It is not impossible in a theoretical sense, but a small chemistry department may offer some courses only once every two years may make it difficult to arrange courses so that required courses can all be taken in the non-study-abroad semesters.
Without knowing the college the OP’s student is enrolled in, it is difficult for anyone else to determine whether the major requirements can be scheduled around a study-abroad semester. Note that doing so may require starting in first or second year taking a non-usual course sequence in some cases.
@ChangeTheGame: “My daughter is taking Physical Chemistry as a Senior and taking her Analytical Chem and Instrumentation class out of a normal sequence (both by 1st semester junior) but before her pre-reqs for each to overcome her sequencing issue and go abroad 2nd semester junior year.”
How is she doing this? Was there consideration of AP work and/or other exposure to the material covered in the pre-req courses in which she did well enough to work in her favor (even if they did not afford her a waiver from college classwork) as far as assessing her ability/capacity to successfully do the upper-level work?
Year 1- General Chem 1/2
Year 2- O Chem 1/2
Year 3- P Chem 1/2
Year 4- selected advanced classes/electives
Other required classes usually include Inorganic/Analytical/BioChem, taken in any order, generally in years 3 and 4.
I just want to put in one tiny more plug for UK schools. My daughter is a chem major at St. Andrews and I was a chem major at a small LAC in the US and I think you could make it work.
In the spring as a second year she will be taking P Chem 2 and Organic Chem 2. So a US based sophomore or junior, could easily do just those courses as it aligns with the above schedule for spring of a typical US curriculum. Then add in an elective or 2 to fill out the schedule.
@Waiting2exhale She is lucky… I wasn’t clear when I wrote the statement above, but the prerequisite for Analytical Chemistry is actually just General Chem 2, and the prerequisite for Instrumentation class is the Analytical Chemistry class. Most students take those classes Senior year at her university but she is going to move them up and take them earlier (2nd semester year 2 and 1st semester year 3). Her schedule will not be for the faint of heart some of those semesters. She talked to her adviser and mapped out the plan, but she has done well in her 1st semester in college (4.0 if finals don’t drop grades ) so they will let her go for it.
Not all majors lend themselves to study abroad. Top ten (or 20 or…) schools may offer many sections every semester but taking a chemistry course at a different institution may mean not getting the material needed for a subsequent course or as much as the home institution. Exploring a different culture is admirable but not always the best for gaining knowledge in one’s major.
It is NOT a common goal for most college students to do a semester abroad. btw- the world came to me because I was at a world class university, and in a university with many top ten grad programs. For chemistry the experiences can be had later in one’s education.
Different people look at a situation from different backgrounds/perspectives. Those who choose to major in chemistry get to explore so much about matter that most do not even contemplate- I am so glad I delved so deeply into chemistry as an undergrad even though my path diverged post bachelor’s. Unlike many nonSTEM fields, math and sciences typically build on previous knowledge. Knowledge obtained with a school’s prerequisites is assumed in further work. Time spent in labs can make it difficult to schedule many classes- think 2 credit classes with an entire morning or afternoon in the lab- 4 or 5 continuous hours twice per week. It takes time for reactions to occur, equipment to be set up… But fun. As is exposure to grad labs (Honors program).
People talk about the cultural exposure with living abroad but the chemistry major could be giving up so much of the at home exposure to nonacademic things if trying to squeeze in requirements into one less semester. One can not do everything.
But sometimes it is possible to fulfill reqs abroad. So not squeeze. Of course, sometimes it isn’t. It will be harder for a Chem major than for a French major, for sure.
This is why departments can approve certain study abroad programs, or not. They are familiar with the equivalent courses the student will take abroad and know if the student will be ready for the next at-home courses in the sequence. And sometimes if the student might need to do some independent work on the side.
In one STEM area, math, I think of the Budapest program - if you can get in, most would say it’s absolutely worth it. Being in Budapest is a learning experience in itself, sure, but learning mathematical concepts as they are taught in a country that is a leader of the world in that discipline is the main value for most who go to that program. They may come back more prepared for the next steps than those who didn’t go.
