Hi I just graduated high school, and I am planning to go to a university next year. I will be majoring in chemical engineering, and I got a 5 on AP Chemistry test last year, however, I honestly do not remember much from AP chem, and I will be taking intro to chemical and intro to transport phenomena next year. I am really worried, and I think maybe I should just retake chemistry and slow down my first year in college as retaking general chemistry will also boost my GPA up. I want some advice on whether I should just study during summer and skip general chem, or I should retake chem. Thank you!
Skip it. It shouldn’t take more than a few hours to review what you need. How much is tuition for General Chemistry worth next year?
I should have asked what school it is.
Thank you for the reply! I forgot to mention that I got a full ride, so money is a big problem for me. I am mainly concerned if I will be able to get a good grade in the sophomore chem class.
Okay, but if you got a “full ride”, doesn’t that pretty much take away the issue of how much taking it again will cost?
Yes, how much it costs wouldn’t really matter much, but I don’t know if it’s worth taking it again since it could be a waste of time and takes away time to take other classes while reataking can strengthen my chemistry knowledge and help my GPA.
I mean it really depends on you. I personally think you’ll be fine. Relearning material is much easier than learning it the first time, and you should be able to pick up any topics that you need again in a future class by reviewing the material. You can always try to find old general chemistry exams for your school, and see if the material looks familiar. Don’t worry about not remembering a lot of it, but think of it more from a standpoint of–if I really needed to, could I review this material and pick it up again? Or did you have no idea what was going on in AP Chem and the exam was an entire fluke? What’s important is not that you remember everything, but that you can relearn anything you need. If you didn’t understand it the first time, then it will be much harder to understand it on your own the second time. But if you issue is just that you’ve forgotten things, then I wouldn’t worry about it at all.
If it helps, I took AP Chemistry when I was a junior in high school and got a 5 on the AP exam. I skipped general chemistry in college and went into organic chemistry in college. Did fine, got A’s. I took biochemistry and higher level chemistry courses and was fine. I later tutored general chemistry on the high school and AP level, and that was fine as well.
Odds are that you actually remember more of it than you think you do. But if you do genuinely feel that you would benefit from retaking it, it may not be a bad idea. It’s important to have a solid foundation. Getting a 5 on the AP test is nice…but a college level general chemistry course is still going to almost certainly be more rigorous and in depth. I’ve been working as a science/math tutor for two years, and I’ve seen a lot of students that have taken AP classes in high school get to the next level courses in college and end up finding that they’re woefully under-prepared for them.
Usually there are these 3 choices:
- Take Chem 1 again
- Take an honors version of Chem 1
- Take CHem 2 or the next in sequence
I would first look at what your colleges says about AP Chemistry in the AP Credit section of their website. Does it mention anything about ChemE majors? Then look at Placement…often there is discussion of Math/Calculus placement…does it mention Chemistry? next look at the ChemE department website and see if there is a "template’ for the four years of college.Finally, when you are picking courses ask your adviser (or ask the department head) what they think.
It might be that your school recommends you take their version of Chemistry even if you get a 5 on the AP.
It might be they recommend you take an honors version.
It might be that most Chem E majors move to the next in the sequence and you should too.
The best thing to do is discuss this with an academic adviser. They’ll be able to tell you how students in similar situations usually fare in either option.