Y2S1 Module Review

Today is the release of results, and I just thought to quickly review the modules I've taken before I forget.

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CM2011 - ANALYTICAL CHEMISTRY (3 AU)
Type: CORE
Grade: A-
Comments: There are two lecturers for this course, Prof Webster and Prof Pumera. I found Prof Webster to be easier to understand. Prof Pumera mumbles and is quite soft, so I don't really know what he's talking about sometimes (even though I sit around the 3rd or 4th row). Watching the recorded lecture helps though. He is clearer in the recording.

Easiest chem core module this semester in terms of the difficulty of content and questions asked. Looking at the past year papers, the same few types of calculation questions are always asked. The rest would just be to take note of small details that you may have missed. For Prof Pumera's midterm, he asked questions that needed you to memorise details, like the size and length of the column for Gas Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid Chromatography, which I didn't think would come out. And in the finals, for Micellar Electrokinetic Chromatography, he tested to see if you remembered the critical micellar concentration of SDS, which I unfortunately did not remember. So do be sure to remember all details.

CM2021 - INORGANIC AND BIOINORGANIC CHEMISTRY (3 AU)
Type: CORE
Grade: A-
Comments: This was a pretty difficult module for me, in terms of understanding the content. I also had some difficulty visualising molecules in 3D - a skill that is needed when determining the symmetry elements and point group. Either use the molecular kit to visualise or try to draw in 2D.

CM2031 - ORGANIC AND BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY (3 AU)
Type: CORE
Grade:A
Comments: Some reactions overlap with those in CM1031, but most are new. You'll learn retrosynthesis, which will help you when you propose the synthesis of molecules. The tutorials are very useful, and a few parts of tutorial questions were even repeated in the midterms.

There were two Profs teaching this module, Prof Yanli and Prof Bates. Prof Bates will sometimes send you comments about how the cohort fared when marking his midterm and his share of the finals.

CM2061 - CHEMISTRY AND BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY LABORATORY 1 (3 AU)
Type: CORE
Grade: A
Comments: 6 hour lab weekly and finals. Being in the Friday lab group, I've sometimes benefited from advice from the Thursday lab group. I spent a lot of time reading the experiment and trying to understand the steps before reaching the lab, because I'm afraid that I can't end on time.

For the finals, there was a short answer question (with many parts) based on an experiment procedure. It may not directly resemble the ones in the lab manual, but the same few techniques are used e.g. column chromatography, TLC etc. It also helps if you ask yourself why when looking at every step of the procedure so that you understand why you're doing it. It'll also help for the finals :) There was another section where you had to draw the structure of some common lab chemicals and reagents used in the experiments. There was another page also, but I forgot what was tested. Finally, there were 30 MCQs. The first 10 or so MCQs were related to the short answer question and the rest of the MCQs tested details in the lab manual.

ES8005 - ENVIRONMENTAL EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE (3 AU)
Type: UE
Grade: A
Comments: I took this module as I have taken H2 Geography. There is quite a lot of content to study, as per any Geography-related module, so don't take if you aren't prepared to remember a lot of things. There are 2 midterms and finals. The average for both midterms was about 31 and 33 out of 40. My midterm scores were 35 for both. There are some options to the questions that will make you go 'lol, seriously?', but there are also questions that test details that I don't remember reading before.

You'll need to have access to the recommended textbook, The Blue Planet - An Introduction to Environmental Earth Systems Science by Brian J. Skinner and Barbara W. Murck, but you can find an online pdf of the book, if you look hard enough. There are assigned readings every week, and the questions do test content that's in the textbook but not covered in the lectures, so do be sure to get hold of the textbook.

For the finals, it is 100 MCQs in 2 hours. There's plenty of time to finish the paper; most people left early. Many questions were repeated in the sample exam paper uploaded, so it isn't too difficult.

LJ9002 - JAPANESE LANGUAGE LEVEL 2 (3 AU) 
Type: UE
Grade: A-
Comments: I remember basing my decision to take Japanese Level 2 based on the workload that I've had in Level 1. However, the workload for Level 2 is much much more that Level 1. There are either kanji or vocab quizzes every week, there is homework due every class, and there's a composition to be written as well. For the finals, you also have to write a composition. Two topics will be given beforehand so you can prepare. However, only one topic will come out. I've heard somewhere that the composition topic changes for different classes? Anyway I prepared both topics just to be sure.

The oral exam format is also a bit different. You'll still enter the room with another person, but each person needs to talk for a minute or so, then the other person will ask 3 questions. After that, the teacher will ask both people questions (they may be related to the topic or not). Then, it is the other person's turn to talk, and so on. 5 possible topics are given beforehand, and you'll be tested on 2 topics.

My tutor was Suhama Ayari, same as last semester. Apparently, from what I've heard, her classes are more engaging and entertaining. Some of my classmates went for make-up classes with other tutors and found the classes to be more quiet.

Was expecting to get an A as based on the written and listening scores (results for these two components will be emailed to you, so you can decide to S/U or not), my scores were much higher than the average. I think that my oral exam went well too. However, I don't think I put that much effort into my homework and composition exercise, so that could explain the grade I got. Remember to study and put in effort consistently and you'll do well.
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