Chem II and Orgo I together -- doable?

[Gabby]

My school allows you to take Chem II and Orgo I the same semester. One of my professors told me not to do it. Another one told me it would be no problem as long as I study hard because there's nothing from Chem II I need to know for Organic.

For those of you who've taken both, is it likely to get As in both if you take them at the same time (provided I study and do all the homework)? I'll also be taking Bio II, but I'm done with my gen ed so I'll only be taking these three classes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

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[Johannen]

My school allows you to take Chem II and Orgo I the same semester. One of my professors told me not to do it. Another one told me it would be no problem as long as I study hard because there's nothing from Chem II I need to know for Organic.

For those of you who've taken both, is it likely to get As in both if you take them at the same time (provided I study and do all the homework)? I'll also be taking Bio II, but I'm done with my gen ed so I'll only be taking these three classes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Chem II as in, the second semester of General Chemistry?

 

[rcd]

My school allows you to take Chem II and Orgo I the same semester. One of my professors told me not to do it. Another one told me it would be no problem as long as I study hard because there's nothing from Chem II I need to know for Organic.

For those of you who've taken both, is it likely to get As in both if you take them at the same time (provided I study and do all the homework)? I'll also be taking Bio II, but I'm done with my gen ed so I'll only be taking these three classes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Sure, if you want. Organic only takes only a few fundamental concepts from Chemistry, ex: resonance structures, valence electrons. You may take slightly more time in understanding those concepts as they apply to complex molecules, but once you get over that you'll be golden. I wish I had taken Organic earlier in my life, because it solidifies so many concepts from Biology and basic Chemistry.

 

[hermit]

You are going to get people post and say that you need some stuff from Chem II in Org I. While technically this may be true, it's certainly not very much AND its covered in the first few chapters of the Org I text book anyway. My concern would not be the material, but the amount of time each class consumes. A's in these classes go a long way. Be sure that the rest of your schedule (including ECs) will allow for LOTS of study time. If you still aren't sure, I would vote no. Rushing classes with less than desirable grades is an irreversible mistake.

 

[goodoldalky]

If organic at your school is anything like organic at mine, it'll take up more time than any YEAR of classes you've taken so far. I wouldn't have been able to handle both. If your professor says no, and has a good reason (like that), I'd do them separately.

 

[Johannen]

Here's a formula for you.

(Time you studied for A in Chem I) + 3(Time you studied for A in Chem I) = (Time you'll need to study to get A's in both Chem II and Organic)

Can you handle that? If so, definitely go for it.

I took Chem I and Chem II in one semester (as an accelerated class). I don't regret doing it, at all.

 

[TMP-SMX]

My school allows you to take Chem II and Orgo I the same semester. One of my professors told me not to do it. Another one told me it would be no problem as long as I study hard because there's nothing from Chem II I need to know for Organic.

For those of you who've taken both, is it likely to get As in both if you take them at the same time (provided I study and do all the homework)? I'll also be taking Bio II, but I'm done with my gen ed so I'll only be taking these three classes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

There isn't really that much conceptual material in gen chem II that you will need for organic chemistry, but you will need to understand acids/bases. That was an important part of gen chem II and organic chemistry. Gen Chem II was primarily calculations of rates, equilibrium, and acids/bases.

So if you understand the acid/base chemistry that's all you really need. Of course thermodynamics and energy might help to understand why a certain reaction occurs in a particular mechanism.

 

[Gabby]

Chem II as in, the second semester of General Chemistry?

Yes.

(Time you studied for A in Chem I) + 3(Time you studied for A in Chem I) = (Time you'll need to study to get A's in both Chem II and Organic)

Can you handle that? If so, definitely go for it.

I think I can, but I'd hate to say yes then get in over my head. I'm a nontraditional trying to make up for a lackluster undergrad GPA years ago. So far, I've taken 20 hours post-bacc and gotten As in everything. If my school offered Chem II in the Fall, this wouldn't be an issue, but since they don't offer until the spring, I'd like to combine these two classes so I can be finished with everything by December of the following year to leave me ample time to study for the MCATs.

I guess I'll see what happens with my Fall classes and think about it a little more. I'd hate to have to drop one because I rushed into it thinking I could handle it.

Thank you all for your advice! If anyone else has more advice/suggestions, I'm all ears! I'm trying to weigh out the pros and cons right now.

 

[hermit]

Here's a formula for you.

(Time you studied for A in Chem I) + 3(Time you studied for A in Chem I) = (Time you'll need to study to get A's in both Chem II and Organic)

Isn't this the same as
4(Time you studied for A in Chem I) = (Time you'll need to study to get A's in both Chem II and Organic)

 

[Johannen]

Isn't this the same as
4(Time you studied for A in Chem I) = (Time you'll need to study to get A's in both Chem II and Organic)

Yes, but i wanted to write them out to clarify that more of that time goes into the mindless memorization that is organic, and that chem II will take no more effort than chem I (and yet, no less).

