I will be graduating with my associates from my community college after summer 2016. I was hoping to take organic chem 1 over the summer as a class that would count towards my associates, as I am currently taking the ochem professor for gen chem 1 and really like the way he teaches. However, I have heard that taking med school pre reqs over the summer isn't a good idea. Has anyone had any experiences with taking classes like ochem in the summer putting them at a disadvantage for medical school admissions??
Taking Ochem in the summer?
- Thread starter emmabean
- Start date
- Joined
- Mar 22, 2012
- Messages
- 7,691
- Reaction score
- 13,035
I think it would be more of an issue (with certain schools - check MSAR) that you're taking organic chemistry at a community college than it would that you're taking it over the summer.
FWIW I took organic chemistry 2 over the summer at my home undergrad institution and no one batted an eye.
FWIW I took organic chemistry 2 over the summer at my home undergrad institution and no one batted an eye.
- Joined
- Jul 15, 2015
- Messages
- 2,446
- Reaction score
- 1,215
It's a good idea if you can do well. Like the post above, it's an issue taking OCHEM at a CC.
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2013
- Messages
- 163
- Reaction score
- 116
I took orgo and micro over the summer. It never came up. I actually found the shorter Summer term more intense.
- Joined
- Jun 29, 2015
- Messages
- 2,301
- Reaction score
- 3,114
I took the entire orgo sequence with lab over the summer at my local state school, as I was primarily a finance major with a passing interest in med school during UG. Hasn't been a problem at all (I didn't even get A's either lol).
- Joined
- Jul 20, 2015
- Messages
- 23
- Reaction score
- 2
Hmm.. With an associates, do you plan to continue your program at the current school, or do you plan to transfer? The only concern I have is that with these sequential courses, it usually helps when you have the same professors for both sequences. For example, Orgo 1 taught in your current school may cover up to Chapter 10, while orgo 1 taught in the school you're planning to transfer to covers up to chapter 12. Now, when you transfer to another school completing only chapter 10 of orgs 1, you may have a hard time catching up when you're taking orgo 2 in the new school. I'm not so much concerned with the rigor of orgo 1 over the summer because while it is difficult, it is doable -- more so than orgo 2.
I hope it's not an issue taking summer classes because I've been taking one every year. For what it's worth it's really not any easier, necessarily. The speed is almost twice as fast, plus the fact that it's summer makes it a bit harder to buckle down and focus as hard as during the normal year. On top of that my summer semester began about 5 days after my normal one so I didn't feel like I even got a break before the pace picked right back up again.
No, I plan on transferring to a large University. Good point though. Maybe ill just wait then, and take a different summer class to earn my associates.
- Joined
- Feb 3, 2014
- Messages
- 956
- Reaction score
- 2,238
Taking prereqs is never a problem over the summer as long as many (most) of the prereqs are completed at a university. There has always been a stigma against community college science classes compared to university classes on med school applications. I know, it sucks, but it is how it works.
---Esp. sucks considering my hardest class ever was a class at my local community college.
---Esp. sucks considering my hardest class ever was a class at my local community college.
