Orgo vs Bio!!

[stupid9234]

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I was planning on taking an intensive 10 weeks of a year of Organic.
But, I'm scared so I was wondering if I should maybe just take 2 Bio courses and a lab and then just take Orgo senior year?
I'd get a lot more bang for my buck if I took the Orgo.

 

[drhouse107]

I did 10 weeks of orgo the summer after my freshman year (I was planning to apply to an EA program, but didn't end up doing it). It was intense, but fine, and I felt like I learned it pretty well since everything stayed fresh. Wouldn't plan on doing too much else while you're taking the class, though. I babysat occasionally and spent weekends with my SO (studying some of the time), but it was mostly orgo, orgo, orgo.

 

[aspirantmed]

I took all of my pre-requisite classes during the academic year. However, I do have quite a few friends who opted to take science classes for medical school requirements over the summer. Most often, they chose to take Organic Chemistry because it's the more time-intensive class, which then freed up more time for them to pursue other things or take lighter course-loads during the fall and spring semesters. This is a really rigorous path; since you're taking a fast-paced class, you will have more homework, studying, and exams than students normally would, but it will make things easier during the year when you have other classes and activities to handle.

 

[hoihaie]

take orgo first

 

[el_duderino]

You want orgo for the MCAT.

 

[Gregor Wiesmann]

You want orgo for the MCAT.

......and you also want Biology?

 

[el_duderino]

......and you also want Biology?

I was assuming OP meant 2 higher-level bio courses and not just bio 1/2. I could certainly be wrong though.

 

[stupid9234]

Update: Biochem and Physio, both classes I would take junior year if I took summer Orgo.
If I took Biochem and Physio this summer, I'd take Orgo junior year and Physics senior year (or switch them).
I'm a good self-studier (kind of what college has been for me), so MCAT isn't that important. I'm taking the MCAT fall of senior year.

 

[Psai]

lol you can't self study orgo or physics dude

 

[stupid9234]

lol you can't self study orgo or physics dude

Wtf, how come? Pretty sure professor is there to summarize the three hours you spent studying. If it was as easy as understanding him, I'd have a 4 0

 

[tarsus]

I'm currently in an 8 week session full year of Orgo. Yeah, it's a lot of work (4 hours of class and about 3 hours of homework each night every day of the week), but it's nice that, as someone above said, it stays fresh in your mind. I agree with whomever above said to not plan on doing too much else with it, though. I'm volunteering about 15 hours a week and work a 10 hour shift on Sundays at my job to have a little bit of income, but I really don't have time for much of a social life until the class is over. That being said, I'd definitely take the 8 week session over the traditional 30 week, 2-semester format.

 

[stupid9234]

I'm currently in an 8 week session full year of Orgo. Yeah, it's a lot of work (4 hours of class and about 3 hours of homework each night every day of the week), but it's nice that, as someone above said, it stays fresh in your mind. I agree with whomever above said to not plan on doing too much else with it, though. I'm volunteering about 15 hours a week and work a 10 hour shift on Sundays at my job to have a little bit of income, but I really don't have time for much of a social life until the class is over. That being said, I'd definitely take the 8 week session over the traditional 30 week, 2-semester format.

DAMN. 25 hours and Orgo, that's pretty amazing. I plan to work 4 hours... haha. Any tips?

 

[tarsus]

I'm only into the 2nd week of my class, so you can take what I say with a grain of salt. In my class, we have lab about 2-3 times/week, a test every Friday, a couple of quizzes each week, and a worksheet that goes over topics covered in lecture each day. Definitely stay on top of your reading. I read the first 2 chapters before the class even started, which was helpful since we jumped right in and covered most of those topics on day 1 of the class. I think the person above who said you can't pre-study is mistaken; it's pretty straightforward, especially those first few chapters, and everything just builds on itself. As with any other class, practicing problems from the book until you're comfortable with them is good - in an accelerated class like this if you're not comfortable with the problems within that first day or two of it being taught to you, it's really hard to get caught up. Utilize office hours right away if you're confused, and get to know some of your classmates for studying. I'm fortunate enough to be pretty good friends with a girl in my class who's taken orgo before, so she's been a pretty valuable resource. 4 hours a week of work should be just fine! Good luck!