Organic Chem I Online?

[marla]

Hey guys:

I am a nontraditional taking the informal postbac route. My initial plan was to finish all my prerequisites in a year and take the MCAT in June. However, my dad passed away this semester and I was forced to drop a class (b/c I had to plan the funeral, and take care of some stuff at home.) Moving forward, I want to know if anyone has had success in gaining admittance to med school even though they completed a major science prereq via online? I am specifically looking at the University of New England and Oregon State University to complete Organic Chemistry I online (winter session.)
I am going to try to take organic chemistry I lab during summer session I and take orgo lecture/lab II during summer session II.

Some things that I know (so I guess it does not need to be repeated over and over again):

I know that organic chemistry is a major class and that it is considered a "weed- out" class by many. However this is why, I still planned on taking orgo I lab in the summer at a nearby university. Is that enough?
I also wanted to note that I know taking orgo online is not going to be any easier than taking it in the classroom.

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[MCAT guy]

Organic Chem I Online?

No.

 

[CookDeRosa]

Hey guys:

I am a nontraditional taking the informal postbac route. My initial plan was to finish all my prerequisites in a year and take the MCAT in June. However, my dad passed away this semester and I was forced to drop a class (b/c I had to plan the funeral, and take care of some stuff at home.) Moving forward, I want to know if anyone has had success in gaining admittance to med school even though they completed a major science prereq via online? I am specifically looking at the University of New England and Oregon State University to complete Organic Chemistry I online (winter session.)
I am going to try to take organic chemistry I lab during summer session I and take orgo lecture/lab II during summer session II.

Some things that I know (so I guess it does not need to be repeated over and over again):

I know that organic chemistry is a major class and that it is considered a "weed- out" class by many. However this is why, I still planned on taking orgo I lab in the summer at a nearby university. Is that enough?
I also wanted to note that I know taking orgo online is not going to be any easier than taking it in the classroom.

If you take Orgo 1 at UNE, it has a lab, so you wouldn't take it again in the summer. I have emails from my top 8 schools (DO) saying "no problem" to the question of using UNE for science. MD, maybe not.

 

[mspeedwagon]

I have NOT taken any classes online yet or gotten into medical school yet. However, the vast majority of schools I contacted were o.k. with taking a class or two online (I'm considering this for G-Chem II as I travel a lot for work... I'm a traveling clinical research monitor and spend most of my week on a plane).

I can think of few exceptions... most memorable being University of Florida. It's not an ideal set-up and you'll limit yourself some, but sometimes you have to do what's best for you.

 

[CaptainObvious]

Man, I gotta hand it to you guys. I've taken a couple of online courses like Ethics and Comp II, and they were fine, but the thought of taking any of the hard sciences online has never crossed my mind. I guess I just need that face to face instructor feedback. I understand that this may be the only option for some, but to take a notoriously difficult class like O-Chem outside of the classroom would scare the heck out of me knowing that these particular classes are a very big deciding factor in whether or not I eventually get accepted.

Best of luck!

 

[eablackwell]

Orgo (yeah, I said it!) online for me would have been a trainwreck. However, someone has given some good info about UNE up a few posts. It's not impossible but it's unorthodox, and anything out of the ordinary in this process is usually a hurdle.

I will echo the fact that UF is very picky (unless you know someone high up) about classes.

 

[Isoprop]

As long as there's a lab and you do well on the MCAT, I personally think it's fine.

 

[CookDeRosa]

I'll also add that most online classes are "self teaching" type situations (though they won't "say that" but most times you get a text book and off you go.) If you need a "teacher" or enjoy lecture, demos, etc. this is not the way to go. Labs (which I've done 20 lab science credits via distance, not prereqs yet) can be very hard. There is no one to ask if you are screwing it up. Do not underestimate the difficulty in figuring out such a challenging subject on your own. I took an A&P this way, the tests were the worst-ever- because they were not based on the course text, rather just the subject in general. (WTF??)

However, if you are up for it, there are ways to meet these challenges in a nontrad format. The online sciences will, however, be a)more expensive b)independently learned c)involve more writing d) testing "blind" -without lecture notes. e) involve some kind of technology. (I had to buy a computer microscope camera)

A huge benefit is the seat time, which in labs, can be extensive. My CC wants you in lab sciences M-F with no evening sections offered. Not. Another benefit, in my opinion, is the learning style that is strengthened through self-teaching. Add in the discipline element, and you can get a good experience from the right school and the right class. Since so few colleges offer online sciences, it's relatively easy to shop. UNE is split between real labs and sims, personally I like real labs over sims, but I have no idea which is the superior method academically/best MCAT prep.

