Organic Chemistry 1st semester good idea?

[Blackjack7]

So I've heard many horror stories about Orgo over the years. The Pre-Med killer and whatnot. However, when I constructed my college plan recently, it seems that taking Orgo during 1st semester Freshman year would be ideal in order to prep adequately for med-school/MCAT. Is this really a good idea, or is my reasoning (detailed further below) flawed?

So, I want to make sure that Junior year spring is open for MCAT studying only. Which gives me 5 semesters to do all the chem I want. I've AP'ed out of basic chem, but still need to do labs (1st/2nd semesters). Further, I need/want to finish Biochem by then too (2 semesters), and that has Orgo as prereqs (2 semesters). That means I should start Orgo ASAP, creating a summary like this:

Sem1: ChemLab, Orgo+Lab
Sem2: ChemLab, Orgo+Lab

Sem3: Biochem
Sem4: Biochem

Sem5: (buffer, emergency open slot)
Sem6: MCAT studying

Again, does this sound reasonable, or am I wrong?

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[cloudmurder1]

I APed out of both gen chems, took phys 2 in the fall, and took orgo 1 in the spring. I got an A in orgo (and phys 2 if it's pertinent) but it was a bit borderline. My other friends who got A's had either taken gen chem 2 the previoua semester, or had background knowledge in orgo 1. I'd say go for it if you want and if you're very strong in chemistry, but make sure you're not falling into a bad-professor trap

edit: btw, you only need a semester of biochem

 

[hoihaie]

there are med schools that don't take AP credit for gen/inorganic chem. YOu might need to retake those

 

[cloudmurder1]

I'm planning to do pchem b/c it'll fulfill a major requirement for me and b/c my physics background is fairly strong.

 

[ZedsDed]

Bad idea. Avoiding that gap year is not as crucial as you think, acing O-chem is.

 

[Hospitalized]

Simply put, I don't think I would have been ready to take organic chemistry in my first semester of college. Everyone is different though.

 

[cloudmurder1]

Bad idea. Avoiding that gap year is not as crucial as you think, acing O-chem is.

I already took Ochem 1

 

[ZedsDed]

I already took Ochem 1

OK. I was talking to the OP.

 

[chiefscribejake]

Just made my A+ in Orgo 2. It's not as difficult as every neurotic pre-med student makes it out to be. If you dedicate an ample amount of time towards the coursework, you will succeed.

If you take the ACS standardized final, prep for that by understanding how the exam is mapped out and how questions are asked. You'll see reagents, types of synthesis problems, etc. that vary differently from how your professor may instruct.

I nailed a 90th percentile on that. One of four in the my class in the 90th percentile. The girl I study with nailed a 98th percentile and got the top grade of the class. Still jealous of her...

Summary: put towards the work, and your effort will pay off.

 

[GrapesofRath]

Unless there's a really good reason to, I don't see any purpose in taking Ochem first semester freshmen year.

Whether or not the class is as difficult as is hyped up we can debate all day, what's not up for debate is that its a class that med schools care alot about and is one of the most important ones you'll take for med school admission purposes. You're better off taking a class like that with some college experience under your belt. High school difficulty varies tremendously, if you went to one that wasn't the most rigorous like a large number of pre-meds ochem isn't the class you want that welcome to college wake up experience occurring in. So even if you are capable of doing well in it as a freshmen, it's probably in your best interest to play it safe and wait a year. One example off the top of my head where it is worth taking ochem as a freshmen is at Duke where there is a freshmen only ochem class that curves to a A-/B+ while the regular version curves to a B-, but I can't imagine a ton of schools with something like that.

The other thing about waiting to take ochem is you can probably have a better idea of which teacher's to avoid/try to get talking to far more people who've already taken the class once you've been in college for a year vs as a high schooler. And yes the difficulty and quality of an ochem professor varies tremendously and is very important.

 

[deleted577188]

Just made my A+ in Orgo 2. It's not as difficult as every neurotic pre-med student makes it out to be. If you dedicate an ample amount of time towards the coursework, you will succeed.

If you take the ACS standardized final, prep for that by understanding how the exam is mapped out and how questions are asked. You'll see reagents, types of synthesis problems, etc. that vary differently from how your professor may instruct.

I nailed a 90th percentile on that. One of four in the my class in the 90th percentile. The girl I study with nailed a 98th percentile and got the top grade of the class. Still jealous of her...

Summary: put towards the work, and your effort will pay off.

