What is it like being a Chemistry major?
What are common misconceptions about CHM majors?
What kind of internships and international experiences have majors had?
How will Chemistry majors save the world?
Why would anyone want to date a Chemistry major?
Chemistry is a physical science focused on the composition, structure, properties, and interactions of matter.
Disciplines within Chemistry include:
- Organic Chemistry: the study of compounds containing mostly carbon and hydrogen.
- Inorganic Chemistry: the study of the individual elements and compounds containing mostly atoms other than carbon and hydrogen.
- Biochemistry: the study of substances found in biological organisms.
- Physical Chemistry: the study of physical processes and energy systems.
- Analytical Chemistry: the analysis of material samples to understand their composition and structure.
- Computational Chemistry: the use of tools from computer science and programming to help solve problems in chemistry.
Chemistry is often called the central science because its purview includes problems that are interesting and important to nearly all of the other scientific fields. Consequently, an undergraduate education in chemistry allows one to sample from a wide variety of research topics before settling on a particular one to pursue further in thesis and graduate work. As with all the sciences, chemistry stresses the scientific method for problem-solving, which can be a useful skill in other fields as well. Chemistry majors have gone on to be doctors, lawyers, and bankers, in addition to the more traditional chemistry careers such as energy, pharmaceuticals, chemicals manufacturing, etc.
What is it like being a Chemistry major?
In the fall, juniors are required to attend a nightly colloquium once a week. Professors in the Chemistry department present their research to the class and answer any questions students might have. Students are also assigned three professors (usually of their choice), and for each professor, students write a 10-15 page paper on the professor's research or a related topic.
At the end of the fall semester, students negotiate a research lab position with a faculty adviser of interest. The spring semester is spent working on a piece of original research, and at the end of the term, majors submit a 20-25 page paper that summarizes the research accomplished to that point.
Most students choose to stay at Princeton during the summer between junior and senior year to complete preliminary research for the senior thesis. Most, if not all, students stay with their spring JP advisor for their thesis since it is convenient to continue the JP research for a thesis. Senior theses are generally 100 pages long and are submitted in the spring.
The department overall has some really great professors who are very well-known in their field of research. In comparison to the Molecular Biology department, the number of Chemistry majors is much smaller and the Chemistry department has less faculty. Chemistry is flexible with department requirements, which makes it easy to have upper-level classes in other science departments count toward the department requirements. The department is overall very friendly, and the department representative knows every student by name.
What are common misconceptions about Chemistry majors?
Most chemists are believed to be closet pyromaniacs. While this is often true, some are actually even more fanatic cryomaniacs. Anyone who has ever played with liquid nitrogen will know that destroying stuff by freezing and shattering it is just as much fun as blowing it up.
What kind of internships and international experiences have majors had?
Like most Princeton students, the majority of Chemistry majors choose to stay on campus all four years. Some students, however, have had the opportunity to study abroad during the sophomore or junior years and take courses that Princeton does not offer. With careful advanced planning, it is possible for juniors to complete their independent work abroad. Most students who do choose to study abroad but wish to be on campus for the fall and spring terms will go during the summer.
The early concentration option is also available for qualified students. Under this option, one or both of the JPs can be written in the sophomore year, allowing the student to pursue other interests while abroad during junior year. It is generally a good idea to talk to the department representative as early as possible to plan courses and requirements around the study abroad semester(s).
How will Chemistry majors save the world?
For starters:
- the environment: green energy, eco-friendly food production, waste management, recycling, etc. Chemical technologies will be required to overcome many of these problems.
- healthcare: chemists are responsible for many of the life-saving drugs currently available, as well as basic necessities like clean water and pest control.
Why would anyone want to date a Chemistry major?
Of all lovers, we have the best understanding of that special force that pulls together two souls, that magic that lights up life, that thing called...great chemistry.
