2 week organic chem lab- a good idea?

[curlywurly]

Hi all. I just got this email from my ochem professor about a two week ochem lab over the summer. I was considering doing this instead of taking the usual 8 week curriculum at my school. Will med schools look down on this? I'd love to get it done faster but I'm afraid it won't satisfy the organic chem lab prereq. Thoughts?

Here's the website for those who are interested: http://www.uwmc.uwc.edu/continuing_education/introductory_organic_chemistry_l.htm

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[87138]

Seems like it should satisfy the prereqs, but I would check with your school's pre-med advisor for sure, since he/she will have undoubtedly been asked about it before (or will at least know the answer anyway).

 

[0Complications]

Hi all. I just got this email from my ochem professor about a two week ochem lab over the summer. I was considering doing this instead of taking the usual 8 week curriculum at my school. Will med schools look down on this? I'd love to get it done faster but I'm afraid it won't satisfy the organic chem lab prereq. Thoughts?

Course Description

This course provides the synthetic organic chemistry laboratory experience needed for chemistry and science majors, and pre-professional majors in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, and chiropractic. This accelerated schedule includes 80 hours of instruction/lab over a two-week period of time.

Looks like that answers your question. I would be all over that course.
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[Flopotomist]

I am sure it would be acceptable given the description above - the question becomes is it advisable in spite of this. IMHO the lab should help you learn concepts that you are being taught in lecture. In other words, you would lose the advantages the lab can offer to help you reinforce concepts you are trying to learn.

You might feel that you are just doing "cookbook" labs with no appreciation of what is actually happening.

 

[curlywurly]

Well I don't particularly enjoy chemistry, so I'm ok with just doing "cookbook" labs. I'm also hesitant about the price but maybe I'll go talk to an advisor..

 

[0Complications]

I am sure it would be acceptable given the description above - the question becomes is it advisable in spite of this. IMHO the lab should help you learn concepts that you are being taught in lecture. In other words, you would lose the advantages the lab can offer to help you reinforce concepts you are trying to learn.

You might feel that you are just doing "cookbook" labs with no appreciation of what is actually happening.

Ochem I (at least at my school) is all about techniques. So you learn how to test and separate compounds, which isn't really all that dependent upon lecture and visa versa. So, if your school teaches the labs in a similar way I wouldn't think you would be disadvantaging yourself at all. But 40 hours a week in lab sounds like a lot. I hope you do your ether lab towards the end of the first/second day rather than the beginning, because my head was pounding after that one. Probably didn't help that one of my lab partners felt the need to put everything on a hot plate and never really took advantage of the hoods. But that lab day was definitely all laughs.

 

[Snake Doctor]

This is a bit off topic... but since we're talking about Organic chem lab, how much overlap is there with general chem lab? Other than the basics (i.e. titration), I don't know how much I need to remember. I had gen. chem lab 2 years ago, but I'll be taking the organic chem lab component soon. Are the techniques different (=> learn new ones)?

 

[0Complications]

This is a bit off topic... but since we're talking about Organic chem lab, how much overlap is there with general chem lab? Other than the basics (i.e. titration), I don't know how much I need to remember. I had gen. chem lab 2 years ago, but I'll be taking the organic chem lab component soon. Are the techniques different (=> learn new ones)?

Ochem lab uses almost nothing from Gchem lab other than the basic glassware and a couple instruments (thermometer, cpu, etc.). You'll be fine. The whole purpose of the lab is to teach you the new techniques. Sure they use chemical examples, but you don't need much outside of the lab book. Plus, any Gchem formula you might need (which you prob won't, because it's just stuff like percent yield, etc.) should also be in your lab text.

 

[jochi1543]

2 weeks? How many hours? At my school, orgo labs are 3-4 full days (24-30 hours of work). I just did Orgo II ones last week.