Biochemistry and Organic Chem- Vet school prereqs... I have questions

[crichard]

Hey there...
So I applied to 2 vet schools this cycle as a Junior: LSU OOS (denied before interview) and VMCVM (IS waitlist).
If I am not pulled from the waitlist at VMCVM this year, I plan to reapply there as well as some other schools this cycle, however I feel like I am very limited in the places that I can apply due to only have 1 semester of organic chem and taking a biochem that does not require ochem.\

Here is some additional context for those that care:
I attempted ochem 2 spring of last year directly following ochem 1. Great plan, right? Wrong. I did okay in ochem 1 and ended the class with a C which was a pretty widespread standard for my school. However, when I went into the second semester of ochem it was with a different, more rigorous professor. My background was not up to par with what he expected going into orgo 2, so I suffered IMMENSELY. I tried with every brain cell I had to genuinely learn and just get through the class: support groups, SOLVE (study) sessions, office hours, independent study, youtube, etc. No matter what I did or how much time I spent I was not able to even get 1 passing test grade. About halfway through the semester when things still were not clicking for me I made the difficult decision to withdraw, as at that point there was no logical way that I was going to pass the class. This altered what biochem i could take.
My school offers two different biochemistry courses. Both are 1 semester courses, however one is geared toward bio majors while the other geared toward chem majors. The biochem bio course does not have organic 1 or 2 as a prerequisite and would be considered by vet schools as an "introductory" or "principles" course of biochem. The other biochem course offered is geared toward chem majors and requires both semesters of ochem, which I am ineligible to take since I did not complete them both.

Here is my dilemma:
Ultimately, VMCVM is my IS school and it is my goal to go there. They do not require a second semester of ochem, and a basic level biochem course is sufficient. Logically I know that I should apply to other schools as well, but because I am limited, should I reconsider taking ochem 2? How detrimental is it if I don't? Will schools that require upper level biochemistry and only 1 semester ochem accept my biochem course due to no orgo prerequisite?
At this point it has been over a year since I took organic 1 and I feel as though I have essentially forgotten all of it. Please help with any suggestions or advice!

US schools requiring only 1 semester of organic (based on my research):

• Long Island University
• Cornell
• University of Minnesota
• LSU
• Wisconsin State University
• Iowa State
• Oregon State University
• Tuskegee
• UPenn
• University of Illinois
• Washington State University
• Western University
• Virginia Tech (VMCVM)

Update 3/13: I made a WAMC sub forum WAMC?

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[flotus]

I am taking one semester of biochem, it is geared toward bio majors and not chem majors. The only school that wouldn’t accept it was UT. So, your one semester of biochem shouldn’t be a problem. Most vet schools only require 2 semesters IF it is taught in a sequence at the university.

It looks like your options are listed if you don’t take Orgo 2. But at least biochemistry won’t hinder you

My advice: Get a tutor, I can recommend an amazing one and he is online but pricey. (Like 80/hr or something). He taught me org 2 lol…like I didn’t go to class because my professor sucked and he literally taught it to me and I passed the course with a B+ I HIGHLY recommend him.

One good thing about Ochem, it does come back to you. Like, even if you took a year off, if you see it for a week or two you’ll remember the basics and that is all you really need for organic 2.
If you can’t afford a tutor, I recommend Kahn academy or YouTube. Sometimes professors aren’t great at explaining their own content and hearing it from others makes it stick. You could always take organic and the lab through another university and/or online (check if schools allow online labs or require labs at all). Perhaps you could do it over the summer so it’s the only course you’re taking.

Overall, I can’t tell you which schools you should apply to because I don’t know your stats. Maybe you don’t even need to take ochem because the school list above you sent seems like there is a good mix of holistic vs traditional schools.

 

[supershorty]

once again, Flotus beats me to posting excellent advice.

OP, I’d highly recommend you post in the WAMC sub forum because people can get a better idea of where you’ll be a competitive applicant with your stats, and you’ll get much better advice than what you can get just based on a single class.

(Also, as a UMN student, it is University of Minnesota. Minnesota State is a university that exists and does not have a veterinary school.)

 

[SkiOtter]

Will schools that require upper level biochemistry and only 1 semester ochem accept my biochem course due to no orgo prerequisite?

You need to ask schools directly if they will accept your course and send them the course syllabus. They are the only ones who can make this decision and it will vary based on the school.

