Taking a year off in between chemistries?

[Hopefully2013]

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Hi there, been reading this forum for a long time, and I finally have an interesting and semi important question... I'm not sure chemistries is even an actual word since my spell checker is flagging it, but that's besides the point.

Unfortunately I have inadvertently found myself in a position that I have finished Chem 1&2, and now am not taking Organic until next summer. It's a long story, but here's the short version - my advisor told me I should try to take Organic at home this summer or next summer, where I could focus on OChem and nothing but OChem, thanks to the registrar's office and their... timeliness, or lack thereof, in sending transcripts, all the spots in organic are full, so now I'm taking it next summer.

Has anyone else done this (purposely or not, had chemistry classes spread out)? Would it be harder to take them like this?

I'm saving all my notes and my book that I used for chem 1&2, so that I can review them next summer before I have to take it, in any case. I'm just interested to know what I'm up against (there's really no way around it, because OChem has filled up for this fall at my university also, and it doesn't fit into my schedule, so it has to be next summer).

 

[twelvetigers]

Organic chemistry is a completely different beast than inorganic. I don't think you'll have too much trouble with the gap.

 

[teatime]

Even though I took general chem and o-chem in series, I found that o-chem was an entirely different beast. The material has almost zero to do with general chemistry, which could be a good or a bad thing. I wouldn't base how well you did in gen chem as an indicator of how well you'll do in o-chem. I think everyone struggles with o-chem in terms of memorizing reactions and such. So I wouldn't worry too much about the gap in between the series. Think of it as a little time off before you have to delve back in!

Edit: you beat me to it TT!

 

[twelvetigers]

"Different beast" jinx!

OP, if the fact that we're both independently calling orgo a 'beast' doesn't scare you, well, it should. Lol.

 

[teatime]

If you're only going to be taking o-chem that summer I would say you're in a better place than a lot of us that take it along with other classes. Just be prepared to make a lot of flashcards and practice, practice, practice. There's really no other way to do well.

 

[Hopefully2013]

"Different beast" jinx!

OP, if the fact that we're both independently calling orgo a 'beast' doesn't scare you, well, it should. Lol.

Oh no, it does. It very much does. Everyone I've talked to who has taken it gets this pale look on their face and mutters something about the hardest class they've ever taken. My chem 2 teacher told us it was like drinking out of a firehose, and he was proud of the C he made in it.

 

[Hopefully2013]

If you're only going to be taking o-chem that summer I would say you're in a better place than a lot of us that take it along with other classes. Just be prepared to make a lot of flashcards and practice, practice, practice. There's really no other way to do well.

My thoughts exactly, I'd rather not have to take it along with my other classes. Unless there are other classes that I have to take that absolutely will not fit in to my schedule for the following year, it is the only thing I'll be taking that summer.

 

[quantized]

I took 11 years between orgo I and orgo II. You'll be fine.

 

[jtom]

Organic and gen chem are very different courses. O-chem has very little math and it mostly memorization. I actually enjoyed organic chemistry and despised general chem.

Now if you were going to take alot of time off between orgo I and II then I would say not to do that...........

 

[gilch]

I loved OChem! I did the exact same thing you are talking about--had not quite 1 year between chems and was fine. Once I started thinking of the reactions as a puzzle, ochem was pretty smooth sailing--never did fully understand chirality though...

 

[choroid88plexus]

Orgo is not bad at all if you learn to study correctly, which means studying with your pencil and not staring at the reactions. And I don't think you'll need to know anything from Gen. Chem. as the others have stated, other than the basics like what electronegativity is to better understand why some reactions go or don't go.

 

[gilch]

I want to second choroid88plexus and say that electronegativity is super important, as is pKa--not anything mathy, just knowing the concept.

 

[GellaBella]

I also have a kinda soft spot in my heart for Orgo. Certainly not the horrible class people often make it out to be.

You will have no problem taking time off between Inorganic Chem and Organic Chemistry. As others mentioned they are completely different and really have very little bearing upon each other.

I took re-took orgo 1&2 last summer after being away from chemistry for 5 years. Just be prepared to really study it every day because with a fast paced class like that you can't afford to slack and get left behind. You'll be fine though.

 

[Hopefully2013]

Sounds good, thanks guys! I know it'll be fast paced but at least I'll get it over with all in one summer, and I predict my small whiteboard will get a lot of use! That's what I use any time I have memorization work, and I'm so glad I bought it. It saves me a lot of paper when I have to memorize.

Our general chem 2's teacher's last 'unit' sort of was organic naming, and we got a taste of it... I'm better at memorization than I am at math though, as long as I put in the time.

 

[cuitlamiztli]

I'm better at memorization than I am at math though, as long as I put in the time.

Two bits of advice for getting through organic: Concentrate on learning/memorizing the mechanisms rather than trying to memorize each of the fifty-bajillion reactions that will be thrown at you.

