<p>Ok, I’m a future biology and cognitive science double major (well, I may just minor in cog sci) starting at NU this fall. I’ll be taking Chem 101-3 freshman year, and would like to either do the intro cognitive science classes or the relevant Psych 200-level classes that pertain to cognitive science (I think the chances are good I can skip out of Psych 110 because I’m fairly confident I got a 5 on AP Psych (knock on wood though)) and I’d like to take Multivariable Calc and Linear Algebra as well (I like math and think it’s important for ANY scientist to have a background in it beyond BC Calculus AP). I’d also like to take the Physics 135 sequence as well; I’ve had AP Physics C, got A’s in it both semesters at my state’s math and science magnet, just I don’t think I got 5’s on the AP tests for physics so I can’t place out of Intro Phys. Is MVC, Gen Chem, Intro Physics, Cog Sci (or Cog Psych classes) too much, on top of fresh. seminars? </p>
<p>I’m especially curious about when to take physics. I’ve heard it’s a VERY bad idea to take both Orgo and Intro bio at the same time as a soph, so I’m probably going to take Intro Bio as a soph and Orgo as a junior. Just… I really want to just get that physics out of the way. Is taking Gen Chem and Intro Phys too much for a freshman? Especially considering that I’d like to also take some of the more rigorous psych/cog. sci classes as an underclassman, and that I’d also like to do MVC and Linear Algebra?</p>
<p>I’m sorry if this wasn’t the most coherent post; I’ll clarify if needed. But please help…</p>
<p>well dont forget, you have three quarters in a year so that might help you spread classes around. also, i dont think you can just take chem 101-3 or get credit for the other two (101-3 is only in the spring).</p>
<p>In terms of bio/orgo, a lot of people take it, a lot of people say it’s difficult. It’s definitely doable, though i think its a better idea to take orgo then bio because bio references <em>some</em> orgo concepts. Depending on your advisor, they may or may not recommend physics as a freshman, one of my friends was told not to take physics since it was a “sophomore level course”. However, right now you’re just looking at four classes (plus fresh seminar). i think your best bet is to not take one of those four and keep your workload to 4 classes first if you’re worried, and add the 5th in winterquarter after you’re more accustomed to the load.</p>
<p>Oops, by Chem 101-3, I meant the Chem 101-102-103 sequence. The thing is, I personally am not that worried. I’ve had AP Chem and AP Physics C before, and I’m accustomed to living away from home (3 years of boarding school) and dealing with very difficult science classes (3 years at a math and science academy). I know Gen Chem and to some extent Physics 135 are weedouts, and I’m going into them realizing that they will be very tough and will require a lot of focus and dedication on my part. I’m very interested in the subjects, I have prior experience with them (to some extent) and I’m willing to work very hard at them. I’m just wondering if anyone had experience with Phys and Chem together as a freshman, along with possibly some advanced math and cognitive science. </p>
<p>I’d also be interested to hear how people did in Orgo and Bio. I’ve heard horror stories about incredibly harsh grading/workload in both classes, and even worse tales from people I know who tried to do both at the same time.</p>
<p>You should not be taking 5 classes as a freshman- it’s just needless and more work than you need coming into college. Chill out, you don’t need to plan your entire schedule now, in June…wait til you get here and talk to other students/advisors/etc.</p>
<p>I would recommend you to use your AP credit in Chem if you have it. If you don’t, then buy one of the AP Chem review books and review, and the take the placement test in Chem. I think you could do the same for physics since you took C in high school. If you end up getting the max amount of credit you can, then you won’t have to take 5 classes (Chem 101-103 and Phys 135-1&2). That way you can start with Organic Chem freshman year with 1 quarter of waves in physics and bio sophmore year.</p>
<p>I have no desire to go to med school, so I don’t think I need to worry too much about using AP credits to get out of introductory science classes. I want to get into a top cognitive neuroscience Ph.D program, for the record. </p>
<p>I got a 4 on AP chem the first time (I didn’t study at all though). I might’ve gotten 5’s on the AP physics tests, but I really don’t know. It was a tough test, and I know I got one thing on mechanics wrong, but I still think I did pretty well on it. I just don’t know for sure, and I’m bracing myself for the worst, which would mean not AP-ing out of intro phys. </p>
<p>How hard are the chem and phys placement tests? How well do you have to do to get out of intro chem and/or phys 135-1 and 135-2? Are they even worth studying for… how many people take them and actually get credit for one of those tough intro science courses? And while we’re discussing placement tests, how tough is the Spanish placement test? </p>
<p>I’ve heard taking Orgo without taking Gen Chem even if you’ve had AP Chem is a very bad idea. I’ve heard it’s especially bad to take as a freshman. Any thoughts on this? </p>
<p>Thanks a lot so far. And I agree, it would be very nice to just not have to retake Gen Chem and Intro Phys.</p>
<p>well usually about 20% of students in Chem 210 are freshman, so all of them had to have taken credit for chem 101-103. Also, I have heard that very little of gen chem material is covered in organic chem, so you should be fine with basic chem knowledge. I have heard that at other schools, they review the gen chem stuff you need to know for the course at the beginning, but i’m not sure how NU teaches organic chem.</p>
<p>The spanish placement test is a lot like the AP test. The only difference is that there is no listening and it isn’t proctored. You take the test online and you are on the honor system to not go over time or use a book. Of course you could, but if you place out of 2 years of spanish (the weinberg minimum requirement), then you have to take a retest during NSW to make sure you definitely have placed out…so that’s how NU catches the cheaters.
