<p>I was wondering if anyone had any insight into my situation: I plan on following the pre-med track for undergrad and then going to med school (not sure yet what I want to major in); however, I have only taken one year of chemistry in high school and that was in 10th grade. I heard the UVA chem 101 class was extremely difficult, even for people that had taken more than one year of chemistry in high school. Should I take a chemistry class over the summer to prepare for UVA chemistry or would that not be the best use of my time (have a job and plan on working full time otherwise). Also, I've taken two years of biology so I am not worried about being prepared for that course. Thanks.</p>
<p>Our D had 2 years of chem in hs (one was AP). She had a very solid foundation. (Her hs teacher is a writer for the AP exam, she had an A in his class, and scored a 5 on the test.) She is pre-med as well and was on the fence about enrolling in the 400 series or 800 series (“honors”/accelerated) – GPA for med school was her #1 concern. She spoke with the professor the summer before entering, and decided to take the plunge into the advanced class. It has been all-encompassing and takes up a HUGE amount of time. In fairness, she foolishly is taking physics for pre-meds this year as well; however, it’s the orgo that’s ridiculously challenging. Chem is a standard weed-out for pre-meds at all universities. Although she made an A last semester (hopefully this one as well) she would advise you to take some kind of prep this summer and then go into the 400 series. BTW…she’s contemplating dropping down to the 400 series herself for next year; we’ll see. Good luck!</p>
<p>Did your D take the AP Exam?</p>
<p>I’m in the same situation, 2 years of chemistry in high school, pre-med, and am trying to decide what sequence of chemistry to take.</p>
<p>10iswarrior…Yes, she did take AP Chem and the test and made a 5. If you are relatively certain med school is your goal, you might consider the 400 series; it’ll be easier to get an A, and the material covered will still sufficiently prepare you for the MCAT. (GPA is very important for med school applicants.) On the other hand, if you think you might want to go into research and/or major in chem, and you’re not 100% sure about med school, you might think about the 800 series. Also, if you enroll in the 800 series and decide it’s too much, you can drop down to the 400; however, be alert that the sequencing is different which can impact timing for your med school app. The 400 series is GC1 (fall), GC2 (spring), OC1(fall), & OC2 (spring). The 800 series is GC1 (fall), OC1 (spring), OC2 (fall), & GC2 (spring).</p>
<p>Thanks. I’m planning on majoring in chemistry, but I am also set on med school, so I suppose that I will simply have to make a decision on what I wish to do before Orientation. I appreciate the input!</p>
<p>dude just do the 80 series. have you have any intellectual passion at all? or are you just one of those robotic pre-meds?</p>
<p>People who do the 80 series and engage with their professors get really really awesome letters of recommendation expounding on how awesome their students really are. just saying. </p>
<p>a much better trade even if your GPA drops by like 0.03 because you took the 80 series OH NOES</p>
<p>of course maybe you’re just that sort of pre-med who just isn’t interested in that much work. </p>
<p>I never took AP Chem. I had a B for my high school chem class in my ghetto high school. I got As for 80s series organic chemistry and I got 297/300 for my 80s series organic chemistry final.</p>
<p>don’t forget that our amazing department produced NIH director Francis Collins who led the Human Genome Project, among UVA’s many other many outstanding chemistry innovators</p>
<p>and Harman is just amazing.</p>
<p>you get individualised attention. </p>
<p>in the 40s series, your professors treat you with condescension (as they should rightfully treat premeds who sacrifice intellectual advancement for grades) and your class sizes are ridiculous</p>
<p>the decision should be easy.</p>
<p>No, I’m not your typical pre-med. I just like being as well informed as possible.</p>
<p>I also seriously doubt a chemistry course in a tier-3 or a tier-4 university or a community college would help you that much. just could do … self-study in chemistry. try out Feynman’s Lectures? you can listen to them on your iPod while running or read them on the beach.</p>
<p>a strong foundation in university chemistry comes from a strong foundation in physics.</p>
<p>also think geometrically. 3D puzzles </p>