 

[kevster2001]

Orgo II is going to be pretty difficult without any orgo 1

 

[Johannen]

Orgo II is going to be pretty difficult without any orgo 1

Where did you pick this up?

That's not at the table here, at all. Misread the OP, maybe?

 

[dimebag darrell]

My school allows you to take Chem II and Orgo I the same semester. One of my professors told me not to do it. Another one told me it would be no problem as long as I study hard because there's nothing from Chem II I need to know for Organic.

For those of you who've taken both, is it likely to get As in both if you take them at the same time (provided I study and do all the homework)? I'll also be taking Bio II, but I'm done with my gen ed so I'll only be taking these three classes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I don't know if this applies, but I took gen chem I + organic I at the same time and gen chem II and organic II at the same time (took both chems at once to be able to finish prereqs and take the MCAT before junior year so I could go abroad). I did extremely well in all the courses, and I can confidently say that content-wise you'd be 100% fine. Everything you need to know in organic from gen chem--molecular structures/formal charges, hybridization, lewis acids/bases--comes from gen chem I (at least the way it's taught at my school) and should be reviewed at the start of orgo I, so you'd be even better off than I was.

Good luck!

 

[ParvatiP]

It's certainly doable if you have good time management skills. You don't really need Gen Chem II concepts for organic. Taking a bunch of science courses in a semester will be challenging though, especially if you have labs for all of them. But I would recommend it, keeping in mind you'll be pretty busy.

 

[beaverfetus]

My school allows you to take Chem II and Orgo I the same semester. One of my professors told me not to do it. Another one told me it would be no problem as long as I study hard because there's nothing from Chem II I need to know for Organic.

For those of you who've taken both, is it likely to get As in both if you take them at the same time (provided I study and do all the homework)? I'll also be taking Bio II, but I'm done with my gen ed so I'll only be taking these three classes.

Any advice would be appreciated.

that's umpossible

 

[MrDreamWeaver]

Kinda strange. I'm sure it's do-able. However, I know I relied on a bit of acid-base stuff learned in chem2. Other stuff you need is mostly from Chem1 (resonance, orbitals, etc)

 

[SeaAngel45]

If your motivated..... do it....

The stuff at the end of chem 2..... they go over that stuff in the beginning of Orgo 1.....very rapidly (so you will need to cover it before you start).

If you start preparing early,....you won't be behind. Remember, most people forget all that chem 2 stuff anyway before Orgo.

 

[NonTradMed]

Personally, I wouldn't do it. Rushing through pre-req courses is something I regret doing as an undergrad. Of course, I didn't realize how much time each of my science courses would require in college vs. high school. Just remember that when it comes to these weed out science courses, they are time consuming, especially orgo. Unless you feel confident about having the time to do well in all your classes, try not to stick all your vital pre-reqs together.

 

[Gabby]

Point taken. Like I said, my main concern was the MCATs, but since it's offered multiple times a year now, I guess I can change my plans. I'll see how I do this Fall before I make up my mind.

So if I don't take Orgo I, will it look bad if I only take Bio II and Chem II and no other classes? I don't need to take any gen ed since I already have my degree and I haven't met all the prerequisites for the upper level bio or chem classes that might be useful for med school/MCATs. My options are also limited because I go to a small school without that many options for lower level Spring semester classes. Physics, for example, isn't offered in the spring, only in the summer and fall.

Will it look bad taking only two classes since I know adcoms want to know you can handle a heavy courseload? I also work part-time, volunteer at a hospital as well as a non-profit.

 

[Zuerst]

Really depends on the person and his or her university. If your institution allows those two classes to be taken concurrently I would it'll be doable.

 

[kevster2001]

Where did you pick this up?

That's not at the table here, at all. Misread the OP, maybe?

haha, i think i read the title too quickly. i thought he meant orgo II and orgo I at the same time

 

[thegymbum]

Why the rush..? Honestly if it's avoidable, I wouldn't recommend it. There's some stuff at the beginning of organic chem that you learn in the middle of gen chem II (i.e., acid base stuff..), and also a lot of gen chem courses have an organic unit that would be a great introduction, but a bore if you'd already had a few weeks of organic. I'd say hold off on the organic until you've finished chem II, unless you're planning on applying next summer and won't be able to take organic II next summer...

 

[bruinboy88]

sry if im kinda goin off topic, but i always thought that orgo built on chem2. so wouldn't you need to take chem2 first?? just asking cause this is how it is at my school