What Chemistry sequence should I take?

[kayate]

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I got a 5 on AP Chemistry, but that was my Junior year, so I've forgotten alot of it by now (Rising College Freshman)

Should I skip Chemistry and do
Gen Chem 2: General Chemistry and Energetics
Organic Chem 1
Organic Chem 2
BioChemistry

Or Should I take
Gen Chem 1
Gen Chem 2
Organic Chem 1
Organic Chem 2

The only reason I would want to take General Chemistry 1 is so that I'm not behind in future Chem courses and so I do well on the MCAT!

 

[Conflagration]

Take General Chemistry 1. Some medical schools do not accept AP classes as successfully satisfying their pre-requisites, and it would behoove you to take it so that you are not entering college at a disadvantage and so that you don't wind up lowering your GPA due to a subpar General Chemistry 2 grade.

 

[Political]

I got a 5 on AP Chemistry, but that was my Junior year, so I've forgotten alot of it by now (Rising College Freshman)

Should I skip Chemistry and do
Gen Chem 2: General Chemistry and Energetics
Organic Chem 1
Organic Chem 2
BioChemistry

Or Should I take
Gen Chem 1
Gen Chem 2
Organic Chem 1
Organic Chem 2

The only reason I would want to take General Chemistry 1 is so that I'm not behind in future Chem courses and so I do well on the MCAT!

Lot of schools dont take AP credit for prereqs; stick with option 2 to have the best chance at everywhere

 

[kayate]

Well if I do option 1, wouldn't BioChem count as a chemistry course, which gives me 4 semesters?

 

[TheMightySmiter]

Well if I do option 1, wouldn't BioChem count as a chemistry course, which gives me 4 semesters?

No, I do not believe biochem can replace a semester of general chemistry. It may replace Organic II at some schools, but not gen chem. Some schools even require biochem in addition to a full year of gen chem and a full year of organic. In order to fulfill the prerequisite of two gen chem semesters at schools that don't accept AP credits, you would probably need to take a semester of upper-division inorganic chemistry.

I'd just suck it up and take the full sequence of gen chem at the college level. It will probably better prepare you for the MCAT anyway.

 

[235788]

Why dont you take set #2, but also take biochem....

 

[Conflagration]

Well if I do option 1, wouldn't BioChem count as a chemistry course, which gives me 4 semesters?

It counts as part of your sGPA, but it's not a General Chemistry. I just recently read a post of a person who was stickled by UCLA because he skipped General Chemistry 1. Also, if you aren't confident in your knowledge, it will likely come to haunt you later, either in a class or on the MCAT.

 

[plumazul]

It counts as part of your sGPA, but it's not a General Chemistry. I just recently read a post of a person who was stickled by UCLA because he skipped General Chemistry 1. Also, if you aren't confident in your knowledge, it will likely come to haunt you later, either in a class or on the MCAT.

Is this the post you recently read?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=12643952&postcount=5

It appears that even for UCLA (the most anal university in the country on AP classes) option 1 is ok.

 

[Conflagration]

Is this the post you recently read?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showpost.php?p=12643952&postcount=5

Yeah, that was the one.

 

[plumazul]

Well if I do option 1, wouldn't BioChem count as a chemistry course, which gives me 4 semesters?

Yes, and don't worry too much about when you took AP Chem. I took it in grade 10 and took orgo I and II freshman year ( 2 A+s). As long as you scored a 5 on the exam, you learned the material.

 

[kayate]

Thanks for the replies guys, I was just confused, because I'm going to UMCP for undergrad, and this is what they said on their website.

http://www.prehealth.umd.edu/premedicine/apscores

"Students who receive an AP score of 5 should plan to take CHEM 231 and 32 (Organic Chem and Lab), CHEM 241 and 42 (Organic Chem 2 and Lab), CHEM 272 (General Chemistry 2 Lab Only) and an additional course in chemistry. Most students will opt for that additional chemistry course to be biochemistry, BCHM 461 or 463. It is NOT necessary for students to start with CHEM 131 and 32 (General Chemistry 1)."

Apparently I can just take Gen Chem 2 (Lab Only), Orgo 1 and 2 (with lab) and BioChem?

 

[kpcrew]

i wouldn't skip gen chem. it gives you a chance to fortify your knowledge or at least review material you know while giving you an easy A. take it and run.

 

[911 Turbo]

i wouldn't skip gen chem. it gives you a chance to fortify your knowledge or at least review material you know while giving you an easy A. take it and run.

👍

 

[plumazul]

i wouldn't skip gen chem. it gives you a chance to fortify your knowledge or at least review material you know while giving you an easy A. take it and run.

By your logic it would be even better to take genchem 3 times, ... or 4, ...
Once is enough.

 

[PreMedOrDead]

By your logic it would be even better to take genchem 3 times, ... or 4, ...
Once is enough.

You don't get a GPA boost from having a 5 on an AP exam, in fact you get no GPA credits.

I got a 5 on my AP Chem exam and retook both Gen Chem I and II, and you'd be surprised how much I didn't know before I took Gen Chem I/II in college, but still got the 5.

There's nothing wrong with taking the easy A's in Gen Chem I/II once to make sure you fortify your knowledge and can therefore walk into Orgo feeling confident. You still benefit from the credits on your transcript and can register earlier (in my school) from AP credits.

Just to get your confidence abused by its undying love of torturing premedical students.


Or you can go the ballsy route:
1SI - Orgo I
1SII - Orgo II
1SII -Quant I
2SI - Biochem I
2SI - PChem I
2SII - Biochem II

Chemistry major in two years, how about them apples?

 

[TheMightySmiter]

By your logic it would be even better to take genchem 3 times, ... or 4, ...
Once is enough.

Once is enough...as long as it's at the college level. I took AP chem in high school, learned jack squat, and still somehow managed a 4 on the exam. Whatever I was supposed to learn in high school helped me nada in college gen chem. n=1, yes, but in most cases, college gen chem is meant to prepare you for the next level: organic chem. High school AP chemistry is meant to prepare you for the high school AP chemistry exam. Of course it's possible to go into organic fresh out of high school with a 5 on the AP test, but I think for most people you'll have a much better chance at success if you retake gen chem in college. At best, it'll be two easy A's and will boost your sGPA. At worst, you'll realize that you learned nothing in AP chem and would have been lost in organic and on the MCAT if you hadn't taken gen chem at the college level.

 

[Praefectus]

If you wanted to exempt out of gen chem, you'd have to take an upper level chem class to avoid any question with the AP-hating schools. I'd avoid that route depending on pre-reqs because you'd probably have to take a math class like differential equations as well.

 

[kayate]

Thank you for all your replies guys! I've decided to take General Chemistry 1 for my first semester.

However, my school has 2 options as I'm also doing Engineering.
I can take General Chemistry 1 or General Chemistry 1 for Engineers.
Is it acceptable to take either one?

Also, the General Chemistry for Engineers has an amazing teacher and people say that you will learn Chemistry if you take her, but she's very tough and you need to put in the effort to get an A. Should I take her? Or will I end up forgetting everything by Junior year MCAT?

Thanks!

 

[kpcrew]

depends
if you're interested in chemistry, go for the engineers class.
if you just want to learn the basics and be ready for the mcat, take the regular class

i took honors chemistry and i think it was worth it but i chose a chemistry major.