Should bio or orgo follow gen chem??

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roseglass6370

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Is it best to follow the gen chem series with the orgo series or bio series? Is it easier to take orgo with gen chem fresh in your mind or does it matter?

My school usually starts out with bio then suggests gen chem followed by orgo, but I transferred and wanted to finish the gen chem series first.

Any opinions?

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it doesn't really matter, the gen chem stuff needed for orgo is pretty basic
 
Well I took bio and gen chem at the same time... and some schools even follow that up with o chem and physics at the same time as well, the year after.

However, I don't think it would matter much if you took o chem directly after gen chem. You'll be fine.

So are you suggesting I take o chem next quarter? I would take both bio and o chem, but we only have one prof at my school (small liberal arts) that teaches o chem and he is incredibly difficult. I just don't want to risk it because I am recovering from a rough first quarter from my freshman year.

I'm just wondering if its best to take o chem with chemistry still fresh in my mind.
 
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My course sequence is:

- Biology and General Chemistry.
- Organic Chemistry & Physics.

Both O-chem and Biology use Gen Chem in similar proportions. O-chem is really different from Gen. Chem., but you have to remember the general concepts of acid-base, kinetics, equilibrium, bonding, and VSEPR.

These same concepts are also used in the cellular and molecular portion of Biology.
 
We have to take Calculus I, physics, and gen. chem. before Organic chem or Bology or Anatomy and physiology.........

I think other shool do it different.

A
 
I did Bio, GChem, Physics, and Math in one year, then Ochem and Biochemistry the next. My last year was electives (Physiology, Pharmacology series).

As long as you don't put two labs together you won't get too stressed. I think Ochem should follow GChem while the elements are still fresh in your head.
 
At my university, people either take gen chem and bio together then orgo and physics together. The other option is gen chem first then orgo and bio together and then physics later. I don't think it matters that much.
 
This was my route

Frosh: Gen Chem
Soph: Bio+orgo
Junior: Physics+biochem

worked for me. i felt that taking bio and orgo together made a little more sense, especially during the molec cell parts of bio.
 
So are you suggesting I take o chem next quarter? I would take both bio and o chem, but we only have one prof at my school (small liberal arts) that teaches o chem and he is incredibly difficult. I just don't want to risk it because I am recovering from a rough first quarter from my freshman year.

I'm just wondering if its best to take o chem with chemistry still fresh in my mind.

I would take bio and organic chem together- at my school the general rule as a science major was you should take 2-3 hard sciences a semester with 1-2 general education courses. Usually they recommended taking 16 hours a semester.

I did these for all my prereq- usually had 1-2 additional sciences since I was a biology major.

Bio Principles (prereq for Bio 1), Gen Chem 1, Precal
Bio 1, Gen Chem 2, Calc
Bio 2, Orgo 1
Orgo 2, Phys 1
Phys 2, biostat
 
I take bio, physics and gen chem all during same semester/s.

...cuz I'm baller like that. :cool:

[Or maybe because I'm somewhat nontrad.]
 
I've taken bio, ochem, gchem lab, and physics all in the same quarter before. personally, i just sign up for anything that i meet the prereqs for so i don't have to think about "should i take this before that."
 
You should take Bio and Gen Chem at the same time.

Don't fall behind on prereqs, it will mess everything up. You should try and get them finished in 2 years - I realize this isn't possible for everyone, but if you try you'll only fall 1 year behind at most.

I've taken upper level Bios with Organic and Physics, also Bio, GChem and Calc at the same time - it's totally doable and sometimes not even horribly difficult.
 
Definitely orgo.
 
Most people at my school do

Freshman: Gen Chem (1 semester of gen chem was required for any other science class)
Sophomore: Bio/Organic/Biochem (1 semester)
Junior: Physics

If you have the choice, I liked starting organic a semester early (took it during the summer).
 
I would plan on taking intro chem and intro bio as a freshman, and then move into ochem and physics as a sophomore. Likely that's not going to be possible due to scheduling/full classes, though, and you'll have a bit of time to make up for it. If you plan on taking everything 1 semester later, you have no fall back plan in case something goes wrong.
 
If you're planning on starting med school right after undergrad, you'll have to take your MCAT between your junior and senior year. Before you do that, you should have in (at a minimum) bio, g chem, o chem, and physics. So, if you are taking g chem your freshman year and avoid doing bio and o chem together, you're going to have to take one of them together with physics your junior year. I also go to a small liberal arts school with an insanely difficult o chem teacher (who happens to teach like every other bio course in addition to o chem); it is completely doable to have multiple sciences together if you make sure only one is with the difficult teacher.

Other things to keep in mind:
Sometimes bio is a requirement before you take o chem (or you have to at least be enrolled in both simultaneously).
If you're a science major (I don't think you said whether you were unless I missed it), you're going to be cramming a ton into your last two years. Most pre-meds (as stated above) take two to three sciences most semesters (especially if you don't want an awful schedule while you're applying to med school senior year).
 
I'd say both. I took them simultaneously and didn't have any problems. The orgo helped me understand some of the intermediates in photosynthesis/metabolism, so you might want to consider that.

Gen Chem and Physics together seem to be an appropriate combo as they are both math heavy.
 
You would think having Gen chem would make organic easier; however, there is absolutely nothing you learn in gen chem that will help you in organic. Nothing.
 
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