Replacement for second semester of general chem?

[positivetension-]

The schools I've applied to this year haven't explicitly required 2 semesters of general chem, but I know that a lot of schools do, and I want to keep my options open if I don't get in this year, so I want to take another general chem. My university, however, only offers 1 semester of general chem. What are possible courses that I could take to meet this requirement? Would a second organic chem be good enough?

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[TBV]

The schools I've applied to this year haven't explicitly required 2 semesters of general chem, but I know that a lot of schools do, and I want to keep my options open if I don't get in this year, so I want to take another general chem. My university, however, only offers 1 semester of general chem. What are possible courses that I could take to meet this requirement? Would a second organic chem be good enough?

How did you find schools that not only don't require 2 orgos but also don't require 2 gen chems? Are you applying in Haiti?

 

[positivetension-]

How did you find schools that not only don't require 2 orgos but also don't require 2 gen chems? Are you applying in Haiti?

Look it up. There are several, and many of them are very good schools. Anyone who actually wants to answer my question instead of being rude?

 

[positivetension-]

Bumping thread because I am still looking for a replacement. I know it varies somewhat from school to school, but I'm trying to pick a course that most schools would accept (assuming I have an appropriate explanation in my statement of purpose describing the lack of a second Gen Chem at my university). My options are basically between Inorganic Chemistry, Environmental Chemistry, and Analytic Chemistry. I'm guessing Inorganic would be the closest to Gen Chem II. I would prefer to take Environmental because the professor is known to be really good, but I'm guessing it would be a harder sell than Inorganic. Any thoughts?

 

[EvenStevens]

Take them at another school.

 

[positivetension-]

Take them at another school.

Do you think that is really necessary? I've seen anecdotal evidence that people have just taken Inorganic or even an upper-level Physical Chemistry instead of a second Gen Chem and haven't run into any problems. I know that it's not what most premeds do but it was my understanding that most programs are pretty good about accepting reasonable substitutions.

 

[robin911]

Most secondary applications that I filled out this year have boxes where you mark whether or not you met their "course requirements" for applying. If you do not have a second semester of gen chem you could explain how your school does not offer more than 1 semester of gen chem and combines gen chem 1 and 2 into a single semester but you still learned about all gen chem requirements within that semester. Most schools had text boxes that allowed you to explain why you did or did not meet their requirements.

If your school does offer 2 semesters of gen chem and you only opted to take 1 semester, it will be hard to explain that in the available text box on secondary applications.

Gen chem is a pre-req for physical chem at my alma mater. So if you were very worried about meeting the gen chem requirement, I would take p-chem and then argue that you took upper level chemistry. Final advice is to go to the academic health center, which most colleges have, which contains pre-med advisers who can talk with you about how to fulfill requirements or what previous med school applicants from your university have done in the past to fulfill the gen-chem requirements when they applied for med school.

 

[positivetension-]

Most secondary applications that I filled out this year have boxes where you mark whether or not you met their "course requirements" for applying. If you do not have a second semester of gen chem you could explain how your school does not offer more than 1 semester of gen chem and combines gen chem 1 and 2 into a single semester but you still learned about all gen chem requirements within that semester. Most schools had text boxes that allowed you to explain why you did or did not meet their requirements.

If your school does offer 2 semesters of gen chem and you only opted to take 1 semester, it will be hard to explain that in the available text box on secondary applications.

Gen chem is a pre-req for physical chem at my alma mater. So if you were very worried about meeting the gen chem requirement, I would take p-chem and then argue that you took upper level chemistry. Final advice is to go to the academic health center, which most colleges have, which contains pre-med advisers who can talk with you about how to fulfill requirements or what previous med school applicants from your university have done in the past to fulfill the gen-chem requirements when they applied for med school.

Good advice, thanks. Do you personally think taking Environmental Chem would be too much of a stretch even with an explanation? All of the options I have at my school seem only tangentially related to medicine at best (the first available Physical Chem course I could take is mostly quantum mechanics). Environmental Chem might actually be more related (given its relevance to toxicology). I will talk to my advisor as well but just wanted to get some general opinions.

 

[EvenStevens]

Do you think that is really necessary? I've seen anecdotal evidence that people have just taken Inorganic or even an upper-level Physical Chemistry instead of a second Gen Chem and haven't run into any problems. I know that it's not what most premeds do but it was my understanding that most programs are pretty good about accepting reasonable substitutions.

Probably the least stressful solution to your issue.
In any case I'd call or email a few schools to see how they would feel about it ahead of time and then decide.