Not taking Orgo 2 - in 2025 and beyond

[Mentens]

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I wanted to check in here about not taking orgo 2 in the big 2025, since I noticed that most threads on reddit and SDN on this topic might be outdated. In those threads, I often see advice that presents orgo 2 as a near-universal requirement and that not taking it may severely limit the breadth of an application. I haven't compared MSAR renditions, but it seems that since then, many schools have updated their requirements to no longer strictly require Orgo 2, either by requiring biochem in place of it, or by allowing its substitution with biochem.

My reason for asking isn't (entirely) out of laziness. I have had some pretty peculiar personal and academic circumstances that have made it so that I cannot take more than 1 semester worth of Orgo. I can, however, take biochem before graduation (my school has high level biochem courses that do not list Orgo 2 as a pre-req). As far as my eye has made the effort to see (all schools in my state, Fl, and a few interesting schools beyond), I am not restricting the breadth of my application in doing so.

I don't intend to have others do my research for me, but I would like to ask about this here in case there is something I am overlooking that goes beyond the stated requirements in MSAR.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

What does your prehealth advising office suggest? How does your chemistry program organize this sequence? The only thing you should concern yourself is whether content in your Org 2 course is covered on the MCAT.

If you have any questions, ask the admissions teams at the schools of choice.

 

[wysdoc]

I wanted to check in here about not taking orgo 2 in the big 2025, since I noticed that most threads on reddit and SDN on this topic might be outdated. In those threads, I often see advice that presents orgo 2 as a near-universal requirement and that not taking it may severely limit the breadth of an application. I haven't compared MSAR renditions, but it seems that since then, many schools have updated their requirements to no longer strictly require Orgo 2, either by requiring biochem in place of it, or by allowing its substitution with biochem.

My reason for asking isn't (entirely) out of laziness. I have had some pretty peculiar personal and academic circumstances that have made it so that I cannot take more than 1 semester worth of Orgo. I can, however, take biochem before graduation (my school has high level biochem courses that do not list Orgo 2 as a pre-req). As far as my eye has made the effort to see (all schools in my state, Fl, and a few interesting schools beyond), I am not restricting the breadth of my application in doing so.

I don't intend to have others do my research for me, but I would like to ask about this here in case there is something I am overlooking that goes beyond the stated requirements in MSAR.

All the TMDSAS schools require it. Their list of prereqs is more specific and stringent than many AMCAS schools
In addition to the year of Organic with lab many also require a semester of biochemistry 😳

 

[eigen]

When I generalize this to my students, I say that about 1/3 of students will want a full year or organic + biochemistry, 1/3 will want a full year of some combination of organic + biochemistry, and 1/3 will want a full year of organic and have no explicit biochemistry requirement.

A challenge is that a lot of schools that fall into the "mix of ochem and biochem" want a year including labs and not all schools have a standalone biochemistry lab.

And then on the other hand you have an increasing number of schools that are dropping pre-requisites entirely or severely loosening them, especially in west coast schools. Those schools rely heavily on the MCAT to assess content knowledge.

So no: you won't be completely out on applying to schools without a year of organic (or taking biochemistry) but you will cut out some school options and you may need to self-study some concepts for the MCAT.

 

[polymerization]

I have two big surprises for you that you'll have to contend with, as a FL applicant coming from a public school:

Yes, you can technically take biochemistry with only the first half of organic. You will still be expected to know and apply the skills developed in the second half of organic—and it's not going to be something the professor is going to spend time refreshing. It is also highly testable content on the MCAT. It was by leaps and bounds harder for me as a course than biochemistry was.

At FL public schools, we offer a second semester of biochemistry. The first semester stops short of metabolism, which is also highly testable content on the MCAT. This was a shock for me, as I was studying for the MCAT while taking biochemistry and thought the course would prepare me holistically. It did not...and given everything you're required to know, I felt like I was drowning while trying to self-study and the pressure to find resources both to learn and test myself on the concepts was immense. Not to mention, what biochemistry does cover is itself difficult material to parse (and I'm saying that as one of only a few people in my huge lecture class to actually score an A). The class average was never over 50% on any of our exams.

Just sort of in general, I know this might seem trite but bears repeating: there's no substitute for time with the material. The 32 weeks you would spend taking Organic II and Biochem II is a long time. I feel like, as students, when we're in the thick of our education, we sort of take that time for granted—I think looking forward to 7+ years of a medical education will structurally predispose you to cutting corners where you can...but there are checkpoints, and the MCAT is one of them.

If you do choose to move forward with your plan, consider what it will take for you to cover your gaps accordingly. No point in rushing toward the finish line if it turns out to be a mirage that manifests some distance away the faster you try to run toward it.

 

[eigen]

To add, the second semester of biochemistry covering metabolism is pretty common. The typical way to teach biochemistry is a 2-semester sequence with the first semester being structure and function and the second semester being metabolism.

A lot of schools increasingly offer a single-semester survey course that tries to touch on some of all of it, but that's more the exception than the rule. After trying to make a 1-semester course work for the last few decades, we're about to switch back to 2-semesters. Students aren't prepared enough on average to make a 1-semester course work while still covering what needs to be covered.

For the same reason, we're going from having the second semester of organic not be required for biochemistry to having it required. The data shows over and over that students who have only had a single semester do significantly worse because they don't have the depth of experience dealing with organic structures, properties and reactivity.