Gen Chem II--4 week v. 8 week summer session

[herbiederbie]

Would love to get some opinions on these two options. . .

1. Take Gen Chem at the university where I plan to finish my prereqs this summer during their 4 week course.

2. Take Gen Chem at a different university, which offers an 8 week course. This university is sometimes difficult to get into, however, particularly for post-bacc students.

I'd really like to knock the class out this summer, so I can be back on track to take O Chem I and Physics I in the fall. I don't mind studying ahead a little bit for the 4 week course, since it doesn't begin until July. Any thoughts?

Thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Depends. How comfortable were you with chem 1? How much pre-study do you think you can get done? Personally, I wouldn't do a 4 week session. I think that's too accelerated to learn the material that's usually covered in a 4 month period, but I can understand others have no problem with that.

 

[StudyShy]

I'd prefer to do the 8-week course. 4 weeks is doable, but you will feel the heat, so to speak. Good luck. 🙂

 

[NuttyEngDude]

My plan is to do a 5-week chem 2 this summer (chem 1 this semester) along with bio 1. I dont have a lot of other obligations and I had chem 2 about 20 years ago so it isnt exactly new material. I consider it doable.

 

[Lefty Doodle]

I did chem 2 in 4 weeks (and chem 1 the 4 weeks before that!). It was ok, it wasn't as much work as biology was (which I also did in 4 weeks...). Having said that though, I didn't really absorb the material very well. I pulled an A but the information left my brain immediately and now I am studying for the MCAT and am sort of like "oh no." So I think if doing the 8 week one wouldn't be too much trouble, it might be better, in terms of retaining the info for the MCAT. If you do do the 4 week one though, I recommend studying more than you feel you need to, and then maybe even doing gen chem MCAT review after, in an effort to retain the information.

 

[eablackwell]

Chem 2 is not the same type of info as chem 1. In my opinion it's a little more critical thinking oriented. Equilibrium (gas, acid/base, solubility), kinetics, thermodynamics, & electro. In chem 1 there is a lot of "This is a mole ratio, find the % composition, convert this to moles then shove it into pv=nrt, make sure the units are correct, oh look, it's an orbital, wtf shape is that!?"

If you really excel at math and understanding how everything in Chem 1 fit together, then if you put your mind to it the 4 wk course would probably work out fine, but honestly, I don't think I would do it. I mean, now I would, because I teach chemistry 😛 but were I in your shoes I would run to the 8 wk class without looking back.

Either way, good luck! 🙂

 

[IHOPness]

Take the 8-week class.

 

[herbiederbie]

Thanks for your replies, everyone. If the 8 week course doesn't work out, I'm hoping that the fact that I'm only working a flexible 5-10 hours/week (summer piano students) and taking care of my son, who will be almost a year at that time, will make it doable. My main concern was how it would impact my retention of material for the MCAT, but I agree with Elizabeth that I could pick up the MCAT Chemistry books and see what I need to review and know well.