I will be an incoming LSA Honors premed freshman. I got a 5 on the AP Chemistry Exam junior year, so I placed into CHEM 210/211. I actually already registered for my classes at Honors Orientation yesterday, but I am in a little bit of an orgo dilemma. I am signed up for Shult but I will be going to Copolla’s lectures. I heard taking CHEM 210/211 first semester is a bad idea since you are supposed to transition. However, fall semester orgo has an honors study group session which I heard is very helpful. But I have heard mixed reviews about Copolla that he lectures too fast, doesn’t go over course pack answers (Also is the coursepack the same every year? My friend has her coursepack from last year with all the correct answers), and can be confusing and demeaning. I have heard amazing things about Nolta, and that she is the best organic chemistry teacher and the best shot of getting an A since she explains things very clearly and goes over coursepack answers, workshops, etc. However, she only teaches winter semester, so I would have to delay then take orgo 2 fall of my sophomore year and I might forget important orgo 1 concepts over the summer break. My friend who had Nolta and got an A said it’s not worth it delaying just to get a certain professor while my other friend who had Coppola first semester freshman year and did poorly said that it’s worth it waiting to take it with Nolta and she should have done that. I know orgo is a very difficult weeder class and that you should take easier classes first semester to provide a nice cushion and transition. I also want to apply to the undergrad school of public health which requires STATS 250 and PUBLHLTH 200. I am a little scared tackling CHEM 210/211 first semester of freshman year without Nolta. Should I take CHEM 210/211 with Honors study session group fall semester or wait until winter to take it with Nolta? My dad was a biochemistry major, and he said that orgo was one of his hardest classes and he recommended that I wait. But I know people who did well in CHEM 210/211 first semester of their freshman year and they said the honors study group session helped. Also, any advice on how to do well in orgo freshman year would be greatly appreciated! My current schedule is:
UC 152 First Year Seminar Current Topics in Microbio (3) with Swanson
Honors 241 Fall and Rise of American Empire (4) (HU) (FYWR) with Gunning
Honors CHEM 210/211 (5) signed up for Shultz because of discussion scheduling conflicts but will go to Coppola’s lectures
Ensemble 391 Arts Chorale (1)
Ensemble 346 Campus Band (1)
Hopefully UROP. Decision has not come out yet but I want to do 2 credits. I would have tg drop Arts Chorale though because of UROP seminar meetings same time with Arts Chorale.
I have 14 credits before my UROP decision. 14 is the minimum I need for Honors Program.
The new easier schedule I am thinking about if I don’t take Chem 210/211 first semester:
UC 152 (3)
Honors 241 (4)
PUBHLTH 200 Intro to Public Health (4)
Arts Chorale (1)
Campus Band (1)
ALA 105 I think Digital Research (1)
Hopefully UROP 2 credits, and I would have to drop Arts Chorale if I’m in UROP.
Thank you!
Coppola does have lots of experience though and he writes the exams, but I have heard consistently great reviews for Nolta.
Brenda Gunderson I was originally planning on taking Honors Stats 280 but the reviews for Professor Johanna Gagnon Bartsch are pretty bad (like a 1.8 overall rating). However, STATS 250 with Brenda Gunderson who is supposed to be really good has a waitlist, and I didn’t want to complicate signing up for it but I heard you can still go to her lecture if you are on the waitlist? So I decided to take PUBHLTH 200, but then I saw the reviews for Professor Alfred Franzblau are not great, but it fits well into my new schedule if I do decide to change it. Also, does anyone know how competitive the undergrad public health school admissions is?
Also, will it be hard to go to football games and make lots of new friends and explore lots of clubs freshman year if I take orgo fall semester? I am planning on getting season football tickets, and I really want to enjoy my freshman year experience when it’s not as busy, and I’m scared that orgo might ruin that.
@Eeeee127 Unless someone can prove me wrong, it is my impression that regardless of the semester you take it, the grade avg for Orgo will always be around the same. Or else everyone would take it Winter semester with Nolta since she is supposedly the “best” teacher out there. No one can tell you what to do or which is the better alternative. Because no matter what, there isn’t a right or wrong answer to your question.
In my honest opinion, it boils down to are you confident in your study skill abilities? B/c if you are, then it really shouldn’t matter who you have as a professor, you’ll do what’s needed to be done to get a good grade. If not, then first semester should be meant for you to change your study habits from what they were in high school. Trust me, I know what you’re feeling right now. I was someone who walked in here freaking out about whether I was making the right choices taking class X with professor Y or professor Z. Now as someone who’s a year away from graduation, looking back it was foolish of me to get so caught up in that. In every single class I’ve taken in college (especially as a pre med student), at least 20% of kids got an A (and in some classes it’s been as high as 90%). If you are proactive from day 1, paying close attention in lecture, taking advantage of office hours, staying on top of the material, being in study groups, etc., then more often times than not you will find yourself in that 20-90% of kids that get an A. For me, it boils down to being as simple as that. You have more control over your grade than you think you do in college.
Just my 2 cents.
Thank you. I think I will stick with orgo 1 first semester. Honors students make up 10-15% of the total orgo chem lecture and the honors structured study group session offered only during fall will probably help me a lot. Since 20% get A’s, I think with the right studying, Honors students are probably in that top 20% and do well especially with the honors structured study group session. In high school, I studied for AP Chem and got an A and 100% on the final by reading the textbook and going over my teacher’s powerpoint and doing some practice problems, but I know that the course pack is really useful for orgo at umich. should i buy the orgo textbook at umich? Is Coppola good? How much better is Nolta than Coppola? Did you join any other study groups besides the honors structured study group session? Does my first semester schedule (honors 241 rise and fall of american empire, first-year seminar in microbiology, and chem 210/11, arts chorale, and campus band) look manageable and will I still have time for a social life and sleep? @hailbate
What teacher did you have and when did you take Chem 210/211? @hailbate