Prepare reasonably well by going over some stuff. You can be placed into 115-1 (first of a 2 quarter sequence of 1st year spanish), 102-1 (first of a 3 quarter sequence of 2nd year spanish), 102-3 (last quarter of 2nd year spanish), or 199 (3rd year spanish).
If you only plan on getting the requirement of the way then you will end up having to take 5, 3, 1, or 0 courses at NU. I would say that most “decent” spanish speakers who took it in high school but didn’t take the AP test end up in 115-1 or 102-1. 115-1 is really easy if you took high school spanish and 102-1 is comparable to AP or honors Spanish.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, you don’t have to recall many things from gen chem for orgo. </p>
<p>Orgo is tough. I aced the gen chem at WashU (in fact, I aced everything except English (second language for me) at WashU) but found the orgo at NU a lot tougher. I am not sure this has to do with orgo itself or with the NU profs. I have a feeling it’s more to do with the latter. If things haven’t changed since I left, exams will be challenging. Very few things are gonna be straight forward so the range is gonna be wide. You really have to know your stuff VERY WELL so you can integrate things you learn to solve problems that often don’t look (at least not obviously to most people)anything you have practiced. Some people are gonna get almost perfect/perfect while plenty don’t even get 50% right. My friend got a C after a lot of studying (she was ranked 6th out of 400 students in a public hs in texas); she’s so scared of getting another C that she decided to take the next sequence in some community college near her home over a summer (she easily got an A there).</p>
<p>I also found that orgo worked differently from the other basic sciences like chem/phys. I am pretty good at quantitative stuff but orgo isn’t qauntitative at all. My friend, who don’t have the math ability I have, did very well in orgo while I didn’t and he was a sociology major. My another friend, a HPME, aced all his engineering classes but managed B+ in both sequences of orgo he took. The material in the book may not be that hard but there are millions ways to post the problems and NU profs seem to like playing with you by giving you hard ones! They were also very good at making up new problems and not recycling old ones so doing past exams helped just marginally.</p>
<p>how many semesters of spanish would I need to take to fulfill the distribution requirements for each class that I place into? If I end up placing into a high level class, does that mean I can take less semesters of spanish?</p>
<p>Sam Lee,</p>
<p>I thought NU won’t allow any transfer credits for orgo anymore. I remember reading somewhere that NU will only accept transfer credits for orgo if it is from Harvard.</p>
<p>How many courses you have to take is based on where you place into. All that matters to Weinberg is that you finish/place out of 102-3 (2nd year, 3rd quarter). So if you place into 115-1 you have to take 5 courses to finish 102-3. 102-1 requires 3 courses, 102-3 requires only one course, and 199 means you’re done if you want to be.</p>
<p>The numbering system for all the languages is silghtly different because they all share the same numbering system (Spanish 101-1 is really Language 101-1, so the French equivalent is Language 102-1…or osmething along those lines).</p>
<p>They allowed orgo transfer credit when I was there. ;)</p>
<p>In a way, I think the grading of orgo is very fair. Only the best and the people who really know the material and are very good at it will get A. It’s not one of those classes where you aren’t really that good but somehow still manage an A. If you slack off, unless you it somehow comes natural to you (there were some people that thought it was easy), you will get a C. Like I said before, you may do well in gen phys/chem but orgo seems to require a little different skill set. There’s almost no quantitative calculation, if I remember correctly. There are lots of drawings, picturing things in 3D (easier now with those orgo software kits showing molecules in all angles on the computer), memorization (my weak spot), and a little imagination. So sometime even if you work hard but somehow are not efficient about it, you can get a C also. A few even get below C.</p>
<p>I knew a girl from UPenn that took NU orgo in one summer. She didn’t know anything about it and learned it the hard way. She complained it was harder than anything she’s taken so far at UPenn. She wouldn’t have done it if she knew what she would be getting into. By the way, when I said those who are “not good” at it would get C. I meant it in relative terms. Many who got C would have gotten A in community colleges or at least B in many other schools.</p>
<p>But if I were to do sufficiently well on the chem placement test, do you recommend taking orgo as a freshman if it’s really such a pain in the rear end? Might it be potentially better for me to take some extra psych courses (like stats and experimental design) that I’d have to take later on as a freshman and save orgo for later? For the record I happen to be bad at memorization, but very good at the non-quantitative skills orgo I’ve heard orgo requires. </p>
<p>And I’d really like more info on the Spanish placement test. I don’t want to have to take a language again at all, and I’m pretty good at speaking and communicating in spanish, but I really don’t know that much spanish vocab and I’m not exactly an expert in spanish grammar either (my school heavily emphasized speaking and fluency over memorizing vocab and grammar drills). How tough is it to get out of spanish entirely or get into 102-3? </p>
<p>spanish placement was done online at home during summer (last year atleast), and though it said not to use outside sources, well lets just say theres no enforcement</p>
<p>physics: theres placement tests which grant credit oweek, i think theyre for the first 3 intro courses</p>
<p>math: look into menu, its a lot more interesting than ordinary memory-based math, ie u actually prove the stuff u use</p>
<p>orgo: i took orgo in hs, only on synthesis tho, im not sure how its taught here but i thought it was a lot of fun and nothing like gen chem</p>
<p>also if you want to take 5+ courses, u’ll need to wait until 2nd quarter, then only let u overload if u had good grades and after u do, how many classes u take is not a big deal; its also free which is nice but if u want to graduate early with this plan, theyll charge u for all the overload credits</p>