So, untill I can find class that starts at 10pm, I'm in for UNE sciences too.

 

[marla]

If you take Orgo 1 at UNE, I have emails from my top 8 schools (DO) saying "no problem" to the question of using UNE for science. MD, maybe not.

Thanks for your reply. Are you going to take the course/have taken the course? I am still a little hesitant. I guess I should contact the schools I would like to attend. I just feel like there is a difference between a school saying its okay and someone actually getting in, considering this is not the norm.



Anyone else with some experience???

 

[orgohacks]

Thanks for your reply. Are you going to take the course/have taken the course? I am still a little hesitant. I guess I should contact the schools I would like to attend. I just feel like there is a difference between a school saying its okay and someone actually getting in, considering this is not the norm.



Anyone else with some experience???

I've seen a UNE organic chemistry course online and it is very lightweight. It's one semester, covers Org1 and Org2 (although not thoroughly) and has online labs. Not sure if it's exactly the same course as what you're describing.

Here's a link to one of the "labs" :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzlUcWLorhU

 

[CookDeRosa]

I've seen a UNE organic chemistry course online and it is very lightweight. It's one semester, covers Org1 and Org2 (although not thoroughly) and has online labs. Not sure if it's exactly the same course as what you're describing.

Here's a link to one of the "labs" :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzlUcWLorhU

I think the lab looks kinda fun, I've not done a sim like that before. I do think, however, that if you want to do org2 that you have to take it in a second course, I couldn't find a combined 1 semester org1 and org2 course listed. The course website lists org1 and org2 each as 16 week courses. (but you can work faster or slower if you are inclined) Of course you'll get to pay twice too

I know you have a PhD in organic chemistry, so I'm not sure if your "lightweight" difficulty assessment can be trusted lol.

 

[DPT2DO]

Took both org1 & 2 at UNE, as well as Bio 1. Classes were well-run and organized, with org 1 being somewhat better. Dr. Manyan is the Biochem head at UNECOM and teaches the 1st semester orgo.

I ended up applying to 9 schools, accepted to 1 (do) and interviewed at 1 (md). Still waiting on several schools, but was specifically rejected for this reason from Albany. I ended up with a 13 on the BS portion of the mcat so I think that quells some of the adcoms fears.

 

[Reticent]

I think the other thing you should consider is that the online course might be far less rigorous than the traditional course (which is often the case). This can be bad in an especially tough course like Ochem 2 where you don't need the extra disadvantage of having to play catch-up.

I went from having a (traditional) pretty easy-going Ochem 1 prof of the "if you show up and pay attention you'll do well" type to a "you will master organic chemistry or I will fail you" type in Ochem 2. This led to fun situations like hearing the professor respond to a classmate's question with "You should already know that, go read your Ochem 1 notes." (It was not a stupid question.)

 

[CookDeRosa]

I think the other thing you should consider is that the online course might be far less rigorous than the traditional course (which is often the case). This can be bad in an especially tough course like Ochem 2 where you don't need the extra disadvantage of having to play catch-up.

I went from having a (traditional) pretty easy-going Ochem 1 prof of the "if you show up and pay attention you'll do well" type to a "you will master organic chemistry or I will fail you" type in Ochem 2. This led to fun situations like hearing the professor respond to a classmate's question with "You should already know that, go read your Ochem 1 notes." (It was not a stupid question.)

Well, so far with a sample size of 1, the poster before you scored pretty well on his mcat. (do I hear 2??? anyone???) I don't think the discussion is rigorousness of online learning, It's specifically how well THIS school's online orgo1/2 do toward MCAT prep.

 

[DPT2DO]

I'd have to say that the classes are as rigorous as you make them. It would probably be feasible for someone to skate by with a low A/high B in these classes, especially the second semester, without learning a great deal. This is where, if I were an Adcom, I would have my doubts. I would need to be convinced that the applicant is a committed learner, corroborated by excellent grades in other classes and good MCAT scores.

It really depends on what you put into it. Knowing that I needed to nail the MCAT, I probably put forth more effort than was needed to earn an A in both classes. The first semester class is more intensive and covers mostly MCAT material while the second semester is more biochem/macromolecule oriented. Don't get me wrong, these classes still require a lot of work. If you are the type that requires a lot of face time with professors and TF's then forget about it. However, if you are the type that typically scores well with mostly self-directed learning then the classes should be fairly clear-cut.

 

[Apollo1]

...

Roughly four years since last post.