Same man, I really don't understand the hype behind it. It separates the hardworkers from the bull****ters but everyone can be decent at it with enough effort. Don't let anyone scare you. I sucked at gen chem and organic is my life now. If you think organic is the hardest thing you'll ever come across while trying to become a doctor, you are mistaken.

 

[cloudmurder1]

OK. I was talking to the OP.

My bad

 

[chiefscribejake]

Same man, I really don't understand the hype behind it. It separates the hardworkers from the bull****ters but everyone can be decent at it with enough effort. Don't let anyone scare you. I sucked at gen chem and organic is my life now. If you think organic is the hardest thing you'll ever come across while trying to become a doctor, you are mistaken.

That line. That freakin' line, man. The people who decided to "study" the night before in the library kill me. And wonder why they do so bad on the exams...

I digress. OP, I think you shouldn't take Orgo your first semester until you understand how college functions and get a bias on how to manage your time. Or just do what feels best to succeed in the profession as a student.

 

[Blackjack7]

Ok, dilemma solved. Deus Ex machina style, but solved anyway.

Found single semester Biochem in the Bio dept. I was looking at the double semester one in the Chem dept.
Now I'm able to do this without qualms.

Sem1: GenChemLab
Sem2: GenChemLab pt.2

Sem3: Orgo+lab
Sem4: Orgo+lab pt.2

Sem5: BioChem
Sem6: MCAT only

 

[chiefscribejake]

Ok, dilemma solved. Deus Ex machina style, but solved anyway.

Found single semester Biochem in the Bio dept. I was looking at the double semester one in the Chem dept.
Now I'm able to do this without qualms.

Sem1: GenChemLab
Sem2: GenChemLab pt.2

Sem3: Orgo+lab
Sem4: Orgo+lab pt.2

Sem5: BioChem
Sem6: MCAT only

Knock it out, man.

 

[deleted577188]

That line. That freakin' line, man. The people who decided to "study" the night before in the library kill me. And wonder why they do so bad on the exams...

I digress. OP, I think you shouldn't take Orgo your first semester until you understand how college functions and get a bias on how to manage your time. Or just do what feels best to succeed in the profession as a student.

I'm glad someone feels me man!!

 

[chiefscribejake]

I'm glad someone feels me man!!

Tell me about it. I was B+ in both semesters of Gen Chem, but come Organic... A+ across the board. Doesn't make sense to me.

 

[Blackjack7]

Tell me about it. I was B+ in both semesters of Gen Chem, but come Organic... A+ across the board. Doesn't make sense to me.

Wouldn't that mean... it does make sense? Nevermind, I'll see my way out.

 

[NorthOfBroad]

I took Honors Organic Chemistry I my first semester. This was partly because I got pressured into it by my adviser and partly because I was a little (very) cocky at the time. Bottom line: it sucked, I studied more than I ever did in my life, got an A, and every class after that seemed easy. If you had a good AP preparation (I mean like there was no doubt you were going to get a 5 with time to spare) then do it, first semester of college is usually easy academically. But be warned organic chemistry is really different than gen chem. I am one of those weird people who liked organic a lot, but that doesn't mean it didn't take a lot of work to figure out what was going on. Also, when are you taking bio and physics? If you can finish them before the end of sophomore year and study for the MCAT over the summer. Best decision I ever made.

 

[cloudmurder1]

I took Honors Organic Chemistry I my first semester. This was partly because I got pressured into it by my adviser and partly because I was a little (very) cocky at the time. Bottom line: it sucked, I studied more than I ever did in my life, got an A, and every class after that seemed easy. If you had a good AP preparation (I mean like there was no doubt you were going to get a 5 with time to spare) then do it, first semester of college is usually easy academically. But be warned organic chemistry is really different than gen chem. I am one of those weird people who liked organic a lot, but that doesn't mean it didn't take a lot of work to figure out what was going on. Also, when are you taking bio and physics? If you can finish them before the end of sophomore year and study for the MCAT over the summer. Best decision I ever made.

I'd like to ask you: what if I had every prereq finished except bio II by the end of sophomore spring? Would I be able to spend that summer meaningfully studying for the MCAT to some extent, or would I need to finish all prereqs before getting anything out of studying?

 

[NorthOfBroad]

I don't know what bio II is for your school. I never took bio II per say, I am a molecular biology major. See if the new MCAT requires information from bio II that you wont learn in biochem. You can PM for more info about my prereqs.