<p>I really can't decide if I want to take it or not. I took AP Chem junior year of HS and got a 3 on it. I didn't think it was the easiest class in the world, and I sucked at labs really bad. I know that the 4-hour lab thing is a big deal for Chem 1A. My questions are:</p>
<p>-If I didn't think AP Chem was super-easy (I'm not one of those Berkeley geniuses), am I going to do bad in Chem 1A? Of course I'm willing to study much harder than I did back in HS, but still.
-How are the labs? Are they really hard, and how do you choose partners?
-Why the heck are they 4 hours long??</p>
<p>It’s not bad, and it is much easier in the Spring. </p>
<p>You get to choose lab partners, the labs aren’t terrible and you have to do two formal lab reports which are usually graded pretty leniently. Lab is now a separate 1 unit class, so if you don’t need chem 1AL, you don’t have to take it. </p>
<p>Some reactions take a good amount of times, e.g. titrations. But since you’re actually doing stuff it isn’t too boring.</p>
<p>You’ll do fine if you do practice problems, and go to lecture. OR sign up for a SLC study group if you need extra practice.</p>
<p>Wait! If it says I only need Chem 1A and Chem 1B, I don’t need to take a lab? But isn’t lab part of the discussion thing you have to sign up for? It says I could do 1A-3A/L <em>or</em> 1A-1B?</p>
<p>Yeah you’ll need to take both, they probably didn’t update the requirements. Is this for engineering? If you’re an engineer chem 1a will be the least of your worries.</p>
<p>Naw, it’s for Environmental Science. Because I was looking at the CNR and engineering and it doesnt seem to need AL. I assume engineering always has the lab with it</p>
<p>You might want to check with the major adviser about it, but I’m almost completely sure that you’ll need to take 1AL. Not only is it essential to a good understanding of chemistry, the old Chem 1A is basically the same as the new Chem 1A + Chem 1AL. It wouldn’t make sense for the lab requirement to not be needed anymore. </p>
<p>Labs are 4 hours long because some of the experiments can take a long, long time. Titrations, specifically, are incredibly time-consuming, especially with the biprotic acids. You won’t always be there for the full 4-hours, so it’s not too bad. Still, a lot of people like to spend the time in lab discussing their lab answers with their lab partner and other people. There’s also a discussion component, which I hear is now separate from the lab. It’s basically a short lecture from the GSI about the theoretical aspects of the lab that you’ll be working on. </p>
<p>The labs weren’t that difficult. Just choose a partner that you think you’d get along with (and a reliable partner is a must-have, as well). You want to share the work equally, right?</p>