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Intro Organic/Biochem (X402) may be suitable as a second course in chemistry for those who have taken high school chemistry -- and done very well. It will give you some of the basics of organic chemistry, and an introduction to the chemical basis of biological systems. The material in Intro Organic/Biochem is not typically covered much in high school courses. High school students who take this, or other college courses, need to realize that there are some typical differences between high school and college courses. First, the pace is much faster in a college course -- probably 2-3 times the pace of good high school courses. Second, there is much more individual responsibility to do the work in college. In high school, the amount of outside work ("homework") is usually small compared to time spent in class. In college, the reverse is true; a useful rule of thumb is that typical college students spend 2-3 hours outside of class for each hour in class. Thus, students taking Intro Organic/Biochem -- including high school students -- should plan on spending 5-8 hr each week on their own, outside of class. Further, in high school it is common that the teacher carefully monitors your progress at each step. For example, all homework is collected and graded. Policies on this vary widely among college instructors. However, some instructors, including me, believe that homework should be considered a personal activity that is part of your learning process, and is not an end in itself. I will leave it largely up to you to do the problems in the book, and to seek help when needed. It is your responsibility to learn the material, and to do the work that is required to do so. |
Some further comments...
* The page Tips for success was written in a different context, but the idea is the same. Those who are new to college-level classes, or who have not taken one in a long time, might find that page useful. Read it for the general tone.
* If you take the course in good faith and it doesn't work out well, that is ok. It still may be a good experience for you, and it will benefit your approach to future college work. It is common enough for young students to stumble on their first college course (or the first one with serious academic content). Ok; and better to do it early than to stumble on your entire first semester of college.
* High school students who have taken Intro Organic/Biochem in the past have generally done quite well!
Questions? Feel free to contact me before the course starts to discuss. See the contact information at the bottom of this page.
Intro Organic/Biochem (X402): Home page Syllabus
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Last update: February 22, 2009