ATAR Notes: Forum

Uni Stuff => Universities - Victoria => University of Melbourne => Topic started by: Scrono13 on January 04, 2015, 07:09:20 pm

Title: Chemical systems major
Post by: Scrono13 on January 04, 2015, 07:09:20 pm
Can someone tell me how difficult it would be to major in this without having done chemistry or specialist. Be straight out please!  :)
Title: Re: Chemical systems major
Post by: ChickenCh0wM1en on January 04, 2015, 07:19:52 pm
Can someone tell me how difficult it would be to major in this without having done chemistry or specialist. Be straight out please!  :)

It is not impossible but having a background in these subjects will definitely help.
If you haven't taken chemistry, you will need to take Fundamentals of Chemistry and if you do well enough you can skip Chem 1 to go straight into Chem 2. From there on, it is a level field :)
The same goes for Specialist maths, if you haven't done it you will be doing Calculus 1 then 2, along with Linear Algebra. Once you get into 2nd year, you'll be at the same level as those who have done chemistry/specialist maths in Vce.
Title: Re: Chemical systems major
Post by: Whynot123 on January 04, 2015, 10:52:27 pm
Short answer: If you put your head down, it's not too difficult.

Long answer: as ChickenCh0wM1en has said, since you haven't done chem or spesh in year 12, you'll have to do fundamentals of chem and calc 1 (rather than chem 1 and calc 2). This isn't a major issue, I've done both subjects and they are both really well taught (especially fundamentals, best subject I've taken at uni to date). Calc 1 does require some effort though. Fundamentals prepares you really well for other chem subjects. I presume calc 1 does too. Don't know much about the subjects after that though since I haven't done them.
Title: Re: Chemical systems major
Post by: Tadpole on January 05, 2015, 11:18:31 pm
Take Chem Fundamentals, ESD1, Calc 1 in first semester
Chem 1, Calc 2 and Lin Alg/first year science second semester
Chem 2 and Lin Alg (if you didn't do it in the second semester)  in the summer.
Not sure I'd recommend jumping straight from Fundamentals to Chem 2 unless you're very confident/don't mind bringing down your average a bit (as I'd assume you'd be getting high 80's to get allowed into the Chem 2 stream)
Title: Re: Chemical systems major
Post by: hobbitle on January 06, 2015, 07:54:47 am

Take Chem Fundamentals, ESD1, Calc 1 in first semester
Chem 1, Calc 2 and Lin Alg/first year science second semester
Chem 2 and Lin Alg (if you didn't do it in the second semester)  in the summer.
Not sure I'd recommend jumping straight from Fundamentals to Chem 2 unless you're very confident/don't mind bringing down your average a bit (as I'd assume you'd be getting high 80's to get allowed into the Chem 2 stream)

I'm also currently in the position where I took the Fundamentals>Chem2 pathway but Chem1 is a prerequisite for a Chemical Systems second year subject and for some idiotic reason, Shalcross is telling me I still need to take Chem1. So be aware.