Orgo/biochem combo course?

[Mentens]

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My school offers a 2 semester orgo/biochem track involving successive courses titled "Organic Chemistry/Biochemistry". These courses are legitimately rigorous, with the first serving as an intensive combo of orgo 1 + 2 and the other applying these concepts to biochemistry. Does anyone have experience/insight on if medical schools will count these courses as orgo 1, 2, and biochem credit? My only concern is that this would be, in a way, double dipping credits. However, given the scope and rigor of the class, I feel as though this is warranted.

Thanks!

 

[Mr.Smile12]

How do your chemistry department and/or prehealth advising office describe these courses?

 

[Mentens]

The first course compresses the orgo 1 and 2 curriculum and is described as:
"a rigorous overview of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds. This course is equivalent to taking the orgo 1 + 2 sequence."

The second course applies these concepts to biochemistry and is described as:
"Covers all material found in undergrad biochemistry courses, with a special emphasis on concepts in organic chemistry to help students understand biological chemistry"

Based on my conversations with students who took the typical orgo 1 + 2 + biochem route, I'm confident that the two are equivalent from a rigor standpoint. My only concern is if medical schools and the MSAR will recognize this atypical route.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

The first course compresses the orgo 1 and 2 curriculum and is described as:
"a rigorous overview of the structure, properties, and reactions of organic compounds. This course is equivalent to taking the orgo 1 + 2 sequence."

The second course applies these concepts to biochemistry and is described as:
"Covers all material found in undergrad biochemistry courses, with a special emphasis on concepts in organic chemistry to help students understand biological chemistry"

Based on my conversations with students who took the typical orgo 1 + 2 + biochem route, I'm confident that the two are equivalent from a rigor standpoint. My only concern is if medical schools and the MSAR will recognize this atypical route.

The MSAR doesn't matter here. Unless students from your school are having difficulty getting into medical school because of this, I would infer that this isn't a problem.

 

[Mentens]

I should have clarified that most students from my school take the orgo 1 + 2 + biochem route. I did this sequence because it was required of my major. Pre-med advisors seem to recommend the traditional route, but instruct students who have taken the combined sequence to count it as orgo 1 + 2 + biochem. The performance of other pre-meds at my school doesn't apply to this route as most go the traditional route.

Thanks for your help thus far.

 

[Nontrad_FL_LGBT]

I should have clarified that most students from my school take the orgo 1 + 2 + biochem route. I did this sequence because it was required of my major. Pre-med advisors seem to recommend the traditional route, but instruct students who have taken the combined sequence to count it as orgo 1 + 2 + biochem. The performance of other pre-meds at my school doesn't apply to this route as most go the traditional route.

Thanks for your help thus far.

A solid 90%+ of schools I looked at on MSAR said that biochem can be subbed for Orgo 2. Seems irrelevant to worry about.

 

[Mentens]

In that case, I might opt to take the standard biochem course and not the second orgo/biochem in the sequence. Thanks for your help. I welcome other comments though, as im not completely sure at this point. Will be doing some more research.

 

[AJS59]

Only thing I would add to the conversation is labs...I know some schools will want the equivalent of 4 terms of lab (gen chem 1, gen chem 2, Orgo 1, and then a 4th that could be Orgo 2 or Biochem). Does your undergrad Biochem course have a lab?

 

[Mentens]

It does, although from what I see orgo labs are not very often required. My pre-med advisors recommend only a single orgo lab for the sequence.

 

[eigen]

There may be some schools that this won't work for, but the most common arrangement I see is wanting two semester of organic + biochemistry in some combination.