For some students, summertime at Columbia is great for melting away that left over frost from the previous semesters. Some will spend the entire summer pondering where they are headed in life. But some of our students, mainly our upper classmen, already know the answer to that question. Many of our juniors and seniors will be getting their first taste of chemistry at the professional level, whether through full-time practice or an internship. For those students stepping into the job market, Columbia has a great summer program to help ease the transition from text to practice.

One of the more popular courses offered in the summer is S0001, Preparation for College Chemistry. With instruction from Luis Avila, students develop a strong foundation in topics such as

• Electron and Nuclear Structure of Atoms
• Chemical Reactions
• Stoichiochemistry
• Periodic Properties of Elements

Preparation for College Chemistry is excellent for students wishing to get up to speed. Students who have not attended school for some time, or who do not have a firm grasp on highschool chemistry, are encouraged to take advantage of the course's preparatory nature. Students that have taken the course are ready to absorb the concepts in higher level courses.

Here's what students had to say about Preparation for College Chemistry:

"Professor Avila was always making sure that we understood the material. The information was very useful for future courses."

"It was a good prep for more in-depth courses."

"..very modern classroom, audiovisual aids, small class size, great!"

"I do feel this course gave me certain skills useful in General Chemistry. A precursor knowledge served me well for next level courses."

Chemistry Department