LD5050
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Interested in taking a chemistry class, help on how to go about this?
Ok so I'm interested in taking a chemistry course, specifically organic chemistry. I never really was much of a "school person" at all but only
because I wasn't much interested in anything during my high school years. I love chemistry and I have been teaching my self by reading books and
coming to sites like this.
I want to further my knowledge and I really want to take a chemistry course but I'm having trouble going about it. I did a quick search on google but
cant find much other than online courses which isn't something I would be interested in ( I don't think) because I would like to have lab practice as
well.
I did see online courses that do offer lab as part of the course, not sure how that would work tho. Can anybody help me out and tell me how I can go
about this? Do any of you know a really good online course? I live in the US by the way Massachusetts to be exact.
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DraconicAcid
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I don't know about the schools in your area, but at my college, when we offer an online chemistry course, you are expected to attend several in-person
lab sessions.
Please remember: "Filtrate" is not a verb.
Write up your lab reports the way your instructor wants them, not the way your ex-instructor wants them.
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PirateDocBrown
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Find a local community college. Much cheaper than a 4 year one.
I would strongly recommend you take a General Chemistry course before Organic.
It will likely be a 2 year commitment, but not more than 6-8 hours/week, including labs.
A good background in math, up to college-level algebra, and some understanding of physics would be very helpful.
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CuReUS
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you could try at harvard or MIT   .On a side note,could someone answer 2 questions I have:
1.What is the maximum age to be eligible for the "back to school" program at harvard ?
2.which one is the best for organic chemistry-harvard or MIT ?
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Texium
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I would assume that MIT is better than Harvard for chemistry, but honestly, if you're just looking to take undergraduate level chemistry courses, all
respectable public universities are going to be about equal. At that level if you attend a more "prestigious" university, all you're paying more for
is the name. If you're pursuing a master's degree or PhD it matters a lot more where you go since you'll actually be doing research and need to be
concerned about what research areas are available at different institutions and what resources they have available. Prior to that though it doesn't
really matter.
Also I agree OP should take general chemistry first. It's mostly the boring stuff, but it's quite necessary to learn if you hope to understand other
aspects of chemistry later on. That could certainly be done at a community college, but ochem would be better at a real university.
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JJay
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The major problem with taking a chemistry class at Harvard is that they they don't offer most of their hard science curriculum in continuing
education. I'd expect MIT and Harvard to be more or less comparable; I will say though that the Harvard chemistry library is unmatched on this planet,
not to mention the medical library.
I'd probably suggest just taking a class at Tufts or something for an introduction to chemistry unless you are actually a genius.
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PirateDocBrown
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This might be good:
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/ap-chemistry
https://www.khanacademy.org/science/organic-chemistry
[Edited on 3/25/17 by PirateDocBrown]
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yobbo II
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or this
https://www.mooc-list.com/
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Magpie
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Why all the emphasis on MIT and Harvard? I have taken organic at a junior college and it is plenty good. Massachusetts is a big place and not
everyone lives in Boston. I would be looking for a community college near you. My local CC has a 5cr organic class with 2ea 3hr labs/wk. That's
plenty of hands-on instruction and it's mostly syntheses. Much cheaper than a big-name school too.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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CharlieA
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I agree with the suggestions that recommend a general chemistry course first, followed by organic chemistry. You need to learn the "language" of
chemistry before tackling the (relatively) narrowly-focused organic chemistry.
I also recommend that you look into community colleges first. If you go the community college route and take general & organic chemistry and are
still hungry to learn more, then you can look into higher level courses somewhere.
Good luck!
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LD5050
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Thanks for all the replies guys this is very helpful. How much money would it cost for a chemistry or organic chem course at a community college
roughly ball park, anyone know? I'm sure I could sign up for student loans... or probably not because I signed up for student loans years ago for HVAC
and haven't payed them yet...
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Magpie
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I should point out that rigorous organic chemistry is not normally considered an elementary chemistry course. Prerequisites are general chemistry and
perhaps some math (algebra).
There would be some watered down courses in organic for non-hard science majors. But they also will likely have a general chemistry prerequisite. Go
into the website of any college and you can find all the answers.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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Texium
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Quote: Originally posted by Magpie  | | There would be some watered down courses in organic for non-hard science majors. But they also will likely have a general chemistry prerequisite. Go
into the website of any college and you can find all the answers. |
However, the watered down
non-chemistry-major organic chemistry class will probably be less interesting, taught by a less qualified professor, and overall less helpful to
someone truly interested in learning about organic chemistry and not just trying to get through it for the credit.
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Magpie
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zts16: I agree. These courses may also not have labs.
The single most important condition for a successful synthesis is good mixing - Nicodem
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