Can any current/past Bruins who majored in phy sci or biochemistry give me insight into their major (Rigor, work load, memorization vs critical thinking, labs, best professors, etc)? I am thinking about switching into phy sci at freshman orientation (admitted under biochemistry) but have qualms about doing so because I know that once you take the 14 chemistry series, you cannot switch up into the 20 series. I’m interested in both majors and am not afraid to work hard (I’ve heard the rumors about cutthroat competition for both)
Bump…? I’ll reword my question. Can any Bruins talk about the different series (ex: chemistry 14 vs 20 series, math 3 vs 31 series, and physics 6 vs 1 series)? Any input is appreciated:)
The physical science series are much harder than life science series but both are quite competitive. Both classes cover approximately the same topics but the depth and difficulty varies. For example, I remember looking at my roommates Math 3B exam and the problems were similar to what you may see in AP Calculus, while the math 31B exams were quite a bit more difficult.
However, all the classes are graded on a curve. I know that both the 14 and 20 series are very unforgiving (many professors award less than 10% A’s). For the math department, I believe there is a rule that the sum of A’s and B’s awarded in the course must be no less than 50% of the total. As for physics, I only know that many professors in the 1 series give approximately 30% for each of A’s, B’s and C’s.
Another thing to keep in mind is that students in the physical science series (phys1/chem20/math31) are generally more scientifically/mathematically minded.