 

[ThoracicGuy]

I began taking organic chem 1 online through UNE. The online lecture didn't help a bit. The quiz questions did not correlate well with online lecture, practice questions at the end of the chapter, the additional questions that required the solutions manual. Khan Academy helped a lot but it required a great deal of time. If you want to get through this course, contact Jxxx Dxxx xxxx@gmail.com. I went from hours of struggling to get 7-9's on the first few quizzes to making 9-10's. She relates the information needed for each quiz that made it incredibly simple for me to understand and apply and spent a FRACTION of the time. I ended up with an A in the course. Thank you, Jxxx!

Nice advertising you got there...

 

[Flippinski]

took ochem through SUNY ULSTER with professor cassidy. He uploads audio files of all the lectures, and you have to find a proctor to proctor your tests, there are 4 of them. He also uploads all the powerpoint slides. It was really like being in class. I had the slides on my ipad and listened through my computer and took my own notes as I listened to each lecture. Thought it was a really great class, definitely recommend taking it. His tests are easy, ok, then hard and hard, so you definitely need to study. But thankfully the exams are 50% and the homework is 50%. Homework you can do well on and makes a big difference in your grade.

 

[sakfmb]

if anyone is looking for a good online course for organic chemistry take UNE and I would be more than happy to help out. [email protected]

 

[Leslie.Knope]

if anyone is doing research on the course and would like a recent student's perspective, please message me
(also selling the course materials at a steep discount for those interested in that as well)

 

[littledriver]

if anyone is doing research on the course and would like a recent student's perspective, please message me
(also selling the course materials at a steep discount for those interested in that as well)

I'm looking for a good class and would like to find out what your experience was? How long ago did you take it and was it Ochem1 or Ochem 2. Can you message me please about the materials for the class

 

[AnotherLawyer]

I want to know if anyone has had success in gaining admittance to med school even though they completed a major science prereq via online?

There are countless posts on SDN by people who took some, and in some cases all, of their science prereqs online and were admitted to med school. Conversely, I have never seen a poster claim that they didn't get into medical school because they took an online prereq. With schools trending away from strict prereq requirements and moving toward "competency based" assessments, this should be less of a problem going forward. With that said, some (perhaps many) schools still refuse to accept online prereqs (at least according to the MSAR which is not always accurate).

As always, if you are interested in any one particular school, call and ask.

 

[alexa1130]

Has anyone taken the UNE OChem 1 recently? How hard was it? How long did it take to finish?

 

[Lights]

Hello all. I know it's been a long time since this post has been active but I had a few things to share. In fact, I registered solely for the purpose of saying the following:

I have taken UNE Organic chemistry 1 and 2. I obtained a grade of 90% on Org 1, and 98% on Org 2. I used these grades to successfully get me into medical school. Organic chemistry 1 was much harder than Org 2, however, use Chegg (an online resource), pay the 15$ membership, and join the forums of other students who have done or are currently doing their organic chemistry at UNE. I am by no part affiliated with Chegg, however, they provided me with all the answers for me to double check mine for all the quizzes. That means, I got 100% on all the quizzes. For the final, complete all the questions in the back of each chapter, and make good use of sticky notes (since the final 4 hour exam is open book). You should have no trouble completing this course with a high grade. Organic chemistry 2 was a joke; it shouldn't even be considered a course. I finished the course in 12 days. In comparison, it took me 3 and a half months to complete organic chemistry 1.

For the lab component of Organic chemistry 1, I didn't even open my lab book that I ordered from the school. Its still sealed in my closet. In fact, I didn't even do any of the labs, I just went straight into the questions. I answered the questions with knowledge from my book and double checked my answers with Chegg. I received 100% on the lab component and I didn't even do any labs. It's actually a joke.

Anyway; yes I did get into medical school fulfilling my requirement for organic chemistry from UNE. I wouldn't dare attempt to take orgo during your university undergraduate studies because you'll get rocked trying to study for it while having to worry about other courses. I would take the time to do it online with UNE. They're very helpful.

Good luck all. I will probably never come back to this website. Just wanted to give my 2 cents.

 

[patriciac923]

Hello all. I know it's been a long time since this post has been active but I had a few things to share. In fact, I registered solely for the purpose of saying the following:

I have taken UNE Organic chemistry 1 and 2. I obtained a grade of 90% on Org 1, and 98% on Org 2. I used these grades to successfully get me into medical school. Organic chemistry 1 was much harder than Org 2, however, use Chegg (an online resource), pay the 15$ membership, and join the forums of other students who have done or are currently doing their organic chemistry at UNE. I am by no part affiliated with Chegg, however, they provided me with all the answers for me to double check mine for all the quizzes. That means, I got 100% on all the quizzes. For the final, complete all the questions in the back of each chapter, and make good use of sticky notes (since the final 4 hour exam is open book). You should have no trouble completing this course with a high grade. Organic chemistry 2 was a joke; it shouldn't even be considered a course. I finished the course in 12 days. In comparison, it took me 3 and a half months to complete organic chemistry 1.

