Organic Chemistry in the Summer?

[Rick Harrison]

Hey everyone, I am a freshman attending a small university with about 2,000 students and so far I don't like my school at all. I haven't found any clubs I am interested in and I can't relate to many of the students here because a large majority only came to school for athletics. Because my family lives an hour away, I tend to go home every weekend and keep to myself. I'm interested in transferring schools next semester to Illinois State University as I think the larger school would help me find my identity as not only a student but a person through a multitude of clubs I can join to meet new people.

Anyway, due to how the classes are going to transfer between schools, only 1 semester of my general biology is going to transfer. I am planning on majoring in molecular and cellular biology, so this will put me a semester behind for my major as both semesters are general biology are pre-requisites to every major course. Do you guys think it would be a good idea to take organic chemistry I this summer at Illinois State so I could take organic chemistry II my fall semester of sophomore year? This would allow me to double up biology courses the spring semester of my sophomore year without having to worry about the rigor of organic chemistry II on top of that. Any advice would help! Thank you!

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[IdleKoala]

Well there are a lot of factors. First off, being at a small school isn't necessarily a bad thing, you could start a few clubs and gain a lot of leadership experience easily compared to a larger university. However, I do understand going to a small school without many like minded people is probably tough.

Regarding organic chemistry in the summer, it really depends whether or not the class is full term, because if the class is accelerated, meaning you take all of organic 1 in 6 weeks, I would not recommend that. That would mean you would have two labs a week and like two 3 hour lectures, which for organic would be really tough in my opinion. If not, and the class is full term, I definitely think it would be a good option to consider. Best of luck.

 

[Rick Harrison]

Well there are a lot of factors. First off, being at a small school isn't necessarily a bad thing, you could start a few clubs and gain a lot of leadership experience easily compared to a larger university. However, I do understand going to a small school without many like minded people is probably tough.

Regarding organic chemistry in the summer, it really depends whether or not the class is full term, because if the class is accelerated, meaning you take all of organic 1 in 6 weeks, I would not recommend that. That would mean you would have two labs a week and like two 3 hour lectures, which for organic would be really tough in my opinion. If not, and the class is full term, I definitely think it would be a good option to consider. Best of luck.

The class is, unfortunately, not full term. The lectures are from 8:00 - 9:35 am Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The lab is from 11:00 - 1:50 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This is all completed in 6 weeks.

 

[IdleKoala]

The class is, unfortunately, not full term. The lectures are from 8:00 - 9:35 am Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. The lab is from 11:00 - 1:50 pm on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. This is all completed in 6 weeks.

If your summer is relatively free, and you work really hard, you could handle it. It's just a risk because organic is one of those classes you really want to get an A or a B in, and if you fall behind in that class, its gunna be rough.

 

[artist2022]

I kind of did this because it was hard for me to get into ochem at my home university, so I took Ochem I and II in one 10-week summer (each was 5 weeks long). It was definitely tough, but it was the only class I was taking so I was eating, breathing, sleeping ochem all summer. I ended up with an A and an A- in the lectures, and As in the labs, so it worked out well It was nice having only ochem to focus on and not juggle other classes with it. I think your idea seems solid, but be sure you're willing to bust your ass off and work hard to do well - do NOT get a C or anything lower.

 

[ASPEN'S NIGHTMARE]

I tried this for Gen Chem 2 and got a nice C on my transcript and a huge ding on my science GPA... if I were you I would avoid it and just take Ochem normally. Accelerated science classes with labs are no joke, especially at big state schools!

 

[Rick Harrison]

I tried this for Gen Chem 2 and got a nice C on my transcript and a huge ding on my science GPA... if I were you I would avoid it and just take Ochem normally. Accelerated science classes with labs are no joke, especially at big state schools!

Do you think that taking orgo I + lab over the summer would be harder than having a semester where I have 3 different science classes? The way things will most likely work out is that I will have two semesters where I have to take 3 science classes. I was thinking it might be easier to try and take orgo I + lab so I would only have one semester where I have three science classes.

 

[rk1229]

Do it.

 

[DiscoverWeakly]

I took an accelerated orgo 1 class over summer and actually didn’t mind it. Yes I had to put in the effort to stay ahead, but with it being my only class, (I’m assuming the same would be true for you) it was my sole focus academically and I was able to excel. If you’re in the ball it’s definitely possible!

 

[ASPEN'S NIGHTMARE]

Do you think that taking orgo I + lab over the summer would be harder than having a semester where I have 3 different science classes? The way things will most likely work out is that I will have two semesters where I have to take 3 science classes. I was thinking it might be easier to try and take orgo I + lab so I would only have one semester where I have three science classes.

I would do Ochem 1 at a normal pace even if I had to do it with other science classes bro. But that's just me. I'm not good with speed and I learn slow! If you think you can do it, it's up to you!

 

[Faefly]

Organic Chemistry is a different World
A beautiful fascinating one, but still totally different.

Not only you are moving to a new school, which in its own right hard and requires adjustment and preparation.
You want to ruin this experience by shocking yourself with organic chemistry in the summer.

I do not recommend that.

I encourage you to take your sweet time and don't load yourself with too many courses in the first semester until you get your foot on the door and get adjusted.

Take history in the summer! it's beautiful and interesting and will satisfy your humanity prerequisites.

 

[chemphysicsinstructor]

Even if you do not "officially" take organic chemistry during the summer, please do yourself the favor and begin to learn about it. You will find yourself at a huge advantage when you "officially" begin taking the course.