Is O-Chem as important as ppl make it out to be?

[sweetcalie08]

It seems like o-chem would be a prereq course that one should excel and fully understand to be successful in pharmacy school. After all, I'm sure there are quite a bit of chemical mechanisms, etc to learn and understand. However, is o-chem really as important as people make it out to be? I mean, I'm understanding some of it okay, but I just don't have enough time to fully understand it and such. I'm on the B-/C+ edge which makes me nervous about my future in pharmacy school. My pharmacist boss says that o-chem is almost a weed-out course. Opinions?

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[LVPharm]

As far as pharmacy school is concerned (at least at my program), what's important about OChem isn't all that reaction chemistry you learn in OChem...it's about functional groups and their properties, and nomenclature. "Grignard Synthesis" won't come back to haunt you Also important are your GChem concepts of Acid-Base Chemistry, Henderson Hasselbach, etc. I'm not sure about what your boss means by it being a "weed-out course", but he or she could possibly talking about its importance as a prerequisite, at least at the school he or she attended.

 

[sweetcalie08]

*Whew* I hope that's true. I got one A and one A- in the gen chem sequence and feel very competent in acid/base concepts and other things you mentioned. I have also aced the nomenclature/etc sections on my ochem exams. The concepts that I have more trouble with are (gasp! jk) the reaction concepts. There's so dang many...even when I do the book problems. > I still have a chance to get that B in ochem, but with the next exam coming up on Friday...and not having enough time to study for it due to a week-long cold and numerous other commitments...I'm not sure if that B will be in reach much longer. I just think having a C in an ochem prereq, if I'm about to attend pharmacy school, will look pretty bad. *sigh* Thanks for your reply though!!!

 

[LVPharm]

Work your heart out for that B! You can do it! Just have faith that you most likely won't have to reproduce synthesis problems when you finally get to pharm school, at least these days. One of my preceptors graduated from pharm school decades ago, and would tell me how he had to learn and reproduce the various reaction sequences in the synthesis of certain (perhaps medicinal) compounds. He tells me we have it easier these days learning more about therapeutic applications instead of physical sciences....whatever Good luck with your studies!

 

[Glycerin]

Originally posted by LVPharm
"Grignard Synthesis"

Ack!!! The "G" word! Now I'm going to have the nightmares all over again. Thanks.

 

[LVPharm]

GRIGNARD!

sorry

 

[tanyas]

just did grignard synthesis in o chem lab- thanks god UCLA is over

 

[VP_Pharm2004]

I don't know about you guys, but I loved general and organic chemistry!! Even though I hated the first term of o-chem because everything was new to me, both in lecture and lab. But by the end of the term I got use to everything and I was loving o-chem. Also half of the class had dropped out by the end, so I wasn't "spoon fed" the test material and the exam averages were low. I worked my butt off, read everything, and then it all made sense thereafter. Our teacher made us create our own reaction sheet with all the reactions learned thus far and that's how I kept all the reactions straight.

 

[emogrrrrl]

I agree with VP_Pharm, I love organic chem. I honestly think it's one of the best classes I've ever had and I thorougly enjoy it. It's just one big puzzle and you need to find out the most clever way to get there...and there isn't just one way to solve a synthesis problem.
If I had the time to take an upper division course in orgo I would take it.

 

[dgroulx]

I had completely forgotten about Grignard. Thanks a lot!

What you need to get out of organic is functional groups, electron withdrawing groups, leaving groups, & nucleophiles. There may be more in year two, but that will get you through year one. You need to understand those mechanisms, not just regurgitate them. There are lots of drugs out there.

 

[Leah27]

My friends and I were just talking today about how much work we put into O-Chem...... we only got 4 credits for it, plus 1 for the lab and we calculated that... in just classroom time (lecture + lab) we put in approximatly 7-8 hours a week. Shouldn't that be a 7 credit course then? It was OK material wise.... but you put in A LOT more time and work than you would in a normal 4 credit liberal arts course.

 

[Longhorn23]

Totally agree with Leah!!!

 

[shal]

I just finished my Grignard reagent experiment yesterday. This is only the beginning of the quarter. All in all, I like O chem, its challenging and fun at the same time.

 

[sweetcalie08]

Wow! So many replies! Anyway, I am starting to like organic chemistry as I am finally starting to get use to everything. However, since I didn't do so well on my first exams (was hard to get into the orgo mindset at first after gen chem but I'm getting there), I'm just starting to play "catch up" and that's no fun. If only I would've realized just how EASY those first two exams were compared to what I'm in for now! Hindsight is 20/20...

 

[shal]

I think it takes a while to get used to O Chem. I remember the first quarter I didn't do as well as I did in the second quarter, even though 1st was easier. When it all begins to click, you will have fun!

 

[sweetcalie08]

Whelp, I just had my last study group review session for tomorrow's midterm. I understand just over half the material, but the other stuff is near impossible! He had some pretty tricky electrophilic additions on there...hmph. I am just about ready to give up and not do pharmacy...even though I just sent in my admittance deposit...also got accepted to nursing school so maybe I should do that. I just don't have the stamina anymore...I put a TON of work into applying for pharmacy school, but if it's bothering me now, how am I going to handle it in pharm school?

Sorry guys, just a rant...just one of those days I guess. Ugh.

BTW, how did y'all do in your ochem classes? I'm at a top research university so I don't know if that matters in the course's difficulty. I just hate that most profs here don't even seem to care about teaching..... *rolls eyes*

 

[emogrrrrl]

apparently the ochem/chem department at the school i'm attending (University of Houston) is one of the best in the region. o-chem at UH is definitely no joke...at least if you take it with dr. bean. supposedly the med schools and dental schools in texas are well aware of how difficult her course is and if they know you took her class and aced it they hold some respect for you. i know quite a few post bacs who had taken ochem at other universities across the US and are retaking it and have said that her class is the hardest but it prepares you well for the MCAT or whatever else you may have to use ochem for.