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October 29, 2002
A: FROM MENTEE RASHELLE IN PA
I am taking Chemistry this year, and I am sorry to say that
I do not know when it would be better to take that course.
All i know is that the labs are fun, but the paper work is
hard.
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October 28, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR CARYN PRUDENTE
IN ME
Hi Erin,
I've read the responses you've received, so I'll try not to
repeat the great
advice you've already received. But defiantly take some chemistry
if you are
considering a future in science. I teach chemistry at a University
and
undoubtedly the number one hurdle for students interested
in a science major is
attempting to get through General Chemistry (taken generally
in the first year
of college) with no or poor prior chemistry background. Your
first year of
study will be so much more pleasant if you start out with
a solid background in
chemistry, and your future classes will go more smoothly as
well. Chemistry is
a central science and therefore has applications to most other
fields of
science and this is why it is a requirement for say Biology
majors or Geology
majors, or students interested in pursuing Medical or Vet.
School
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October 28, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR ANGELA SKAGGS
IN KY
Erin,
I think most schools in Ky require chemistry. Our high school
in Ky
requires 3 years of science, one of those being chemistry.
I believe if
you are planning on pursuing a SET career you definitely need
to take
chemistry. I did not take chemistry in high school. Not only
did I
have to study harder to keep my grades up, I found myself
really behind
other students in the class. Taking chemistry in high school
will
better prepare you for it in college.
**********
October 28, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR SNEZANA DALAFAVE
IN NJ
It is a good idea to take as many as possible science and
math courses in
high school. Some of them can earn you an AP college credit.
If you wish
to major in chemistry, plan on taking college chemistry courses,
even if
you have AP credits for them. Although most high school AP
courses are
rigorous, you should (re)take your major courses at the college
level,
also. It is OK to get exempted from college courses out of
your major by
using your appropriate AP credits.
**********
October 28, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR PATRICIA TAYLOR
IN TX
By all means take Chemistry in high school or at your first
opportunity.
Establishing a strong foundation early will help you in your
future
technical studies. Even if you don't plan an engineering/science/technology
based career, chemistry touches every part of your life including
your home
life. For example, cooking is really chemistry. You also use
many
chemicals within your home such as cleaners, pesticides, fertilizers,
and
personal care products. The fundamental concepts you will
learn will assist
you in every day living.
**********
October 28, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR JOAN LUSK IN
RI
What do you mean by "now"? Sophomore or junior year
instead of
senior year? The main difficulty for most beginning chemistry
students is lack of fluency with algebra, so I would advise
anyone to
be sure that they are comfortable with basic linear and quadratic
equations and know how to translate a real-world problem expressed
in
words into algebraic equations. Solving simultaneous equations
is a
frequently-used skill. If you don't understand what I'm talking
about, then you should take more algebra before taking chemistry
or
physics.
If you want to go on in a field that depends on chemistry,
then it is
a good idea to take a high school chemistry course. College
courses
often assume that you will be familiar with the concepts of
atoms,
molecules, moles and so on. It can be tough to start in college
without preparation; and delaying the basic chemistry courses
in
order to take a high-school level course can delay your taking
advanced biology courses or fulfilling pre-medical requirements.
Best wishes for your smooth progress.
**********
October 25, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR CHARLENE CASSIDY
IN SC
Erin, If you plan on pursuing a SET related degree in college,
it would
be best to take chemistry while in high school, just to have
some
pre-college exposure to it. Also, most colleges require 1
unit of high
school chemistry as a pre-requisite for admission.
October 25, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR SUZANNE FRANKS
IN KS
Erin, that's a good question. My first reaction is to say
absolutely
yes!
Then I tried to think about why. Here are a couple of reasons:
The more times you see and learn about something, the better
you
understand it. So, if you take chemistry in high school, it
will be
just that much easier in college than if you had never seen
it before.
But why take chemistry in high school at all? Well, most SET
careers
are going to require at least a little chemistry in college.
Once again,
it's easier if you've seen some of it before. You don't want
to close any
doors to possible careers this early in your life, and taking
chemistry
helps keep the doors to all the SET careers open.
But finally, I think chemistry is fun, at least if you get
a good teacher.
And even if you don't - if you can manage to see past bad
teaching
to the beauty of understanding the chemistry of the world
around us.
The Exploratorium web site has collected "10 cool chemistry
sites"
you can find them at
http://www.exploratorium.edu/learning_studio/cool/chemistry.html
I also like the "What's Cool" In the World of Chemistry
web site
http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/chem/becmajfold/coollinks/coollink.html
October 25, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR MAMIE MOY IN
TX
Yes, you should take chemistry in high school. Knowledge of
chemistry
will help you to understand topics and concepts in other science
areas. Knowing chemistry will help you make decisions in your
day to
day tasks, chores and personal activities. Chemistry enhances
your
problem solving skills whether in science or any other activity.
To understand the structure of DNA or the metabolic processes
that go
on in our bodies, we need to know chemistry.
October 25, 2002
A: FROM MENTOR NATALIE BIR-CLAYTON
IN CO
There is no substitute for a solid foundation in science formed
prior to
beginning post high school studies. The concepts learned in
high school
will give you a head start on the more advanced concepts covered
in
college. The other advantage is the method of teaching in
high school is
most often more conducive to building the foundation through
open exchange
of information. At the college level the style of learning
is very often
more self study with large amounts of material to read and
digest.
Chemistry is a great science that you have exposure to every
day of your
life. The earlier you begin to assimilate the basic concepts
and can see
them at work the more likely you will be at succeeding later
in life. Have
fun with it!
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