[budullewraagh]

i was accepted by harvard to take summer classes awhile back and i've been considering which class to take;

CHEM S-1ab  General Chemistry (30877)
James E. Davis and Gregg Tucci
(8 units: UN) M-F 10:45 am-1 pm. Three required 2-hour laboratories, two 1.5-hour discussion sections, and two 2-hour review sessions per week to be arranged.

or

CHEM S-20ab  Organic Chemistry (30609)
Garry Procter
(8 units: UN) M-F 8:30-10:30 am. Required sections T, W, Th, F 10:45 am-12:15 pm, one laboratory session 1-6 pm and one laboratory session 6-11 pm on different days (except Friday). Weekly review sessions F 2-4 pm.
Harvard College students see additional information.

    This course is an intensive, comprehensive introduction to the chemistry of carbon and its importance to biological molecules. Topics include current ideas of bonding and structure, major reaction mechanisms and pathways, a discussion of the analytical tools used to determine the structure and stereochemistry of organic compounds (such as infrared and NMR spectroscopy), and some of the chemistry of amino acids, peptides, carbohydrates, and nucleic acids. This course fulfills the requirement of two semesters of organic chemistry for entrance to medical school. Prerequisite: Two semesters of general chemistry or equivalent, with satisfactory grades. Students without adequate background may not be able to keep up with the course. Not recommended for high school students.

    This is a comprehensive survey of chemistry for the general student that emphasizes the principles underlying the formation and interaction of chemical substances: stoichiometry, states of matter, thermochemistry, atomic and molecular structure, intermolecular forces, solutions, thermodynamics, kinetics, chemical equilibrium, acids and bases, electrochemistry, and environmental chemistry. This course fulfills the requirement of two semesters of inorganic chemistry for entrance to medical school. Prerequisites: High school algebra and chemistry.

i am currently a junior in high school and wanted to take AP chem this year, but couldn't due to scheduling difficulties.  so instead i'm taking AP biology and AP physics and studying for the AP chem exam, to be taken this may.  next year i'll actually take the class.  i took a practice AP chem exam and comfortably scored a 5 before reviewing, so i think it's safe to say that i have enough credits to place out of any freshman university chem class.

i want to get as much of an advanced knowledge of chemistry as possible, as soon as possible, but i also don't want to set myself up for failure.  i emailed the professor who teaches this class and he said:

Hi Clark,

The class, Chem S- 20ab is an extremely intensive (absolute minimum of 50 hours per week) organic chemistry course that covers all the material that would normally be covered in two semesters here at Harvard.  Primarily it is taken by premed students, who require (at least) two semesters of organic chemistry to apply to medical school.  It assumes a thorough knowledge of and familiarity with the topics that would be covered in a college level general chemistry course, and some quantum mechanics too.  It really could not be further from a class that is suitable for high school students - which is why all such students are advised so strongly against taking it.

While the material is challenging, the most challenging aspect of the course is the sheer pace.  There is absolutely no chance to take a little time to get the more complex topics and concepts (or indeed to follow some "interesting side-topics".  Being a few days behind is not an option (if you want a reasonable grade in the course).   This particularly demanding as organic chemistry is highly "cumulative".  You need constantly to apply concepts and facts that were covered previously, in order to understand new material.  Missing a bit and covering it later is just not possible.

Also, to be honest, I would not really recommend the course to someone who is genuinely interested in chemistry.  It goes too fast.  For example, myself, I would not have liked to take it!  I would (and did) much prefer to spend some time studying the subject - taking the opportunity to follow up on those "interesting side-topics".

Finally, we do get the occasional high school students on the course, who all come with excellent track records, and a burning desire to take the course.  It is our experience that they either do pretty well, or totally bomb out.

One last thought - if you are considering taking the course and using it for credit at a college (or colleges) of your choice it would be wise to check with the college(s) that the course would be accepted for credit.

I have attached the syllabus from last year - it will be pretty much the same this year!

Hope all this helps you with your decision.

Regards,

Garry Procter



i want to challenge myself and experience a more advanced class, but i don't want to set myself up for a hellish summer.  can anyone provide insight?

[dexangeles]

2 Organic Semesters in 1 Summer class is just plain nuts
Well, it's doable just read --- a lot
I'd do it, I love challenges
but don't take it if yyou're not that familiar with acid-base reactions from Gen Chem.