Josh Greene '96, who also took the class during his first year, says the close contact with the professors was one of the best things about the course.

"I generally though [the course] was very well-arranged," he says. "I enjoyed having an active role in the class and having the professor know my face and say 'hi' to me if he saw me in the Yard."

Greene says he took the class to fulfill his Science A.core requirement. He says he ended up being especially impressed by the way the course was constructed.

"We would have a problem set and then a revision," Greene says. "I think it was an effective system because it makes students go over what they've learned."

"There's a passive style of learning which large lecture classes like Chem 10 allow, and an active style which Chem 8 and 9 demand," Greene adds. "You can't get by passively in a class as small as Chem 8 and 9."

William Kaminsky '98 says one benefit of the class structure is that it makes students and teachers accountable.

"You're not allowed to slip through the cracks--to hand in a problem set you don't understand and just move on," he says.

Women in Class

Friend and some students in the class say the small size and non-competitive atmosphere may be especially attractive to female science concentrators. About 25 percent of Chem 8 and 9 students are female.

"One aspect is that women teel isolated in a large lecture class and it's hard for them to function," says Friend, who chaired the faculty standing committee on women for three years. "This might lead them to leave the sciences."

"The environment in Chem 8 is oriented towards discussion, and the students get to know the faculty better," Friend adds. "It's much less likely that a student would feel on the margins of the class."

Liz Pine '97, a former student and a current teaching assistant for Chem 8, says she enjoyed the inclusive feeling in the class.

"It was completely non-competitive," she says. "I would work on problem sets with my classmates."

Pine says, too, that the inclusiveness may make the course more attractive for women.

"I think [the small, discussion format] is good for all students, especially females," she says. "I think guys get the short shrift in a large lecture class, too, but women may be harder hit."