[candleja]

Anyone have a pointer for a freshman who's associates is going to be in "science"? Not sure what I should go for with my four-year degree. Both physics and chemistry sound amazing, and I'm having hell choosing between them.

Only real preference I can say is that living things don't interest me too much, so neither biology or organic chemistry sound appealing.

[agrobert]

You can do organic synthesis which has little to do with living things and is probably the most fun in lab

[Lozia]

I've just started a chemistry course at university, and so far i'm glad I have chosen it as it has been awesome fun. 

[enahs]

If you are having a hard time choosing between Chemistry and Physics, then there are a couple options.

It probably means you would like Physical Chemistry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_chemistry

Now, you can go into Chemistry to study that. Or, many Physics programs offer options where there is a large focus on other sciences; and Chemistry is typically one since Chemistry and Physics are siblings.
Other typical "Applied Physics" options are Electrical/Electronics, Geophysics, and Astronomy.


Basically your undergraduate career would consist of doing half Physics and half Chemistry.

Or you  could do a double major. Or major in one and get a Minor in the other.

[lemonoman]

And also consider what else you want from life.

Personally, I don't recommend devoting all of your time to studying.  If you absolutely love chemistry/physics that much, then by all means, go ahead.  But if you also have fun hanging out with friends, or doing anything recreationally, don't forget to have some fun while you're getting your degree.

Anyways, back on track:

Are the first and second year courses for physics and chemistry very similar?  They may be a tiny bit different, but if they're the same it wouldn't be tough to switch from one to the other.  Then you can put off this decision until you have another year of experience and learning under your belt

[ARGOS++]

Dear Candleja,

I don’t know you are interested in all the experience one has after 42 Years of Chemistry, Physics, and Automation and still is very enthusiastic “at the front”.
I started in Organic Chemistry, changed later to Analytics and finally to Analytics AND Automation, and I had all time the luck to do R & D.
I can’t think of something more interesting as to find out in any field: how it’s made and how it works. Also for the later work all organics I have learned was a big help and a mind opener for the problems customers had and have.

But you have to keep in mind a few things. In the real (producing) Industry your (?piont? of) view, especially in Org. Chemistry will be very narrowed, and so you have to change from time to time your workplace to do really something different as before. Also similar is true, if you cannot do the Physics at a University, and you have to do it in producing Industry.

I had and have! still the luck to do all in the producing Industry, AND to have a large community of customers how are very glad somebody takes care for their daily “Production AND Quality Problems”.
It’s very satisfying to give them a helping hand again and again.
(You can make a lot of friends, but of course not only.)
And best of it: You can use every day what you have, and even more then what you ever have learned.

But anyway, there are still a lot of fields I would like to know much more as I do.

Good Luck!
                    ARGOS⁺⁺

[Mitch]

Hmmm.... I wonder what response you would get from asking this at chemicalforums.

[LQ43]

If you are having a hard time choosing between Chemistry and Physics, then there are a couple options.

It probably means you would like Physical Chemistry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_chemistry

Now, you can go into Chemistry to study that. Or, many Physics programs offer options where there is a large focus on other sciences; and Chemistry is typically one since Chemistry and Physics are siblings.
Other typical "Applied Physics" options are Electrical/Electronics, Geophysics, and Astronomy.


Basically your undergraduate career would consist of doing half Physics and half Chemistry.

Or you  could do a double major. Or major in one and get a Minor in the other.

enahs has a good suggestion,

Jobs, research, just about anything is science these days is interdisciplinary. Ex. Nanotechnology or material science requires a good blend of chemistry, physics and math. 

[candleja]

to enahs: I followed a chain of wiki articles from that link you gave and saw the page on theoretical chemistry... looks pretty awesome. I've thought about double majoring, or just with a minor, but I can't help but think it might be more productive to just put all my time into one or the other?

to lemonoman: I don't have too many friends, heh. You're exactly right about the courses being similar. Actually, they're exactly the same until the third year, and I'm just now finishing my first. I'm still quite uneasy being in uncertainty, though.

to ARGOS++: Your comments on the 'producing industry' bother me quite a bit. I'm not really one for the great world of capitalism. I've thought some about trying for the military, but those thoughts can wait.


From what I can tell, most of these high-level chemistry majors involve physics a great deal. I assume physics majors are the same, but I haven't really looked into that much. Utterly confusing to someone that doesn't know much about the two. Would it be possible to hold the same sorts of jobs with a major from either field, if they're so closely related?

[phillyj]

Organic chem only means that the compounds involved deal mostly with carbon. For example, production of ethylene is an organic reaction because of its C=C bond. I have a friend who is in my organic class and he's a chemistry major.
After performing reactions of enzymes in bio lab, i'm having second thoughts about a biochemistry degree. I'm thinking of switching to chemistry. BTW while Gen Chem labs we're tedious and more work, organic labs were more "fun" if you follow the procedures. I especially loved isolating caffeine from tea

[ARGOS++]

Dear Candleja,

It is not meant to bother you in any kind, and I think I’m a quite good example:
       I’m still very, very exited and I’m absolutely no capitalist at all.
       And I thought you are not only studing for today!

But I think it is only wise to see things as they are! – It hasn’t to be bad!

Outside of University there is “only” a lot of Industry, and Industry has to “earn” your salary too if you would like to work longer then a few days.
So there is nothing bad on that.

On the other side I have seen quite a number of Chemists and Physicist waiting years and years and years that something would be done (in real I don’t know from whom) so they had not every day to do more or less the same in other versions.
They never thought about acting themselves and that I think is not very wise. 
The other outer environmental is the government and there the situation is not better, I would say a little worse. On military you may have a big research grant but the topics are quite narrowed in another direction. In this case an even (little) better choice could be the NASA.

But if you can accept to stay not for the rest of your life at the same workplace you can make it to a great opportunity instead.

So what ever you may study, it is for everybody nearly the same:

Study with pleasure; Work with pleasure; Keep your pleasure  -
 because you will act if necessary!

(Life tends to be toooo short.   ––    Sorry if it may be too philosophic to you.)

To Mitch:Thank you!  ––   Hmmmm….   The truth, and only the truth, of course!
              But there is a reason why I’m acting - only on one “user-side” of the Forum.
              Or with the modified old proverb:
                  “Maybe that all could/should be Chemistry – But Chemistry is not all!”
                  (The world is more versatile!  I don’t think in “Generic Discussion” )

Good Luck!
                   ARGOS⁺⁺

P.S.: To Mitch too:  Could it be possible to “catalyse” Registrations by adding an Icon, which tells that the marked post contains an Attachment? It would have also other advantages (for members). Or is it tooo expensive?
.