<p>Harman’s exams are meant to test concepts.</p>
<p>and also have you any idea how ridiculously easy chemistry MCATs and GREs are now ever since going through the 80s series. they are like a joke. because of UVA chemistry, they are one thing I don’t need to study for (except for format and format-related tricks)</p>
<p>Frenchcoldplay - did you just get back from Foxfields? Your posts are even more unintelligible and rambling than they usually are.</p>
<p>I must disappoint you. I’m neither white, privileged, southern nor aristocratic</p>
<p>I am sorry that you dislike my writing style </p>
<p>my preference is to write like speech, for language is speech. but maybe you are the type of prude to champion the needless conventions of stereotypical written language and are horrified by their absence</p>
<p>so I bite my thumb at you sir</p>
<p>nb: as a chemist, my drug of choice is not the vulgar dopaminergic blood-cell-lysing solvent CH3CH2OH, but the superior serotoninergic agent lysergic acid diethylamide, of which I have devised an elegant, environmentally-friendly and economic synthesis. (you may rest assured however that I have only worked this out on paper.)</p>
<p>Do you also happen to be hammered?</p>
<p>if you mean hammered with studying the intricacies of secular equilibria of radioisotopes on a Saturday night, then I profess my guilt</p>
<p>I am dreadfully sorry sir, that you find the conventions of written language to be more important than the richness of the spoken word. I am quite confident that you would find me perfectly comprehensible by any non-written medium</p>
<p>I am also puzzled by the incomprehensibility of your username. Does that happen to be your incarceration number?</p>
<p>Frenchcoldplay - My son will be attending UVA in the fall as a chem major. He is thinking about premed but that remains to be seen. He did not get into the honors program yet he scored 800 on his chem SAT and 5 on his AP exam. What options do you recommend for his freshman chem classes? Can he get into 80 or is he relegated to 101 with the masses? If no options other than 101, what is the best strategy to get into the higher level chem classes?</p>
<p>Captainkarl, chemistry placement has nothing to do with whether you are in the Echols program. When he comes for his summer orientation, your S should talk to his advisor about the proper chemistry sequence for him, but given his background, he most likely belongs in the 1800/2800 series rather than the 1400/2400 series.</p>
<p>ugh “400/800” series just sounds so wrong. but yeah 80s series is the way to go – and anyone is free to join, even those not majoring in a science. </p>
<p>40s series is full of robot premeds and only 12% get As. In the 80s series the upper 2/3s is guaranteed an A or a B, and ~25-30% get As, even in organic chemistry. You work your ass off for it though, but you actually gain useful knowledge and you reduce your workload studying for MCATs and GREs because after passing through the 80s series, you can really call yourself a chemist.</p>
<p>(also I don’t get 40s series premeds that have no passion for research or innovation. ugh. they should join their daddy’s law firm instead, they shouldn’t be going into medicine.)</p>
<p>I’m a lawyer by the way. Just kidding. Thanks for the info. Good food for thought.</p>
<p>I’m one of those robot 40 series premed chemistry majors and I got A’s in both semesters of gen chem and orgo. I really think you overplay the benefit of the 80’s series. I just took the MCAT and did really well, especially in PS. I barely had to review orgo since I knew it so well. I did not have AP chem credit when I came into UVA so I took the 40’s series and loved it. Grisham for gen chem and Marshall for Orgo were amazing. Also, Marshall wrote me a great recommendation and was really excited to do so. However, i agree that the classes can be pretty large…but all the more incentive to try and stand out and get to know the professor. </p>
<p>Please don’t knock the 40’s series when you obviously have no clue what it can offer. Besides, I don’t think writing 15-20 page lab reports every week really is going to help me other than make my life a living hell. Also, I took solutions chem with a bunch of the 80’s series folk and many of them knew nada…guess that’s what you get when 2/3’s get A’s and B’s in gen chem.</p>
<p>I have to agree with frenchcoldplay. If you have any intellectual passion at all, 80’s series is the ONLY way to go. That being said, if you care more about grades than learning… well, screw it, we don’t need you anyway.</p>