Taking Organic Chem I w/o Lab?

[Ballew21]

I'm thinking about taking Organic I lecture without the lab for the Fall Semester, taking Organic I lab w/ Organic II lecture during hte Spring Semester and taking Organic II lab in the summer. My thinking is that I'll be able to understand the concepts in the lab better because I would have already learned them from the lecture. I was wondering if anyone had done that before and how well they performed in the class.

Thanks,
Nick

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[Steinway]

I'm a little confused by this...At my school, our lab was directly related to what we were learning that week in class...So wouldn't it be a lot fresher in your head if you took the lab when it corresponds to the lecture? Taking orgo I lab second semester wouldn't have helped much if at all...and do you really want to be doing orgo II lab in the summer? Just my thoughts...

 

[KyGrlDr2B]

A lot of people at my boyfriend's school do it that way, including him. He made A's in everything. He is now TA'ing organic lab 1 this summer and he can pick out the ones who are just now enrolled in organic 1. Example: They were using IR to figure out a compound in the first week and this is something you learn usually toward end of org 1 or in org 2. At my college, they did away with organic 1 lab completely because they felt the students had no idea what was going on (i mean, the first few weeks you are on naming and in lab you are working with stuff that you can't even draw yet!). Instead, we took a lab with organic 2 (or after) that was worth more credit hours.

So to answer your question: go for it! It shouldn't hurt you in any way and will *probably* help.

 

[Spiderman [RNA Ladder 2003]]

In my school they did not have anyone to teach orgo with lab for one so we had only lectures without labs for one semeter. In the second semester, we had regular Orgo II lectures but we had two labs a week. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" />

 

[Ballew21]

bump

 

[CD]

I think it's going to depend upon the system of labs set up by the school. WE had three terms of labs!!! First term was basically technique (distillation, recrystallization etc). Second term was IR, GC etc. and third term was a special project each of us chose (each of us had a different project of interest to US). I chose to skip second term and only take first and third terms. I don't think lectures really helped with the lab at all. Since lecture is theory and lab was technique the two seemed to stand independently.

 

[CD]

Just realized I didn't answer the rest of your question. Even after skipping the middle term of lab I received an A on my term project. (in fact, I had the top grade in the class)