my college but it was considered the equivalent of the standard two semester chem course that most premeds took. There was a program that integrated physics and chemistry, and the first year had both courses, a semester a piece. Most courses at this college were 3 credits in value. The Physics and chem were each 5 credits, so you can sort of tell the difficulty level from that. </p>
<p>If you are planning to go premed or seriously into the sciences and your grades are going to count heavily, it is advisable to start slowly with the difficulty level and understand the material thoroughly and get those good grades. It is possible to go directly into college level chemistry without having had high school chem, but it requires a dedicated student with a lot of motivation willing to put in the time and work on that course.</p>
<p>I agree with the above posters --- it depends. If your D is headed to a college/university where freshman Chemistry is a weed out course, then taking just one non-Honors non-AP semester of HS Chemistry will leave her at a severe disadvantage. (You do know that some students take a college level Chemistry course PRIOR to taking freshman Chem, right?) On the other hand, if your D will be taking the non-Science majors Chemistry then I don't see a problem with just one semester of HS Chem.</p>
<p>Thank you.<br>
It's a very small school, mostly IB classes, so they don't offer the standard sequence of one year of Chem, Phys, and Bio. </p>
<p>So far, I've only seen one college that had one year of chem listed in its prerequisites for applying to the school. Most just say 'lab science'. Does anyone know of a resource where you can find exact requirements for colleges easily? Some say social studies, and others want two years of that to be history. </p>
<p>Some of the U.C's are pretty clear:
I found this on Berkeley's website:
"Two years of laboratory science providing fundamental knowledge in at least two of these three foundational subjects: biology, chemistry and physics"</p>
<p>No earth science in our district. Better off taking 1 year each biology, chemistry, physics plus a second course of one or more of those to get at least 4 years of science. Never heard of less than a year's course in HS chemistry or other sciences for regular classes. And of course 4 years of math, calculus if it works out. There are usually several intro chemistry courses to choose from, a biology major these days needs a good grounding in chemistry. The particular college course would depend on the college.</p>
<p>I realize that Earth Science is not mandatory. For some, it's a way to fill in a 4 yr. sequence. Others skip it and take an extra AP science class. The point is that any future college science major should take the most rigorous math and science curriculum that their school offers.</p>
<p>Some colleges do placement tests. My daughter's college has three intro chem courses and they just sort out the kids when they get there, no matter what high school classes they took.</p>
<p>Our international school is like yours - the kids take a science rotation of 1/3 Bio/Chem/Physics in 9th and 10th grades then pick IB, AP or standard level for 11th and 12th. My d had a friend who got into trouble with this when applying for Science programs - at one big 10 school she wasn't accepted as a Science major because she didn't have a full year of physics. She had opted to take AP Bio in grade 11 and Chemistry and Environmental Science in Grade 12. So 5 years of science classes in HS but no Physics = no acceptance in their Science program. Something to look into....</p>
<p>momtn- thanks. I'm afraid of exactly that happening. I saw that a year was required on one of the schools sites when I looked in September, but can't find it there now. I remember noting it because it was the only school that S (also lacking Chem) was denied. (could be a coincidence, as his gpa wasn't great.)</p>
<p>Karen -- I am reading your OP to say that she can choose between a year of chemistry and a year of fine arts. Other posters may disagree with me, but it seems to me that a prospective biology/science major should take chemistry. While fine arts is part of a well rounded liberal education, chemistry is essential for a major in the sciences. It would appear to me that the chemistry is more important, given your daughter's planned course of study in college.</p>
<p>And thinking out loud regarding admissions -- I would question her committment or ability for a science major if she had prioritized fine arts (drawing? painting?) over a science course that most applicants would have.</p>
<p>Prerequisites for admission are not the same as prerequisites for majoring in a science.</p>
<p>Without a full course in chemistry, your D would be "behind the curve" and not likely to persist as a science major at a major institution. Please note that "most kids" do not major in a "hard" science.</p>
<p>Fine Arts is a valuable part of education. However, your D has to decide whether she wants to prepare for a rigorous science major or not.</p>
<p>Do not kid yourself. College is the place where educators quit trying to develop the kids cute little personalities and start demanding performance.</p>
<p>I found the specifics at University of Minnesota where my d's friend did not get into their Science program: College</a> planning tips for students and families</p>
<p>Which science classes should I choose?</p>
<p>..........</p>
<pre><code>If you are interested in the Carlson School of Management, College of Biological Sciences, or Institute of Technology: These colleges also require three years of science to include one year each of biological science, chemistry, and physics.
</code></pre>
<p>I'm surprised that you say most kids only take a single semester of chemistry. In our high school, the vast majority of kids have a full year of chemistry - even those who don't do 4 years of science. The school doesn't even offer a single semester of chemistry as an option. The usual sequence is Biology, Chemistry, Physics and then either earth science or a second course in Biology or Chemistry. I would think that a prospective biology major would want a year of high school chemistry at the expense of a fine arts course.</p>
<p>I am hearing that it depends on HS much more than what level. For example, some schools do not even offer AP Chem but thier Honors or Regular Chem. classes prepare better for college than AP Chem at other schools. But, I believe you need a full year to get a credit, I never heard of a single semester HS Chem. class</p>