I would expect a LAC that OP describes as being very supportive of study abroad to have approved and equivalent programs in place for all majors.
It isn’t just STEM majors that have issues. My D is an education major and because of the sequence of classes she couldn’t do a full semester abroad. She opted to do a 3 week program in the summer.
This is the case for my son also - BioChemistry/math double major. Also even though he entered college with a lot of credits he can’t graduate in less than 4 year because the Chemistry is a sequence of 8 consecutive semesters.
I’m certainly in the minority. I think study abroad is overrated and a college marketing gimmick. I don’t deny it’d be wonderful cultural experience for some (perhaps many) students, but my observation has been that it’s mostly a boondoggle for most kids. Especially for STEM majors, taking a semester (or a quarter) to study abroad is not the best use of time for their education. Programs abroad are generally not designed or matched to a US college curriculum. I only see value if the foreign university offers some class/program the US college doesn’t. There may be some value also if a student’s major involves knowing some other culture, but even in that case, an internship abroad would be much more valuable.
@1NJParent I won’t disagree with that assessment. For my daughter, her main purpose of going abroad is to get an immersion experience that helps her get the rest of the way to fluency in another language. I would not have had any use for a study abroad experience personally, but I can go along with it for my STEM kid because she will finish in 8 semesters. She is planning to use that semester to really prep for the MCAT and GRE along with getting rid of some non-stem electives that she has remaining.
YMMV. Both my daughters did study-abroad programs. My younger daughter fit it in with a double major, interviewed and received offers for several post-junior-year summer jobs, graduated at the top of her class, worked for two years in a highly regarded position for people in her field, and now is in a top-ranked Ph.D. program. I realize, though, that fitting in all the classes might have been more difficult with a major such as chemistry.
1NJParent- you aren’t in the minority, it’s just that most folks who agree with you keep quiet during these debates.
I studied abroad (back in the dark ages) and it was fantastic. None of my kids did- too hard to coordinate with their academic programs, and we were not willing to fund that 9th semester which would have made it work.
We are all happy with our choices after the fact. One kid got a fellowship which paid for a job overseas during a summer in the desired city; another kid was too focused on professional opportunities to go overseas after graduation. And ironically- is in a career path which could make working abroad an easy possibility with the next promotion, who knows.
Ditto re post #28. btw- graduating with a college 4.0 or top of the class means nothing to those who went to a different, potentially more rigorous school or went out side their comfort zone and took classes they did not get an A in. Kudos to the kids who did the more rigorous class at the risk of a lesser grade or the one they lacked background in. There is a reason they do not do class rankings in college- there is no way to compare students with diverse majors and courses taken. That kid with the extra classes where an A was not obtained. It is not the better student who has a higher gpa with fewer classes or classes outside the field studied. The kid who chose a more challenging for him/her major for interest instead of the easier one for him/her. The one who had a more rigorous education- many colleges’ courses are far more rigorous than the AP versions.
No one can do it all. The social studies/humanities majors do not delve into the STEM courses while the STEM majors do not have time for the same experiences those counterparts have. College narrows one’s focus while expanding one’s horizons. There is a reason a major must be completed- not just x number of credits. It gets even more focused with grad level programs.
OP here - just wanted to provide a quick update to all, My D did talk to her advisor and she is now thinking it might be doable. She has drafted a schedule that would allow her to study abroad spring of her junior year and still graduate in 4 years, but it requires her taking some classes out of sequence (like Physics 2 before Physics 1) and taking a Chem class while abroad but not taking the corresponding lab until she returns to her home school. So it looks doable, but not necessarily easy. She seems pretty motivated at this point, so we will see. Thanks to all for your feedback!
Congrats on her doing the work involved to see if it works. My recollection of intro physics is that different fields would be covered different semesters instead of one semester building on another as in intro chem or calculus. I recall calculus needed since I would assume a chem major’s physics would be calc based (so much more logical using it!). If her advisor and school allow it it would be doable, although could be more difficult.