The Oxford Chemistry Thread
For all questions and discussion about every aspect of Oxford courses.
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The Oxford Chemistry ThreadI was seriously considering applying to Oxford to do Chemistry (entry 2009), and given that I managed AAAA at AS-Level, it seems like it would be worth a go.
However, despite my good AS-Level reults (with high individual module averages too), and my pretty much complete understanding of topics covered in A-Level so far, I still don't know if I'm 'cut out' for an Oxford education. The application process doesn't phase me; if I recieve and offer then 'great', if I don't then 'bugger'. What I loose sleep over is the thought of sitting in lecture theatres, upon my hypothetical admission, with everybody else nodding in understanding, and me dissolving into a mass of confusion, totally lost in an opaque cloud of incomprehension.
Just how hard is Chemistry at Oxford? What is the drop-out rate? Is the mathematical aspect of the course excruciating? Given that I never did Physics beyond GCSE (although I'm doing A-Level maths), will the physical chemistry be too difficult for me to wrestle with and emerge the victor?!
Any commentry from current Oxford Chemists would be very welcome, and indeed anybody in the same position as I would be encouraged to share his views too!Last edited by LurkerintheDark; 23-09-2008 at 18:25. -
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?Well, how good at Chemistry are you? Some people breeze through it, others don't.
Drop out rate for Oxford in general is very very low and so I suspect any subject breakdown would fluctuate wildly from year to year as they tend to be due to personal circumstances - there's certainly no obvious consistent trend of all the Chemists wanting to drop out that I've noticed!
But there is a not completely insignificant kick out/failure rate after Prelims (seemed on about a par or a bit higher than with medicine when I last looked up numbers - which was higher than other subjects. Failing prelims in an arts subject is hard work apparently!), which can usually be found in the Examiner's Reports usually:
http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/teaching/examinersreports.html
(Whoops, outside the Oxford network you can't read them it would seem - perhaps someone can extract the numbers. Last time I read the Maths paper was the painful one with a handful of resists normally.)
As a statement of competing interests, I'm not a current Chemist - my anecdotal impression is from a sample of about 4-5 years worth of Chemists at my college who showed some fairly different responses:
- 2 people who failed prelim resits - 1 transferred to do Chemistry elsewhere, 1 went to do something completely different.
- 1 who changed subject away from Chemistry (Biochem then Physiology!) and 1 who changed to (from Medicine).
- My significant other - who didn't hugely enjoy it (lots of Maths and theory).
- & some friends who loved it!Last edited by Elles; 23-09-2008 at 18:57. -
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?I would imagine that anything you'd struggle to understand at Oxford would still be on a multitude of other chemistry courses around the country. If you've got your heart set on chemistry (and hopefully your head set on it too!) then I see no reason for you not to apply to Oxford.
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?Trust the tutors' decisions. They only let people in who they think will get an upper second or a first, so if they let you in, they've seen from your thoughts that you'd be fine in the lectures and everything. Trust them
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?This is typically how studying a science at ANY uni tends to go(Original post by LurkerintheDark)
I was seriously considering applying to Oxford to do Chemistry (entry 2009), and given that I managed AAAA at AS-Level, it seems like it would be worth a go.
However, despite my good AS-Level reults (with high individual module averages too), and my pretty much complete understanding of topics covered in A-Level so far, I still don't know if I'm 'cut out' for an Oxford education. The application process doesn't phase me; if I recieve and offer then 'great', if I don't then 'bugger'. What I loose sleep over is the thought of sitting in lecture theatres, upon my hypothetical admission, with everybody else nodding in understanding, and me dissolving into a mass of confusion, totally lost in an opaque cloud of incomprehension.
Just how hard is Chemistry at Oxford? What is the drop-out rate? Is the mathematical aspect of the course excruciating? Given that I never did Physics beyond GCSE (although I'm doing A-Level maths), will the physical chemistry be too difficult for me to wrestle with and emerge the victor?!
Any commentry from current Oxford Chemists would be very welcome, and indeed anybody in the same position as I would be encouraged to share his views too! If you don't get it, chances are a lot of others don't either. But uni is more about actual learning than just being taught if you see what I mean.
As for lectures, at the start it's all okay and following the lecture is fine, then its 'yeah just about following' then 'screw it just copy off the board and try and make sense later'. As long as you put the hours in at the right time (like I didn't this year) it'll all be okay. -
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?At the college I am currently writing this post from 4 out of 10 1st years failed chemistry prelims. I wont deny its a subject which has one of the highest drop out rates in the university.
Its not too bad though, if you work hard you will be alright. You will find that it looks really hard in lectures, and you wont understand alot in some lectures. But follows GAVs advice and put in the hours to understanding it and you will be ok.Last edited by Turdburger; 24-09-2008 at 15:04. -
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?If, as it sounds, you're breezing through A-Level chemistry (ie getting the concepts as they appear in the classroom and not having to commit to any large amount of reading round the subject) you'll breeze through the first two terms. Put in the work and you could feasibly end Prelims with a Distinction.
2nd year is where it begins to ramp up and you can quickly get left behind, but some concerted effort at revision can sort that out.
As for lectures and understanding there and then, its a rare thing for many, particularly in physical where the pace is particularly quick. You'll find plenty of people who lay down the 'i'm so screwed, i don't understand a thing' chat so if you feel that way you definitely won't be alone.
Even the class of what I'd call 'super-chemists', (top 15 or so in the year) have their off days so you really have nothing to fret about.
Put in your application and come and have a great time, so far it's been the best two years of my life -
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?Hmm... another person in my year... but who?(Original post by IBSweeper)
If, as it sounds, you're breezing through A-Level chemistry (ie getting the concepts as they appear in the classroom and not having to commit to any large amount of reading round the subject) you'll breeze through the first two terms. Put in the work and you could feasibly end Prelims with a Distinction.
2nd year is where it begins to ramp up and you can quickly get left behind, but some concerted effort at revision can sort that out.
As for lectures and understanding there and then, its a rare thing for many, particularly in physical where the pace is particularly quick. You'll find plenty of people who lay down the 'i'm so screwed, i don't understand a thing' chat so if you feel that way you definitely won't be alone.
Even the class of what I'd call 'super-chemists', (top 15 or so in the year) have their off days so you really have nothing to fret about.
Put in your application and come and have a great time, so far it's been the best two years of my life -
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Re: How tough's Oxford Chemistry?I've just passed Prelim resits after failing the first time round in June. I found the course very difficult especially physical as, like you, I dropped physics at A level. Saying this however, the majority of the other chemists in my year also didn't take Physics A level and they passed first time round.
There is definitely more work than in other subjects, especially in first year where you have to do a maths course as well. But, if you work hard (especially in the vacations where you revise for collections) then you should have no trouble. Yes, chemistry has quite a high rate of resits, but everyone who sat resits this year passed them, probably after realising they should get their ass in gear. (I should probably mention here that some people were kicked out before resits due to failing too many Prelim exams)
I'd give it a go
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Re: Chem ChatBoo, Chemistry!
Let U be an open subset of C which is simply connected, let f : U → C be a holomorphic function, and let gamma be a rectifiable path in U whose start point is equal to its end point. Then the integral around gamma of F(z) w.r.t z is equal to zero.
Yay, maths!
