Biochem after being screwed by O-Chem?

[MangoPlant]

Hey everyone,

Do you think it would be a good idea to take biochem after receiving Cs in ochem 1 and 2? I hear about a lot of people retaking C grades, so would taking biochem and getting an A help "redeem" poor grades in O-chem? Also if you have already taken both biochem and o-chem, how much similarity is there between the two?

Thanks!

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[eizeral]

Getting an A in biochem won't redeem your C in organic chem. You do need to have knowledge of organic chem to succeed in biochem, in my opinion. In fact, for most schools, organic chem is a prerequisite for taking biochem, and it's for a good reason. However, it is entirely possible to get an A in biochem even though you got a C in organic. Just study harder, get a hold of past exams, and/or get a tutor if necessary. And if you end up having to retake organic, I recommend the books, "Organic Chemistry as a Second Language", parts I & II. They were really helpful in my opinion, and I got A's.

 

[QuantumQuark]

I'm sure it depends on the school to some degree, but from my experience with biochem you need to know the very basics of OChem to succeed in biochem. Most of the OChem concepts you will review in class, in the book, or individually anyways because who can remember all that stuff from OChem??

If you put the time in you'll be fine taking Biochem without doing well in OChem, it's way more important to be familiar with the biological principles and have a cursory knowledge of OChem.

 

[inycepoo]

You only need to recognize bonds, functional groups, and baby knowledge of orgo for biochem as the two are taught at most universities.

However, Cs in any subject are concerning because more often that not, it wasn't only the subject matter that got you, but rather your study approach and methods. Fix the latter, and you won't have a big problem. Fail to fix it, and ahh.........

 

[occams_razor]

I've known people who got C's in Orgo but managed to get A's in biochem. I'm not sure how adcoms view this. Biochem is more relevant in terms of what you will be learning in med school. It helps to have biochem before starting med school and some schools even have it as a pre-req or will take a semester of biochem in place of orgo 2. I suspect more schools will begin requiring biochem with the MCAT changing in 2015 to include biochem.
you do need to know the basics of Orgo for biochem. Before taking biochem I would review the fundamental concepts from Orgo.

In terms of retaking C's from Orgo this seems to be a topic of debate. Some people say don't retake C/C+ grades unless you are interested in DO schools because they do grade replacement. (MD schools don't do grade replacement). personally I wouldn't retake because I think it is less impressive to get an A in a class when you're seeing the material for a second time. I think it would look better to ace biochem. Good luck!