<p>Hey all, </p>
<p>I'm a second year student in L&S and until now I've been on the MCB track. After much debate, I've decided that I'm better off switching to the ChemBio major in CoC. I'm a little hesitant though because I've already taken Chem 1A, Chem 3A/L and 3B/L and I'm currently taking Physics 8A. Although I've done well in my courses so far, I worry that I don't have the background to handle the level of chemistry I'm about to face. For example, I don't have a very strong grasp on general chemistry but I'd like to develop it. So my questions are:</p>
<p>1) Would it be unwise to switch colleges at this point for whatever reason?
2) If I do switch, should I take Chem 1B + Chem 15 or just Chem 4B? What's the real difference between these two options?
3) Will my coursework in the 3 series (as opposed to 112) put at me a disadvantage later?</p>
<p>Any responses and advice in general would be very much appreciated. I'm sure some of you have taken a similar path - please share! Thanks!</p>
<p>1) No, lots of people actually switch to Chem Bio after taking the 3 series. It’s pretty much a backdoor in, but on the flip side you might be disadvantaged (see below), and at this point you’re not in the CoC “network” that’s already been established for the past year. I.e., since the college is pretty small, most people already know each other.</p>
<p>2) I know people who’ve done both. 4B is ridiculously time-consuming in terms of the lab portion. I think the lecture portion of either is not hard, but 4B had terrible lecturers/topics… It depends. I would think 4B is harder/more time-consuming, but on the other hand, you’ll get to meet a lot of people in CoC (they’ll be a year younger, but you’ll be taking the upper-divs with them anyway since you’re switching in late, so you might as well meet people).</p>
<p>3) I am not sure what kind of differences exist between 3A and 112A, but I will say that I feel taking 112A (and inorganic chem) greatly solidified my knowledge in general chemistry. So, define “doing well” in your previous chem classes. I think if you got an A- or below in Chem 1A, your gen chem won’t be up to par, but that’s all right since Chem Bio doesn’t have to take rigorous inorganic chem, which is where I feel you need to be strongest in general chem anyway. If you’re strong in physics and math, you’ll have a fighting chance in pchem. If you like ochem and want to take more of it, you’ll be sort of disadvantaged because 112B covers many more reactions than 3B, but that’s something you can self-study for. It all comes down to your area of focus. What are your academic interests/reasons for switching to Chem Bio?</p>
<p>Thanks for the reply Applejuice. I decided to switch because I felt like MCB wasn’t scientifically rigorous enough to give me a strong background. I feel stupid for wasting a year and half on watered down chemistry and physics, but that’s what I get I guess. I hope I won’t be too far behind.</p>
<p>MCB not scientifically rigorous?
You must be kidding me…</p>
<p>Wait until you take pchem…hahaha</p>