9 wks vs. 1 year O Chem -- advice?

[CardaRx]

Some of my classmates are taking a 9 wk rigorous course in O' Chem that covers what some schools require in 1 year.
I just don't see how this is possible. And they don't know much about it either. I am very tempted to take this course, since O'Chem is just about the only class I have left. And it would save me a lot of money and time.

So, if you have any information, or experiences about this type of course, would you please share.
Did you do well (did you get an A)?
How was it? What should I expect? Would you recommend it? etc.....

Thanks

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[RxWildcat]

I took orgo II over the summer. I can't remember how long it was, but it was around the 8-10 wk mark. It was definitely do-able, I felt like I learned the main stuff pretty well, I ended up with a B though.

 

[CardaRx]

The 9wk course they registered for is a 9 - 12 wk session for Org I, II, and III. Was that what you did?

 

[DoctorRx1986]

The 9wk course they registered for is a 9 - 12 wk session for Org I, II, and III. Was that what you did?

Orgo 3? I've never heard of that.

 

[sammi345]

I have never heard of organic III, at least not as a prerequisite for the medical routes..
anyways.. i would also like to see who here has taken organic in the summer,and if it is possible to get an A, and learn a lot.. thanks

 

[pharwanabe]

I have never heard of organic III, at least not as a prerequisite for the medical routes..
anyways.. i would also like to see who here has taken organic in the summer,and if it is possible to get an A, and learn a lot.. thanks

they do have it . at UC Davis they had o chem 118 ABC. since its a quarter system there so other places might be semester tahts why its only o chem I II

 

[Achilleus]

never heard of O. Chem III but have heard of Advanced O. Chem

 

[DoctorRx1986]

never heard of O. Chem III but have heard of Advanced O. Chem

Yea, I would think Organic Chemistry 3 is just another title for "Advanced Organic Chemistry". At my school, the prerequisite to Advanced Organic Chemistry is two semesters of introductory ochem.

 

[Sparda29]

Advanced Organic is some tough stuff. Our Organic I professor accidentally handed out a Advanced Organic Exam instead of the Organic I exam, and it took like 15 minutes before anyone realized that this was Advanced Organic.

His tests were hard as is, so when they realized that after 15 minutes they couldn't solve the first problem, people looked on the header and saw that it was an Advanced Organic exam.

 

[Transformer]

I would not recommend taking 1 year of organic chemistry in 9 weeks. Your chances of getting all As is much lower than if you took these classes during the regular school year.

 

[vegasbaby]

I took both Orgo I and II last summer. It is grueling, as you would expect. When I asked my gen Chem professor his opinion about whether I could do it, he responded:

"It really depends on whether you really like...things like eating, sleeping, etc."

But he assured me I could do it if I spent every single day studying. To be honest, many people have to do that during a normal semester anyway, so I think it's worth it to get it all out of the way in one summer block. I ended up with a B+ in I and B in II and As in both labs. I was perfectly happy with that!

 

[sammy15]

ooops.

 

[sammy15]

I took ochem I last summer in 4 weeks and got an A. it was annoying to have it everyday but I thought it was easier because it was the only class I was taking.. I also worked full time. I took ochem II over the regular semester and wished I had taken it over the summer. ochem II is harder and I expect a B+/A- ish (but then again I wasn't so motivated yp get an A this semester since I know I got in) It is def doable and come time for the standarized exam, everything will be fresh in your mind. It sucks being in class all summer but well well worth it. Good luck.

 

[amartins02]

Think of it this way....During a regular school year you take a three credit class which is 3 hours a week. Instead you are taking O'chem 4-5 hours a day for nine weeks? I would say it's probably equivalent. I would almost say even better because there isn't a day in between to get distracted by other subjects. This way it's always fresh. Just my 2 cents.

 

[CardaRx]

Yea, I would think Organic Chemistry 3 is just another title for "Advanced Organic Chemistry". At my school, the prerequisite to Advanced Organic Chemistry is two semesters of introductory ochem.

Yes, Sorry. I am in a quarter system, so 1 year of O Chem would be I, II and III. Semester would be just I and II.

 

[UES Girl]

This is unrelated but I've always dreamed of taking advanced organic chemistry, too bad they haven't taught that course in our school in like 5+ years.

 

[AntiviralsRule]

I know someone who is doing this at Stanford this summer -- I've heard it's pretty rigorous, and I wouldn't recommend taking other classes or working while you're doing it. On the other hand, getting OChem out of the way in 9 weeks sounds enticing....

Some of my classmates are taking a 9 wk rigorous course in O' Chem that covers what some schools require in 1 year.
I just don't see how this is possible. And they don't know much about it either. I am very tempted to take this course, since O'Chem is just about the only class I have left. And it would save me a lot of money and time.

So, if you have any information, or experiences about this type of course, would you please share.
Did you do well (did you get an A)?
How was it? What should I expect? Would you recommend it? etc.....

Thanks

 

[DoctorRx1986]

While taking a year's worth of organic chemistry in 9 weeks may enable you to get over the course possibly with an A, I suggest you reconsider your decision. Taking the course in such short a time will not allow you to learn the complexities of carbon based chemistry and some professors may even decide to omit certain crucial concepts because of lack of time. If they do decide to cover them, they will just skim over them. While this might seem convenient in the short term, it is not necessarily beneficial, as you will see organic chemistry on the PCAT. Besides, why not learn to develop an appreciation for carbon? Organic chemistry plays a pivotal role in our lives. It is found everywhere...from pharmaceuticals (the subject of our studies in pharmacy) to food, cosmetics, and transportation. There is virtually no area the element carbon does not play its role. Even during sexual activity, carbon is at work. The flush of testosterone, which is a steroid composed of a tetracyclic structure, in men, and estrogen/progesterone in women, all play their roles in sex and pregnancy. As a future student of pharmacy, I recommend you learn to study and appreciate the element that is ubiquitous in nature. Ochem is beautiful.

