is organic chem II required for med school?

[floatingribs]

I was looking at Johns Hopkin's requirements and they had 1 semester w/ lab of orgo and a 3-4 credit biochem class as the only listed requirements related to chem (+ year of gen chem w/ labs)

so is this like the general pre req rule or is johns hopkins an exception in this matter?

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[neuromaria9]

Most medical schools require a semester of organic chem w/ lab

 

[Ad2b]

1 semester has become the norm with an additional semester of biochem

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

I'm pretty sure the above posters are correct, but you should always look at each individual school's website to confirm.

Regardless, why would you miss out on organic 2? It's the best class ever!!

 

[Ad2b]

Regardless, why would you miss out on organic 2? It's the best class ever!!

 

[787593]

I was looking at Johns Hopkin's requirements and they had 1 semester w/ lab of orgo and a 3-4 credit biochem class as the only listed requirements related to chem (+ year of gen chem w/ labs)

so is this like the general pre req rule or is johns hopkins an exception in this matter?

Ochem 2 helped me grasp biochem.
Ochem 2 concepts appeared on my MCAT.

You should take it because your dream med school may end up requiring a year of ochem.

 

[Ad2b]

Ochem 2 helped me grasp biochem.
Ochem 2 concepts appeared on my MCAT.

OC2 appeared on my MCAT too - 1 question.
Biochem did not require OC2, required OC1.
OC1 loved, OC2 gagged, not worth it; most medical schools moved away from it and even if required, will allow the substitution of biochem for it.

OC2 is typically carboxy reactions ---> biochem

 

[787593]

OC2 appeared on my MCAT too - 1 question.
Biochem did not require OC2, required OC1.
OC1 loved, OC2 gagged, not worth it; most medical schools moved away from it and even if required, will allow the substitution of biochem for it.

OC2 is typically carboxy reactions ---> biochem

I had a whole passage on ochem 2 stuff but n=1.
The ridiculous amount of rxns in ochem 2 helped me with the metabolism lectures in biochem but n=1.
Some med schools require it and some don't.

Why limit yourself?

 

[Ad2b]

Why limit yourself?

Why take a class like that which regurgitates biochem?

 

[787593]

Why take a class like that which regurgitates biochem?

When I took biochemistry, we were expected to have a solid understanding of ochem 2 because the prof had too much material to move through to waste time explaining ochem concepts that the students should already know.

I maintain that in my opinion/experience, ochem 2 was necessary to fully understand biochem.

The following is a post I stole from someone on Reddit in reference to ochem and the MCAT:

The organic chemistry you need to master is the organic that plays an important role in biochemistry. These are the reactions of alcohols, aldehydes & ketones and the carboxylic acid derivatives which are generally covered in Orgo 2. While a particular MCAT may not have much organic chemistry, it will figure in some exam implementations more than others. Additionally, you aren't really going to understand biochemistry (which is really really important on the new exam) unless you understand this chemistry. For example, if you don't understand what it means to say that a thioester or a phosphate anhydride is activated for acyl substitution you won't get the plot for crucial content like the mechanism of G3P dehydrogenase or the role of coenzyme A. So there you go. As another example, if you don't know the mechanism for acetal formation, you won't get the plot in ring formation of glucose or glycosidic bond formation. My advice would be to take the time to make sure you learn the important mechanisms of alcohols, aldehydes & ketones and practice recognizing them in biochemistry.

 

[787593]

I'm pretty sure the above posters are correct, but you should always look at each individual school's website to confirm.

Regardless, why would you miss out on organic 2? It's the best class ever!!

Agreed

 

[787593]

Why take a class like that which regurgitates biochem?

Additionally, I would say that biochem regurgitates some ochem 2 and that ochem 1/2 are foundational to biochem.

 

[neuromaria9]

I'm pretty sure the above posters are correct, but you should always look at each individual school's website to confirm.

Regardless, why would you miss out on organic 2? It's the best class ever!!

Why is it the best? I'm taking it next semester! What shall I expect?

 

[Cyberdyne 101]

Why is it the best? I'm taking it next semester! What shall I expect?

A lot of reactions, synthesis, and acid/base chemistry. It actually gives you a strong base (pun intended lol) for biochemistry and problem solving skills in general.

But then again, I'm one of those crazies who absolutely loves organic chemistry. I also took it with an excellent professor who didn't make the exams impossible, so that obviously helped.

 

[aldol16]

Some schools recommend it (Cornell) but will accept only one semester of Organic whereas others may still require 2 years of chemistry, one of which needs to be organic (Columbia, but it's unclear whether they'll accept just one semester of organic). Just check with the schools that you're applying to - shouldn't be too hard since it's always on the website.

 

[prehealthadvisor55]

Biochem did not require OC2, required OC1.

This is completely dependent on undergrad curriculum. There's not much of a standard either way that I've seen.

 

[787593]

This is completely dependent on undergrad curriculum. There's not much of a standard either way that I've seen.

very true

 

[JPSmyth]

Take it anyway.