What to Expect When You Major in Chemistry
Taking o level chemistry tuition in Singapore is a long and arduous journey. While anyone with the right mindset, determination, and the proper training can pass the “O” Level Chemistry exam, it takes a special kind of chemistry tutor to obtain a chemistry degree.
If you feel that you are that kind of student, and have the right amount of passion for pursuing a degree in chemistry, here are some things that you will want to expect when you major in chemistry.
Prepare to be humbled
Once you enter the University of your Choice, expect that you will be competing with other students from other, possibly more well-known junior colleges. You might find yourself going head to head with students that are smarter and more hard-working than you. In this case, prepare to be humbled. If you were a straight A student before in secondary school, there is a chance that you will become a mediocre student in university.
Expect to study the foundations first
Don’t expect to be able to jump right into your specialisation immediately. In National University of Singapore (NUS), students have said that they had to do a lot of foundational modules first, and it was only in their third years that they were able to choose their chemical electives. Not only does being a chemistry major require determination, but it takes patience as well.
You will take up some math, physics, and biology courses
Specialising in chemistry does not mean that you can forget about the other branches of science. When you major in chemistry, you will also be taking a lot of math (especially calculus), physics, and biology courses. This is because chemistry involves a tonne of problem-solving. In that regard, these three other branches of science will come in handy.
You will spend more time writing reports than staying in the lab
If you consider yourself a lab rat, then rest assured that you will be spending hours in the lab. But also know that you will be spending more of your time writing lab reports, which might not be as exciting as conducting experiments.
There will be a very high workload
Chemical engineering students from the NUS have claimed that their professors tend to cram as much content as possible in a given time. To give you an idea of how much their workload is, they have also shared that chemical engineering students overseas only do half of what they do.
It gets busier on your final year
On your last year, you will be doing a final year project, which will get you stuck in the lab working for up to 8 hours a day. On top of that, you will also be doing a design project, where you will have to simulate an actual feasibility study project. Students have shared jokingly that they aged two times more their real age while studying chemistry.
Don’t let this discourage you
Instead, let it motivate you. If you want to graduate with a degree in chemistry, then push yourself to your limits, and always remind yourself that you will have a bright future ahead.