Chemistry is an extremely demanding undergraduate major, requiring rigorous preparation in high school, and long hours of study during college. Most individuals who change their minds about majoring in chemistry do so during the first year, and frequently do so because they lack an adequate background in English, science, and mathematics.

Here we offer some suggestions about the nature of the high school work one should undertake to be able to succeed at college level chemistry.

English. The use of language is critical to success in any academic endeavor and in the workplace as well. Employers of chemists constantly complain that newly hired men and women can't write an intelligible sentence or present oral explanations of their work. Although some classes in English are part of most college core curricula, it is in high school that the basic skills must be learned.

Prospective chemistry majors should take college prep English each year, trying to develop the following skills:

• The ability to read critically, asking pertinent questions, and evaluating ideas

• The ability to use writing as a way of organizing and clarifying ideas; fundamentally, writing and thinking are the same operation

• The ability to present information orally both succinctly and logically

Mathematics. The ultimate descriptions of atoms and molecules are mathematical. Our quantitative descriptions of the behavior of atoms and molecules also are mathemetical. Chemistry majors are required to take calculus and differential equations to be able to operate with those mathematical descriptions. Hence a strong mathematical background in high school is extremely important. Take all the math, except business math, that your high school offers! You want to be proficient in:

• Algebra: recognizing which techniques are needed to solve which kinds of problems, and applying them skillfully; logarithmic and exponential operations; simple matrix operations

• Geometry: the ability to think of two- and three-dimensional figures in terms of symmetry, congruence, and similarity; ability to use simple trigonometric relationships

• Functions: understanding of linear and quadratic functions, and the ability to graph them and use the graphs to solve problems

• Statistics: familiarity with basic techniques of statistical reasoning and probability

Science. Science is growing ever more interdisciplinary. College chemistry majors take a full year of physics, and also now are required to have at least one semester of biochemistry. Furthermore, the most exciting and challenging research efforts are those at the borders between classical disciplines. Hence, high school students should take at least one full year each of chemistry, biology, and physics. Take AP chemistry if your school offers it. Be sure your scientific experience includes:

• Laboratory work: enough to understand how one asks questions of Mother Nature by experimentation, and how to organize and communicate the results of the questioning

• Mathematical skills: the ability to manipulate numerical data from experiments mathematically, and to interpret mathematical results both graphically and verbally

Although college chemistry programs no longer require foreign languages as they once did, we strongly encourage the study of a foreign language, both for the exposure it provides to another culture and for the greater understanding of one's own language that results. Significant chemical literature is still published in languages other than English, also. German and Russian are the most useful languages for chemistry, but French, Spanish, and even Latin are valuable as well.

If you would like advice about a particular program of study, please call Margie Forbes (207-581-1169) in our Department office. She can direct you to a faculty member who can help.