For the lab component of Organic chemistry 1, I didn't even open my lab book that I ordered from the school. Its still sealed in my closet. In fact, I didn't even do any of the labs, I just went straight into the questions. I answered the questions with knowledge from my book and double checked my answers with Chegg. I received 100% on the lab component and I didn't even do any labs. It's actually a joke.

Anyway; yes I did get into medical school fulfilling my requirement for organic chemistry from UNE. I wouldn't dare attempt to take orgo during your university undergraduate studies because you'll get rocked trying to study for it while having to worry about other courses. I would take the time to do it online with UNE. They're very helpful.

Good luck all. I will probably never come back to this website. Just wanted to give my 2 cents.

I am thinking to take Orgo 2 at UNE, did you only use Chegg to help you study?

 

[Gekkusu]

For anyone still curious about this, the MSAR has information on whether each school accepts online credit or not. Whether or no they take them seems unrelated to the tier of the school, so it's best to check! I know that some of the schools I was interested in and thought would have more lax standards will not take online courses, although enough accept them that I still have plenty of reasonable choices to apply to.

 

[patson012396]

Hello all. I know it's been a long time since this post has been active but I had a few things to share. In fact, I registered solely for the purpose of saying the following:

I have taken UNE Organic chemistry 1 and 2. I obtained a grade of 90% on Org 1, and 98% on Org 2. I used these grades to successfully get me into medical school. Organic chemistry 1 was much harder than Org 2, however, use Chegg (an online resource), pay the 15$ membership, and join the forums of other students who have done or are currently doing their organic chemistry at UNE. I am by no part affiliated with Chegg, however, they provided me with all the answers for me to double check mine for all the quizzes. That means, I got 100% on all the quizzes. For the final, complete all the questions in the back of each chapter, and make good use of sticky notes (since the final 4 hour exam is open book). You should have no trouble completing this course with a high grade. Organic chemistry 2 was a joke; it shouldn't even be considered a course. I finished the course in 12 days. In comparison, it took me 3 and a half months to complete organic chemistry 1.

For the lab component of Organic chemistry 1, I didn't even open my lab book that I ordered from the school. Its still sealed in my closet. In fact, I didn't even do any of the labs, I just went straight into the questions. I answered the questions with knowledge from my book and double checked my answers with Chegg. I received 100% on the lab component and I didn't even do any labs. It's actually a joke.

Anyway; yes I did get into medical school fulfilling my requirement for organic chemistry from UNE. I wouldn't dare attempt to take orgo during your university undergraduate studies because you'll get rocked trying to study for it while having to worry about other courses. I would take the time to do it online with UNE. They're very helpful.

Good luck all. I will probably never come back to this website. Just wanted to give my 2 cents.

Hi! hoping you will see this message and reply, but since you took the course so recently, I was wondering if you had any of your course materials with you to send to me via email or mail or whatever works? My Ochem2 course starts in a week or so but I wanted to get ahead since I have to finish before the summer ends.

 

[jl lin]

People forget that you will need LORs, and if you aren't working under/w a prof or TA in lab and no one is seeing your face, well that will impact the whole LOR deal. Plus it can be good to work with others in lab, and you can directly benefit from your own mistakes, those of others, as well as your and others "wins."

For these reasons, I say all the required pre-req science, or at least most of them, should probably be done with actual RL face time in a B&M.
Other courses, sure you can work on line with others in RT audio-visual on certain learning projects. You have codes to get in. People can see and hear you, as can the professor. So personally I'd choose the online stuff very carefully. But things at a bench, I say it's worth making the drive and being there in person.

 

[DrMikeP]

Just use caution in that msar may indicate accpetance of online but the schools website indicates a bias against such so always look at the school's website.

Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk

 

[PassThePropofol]

Ask the schools you are interested in. I know when I asked they would not accept UNE credits.

 

[silveradoprincess]

if anyone is doing research on the course and would like a recent student's perspective, please message me
(also selling the course materials at a steep discount for those interested in that as well)

hi, I was just wondering what your perspective of UNE's course for organic chemistry was?

 

[london2017]

Has anyone taking orgo 1 online at North Dakota State University ?

 

[lvet]

Has anyone taking orgo 1 online at North Dakota State University ?

Not sure you're still wondering, but I did take OChem I at NDSU over the summer. I thought it was taught really well. Professor is really passionate and personable. He likes to "get to know you" prior to the class starting so that kind of makes it feel more real than most online courses. I still struggled with it mostly because I was working full time and traveling a lot for work so ended up having to cram the last couple tests and final to meet the deadline.