Chemistry at the Junior College

Chemistry is a subject of world impact, a fundamental science that has a profound effect on our planet and is involved in every facet of everyday life. It is concerned with what things are made up of; how they interact.

Chemistry is a creative art: from inventing new compounds to increasing crop yields to giving fireworks more 'bang' appeal. You could be the cool chemist who makes those T-shirts change colour on the dance floor.

In short, chemists are the key to influencing life and making the world a better place to live in.

This is how the report on the Chemistry Department is introduced, followed by a full description of the Chemistry courses run at the Junior College, published in a University of Malta Junior College publication.

This is what students following chemistry courses at the University Junior College are expected to experience. Studying Chemistry at Advanced level will involve you in developing fundamentals and concepts encountered at Ordinary level to a much greater depth.

You will have the opportunity to come to grips with organic chemistry, the branch of Chemistry which makes the 'fast, posh life' of the 20th century possible. You will find answers to "is it feasible, how far, how fast", about a chemical reaction.

A weekly tutorial hour will test whether you have grasped all the ideas discussed in class and, if you encounter difficulties in the assigned work, these can be solved during this hour.

Your class tutor will also give you the opportunity to see him personally for any problems relating to Chemistry. This should make your Chemistry life relatively easy. Two hours per week will be dedicated to practical work. Here you will also learn to respect the materials around you and to handle them safely.

The subject comes to life in the seminar hour, when it is the students who conduct proceedings. A student will present a topic, researched beforehand. The presentation is followed by discussion.

The topics would be relevant to the syllabus but would not normally be discussed in class. Examples used by students in the past have been: the drug action of alcohol, lead pollution, swimming pool chemistry, nuclear disasters, and cosmetic creams.

Students opting to follow this course should preferably be in possession of a Grade 4 or better at Ordinary SEC level. Statistics have shown that students with lower grades have difficulty completing the A level Chemistry course. The department also strongly recommends a good pass in Mathematics.

The Chemistry Department also offers a two-year course (at Intermediate level) for those students wanting to increase their level of knowledge of Chemistry, but without the higher degree of commitment required at Advanced level.

This course consists of two one-hour sessions per week with provisions being made for contact hours with a tutor if and when the need arises. The one-hour sessions consist of lectures which are supplemented with a range of practical demonstrations.

Chemistry will provide the basis for entry to a course in Medicine, Pharmacy, Dentistry, and the B.Sc. and B.Ed. courses. A number of diploma courses are also possible.

If you have your sights set beyond Malta, then having a Chemistry qualification is rather like having an open ticket to any destination in the world where the choice of careers is unlimited, concludes the report on the Junior College Chemistry Department.