<p>Read what me and Collegestu say here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/emory-university/1192130-course-scheduling.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/emory-university/1192130-course-scheduling.html</a> and here: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/emory-university/1192401-lot-scheduling-questions-freshman-pre-med-bio-major.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/emory-university/1192401-lot-scheduling-questions-freshman-pre-med-bio-major.html</a></p>
<p>Going the Vanilla track when you don’t have to normally screws you out of the opportunity of associating w/a stronger group of peers and having greater faculty-student interaction useful for recommendations for med. school in the future and even research/internship opps (Soria can also help suggest and perhaps organize such opps. Gen. chem profs. will have nothing to do w/this despite being good lecturers). If you work hard both are awesome for good grades. If you don’t you’re screwed, especially if you don’t do well in gen. chem. At least screwing up a little in organic chem (especially as a frosh in a section where the number indicates it is the same level or higher than sophomore sectons). is forgivable. A great number of Goldwater Scholars and those who go on to more prestigious medical schools seem to have taken Soria’s lab or class. The number is shockingly disproportionate (seriously, for 2-3 years between 2008-2011, both of Emory’s Goldwater Scholars took his course. And some/an abnormal amount who entered between 05-07’ went on to Ivy League schools for med or grad. school. If you perform well and accept the faculty-student interaction Soria tries, it seems to make being pre-med or w/e science at Emory more interesting). It inspires critical and creative thinking and will make for much smoother transitions to other courses at Emory (plus your peer group will generally take many of the same classes in the future and enhance the success and experience much more than the more Vanilla group). Just take the oppurtunity, don’t be wimpy/vanilla lol. If you don’t like Soria’s style for 221-Z or can’t accommodate his 222-Z class in your schedule, you can switch to another 222 class, ideally Weinschenk. Oh, by the way, gen. chem is hardly relevant to orgo. which is why schools like Williams College actually have the frosh take it first and then gen. chem/inorganic, so forgetting gen. chem shouldn’t harm you. Soria will reteach the material that is relevant to the organic chemistry context. And this context is often more useful and more sensible than the minute of gen. chem. It puts a pictorial spin on those concepts. It is awesome lol.</p>