Chemistry Placement

Many STEM majors and the premedical track necessitate that students start General Chemistry the first semester of college. This means taking CHEM 1601 (lecture and discussion) and 1601L (lab) your first semester at Vanderbilt, and then if you choose to continue with this track, CHEM 1602 and 1602L your second semester.

 

Students who are interested in a STEM major or the premedical track and have AP, IB, or other test credit for CHEM 1601/L and 1602/L have a few options: 

1) Take CHEM 1601/L and 1602/L at Vanderbilt and thereby forfeit your repeat test credit

2) Move ahead to Organic Chemistry for AP students: CHEM 2211/L and 2212/L

3) Choose not to take Chemistry your first year and wait until sophomore year to take Organic Chemistry: CHEM 2221/L and 2222/L. 

Note: For students on the premedical track, many medical schools require 2 semesters of inorganic chemistry taken in college. Therefore, if you choose to keep your AP, IB, or other test credit for CHEM 1601/L and 1602/L, you will need to take upper-level chemistry courses after organic chemistry in order to satisfy this requirement. For that reason, many students who do not intend advanced study of chemistry beyond organic chemistry choose to forfeit their test credit and take CHEM 1601/L and 1602/L at Vanderbilt. Please consult with your CASPAR adviser if this scenario applies to you.