<p>Hello!</p>
<p>I will be attending Penn next fall. Should I take Chem 101 or Chem 115 for pre-med? I got a 5 on AP Chemistry. How are the curves in both classes? Is it worth it to have the word "Honors" next to me in the transcript? Is Chem 115 that much harder than Chem 101? </p>
<p>Thanks for your time.</p>
<p>take chem 101…the extra “honors” means nothing to them…it’s all GPA-based, just kill it in 101</p>
<p>from my understanding, chem 115 gives more Bs than 101 (although i never took it…someone who did would have more accurate info), 101 has a pretty straightforward C+/B- avg</p>
<p>My friend in 115 told me the average is quite high, like a B+/A-. But keep in mind though that the class is smaller and has the cream of the crop at Penn (many Vagelos MLS kids).</p>
<p>115 focuses more on quantum physics and statistical thermodynamics - things that are essentially useless on the MCAT, from what I understand. Take 101.</p>
<p>The honors course is a great option for someone who is very interested in chemistry, but if you are just taking chemistry for premed I wouldn’t recommend it. The honors courses are a lot more work (chemistry, math, physics) than the regular courses and even though they usually curve to a B+, the people who take them usually have a great aptitude for and interest in the topic, often more so than the people who take the regular course.</p>
<p>115 is a good introduction to physical chemistry. You do some very basic quantum mechanics (i.e. wave mechanics in one dimension), then do it for radial potential functions (hydrogen atoms), and then discuss how molecular orbitals and stuff work in terms of these wave solutions. Basically, if you remember those spdf orbital things you memorized back in high school, well here’s what they actually are. Well, kind of, there’s still a lot of handwaving in this class compared to an actual quantum physics class, but it’s a lot less than before and also doesn’t require any more math beyond basic calculus. </p>
<p>116 covers more of the usual material in intro chem classes I think, I didn’t take 116. </p>
<p>The honors courses are more work, but they make you better at… everything. that includes being pre-med. For someone doing science, the honors chemistry and honors physics are worth it, honors math maybe not so much.</p>
<p>Why do people think being pre-med is an excuse to just not learn anything properly and just get easy A’s?..</p>
<p>I am a “Vagelos MLS kid” haha. I am very interested in chemistry, so I am considering the chem115/116 route instead of the chem101/102 route.</p>
<p>I haven’t made an official schedule yet, but when that time comes in June, I’ll be sure to express my interests and concerns with my advisor and a pre-med advisor. They will help determine which course is best for me.</p>
<p>Thank you very much for the input; I really appreciate it!</p>
<p>@ewq5555: I am currently in Vagelos MLS (class of 2015). I believe that the Vagelos advisor, Dr.Lu highly recommends students to either take chem 115 or chem 241 (orgo). I think in our class of ~40, only 1-2 students took 101/102 and the rest either took honors chem or orgo. I was among the group that took orgo so I can’t go into detail about honors chem. However, from what my friends have told me, it is curved very well (B+/A-) and it does provide a very good introduction to physical chemistry.</p>
<p>@ewq5555- I’m also a Vagelos class of 2015 student. Take 115 or Orgo. Professor Berry, who taught chem115 last fall was AMAZING. It was probably my favorite class that I’ve taken at Penn. That being said… I sometimes wish I’d just taken orgo to get ahead, as it’s going to make my schedule in the future a little more annoying. I really wouldn’t recommend taking chem 101/102 as a Vagelos student though. It’s looked down upon.</p>
<p>Can anyone comment on taking Orgo freshman year?</p>
<p>While I haven’t taken orgo, A few of my friends did freshman year (Vagelos scholars). They were fine. I think it depends on your background, if you feel less comfortable with your high school knowledge, you should probably wait until sophomore year. From what I hear, orgo requires a lot of work, it’s not so much that it’s extremely difficult, it just requires you to put in a lot of time.</p>
<p>Ok thanks. I am not a Vagelos Scholar but I took AP Chem after junior year and got a 5. I want to do premed, and I heard that you are not allowed to take more than 1 lab science your first semester, so I am considering taking Orgo.</p>
<p>Hi quesadilla!</p>
<p>I took orgo freshmen year. I think if you want to take orgo and skip gen chem (and you’re not in Vagelos), then you have to take a placement exam for 101/102. However, I don’t think the exam is overly difficult and you only have to get about 70% to place out.</p>
<p>Overall, I would recommend taking orgo freshmen year if you have the gen chem background. I’m not going to lie-it was a very challenging and time consuming class. However, it really did help me become more accustomed to the college workload/rigor and it also feels good to get the most difficult pre-med req out of the way freshmen year:D If you do just right into orgo, my advice would just be to prepare yourself and not panic. The tests are VERY difficult in that they are extremely comprehensive and you can almost always except to see questions that seem completely foreign to you. With that being said, it’s not like you need a 90something% to get an A. For both orgo I and II, I had test averages in the upper 70s and I was able to get As both semester!</p>