And, if your instructor does not teach you how to work through synthesis problems (and you are tested on them/have assignments over them)--find someone to help you learn how to do them! It will help immensely, unless you can already work through them on your own.

 

[TrocarKarin]

Pretty much the only things you need to know from gen chem are VSEPR and conjugate acid/conjugate base stuff. You can pretty much review that the week or two before your class starts and be fine.

 

[chii chan]

I took a year off in between. I did gen chem year 1, then my bio series year 2, then ochem/biochem year 3. I had no issues since they're such different classes completely. I didn't particularly enjoy gen chem, but loved ochem. 🙂

 

[heylodeb]

I took a year and a half off inbetween the two - no big deal! good luck!

 

[canis13]

Understanding the general concepts behind acid/base chemistry and molecular orbitals is a big part of o-chem, but even if you forget it or didn't completely understand the fundamental concepts behind either of these things (like me after gen chem), you'll be re-taught it in o-chem.

I generally don't think it is too big of a problem to take big gaps between related classes; I took my first upper level bio class (microbiology) 3 years after taking intro bio. I took calculus 4 years after I took it last in high school. Other people in my classes might've had an advantage because the material was fresher in their mind, but I didn't do any worse. Professors will re-teach material you've learned in a previous class.

 

[lailanni]

Oh no, it does. It very much does. Everyone I've talked to who has taken it gets this pale look on their face and mutters something about the hardest class they've ever taken. My chem 2 teacher told us it was like drinking out of a firehose, and he was proud of the C he made in it.

Awwww, don't hate on the o-chem! I loved o-chem! (really hated gen chem). It's really not that bad and in some ways I think good prep for vet school. Not that you use o-chem in vet school, but it makes you figure out your learning style and how to memorize best. At least I can say that for me, I know everyone is different.

And you should be fine with the time off- they use pretty different concepts. It's like gen chem is a gross bagel and o-chem is a delightful croissant. Yeah, they're both baked goods but quite different.

 

[AUgirl365]

Wish I had thought of taking a year in between gen chem and o-chem. I think it will actually work really well for you, especially since you will be taking o-chem by itself over the summer and will have extra time to devote to it. And as everyone else has pointed out --> o-chem is an entirely different beast. I suggest taking your physics requirements in the interim. That way you will have all the major "scary" classes nice and evenly spaced out. I unfortunately took o-chem, biochem, and physics all at the same time 👎 - I really don't recommend that. Good luck with classes!

 

[Hopefully2013]

Wish I had thought of taking a year in between gen chem and o-chem. I think it will actually work really well for you, especially since you will be taking o-chem by itself over the summer and will have extra time to devote to it. And as everyone else has pointed out --> o-chem is an entirely different beast. I suggest taking your physics requirements in the interim. That way you will have all the major "scary" classes nice and evenly spaced out. I unfortunately took o-chem, biochem, and physics all at the same time 👎 - I really don't recommend that. Good luck with classes!

Funny you should say that, because that's exactly what I'm doing! I'm taking physics1 next semester (along with my lit class, microbiology, and genetics), and physics 2 in the spring.

 

[AUgirl365]

Ha ha, good move! Good luck and I hope all of your classes go well.

 

[oregonhopeful]

Wish I had thought of taking a year in between gen chem and o-chem. I think it will actually work really well for you, especially since you will be taking o-chem by itself over the summer and will have extra time to devote to it. And as everyone else has pointed out --> o-chem is an entirely different beast. I suggest taking your physics requirements in the interim. That way you will have all the major "scary" classes nice and evenly spaced out. I unfortunately took o-chem, biochem, and physics all at the same time 👎 - I really don't recommend that. Good luck with classes!

I did this only it was calculus, biochem and physics. I crashed and burned. Really bad idea if you're not used to this kind trauma all together.

But -somewhat related- at the same time, remember, like lailanni said that a big part of undergrad is learning how to study. Take advantage of it. Do hard things sometimes, not because of how it will make you look to an admissions committee but because it will help you in vet school. Take it from someone who took the easy road a lot in undergrad and has paid the price in vet school.

 

[twelvetigers]

Had a (non prevet) friend take genetics, biochem, orgo II, and the orgo lab last spring. He passed the orgo lab, and that's it. I was telling him that taking so many hard
classes at once was suicide, but boys can be so damned stubborn.

Ask someone who's taken the classes if they think it's doable to have them all at once.

 

[choroid88plexus]

Had a (non prevet) friend take genetics, biochem, orgo II, and the orgo lab last spring. He passed the orgo lab, and that's it. I was telling him that taking so many hard
classes at once was suicide, but boys can be so damned stubborn.

Ask someone who's taken the classes if they think it's doable to have them all at once.

Haha seems like a cakewalk compared to what I'm headed for in the fall.. neuroendocrinology + lab, physics II + lab, microbiology + lab, biochemistry, and a thesis. Tell me I'm not going to die. I feel like I might. This is what happens when you go abroad for junior year and don't get any requirements out of the way. Hopefully I fare a little better than your friend.