Making the jump in from High School Chemistry to College Chemistry

As a chemistry tutor here in Cambridge, one of the questions I’m frequently asked is “What is chemistry like in college?”

Unfortunately, there’s no good answer to this question, since chemistry in college is very different from what is typically seen in high school classrooms.

So, whether you’re one hundred percent sure that you’re going to college for chemistry, or if college chemistry is something you’re absolutely dreading, here are some tips for making the jump:

Narrow down your field

Most high school courses focus mainly on introductory general/analytic chemistry – think balancing equations, stoichiometry problems, equilibrium constants, electrochemistry, etc. By its nature, general chemistry is, well, general, and doesn’t really go into much depth in any one topic. Furthermore, most advanced chemistry topics aren’t even really introduced until you get to higher level college courses. However, when it comes down to picking a major, you’ll probably not be able to major in general chemistry. Instead, you’ll have to pick a specialization, some of which are:

• Physical chemistry: This branch is probably closest to what general chemistry is like – it’s a very mathematical treatment of chemical phenomena. You’ll look at laws and factors that govern reaction rates, material properties, electronic phenomena, and other ways in which “pure” physics can be applied to chemical problems.
  
  
• Biochemistry/chemical biology: Here you’ll be looking at the minute details of biological processes, all of which have chemical reactions at their cores. As an example, you may look at how a specific drug molecule can produce a beneficial effect (such as reducing pain or curing a disease), or why a specific molecule is poisonous.
  
  
• Organic chemistry: This is uniquely chemistry – you’ll be dealing with the chemistry of carbon-based compounds. While this may sound narrow, it is a vast field. It often requires little advanced math or biology training, but a fair amount of knowledge of basic principles of bonding and reactivity.
  
  
• Analytic chemistry: Here you’ll deal with measuring and quantifying even the smallest trace amounts of molecules. Analytical chemistry are behind the scenes from determining if a certain poison may have killed a victim to making sure that our medicines are safe.
  
  
• Chemical Engineering: This usually isn’t in the same department of chemistry, but it will share a lot of the classes. This is also often considered one of the hardest majors, since you are expected to master both chemical principles as well as the advanced math and physics principles required in engineering.
  
  

Obviously the list goes on, and it’s definitely possible (and common) to pursue a degree that spans more than one of these topics. So don’t feel that you need to confine yourself to just one of these subjects. If it interests you, go for it!

Keep an open mind to all types of chemistry classes

Chemistry, especially for those who don’t see themselves pursuing the natural sciences, has a reputation for being notoriously difficult and irrelevant (which may be true if you’re majoring in, say, English language or Near-Eastern history). And certainly, some people are just trying to survive it and be done with it. But most likely, you’re going to have to take a general chemistry and lab course at some point anyway, so why not give it a chance? College chemistry courses offer a much richer view of the subject than high school can typically provide, and you may just find that you’re drawn into the subject more than you thought you would be.

If you’re already in the natural sciences, the same is true. Organic chemistry, as an example, is typically the bane of biology and pre-med students. It certainly is true that starting out in organic chemistry requires a lot of prep work and learning tons of basics, but once you’ve got the basics down, you get to solve challenging chemical problems that are very logical in nature. Perhaps I’m biased, but a lot of people are so caught up in just trying to do well in the course that they just don’t give the subject a chance.

Of course, the flip side is definitely possible too – maybe you were certain that you wanted to study chemistry, but after a more in-depth look at what chemists actually do, you’ve decided it’s just not for you. Luckily, chemistry occupies prime real estate between biology and physics, so switching from one to the other (especially in your first couple of years of college) should be no problem at all. But to help you make that decision:

Prepare to get your hands dirty in the chemistry lab

Not literally, that is. But chemistry is a lot of lab work, and the sooner you’re exposed to it, the better you’ll be able to decide whether chemistry is right for you. In high school chemistry, the labs are usually condensed into one or two class periods, so they rarely last more than a couple of hours. In college, however, your schedule will be a lot less restricted, so labs can (and do!) last much longer. For example, an introductory organic chemistry lab at Harvard lasts for about 5 hours, while certain advanced organic labs at Caltech can meet for up to 17 hours a week! The bottom line is, if you see yourself becoming a career chemist, you’ll spend lots of time in a fume hood, biolab, or computing core, so make sure this is something that you’ll enjoy.

Since some sort of lab will probably be required anyway, why not try to take it right away to get a jump start on making your decision? Worst case, you really hate it, but then at least you’ve got it out of the way early on!

Watch out for outside opportunities

Over the course of a degree in chemistry, there are tons of opportunities out there to further develop your skills and see first-hand what life after school might be like. Once you’ve got the basic course work under your belt, you’ll definitely want to look out for research opportunities, both at your school and elsewhere (and even abroad). Alternatively, several major companies offer summer internships which give you an inside look at potential career choices. Not only will such opportunities further expand your knowledge base and laboratory technique, but the people you meet while engaging in such activities will often be great resources as you pursue your own career goals. This is especially true if you plan on applying to graduate school or for fellowships, where recommendation letters form a key part of your application package.

And again, on the flip side, you may decide that a particular research lab, graduate program, company, or industry may not be for you. But at least you’ll have had the experience and knowledge necessary to make an informed decision.

In summary, chemistry in college is a much more diverse field than high school general chemistry may have you believe. 

If you’re already committed to studying chemistry, you’ll have tons of opportunities to fine-tune your academic and research skills to perfectly suit your interests. If you’re hesitant to take chemistry at a college level, it may pay off in unexpected ways – just go in with an open mind and see where it leads!