 

[IrishRxMan]

While it seems tempting to complete one year in organic in only 9 weeks, you first have to consult with the potential schools you wish to make application to. I know my school didn't particularly like students taking their sciences in the summers because the terms were shorter and there wasn't as much time to learn the material. But, like I said it totally depends on the school. Just send an email or call them to find out if they will frown on it or not.

 

[PharmDee2Bee]

Some of my classmates are taking a 9 wk rigorous course in O' Chem that covers what some schools require in 1 year.
I just don't see how this is possible. And they don't know much about it either. I am very tempted to take this course, since O'Chem is just about the only class I have left. And it would save me a lot of money and time.

So, if you have any information, or experiences about this type of course, would you please share.
Did you do well (did you get an A)?
How was it? What should I expect? Would you recommend it? etc.....

Thanks

I wouldn't recommend this. My school does this as well. In the first session, OchemI, people started dropping like flies. Less than 50% "survived." The numbers decreased, but I never saw that because I didn't last either.

 

[sammy15]

While taking a year's worth of organic chemistry in 9 weeks may enable you to get over the course possibly with an A, I suggest you reconsider your decision. Taking the course in such short a time will not allow you to learn the complexities of carbon based chemistry and some professors may even decide to omit certain crucial concepts because of lack of time. If they do decide to cover them, they will just skim over them.



I disagree with this. My summer course covered an equal amount of information as my full semester course. Taking one class in 4 weeks is equivalent to taking 4-5 classes in 16 weeks. The information is not watered down or skipped over just because you are taking it in a shorter time frame. You spend the same amount of hours in the summer class as you would in the full semester class.

I do recommend checking with your prospective pharm school as mentioned above. Mainly because they may want to see you balance O-chem with other courses and still do well. This was a concern for the school I applied to, however they had no problem with it because they said they knew how intense it was by itself. They also said it was more important that I give them as many prereqs possible to look at when applying, especially organic. Ultimately, had I not taken it over the summer I wouldn't have had an ochem grade sent in with my application and I don't think I would have gotten in this year.

 

[AngelaCL]

I took Organic Chem I as a summer course, so it was 6 weeks instead of 16. It was hell! It was just so much material to cover in such a short amount of time - a chapter every single lecture, which meant I had a three chapters' worth of homework to do each week. What really put it over the top was the labs - 3 labs each week meant 3 lab reports, prelab questions, and preparing my lab notebook on top of all the homework. I was working 25 hours a week and ALL of my freetime went to studying. I don't think I saw my friends once in 6 weeks. Plus, I didn't really absorb the material because we went through it so fast, so I just had to study it all over again for the PCAT. Then second semester I took as a regular course, but all the other students had taken first semester as a regular course so they knew much more than me. I managed to get a B both semesters, but I had to work my butt off and it was incredibly stressful. Don't do it!

Oh, and I woul not say it's equivalent to taking 5 classes over a whole semester. In normal semesters, I could afford to take days off and do no studying - this didn't happen in summer o-chem. Also, when you take multiple classes you don't feel as burned out - when you get tired of studying physics, you can move on to micro, and when you get bored of that you can study your o-chem for awhile. When you have to be in class 18+ hours a week just for one subject, you can't escape it. You don't have time to say "no more Sn2 reactions for today". By the end of the 9 weeks your brain will feel fried.

 

[jmcfa002]

They do it at UC Riverside; Ochem 112 A B and C.(quarter system). I've heard its pretty hard and alot of people fail. But you could get buy getting B's and C's and be done with it

 

[jmcfa002]

I took Organic Chem I as a summer course, so it was 6 weeks instead of 16. It was hell! It was just so much material to cover in such a short amount of time - a chapter every single lecture, which meant I had a three chapters' worth of homework to do each week. What really put it over the top was the labs - 3 labs each week meant 3 lab reports, prelab questions, and preparing my lab notebook on top of all the homework. I was working 25 hours a week and ALL of my freetime went to studying. I don't think I saw my friends once in 6 weeks. Plus, I didn't really absorb the material because we went through it so fast, so I just had to study it all over again for the PCAT. Then second semester I took as a regular course, but all the other students had taken first semester as a regular course so they knew much more than me. I managed to get a B both semesters, but I had to work my butt off and it was incredibly stressful. Don't do it!

Oh, and I woul not say it's equivalent to taking 5 classes over a whole semester. In normal semesters, I could afford to take days off and do no studying - this didn't happen in summer o-chem. Also, when you take multiple classes you don't feel as burned out - when you get tired of studying physics, you can move on to micro, and when you get bored of that you can study your o-chem for awhile. When you have to be in class 18+ hours a week just for one subject, you can't escape it. You don't have time to say "no more Sn2 reactions for today". By the end of the 9 weeks your brain will feel fried.

thats how i felt finishing G chem over the summer

 

[jiiniix2]

I took orgo 2 in a regular semester and then retook it over the summer. It was the same material and nothing was missed. I think it was better over the summer because I didn't have to worry about other classes.