<p>@tk21769:
Yes. The college websites will also post current exams. At many schools, general chemistry just isn’t changing (I remember several of my college professors saying they hated it because its almost like a bunch of random concepts thrown together that are no taught in a particularly stimulating way). Seems like a stagnant service course at most places.</p>
<p>@ucbalumnus: I was referring to both. 3a and 3b have instructors who teach at a higher level than the typical organic sequence at many selective schools and the 112 is much more similar to schools with a more rigorous sequence or is closer to the more rigorous professors. Again, I’ll use where I know for sure as the comparison. 3a and 3b, looks like the couple of medium level instructors we have/had at Emory(there are basically, 2 low level instructors, 2 medium, and 1 sort of “hard” instructor, and 2 very difficult instructors). 112 is somewhere between the hard and very difficult instructors. As for your physics classes: Very rigorous indeed (Looks very similar to Georgia Tech. Emory is pretty bad at physics, whether it’s for pre-meds or science majors. Last I checked, Vanderbilt was not rigorous either. I would expect ND, Cornell, and RIce to compare more favorably with Berkeley, but have not checked
yet). </p>
<p>And indeed, that’s the site I looked at (so I already knew the deal with chemistry and physics). One thing I love is you guys’ biochemistry sequence. It’s clear that the school is teaching everyone, whether they are going into industry, graduate school, or medical school, so it actually focuses on chemistry, mathematical, and general concepts at a high level. Emory’s is split into a biology version and a chemistry version, and both just suck because the professors are watering them down for the pre-med crowd (it would basically be an introductory biology class with more details in the chemistry dept. and harder exams, and in the biology department, I swear that 1 professor’s class is easier than her own introductory biology course. She teaches and asks questions in a more provocative way in intro. biology than she does her 300 level biology course…It’s clear that they are just giving the crowd what it wants, a free high grade on their transcript by a course that most medical schools recommend, but is not on the MCAT. When the new MCAT comes, it’s probably going to cause problems, because the biochemistry on it and the GRE biochemistry go far beyond a regurgitation based metabolic biochemistry course). And unfortunately, we aren’t the only selective school like this… 
. At least the chemistry department now offers a second semester of biochemistry through a new prof (only been here for 3 years and revived the course her first year here and did it far better than when it existed before) which is actually focused on problem solving and experimental underpinnings (it’s more of a chemical biology course and is case based). </p>
<p>However, if you could see our and some other selective school’s biochemistry vs. y’alls, you would probably be pissed that people seriously regard these other places for biology undergraduate and think the schools should be embarrassed. I mean one could scream the “instructor specific” issue, but when it appears that instructor is always the one (and only one) teaching it, it tells me that the school has no way of controlling or does not care about the standards as long as students are satisfied. Schools serious about UG science education care about the standards and what is being taught more than the students’ comfort level, period. And seriously, students at the schools we went to are supposed far more talented than average students, so should be taught as though that is true. It shouldn’t hurt that much to expose students who aren’t that good (as happened in general chemistry last semester at Emory). There are other majors for them or they can try harder in the next class.</p>
<p>Don’t bother looking at organic chemistry at some schools: You would be in shock that students there call it “hard” (Vanderbilt’s is not hard for example and they swear up and down it is…oh well, at least they’re telling the truth when they say some of the biology classes are hard. Them claiming that their organic chemistry sequence is difficult is akin to Emory studentswho decide to jump up and down claiming that intro. math and most intro. biology instructors are challenging, which is totally false. In both parties, either those students, their instructors, or both are not that good. Instructors not getting the easy material across that well or students not matching up to their incoming credentials ). </p>