Chemistry
Photo: Denise Applewhite
Chemistry is ultimately at the foundation of a million different things—how functional MRI can tell what you're thinking, how the earth's atmosphere responds to the industrial activities of the human race, how living tissue sticks to artificial body implants, how gigantic molecules assemble themselves inside your body to perform complex biological tasks, how nature programs cells in organisms to live and to die, and why the Titanic sank. Princeton's program is truly interdisciplinary in character, and our research groups are involved in such programs as the Princeton Environmental Institute, the Program in Molecular Biophysics, the Genomics Institute, and the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials. Our undergraduates often earn certificates in other fields, reflecting the flexibility of our requirements and the diversity of our students' interests. Many of our students go on to medical school or other related professional schools, while others go on to graduate school in chemistry or other disciplines, such as materials science. Some go on to law school or business school, taking with them a technical background that serves them well. Others go into consulting, and a good number do things unrelated to chemistry, having been chemistry majors just because they like the subject.
What Students Say
• What is chemistry?
• What can you learn from it?
• What is it like being a chemistry major?
• What are common misconceptions about chemistry 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?
Most of us are really outgoing people (shock, horror). While we sometimes live in the lab (and secretly love it), we do love to socialize.
The early concentration option is also available for students who want to go abroad during junior year. 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. 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).
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• What can you learn from it?
• What is it like being a chemistry major?
• What are common misconceptions about chemistry 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.
- Computational chemistry: the use of tools from computer science and programming to help solve problems in chemistry.
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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.
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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 to a reading group of 8 students. An Instructor leads each reading group and the groups focus on critical analysis of a recent scientific article. The final paper is a 7-8 page critical analysis of an article of the student's choice.
At the end of the fall semester, students submit their selections for their spring JP advisers after meeting with professors earlier to discuss possible projects. They complete research in the lab and submit a a research proposal for continuing the work as a Senior Thesis project.
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 adviser 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. However, the department is overall very friendly, and the department representative and Kirsten, the undergraduate administrator, know every student by name.
A lot of students end up trying to decide between molecular biology and chemistry. In comparison to the molecular biology department, the number of chemistry majors is much smaller and the chemistry department has fewer faculty. Chemistry is flexible with department requirements, which makes it easy to have upper-level classes in other science departments count toward the departmental requirements.
A chemistry student will be exposed to varied material for the fall JP and will write an experimental junior paper in the spring. Come graduation-time, however, one disadvantage is that, the chemistry department requires students to pass two comprehensive exams issued by the American Chemical Society.
As mentioned above, one terrific advantage of the chemistry department is its sheer flexibility. For example, the core lab requirement can be fulfilled in chemistry with pretty much any of the science core labs offered in Princeton, like CHM, MOL, MSE, PHY, QCB, etc. This also makes it tremendously easy to pursue certificates like materials science and engineering, engineering biology, quantitative and computational biology, etc, etc. What's more, chemistry majors can and do pursue their JP/senior thesis research across a diverse span of departments. The flexibility of the department lends its students the opportunity to work under professors in not only the CHM department, but also CBE, MAE, ELE, MOL, PHY, GEO, and the list goes on. Chemistry is perhaps one of the most interdisciplinary majors at Princeton, but that depends on the student. Each student has incredible control over the focus and breadth of his/her studies.
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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.
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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 semesters and take courses that Princeton does not offer. Since study abroad usually occurs during junior year, these students do their lab project at the host institution, and submit a research proposal at the end of the term. Most students who do choose to study abroad will go during the summer.
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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.
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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.