Need advice

[rjm546]

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So here is my situation, as of right now I'm at a cc but I applied to a university and got accepted. I want to take organic chem in the summer but because my registration date will be so late I will probably not be able to get a seat. Would it be ok to take it at the cc or should I wait until the fall to take it? I really want to get organic out of the way as soon as possible if that means anything.

 

[Vicviper]

I took Ochem at my CC before I transferred, and I got in just fine, but it would be best that you finish the entire series at the same location, instead of taking the first class at your CC and the second at the University if you can avoid that. It also might be a bit difficult during the summer, but just stick to your guns. Good luck!

 

[rjm546]

I took Ochem at my CC before I transferred, and I got in just fine, but it would be best that you finish the entire series at the same location, instead of taking the first class at your CC and the second at the University if you can avoid that. It also might be a bit difficult during the summer, but just stick to your guns. Good luck!

Thanks a lot for the advice, if i do take it at cc then I will do the whole series there but I'll weigh my options. Also do you think they may look down on the fact that it is at a cc? I also heard from people that took ochem at a cc had a hard time with biochem at a university. Any thought on that?

 

[mkcolorado]

Thanks a lot for the advice, if i do take it at cc then I will do the whole series there but I'll weigh my options. Also do you think they may look down on the fact that it is at a cc? I also heard from people that took ochem at a cc had a hard time with biochem at a university. Any thought on that?

Ask around, find out which school teaches it the best. Organic Chemistry is a huge part of the DAT. You need to know it well. Taking a class at a community college is usually easier to get an A, but an A doesn't always mean you know what you were required to learn. no matter where you take it, make sure you know it well.

 

[dentalmagnet]

Assuming you want to get in your state school, you should be aware that they may know the reputations of the specific university and community college that you attend.

Also, Many advisers express the importance of taking pre-requisites at the university level and certainly organic is of major significance in the evaluation of a GPA.

You should also think about the amount of classes you have already taken at the CC level. If you have taken: Bio I and II, Gen Chem I and II, and Physics I..then I think you should AT LEAST finish your pre-reqs at a university to show them that you are capable of the university level. Don't worry, you will be fine!

 

[doc toothache]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=527335

 

[bjhath]

Thanks a lot for the advice, if i do take it at cc then I will do the whole series there but I'll weigh my options. Also do you think they may look down on the fact that it is at a cc? I also heard from people that took ochem at a cc had a hard time with biochem at a university. Any thought on that?

It depends on the d-school as to how they view cc credits. See Doc Toothache's link.

It also depends on the cc. I took ochem at a cc and it was by far the hardest class I've taken in my academic career (undergrad and grad). The prof. made it really challenging. She was fair, but tough. I took biochem at a university and it was cake compared to o-chem. The university I went to for post-bac was easier overall than the cc I attended. It really depends on the instructor and the cc/university. Good luck!

I agree with the advice above of taking the entire series at one school. This way you get continuity and proper preparation in o-chem I for the school's o-chem II.

 

[Vicviper]

It's really up to you where you take it. I felt that I learned much better at the CC when I took Ochem because of the small class size, 14 compared to 400 at my university, and that my professor was actually a very dedicated teacher, not a researcher who may not be the best teacher - and I've run into many, especially since I go to a research school.

As stated above, weigh your options. Find out about the teachers on sites like ratemyprofessor, etc, or if you have friends who've taken Ochem from some of those professors. If you do take Ochem at the CC, you'll really need to show the Adcoms that you can not only pass your upper division classes, but do WELL in them - that will show them that it wasn't just the CC that you went to, but actually you who's good. Also, as pointed out, some schools have restrictions on CC pre-reqs, but I found that often they can be more of guidelines than hard rules, as I got into a school that claims they don't take CC pre-reqs when I took Bio I/II, Ochem, Gchem, and Physics at the CC. It also didn't come up at any of my interviews either - but that's just my experience.

I'd say that if you had to wait a year to transfer just so that you could finish the Ochem, I'd start the Ochem at the University if it would let you graduate sooner, but again, just do what you feel works best for you.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.