Chem 1 and Chem 2 over summer

[donaldpeters]

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The university I am presently at does not offer Chem 1 and Chem 2 over summers. So I thought of going to my girlfriend's place in Oakland, CA. But now I learn that even UC Berkeley does not offer Chem 1 and Chem 2 over the summer - they offer both but concurrently (and I mean Berkeley and not their Extension school). The courses need to be sequential because Chem 1 is a prerequisite for Chem 2. So Chem 1 should be offered during the first part of the summer and Chem 2 needs to be offered during the next part of summer. Any good university offers something like this? That way I can get done with the entire Chemistry requirement over the next summer. I am very good at Chemistry, so the workload is not a problem.

 

[LeoGer]

The university I am presently at does not offer Chem 1 and Chem 2 over summers. So I thought of going to my girlfriend's place in Oakland, CA. But now I learn that even UC Berkeley does not offer Chem 1 and Chem 2 over the summer - they offer both but concurrently (and I mean Berkeley and not their Extension school). The courses need to be sequential because Chem 1 is a prerequisite for Chem 2. So Chem 1 should be offered during the first part of the summer and Chem 2 needs to be offered during the next part of summer. Any good university offers something like this? That way I can get done with the entire Chemistry requirement over the next summer. I am very good at Chemistry, so the workload is not a problem.

University of Phoenix.

 

[donaldpeters]

University of Phoenix.

Oh, thank you for suggesting your own university!

 

[JESSFALLING]

The university I am presently at does not offer Chem 1 and Chem 2 over summers. So I thought of going to my girlfriend's place in Oakland, CA. But now I learn that even UC Berkeley does not offer Chem 1 and Chem 2 over the summer - they offer both but concurrently (and I mean Berkeley and not their Extension school). The courses need to be sequential because Chem 1 is a prerequisite for Chem 2. So Chem 1 should be offered during the first part of the summer and Chem 2 needs to be offered during the next part of summer. Any good university offers something like this? That way I can get done with the entire Chemistry requirement over the next summer. I am very good at Chemistry, so the workload is not a problem.

Why do you want to take Chem at another university? This makes it seem to others that you are avoiding it at your own school. I would consider taking Chem 1 during a spring semester, and Chem 2 during the summer. It is also a bad idea to take both at the same time, esp. because Gen. Chem. goes into many new concepts that were not covered in high school...and it is esp. bad to take both together during a summer semester. That sounds like a recipe for bad grades to me... but it's your transcript, not mine. Good luck.

 

[donaldpeters]

Why do you want to take Chem at another university? This makes it seem to others that you are avoiding it at your own school. I would consider taking Chem 1 during a spring semester, and Chem 2 during the summer. It is also a bad idea to take both at the same time, esp. because Gen. Chem. goes into many new concepts that were not covered in high school...and it is esp. bad to take both together during a summer semester. That sounds like a recipe for bad grades to me... but it's your transcript, not mine. Good luck.

Chem1 and 2 are not offered over the summer at my university. But the more important reason is that I am at a very large university that has a party school reputation. I am shooting for an MD-Ph.D program. So I want to take as much pre-med coursework at a challenging school. I am good at Chemistry and want a very challenging school of good reputation where I can take Chem 1 over the first half of the summer and Chem 2 over the next half.

 

[Polarbare50]

Chem1 and 2 are not offered over the summer at my university. But the more important reason is that I am at a very large university that has a party school reputation. I am shooting for an MD-Ph.D program. So I want to take as much pre-med coursework at a challenging school. I am good at Chemistry and want a very challenging school of good reputation where I can take Chem 1 over the first half of the summer and Chem 2 over the next half.

Personally, I believe that by taking your pre-med requirements at other institutions, you are doing yourself a disservice. First, I believe the majority of adcoms would have a difficult time understanding why you did the majority of your pre-reqs at many different universities over different summers. Regardless of your institution's reputation, take your pre-med courses there. That way you can build a strong rapport with some of the professors that may be willing to write future LORs and possibly act as mentors in research situations. MD-Ph.D programs focus heavily on research besides the GPA/MCAT and other ECs. Secondly, I have a feeling that you would save yourself a lot of money by not taking summer courses 😀

 

[donaldpeters]

Personally, I believe that by taking your pre-med requirements at other institutions, you are doing yourself a disservice. First, I believe the majority of adcoms would have a difficult time understanding why you did the majority of your pre-reqs at many different universities over different summers. Regardless of your institution's reputation, take your pre-med courses there. That way you can build a strong rapport with some of the professors that may be willing to write future LORs and possibly act as mentors in research situations. MD-Ph.D programs focus heavily on research besides the GPA/MCAT and other ECs. Secondly, I have a feeling that you would save yourself a lot of money by not taking summer courses 😀

Not many different universities. Just two. My school has a party school image and because of curving, it's a very easy A, so the education is not respected. If I take summer pre-med or maybe non-pre-med classes elsewhere, like Stanford or Princeton, then that means I have proven myself against Princeton and Stanford students, right?

 

[JESSFALLING]

Not many different universities. Just two. My school has a party school image and because of curving, it's a very easy A, so the education is not respected. If I take summer pre-med or maybe non-pre-med classes elsewhere, like Stanford or Princeton, then that means I have proven myself against Princeton and Stanford students, right?

If you are so concerned with your UG's reputation, then you should transfer. Otherwise, polarbare50 is right: you are doing yourself an injustice taking your premed courses elsewhere. Furthermore, summer classes tend to have a reputation for covering less material...which doesn't help your argument either. Focus on learning the material, getting the grade, and building your reputation. If you want to take a class somewhere else, then take something that's not offered at your institution.

Also, if you want to get into a MSTP, you should understand that Gen. Chem., or any other prereq., is not going to be a deal breaker for you. What matters is research!! While a high GPA and high MCAT scores are expected, MSTP care most that you have significant research experience under your belt. If your party school is filled with slackers, then all the better for you. This will give you the opp to stand out to your professors, which will become your gateway into their labs. If you don't take Gen. Chem. with them, and subsequently "blow their socks off", then how do you plan to prove yourself to them?? Ace your classes, show interest, and start doing research!!! You should have at least two solid years of research before applying. Lastly, spend your summers doing something valuable, like research! You can do summer research anywhere....so that's a good time to see if Stanford has a program.

Lastly, if you want to "prove" yourself: Consider taking the Calc-based Physics series if you haven't already. It'll help prepare you a 'bit' more for Physical Chemistry, which I'm assuming that you'll be taking. On that note: I'd also take diff. equations, linear algebra, and mathematical programming. Those three will give you a great mathematical foundation for a science PhD program, help a 'bit more' with PChem, and also help demonstrate that you're not just some drunken hippie kid lookin' for your free ride. Peace.

 

[donaldpeters]

Good point JESSFALLING! I am actually good at Calculus, so I will take the Calc-based Physics. I already have research experience and publications - two years of research experience - although not in the sciences. What worries me is that summer semesters are very expensive at many universities. Do you know of any schools where the summer semester has reasonable tuition?