 

[WinnDixieFlash]

I would reach out to schools directly or very carefully check their prerequisite and make sure they only require 1 semester of organic chemistry. I know UF definitely requires orgo 1 and orgo 2 so applying to UF without planning on enrolling in orgo 2 would automatically disqualify as you won’t have all the prerequisites.

It’s really up to you and what you feel your chances are. If you are willing and able to wait a few years to try and go to your in state then you can always go that route. However, if there are OOS schools you’d be interested in going to or you want more chances at applying then maybe look into trying to take ochem 2. If it’s not required for your degree I know some students on here have taken it or retaken it online once they graduated.

 

[Georgethecat]

Agree that you should do a full WAMC post to get better advice.

Sorry about your waitlist status, but the good news is that VAMD considered you a good applicant. You applied early as a junior and your application was good enough to get an interview and WL. I'd focus on keeping your gpa as high as possible this semester and continuing to work on your experiences. Crossing my fingers you get pulled from the WL, but if not ask for an application review.

Also think long and hard about the price tag that you are willing to pay. VAMD is by far your least expensive option at approximately $188k. You could buy most of a house using the difference between VAMD and your most expensive options.

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? - Vet School Bound

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? New veterinarians with less educational debt have a head start on life, the VIN Foundation Cost of Education Map is here to help. A lighter debt burden translates into more financial, career, and personal flexibility. Wouldn’t it be great to pursue an...

vetschoolbound.org

 

[crichard]

Agree that you should do a full WAMC post to get better advice.

Sorry about your waitlist status, but the good news is that VAMD considered you a good applicant. You applied early as a junior and your application was good enough to get an interview and WL. I'd focus on keeping your gpa as high as possible this semester and continuing to work on your experiences. Crossing my fingers you get pulled from the WL, but if not ask for an application review.

Also think long and hard about the price tag that you are willing to pay. VAMD is by far your least expensive option at approximately $188k. You could buy most of a house using the difference between VAMD and your most expensive options.

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? - Vet School Bound

HOW MUCH WILL MY VETERINARY EDUCATION COST? New veterinarians with less educational debt have a head start on life, the VIN Foundation Cost of Education Map is here to help. A lighter debt burden translates into more financial, career, and personal flexibility. Wouldn’t it be great to pursue an...

vetschoolbound.org

Totally agree with the point about the price tag! I made a full WAMC post for some more feedback hopefully. Just concerned about lost of "what-if's" next year and where else would be a good option for me if I am not pulled from waitlist or accepted next year :/
WAMC?

 

[crichard]

I am taking one semester of biochem, it is geared toward bio majors and not chem majors. The only school that wouldn’t accept it was UT. So, your one semester of biochem shouldn’t be a problem. Most vet schools only require 2 semesters IF it is taught in a sequence at the university.

It looks like your options are listed if you don’t take Orgo 2. But at least biochemistry won’t hinder you

My advice: Get a tutor, I can recommend an amazing one and he is online but pricey. (Like 80/hr or something). He taught me org 2 lol…like I didn’t go to class because my professor sucked and he literally taught it to me and I passed the course with a B+ I HIGHLY recommend him.

One good thing about Ochem, it does come back to you. Like, even if you took a year off, if you see it for a week or two you’ll remember the basics and that is all you really need for organic 2.
If you can’t afford a tutor, I recommend Kahn academy or YouTube. Sometimes professors aren’t great at explaining their own content and hearing it from others makes it stick. You could always take organic and the lab through another university and/or online (check if schools allow online labs or require labs at all). Perhaps you could do it over the summer so it’s the only course you’re taking.

Overall, I can’t tell you which schools you should apply to because I don’t know your stats. Maybe you don’t even need to take ochem because the school list above you sent seems like there is a good mix of holistic vs traditional schools.

For your biochem class did it have both semesters or one semester of organic as a prereq? Just worried about the schools that say "upper level biochem" or that "orgo must be a prereq"

 

[flotus]

For your biochem class did it have both semesters or one semester of organic as a prereq? Just worried about the schools that say "upper level biochem" or that "orgo must be a prereq"

Our biology department only offers 1 semester of biochemistry. There is no biochemistry before it and no biochemistry “2” after it. If there was a semester of biochem before it or after it, that would be a sequence and many universities require you to take the sequence IF your university teaches it in a sequence. If your university doesn’t offer a sequence, you don’t have to take it that way.

However, our singular biochem class for biology majors does require ochem 1 and 2 as a pre req. many universities don’t care about what pre reqs your university has set for the course though. Some do, you have to check with them. You just need to make sure it’s covering central metabolism.