I am in kind of a unique situation regarding Organic Chemistry. I just finished my first year as an undergraduate, but I am a year ahead academically. So, I will be applying to med schools and taking the MCAT next spring/summer after my second year of undergraduate study. I want to fit in both organic chemistry and biochemistry before taking the MCAT but I'm having a hard time figuring this out. All of the med schools that I want to apply to accept a 1 semester terminal OChem course with lab as long as I take biochemistry. So, option 1 is to take the 1 semester OChem in the fall and take Biochem in the spring. Would this prepare me enough for the MCAT? I'm obviously going to study heavily for the MCAT outside of classes as well. Option 2 is to take OChem 1 in the fall, OChem 2 in the spring, learn the Biochem I need for the MCAT on my own, and take Biochem my last undergraduate year. Any thoughts? I'm worried about MCAT preparation, med school preparation, and how things look to med schools in applications.
2 Semesters OChem or 1 Semester OChem Fundamentals?
- Thread starter bcj66045
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O chem 1 is definitely needed for the MCAT and I've heard that O chem 2 could come up as well.
Biochem is even more necessary than both O chem 1 and 2. Since the new MCAT is heavily biochem focused, I would advise taking a course in it, as self studying may not be as sufficient anymore. People who have taken the real deal will be able to comment on this much more.
Biochem is even more necessary than both O chem 1 and 2. Since the new MCAT is heavily biochem focused, I would advise taking a course in it, as self studying may not be as sufficient anymore. People who have taken the real deal will be able to comment on this much more.
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I don't think what medical schools think applies here if you know they accept 1 semester of ochem and Biochem. What matters is how you feel prepping for the MCAT - this depends on your study style. Do you do better with a structured corse? You might be better off taking Biochem before the MCAT. If you're good at self studying, you might be able to swing self-study of Biochem for the MCAT (the benefit of taking the full year of ochem is that it opens up your school options). You'll need to weight your own individual strengths and situation and decide the best course for yourself.
You could also take the full 4 years for school, which would make this issue moot and might afford you more time for research/employment/other ECs.
You could also take the full 4 years for school, which would make this issue moot and might afford you more time for research/employment/other ECs.
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I'm not exactly sure what the curriculums are, but I know that the terminal 1-semester course covers topics from both OChem 1 and 2 but in less depth. How deep does the MCAT go into OChem? Would a more surface-level course be adequate?
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I haven't taken the new MCAT but if I had to take a guess I would say that any O-chem topics which are heavily used in biochem( like acids and bases) are the most important to understand. I guess this because the early feedback on the new MCAT is that it is very biochem heavy.
Someone, correct me if I'm wrong about my new MCAT assumptions.
Get a whole year's worth of ochem. Why? Your school list will change over time. places you didn't think about applying, will be onyour list later. It has always been 1 year of each science, to be safe. If you mean to tell me that you're only applying to like 5 or 10 schools, you better have a darn good application because usually those numbers aren't fruitful unless you have everything going in your favor.
