Organic Chemistry Lab

[Cal_Bears]

For the last year and a half, I've been in a DIY post-bacc at a standard public university. I'm currently completing a year of organic chemistry over the summer - but I'm not taking either lab. In the fall, the university is moving to a hybrid between online lectures and in-person labs. I've also been unable to obtain any type of research, volunteering positions, or even physician shadowing.

I've decided it's best if I go 100% online and reserve the possibility of moving anywhere I wish while completing my prerequisites. So I've enrolled at Harvard Extension. One of the classes is the organic chemistry lab. The instructions say if I did not complete organic chemistry at HES, I should contact the professor. I've written to him, including my transcript (showing I've passed ochem 1) and the syllibi for both Ochem 1 & 2 but he hasn't responded. So I wrote to both HES and the Pre-med program at HES who instructed me to contact the professor.

I haven't dropped my classes yet at my current university and don't want to do that until I've confirmed I can take the ochem lab.

My question is, can I assume I'll eventually be approved or should I become more persistent in obtaining permission as I might not receive approval and will need to seek other alternatives? I'm assume there's a person or two currently at HES that might have a good sense on a prudent path forward.

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[KnightDoc]

For the last year and a half, I've been in a DIY post-bacc at a standard public university. I'm currently completing a year of organic chemistry over the summer - but I'm not taking either lab. In the fall, the university is moving to a hybrid between online lectures and in-person labs. I've also been unable to obtain any type of research, volunteering positions, or even physician shadowing.

I've decided it's best if I go 100% online and reserve the possibility of moving anywhere I wish while completing my prerequisites. So I've enrolled at Harvard Extension. One of the classes is the organic chemistry lab. The instructions say if I did not complete organic chemistry at HES, I should contact the professor. I've written to him, including my transcript (showing I've passed ochem 1) and the syllibi for both Ochem 1 & 2 but he hasn't responded. So I wrote to both HES and the Pre-med program at HES who instructed me to contact the professor.

I haven't dropped my classes yet at my current university and don't want to do that until I've confirmed I can take the ochem lab.

My question is, can I assume I'll eventually be approved or should I become more persistent in obtaining permission as I might not receive approval and will need to seek other alternatives? I'm assume there's a person or two currently at HES that might have a good sense on a prudent path forward.

You might want to question whether the schools you are going to apply to will accept HES online labs for prereqs, even during COVID, at the same time standard public universities are offering it in person. Med schools have been pretty good about accepting in person classes that have been moved online due to the crisis. It is less well known whether that has made it acceptable to seek out online prereqs at online only institutions like HES. There is a real chance you might be disappointed in the answer.