Question: First Year Chemistry, please help! (1 Viewer)

[uniform]

Questions about First Year Chemistry subjects, please help!

Hi everyone,
i know my questions have been touched on in other threads as i've searched through, but the answers haven't been all that clear, well, for me, so please bear with me!

I'm thinking of doing BSc (Nutrition) next year, but I didn't do HSC chemistry and it is a requirement of first year that i take chem subjects (though it does not specify which units i must take, i.e. fundamentals 1001 or normal 1101 etc). I did the preliminary course in chem in year 11, however.


The thing is, that I am confused about first year chemistry:

- If CHEM1001/1002 fundamentals is completely introductory with no assumed knowledge, right from the basics as they suggest, for those without any HSC chem knowledge, why is it then 'strongly recommended' that i take a bridging course? I mean, i'll take one if I really need to, i'm just confused by the, uhh, i guess, paradox they put forward. (If i DO end up taking the bridging course, does that mean I am then qualified to do normal CHEM1101 instead of fundamentals?)

- Is CHEM1001/1002, then, sufficient for second year subjects such as biochemistry (a requisite major for Nutrition) - i'm not too familiar with biochemistry - is it more closely aligned to the biological sciences than to chemistry?, i.e., is it as technical as pure chemistry or more, uhh, 'descriptive' like biology?

- If fundamental units aren't sufficient, are normal chem units (1101/1102) way out of the question for me, with only prelim chem? Do they not revise from the beginning (obviously at a fast pace though)?



THANKYOU SO MUCH! I'd really appreciate answers! Preferably before UAC change of preferences close.

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

Re: Questions about First Year Chemistry subjects, please help!

Hi there uniform. Finally a question that I can answer, I think.

1. You require knowledge of HSC chemistry to do any first year chemistry in university. That's not to say you need all of it, but in any of the courses they'd like you to have a grasp of all the basics. That's to say you need to know the mole concept, acids/bases, a bit of carbon chemistry and the like. In CHEM1101/02 they cover things in greater detail, and they cover other things that aren't covered at all or in as much detail in CHEM1001/02. If you haven't done HSC chemistry then you need to do a bridging course to bring you up to speed with everything. I suppose the moral is that you'e been misinformed - CHEM1001/02 isn't right from the basics as they suggest, it's just a more simply chemistry subject that isn't as detailed.

2. You'll need to do CHEM1101/02 to go on to do any more chemistry or chemistry related courses.

3. Do the bridging course and you should be fine. If worse comes to worse during semester 1, you can drop back down to the fundamentals course in the first few weeks, do well there, and then step back up to the normal (1102) course in second semester. I only did fundamentals at UNSW, but did 1102 when I transferred here and found it pretty easy, so that's always a possibility.

In case I answered anything wrong, and in case other chem students don't pick up on it, you should probably email the school of chem though with your questions. Adam Bridgeman is the first year co-ordinator at USyd and a really nice guy, so you'd be best to email him with any more questions.

 

[uniform]

Hey, thanks heaps Nebuchanezzar

Yeah, i suppose i was misinformed, and i think they should be more explicit in the handbook under CHEM1001 saying that there in fact IS assumed knowledge.. And the fact that on the first CHEM1001 lecture slides (haha yeahhh i looked them up...) it said the course was for those with little or no knowledge of chem, and that it was starting from the basics. Misleading information!

I suppose i was just thinking i didn't need to do the bridging course also because i have heard first hand from people who took introductory biology (concepts), while it is similarly suggested that you take a bridging course without HSC bio, they did well in it anyway. But then again, chemistry is completely different, and a lot more complicated.

Thanks again!

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

even if there wasn't any assumed knowledge, the speed at which those concepts are covered at (based once again, on what i did at unsw) isn't exactly a walk in the park. a bridging course would be pretty beneficial.

 

[Templar]

I did first year chem at advanced/ssp level and second year biochem, and I can say first year chem at any level does not have anything relevant for biochem. You'll be looking at MBLG1001 as a foundation for biochem.

However I'd suggest doing the bridging course and normal chem rather than fundamental. Just to keep your options open for later on.

 

[uniform]

Yeah thanks, i'll most likely take the bridging course now. I realised i also have to get a 60+ average mark in first year to stay in the stream, so hopefully i can cope with normal chem..

I think MBLG1001 is also compulsory in second semester in the degree, anyway.

 

[webby234]

You do need CHEM1102 to do further uni chem, but if you get a Distinction in CHEM1001, you can move into CHEM1102.

Having said that, it is always possible to catch up. I did CHEM1101 without HSC chem or a bridging course and got a Distinction. I found the labs the hardest given my previous lack of experience with practical chemistry. A strong Physics background will help with CHEM1101.

 

[uniform]

Thanks!
I'm pretty sure with the nutrition stream, second/third/fourth year pure chem units aren't even in the degree, only biochemistry, and apparently microbiology in first year is the way to prepare for that.. they only specify that, for second year onwards, you need 12 junior credit points in chem, but they don't say which ones...

 

[Nebuchanezzar]

You do need CHEM1102 to do further uni chem, but if you get a Distinction in CHEM1001, you can move into CHEM1102.

Hmm. I did 1001 and got a high credit and moved into 1102.

 

[uniform]

I just checked out the chem bridging course page and it said the following topics would be covered:

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Elements, compounds and mixtures[/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]The structure of atoms[/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Ionic compounds: formation, formulae and naming[/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Covalent bonding, valency, molecular shapes[/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Chemical equations, precipitation reactions[/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Reaction involving acids[/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Chemical calculations: atomic and formula weights,
  % composition, empirical formulae, stoichiometry,
  solution stoichiometry[/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]The Periodic Table
  [/FONT]

• [FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Acids and Bases[/FONT]

... this looks awfully similar to the preliminary course i did in yr11 (?)
or am i missing the point?

i know it can't hurt to take the course in terms of preparation, but i mean, come on, i don't wanna spend $300 if it's just a re-run of the preliminary course. i thought they would go through the fundamental HSC stuff.

 

[jb_nc]

IMO passing CHEM1101 is easier than getting a D in CHEM1001.

Do CHEM1101. If you go to lectures and tutes and study at home you will be able to pass easily whether or not you've done CHEM in the HSC.

I passed Chemistry 1A and I still have no idea what "orbitals" are. I'd say I didn't bother with maybe 35% of the course.

 

[tennille]

Biochemistry is completely different to chemistry. You'll learn about proteins, DNA replication, enzymes, metabolism, etc. It's more of a descriptive subject to answer your question.