Taking Orgo and Physics together?? HELP!!!

[agg130]

I have decieded to go "Pre Med", I already completed BIO I and II, before I made the decision to go to Medical school. How realistic is the following course of action.
Chem I and II this summer, OrgoI and Physics I in the fall in plus two liberal arts classes, Orgo II and Physic's II plus two liberal arts classes in the Spring, and also take the April MCAT. Will this be too much?
Also, how many credit's do people usually have when applying to medical school?
If anyone can help me out, thanks alot!!!
AGG

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[gower]

Unless you are an incredibly able and focussed student, taking Chem I, II, with labs in summer sessions poses a great risk of earning weak grades. You need As in both.
If you do poorly you are already getting yourself into deep doo-doo. Even if you later repeat with As, those summer grades don't evaporate: they are on your transcript forever and both the original grades and the repeats are calculated into your GPA when you apply, even if your college doesn't.

You should also take the chem courses at your home college. This is advisory, not mandatory.

Unless you are past 40, don't rush. You get no extra credit for being a speed demon. Just some advice from seeing too many students who drove themselves over a cliff. I have posted a warning sign: DANGER, proceed at your own risk!

 

[gower]

I see I failed to answer your two questions in my zeal to advise slowing down.

Yes, take physics and organic chem together, Medical schools look not only at your GPA, bur how it was earned. If you tiptoe around and take each course one at a time, unless there is evidence of heavy commitments elsewhere, you are advertising your own lack of confidence in your ability.

My previous warning against taking chem I and II in the summer was about the lack of time to absorb and study the material, and because they are your first experience with college chem major courses.

Most students accepted to medical school have earned their BA/BS by the time they enter, if they enter at all.

 

[goingback]

Thanks for posting this topic. I am kind of in the same boat. I am returning in the Fall and have been contemplating on taking a course or two this summer to get my feet wet again (I am returning after 11 years). I took Bio I my first semester 12 years ago so I will probably need to repeat that. Should I try and take that this summer or I also thought about taking Anatomy/Physiology. What would you guys recommend?

Now back to helping you with your question:
I have heard from others not to take Physics with another really tough subject. I think it would be pretty tough, but that is just my opinion. I have a family I have to juggle as well so I am looking at it in that frame of mind. I hope I can work my Physics in with a biology course I will need because Bio. is my strong point and Math is my weakness. But if you are better at those courses as opposed to the bio. ones then I say go for it, but go into it knowing you are going to have to be very devoted to make the A's . But like gower said you are going to have to handle many difficult subjects all at one time in med. school if you get in. Good luck to you!

 

[fishtolive]

My soph year I took OrgoII, PhysicsII, and Cell and Molecular biology along with one other course. While it was tough, it was not terrible, but I would definitely not recommend it for the semester you take the MCAT (9 hours of lab time every week). This semester I am studying for the MCATs and have two B.S. gen ed courses, two sciences (Biochem and Advanced Molec bio) and a small independent study in Organic Chem. Moral of the story, if it's your sophomore year, go nuts, knock out some prereqs (if you can keep the GPA up) and take it easy spring semeseter of MCAT. My courses were chosen to supplement my MCAT studies and even my independent study helps (I'm doing a lot of IR, NMR, etc.) So again, I cannot really tell what year you are in but it can be done (I actually had a 4.0 during my aforementioned tough semester) if you work hard, lose some sleep, and become a hermit for a while.
sdm

 

[Mossjoh]

I would advice against not rushing things. Get better grades and take things slowly. You not only need to take the classes, but also understand the material.
I have a hard schedule now including Organic Chemistry II, Physics II, and Human Physiology. I am also studying for the MCAT. It hasn't been difficult, but I'm motivated to do it. I suppose if you can handle the work, great, however I found General Chemistry to be difficult because of the mass amounts of information presented and the equations necessary. I wouldn't advise taking it as a "summer crash course."

 

[Meli]

I am a post-bacc student and I recently met with my advisor about some of these topics. He said taking Orgo and Physics together is very tough. However, in my case, I can't avoid it. Besides, as has often been said, med school will be harder than any of the pre-med stuff is now. Another obvious but very true statement is that one should not worry about getting through quickly, but getting through well. I could be done in 2 yrs. but will probably take 21/2 to 3 years. Remember in addition to coursework you will need to get experience and will need time to keep your life sane. Besides, it does no good to whiz by with Bs and Cs if you could be getting As.
One more thing--if you take a summer course, take Chem vs. Anatomy. Anatomy is not needed to get into med school. It can't hurt, but your time will be better spent taking add'l courses like cell bio or genetics to get ready for the MCAT.

 

[Hallie]

I may be weird - but I took my two organic courses over the summer and thought it was easier to do the classes that way than during the regular school year. I was able to focus on orgo (like you would be able to do with your gen chem) and I did not have to balance other classes with my labs. I would, however, advise caution on studying for the MCAT while taking two of your prereqs. The MCAT requires a fair amount of studying time, and you would have to learn some material before it's covered in your classes. Have you thought about slowing down your schedule and taking the MCAT in August? If you are nervous about applying late in the season, you could wait a year to apply and work for a year after graduation. The time off after school might give you some perspective on your future career, as well as give you a bit of a break!

 

[Mango]

I'm going to have to disagree with gower, and agree with Hallie. I too took Orgo I and II WITH labs in one summer and did great. It was actually only 8 weeks total! Yes, it was hard, but I agree that it would have been MUCH harder to take it during the school year with 3 other classes. I found that focusing on that one course helped me to stay motivated. Plus, the courses move at such a hectic pace, that you are forced to keep up, or fail. This is a good taste test of what med school is like (trust me)!

One last thing in response to the "You must get A's, or else" comment that was made. I again, disagree. That kind of pressure won't do you any good. Do your best, that's all anybody should ever ask of you. Hey, straight A's will make your life a lot easier, but if you get B's, or even an occasional C, it will not spell disaster. Take it from somebody who has been through it (i.e. me). I landed several acceptances with less than stellar grades, and against the advice of many premed advisors who told me "You sure could have used a few more A's on that transcript...." Take home point: Stressing over grades to that extreme is not good for your personal well-being! Put yourself first, try your best, and ignore those people who make the pursuit of med school their defining personality trait.

All right, I'll climb down from my soapbox now, and get back to the endless pursuit of memorizing hormones....

Mango, MS-1