UCBerkeley Chem series question, skipped ochem II Lab

[GIbleed]

Hi SDN,

I've already graduated and am trying to figure out what classes I need to take at a community college to satisfy the gen/ochem prerequisites. At UC Berkeley I took chem 1A, chem 3A, chem3AL, chem 3B, and mcb100A.

I've read that these classes in addition to chem 3BL will meet the chemistry requirements at most medical schools. Chem 3BL was a two unit semester long ochem II lab which I didn't take since I wasn't premed at the time.

The career center says to list
Inorganic Chem: chem 1A, chem3A, chem3AL
Organic Chem: chem3B, chem3BL, mcb100A

The strange thing is that the chem3 series is actually organic chemistry and that mcb100A (biochem) did not have a lab section associated with it. So would it be fine to take another ochem class at a CC? I'm worried that medical schools will be confused with my chem coursework. Should I take additional chemistry classes to be safe? Also, if my CC is on a quarter system would I need to take two quarters of ochem classes to make up for one semester of missed (2unit) ochem lab?


Thanks for reading my long post.

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[Whyhello]

I thought I might be able to help, but that's a tough one. I think I would call up the Career Center (but I can't vouch for how helpful they are because I didn't use their services).

The easiest way to deal with this is to take Chem 3BL at Cal (either through the main campus or through extension). Is there an obstacle that's keeping you from taking this route? I'm guessing this option is probably way more expensive?

Or is there a CC nearby that's on a semester system?

I would also suggest using http://www.assist.org. It's a website that might be able to help you see what CC courses are "equivalent" to Chem 3BL. The website is intended for students who are planning to transfer from a CC to a UC (or vice versa), so I'd take what it says with a grain of salt and confirm what the website says with a pre-med counselor or staff at the specific medical schools you're planning to apply to.

Hope that helped!

 

[common man]

i know 4 year colleges have high tuition but many med schools recommend taking the pre-reqs at 4 year institituions instead of cc to remain competitive. if just one or two courses maybe but beyond that i'd reconsider.

berkeley is an excellent school, i'm sure they have a well regarded pre-prof advising office - they are the best people to ask about your situation which is somewhat specific to berkeley.

 

[babydragon]

Hi SDN,

I've already graduated and am trying to figure out what classes I need to take at a community college to satisfy the gen/ochem prerequisites. At UC Berkeley I took chem 1A, chem 3A, chem3AL, chem 3B, and mcb100A.

This is perfectly fine. When you list them on AMCAS they will be:
CHEM 1A General Chemistry (Inorganic)
CHEM 3A/L Chem Struc & Reactivity (Inorganic) Frechet FTW
CHEM 3B/L Chem Struc & Reactivity (Organic) Vollhardt POS
Upper Div MCB (in your case MCB100A) (Organic)

Just know that almost all known med schools have seen plenty of Berkeley
applicants and know that we have our own categorization for organic/inorganic.

 

[GIbleed]

The easiest way to deal with this is to take Chem 3BL at Cal (either through the main campus or through extension). Is there an obstacle that's keeping you from taking this route? I'm guessing this option is probably way more expensive?

Yes, unfortunately I've moved to southern California. I guess I should give UC Berkeley and/or some medical schools a call. Thanks for the advice.

 

[Whyhello]

Ah, I see.

When you make you make your calls, I'd also ask about biochem. Quite a few medical schools now have biochem as a required prereq (check the MSAR for the particular schools). I don't know if they'll allow one course (MCB100A) to count as both organic chemistry and biochem, so I'd make sure about that too.

Good luck with the application process!

 

[tabascosauce]

https://career.berkeley.edu/Medical/PrepPrereq.stm

particularly:

Chemistry (2 years)
Most students at Cal take Chem 1A, 3A/3AL, 3B/3BL and MCB 102 or MCB 100A/Chem C130 and classify 1A / 3A/3AL as General Chemistry and 3B / 3BL /MCB 102 or MCB 100A/Chem C130 as Organic Chemistry.

good luck brobocop. enjoy the la burrita and top dog all you can!