@Undecided3494 @caballero Glad to see input from year ahead students and parents. From Orgo Chem point of view, can anything be done during freshman summer year before starting sophomore with orgo, so atleast you have some basic foundation for orgo for jump start, or literally its a non-starter.
@PPofEngrDr My 2 cents, you can check out the syllabus for current Organic Chemistry class at NU, buy the course material now and study during the summer, You can check out Khan Academy material on internet and buy MCAT prep books ( includes Organic Chemistry material )
@grtd2010 thanks, immediate concern is keeping head above water to maintain GPA so course material is a nice way to start.
@PPofEngrDr I think it is definitely a good idea to get a head start, but in my opinion it is pretty hard to get a handle on Organic Chemistry 1 concepts without having a professor that you can go to for help. That just might be me because although I am decent at chemistry it is definitely harder for me than Biology, Physics, or Math.
@PPofEngrDr , I am not sure, But according to my DD, she studied pretty hard to get an A. she has GPA requirement to maintain.
@PPofEngrDr , Forgot to mention, she tried to start in the summer before school started, however, never succeeded, as Undecided3494 said.
Here are the tips she follows for OrgChem:
- Focus on understanding, not memorization
- Do lots of practice problems
- Donât fall behind- good study habits, study little by little each day. Do not wait until a few days before the exam.
My son refuses to have a head start for any course 
I told him to start on Orgo in summer but he didnât. He is more like listen in the class and absorb type.
Agree with @caballero 's wise advice above. It is not memorization anymore as it used to be. Also depends on the curriculum at each school and the Prof. It can be prohibitively difficult or manageable. So best bet would be to talk to those who have finished it in your school and have done well and get tips and suggestions. Also approach the TA or any study help groups in the university as much as needed.
D had a relatively smooth time cracking Orgo I this past semester and acing it (she was too arrogant to approach anyone for advice though including the TAs ). Donât think it was due to any special effort she had to put in but rather her general strength in science as a whole where she has a 3.95 science gpa in a tough grading school.
@caballero, B+ = 3.3 in majority of schools.
Usually B+ 3.3, A- = 3.7, and A = 4.0 at most colleges. Organic chemistry I is hard but can be conquered with good study habits. DD had Honors Organic Chemistry I which is graded at a higher curve than regular class. She scored just above mean at first mid term but then she put extra efforts to get an A. Organic Chemistry II is much easier as per DD. DD has a minimum sCGA, cGPA and a minimum letter grade requirements.
@rk2017 DD knew a few students from SB high school.
My bad, wasnât referring to her high school or gpa there above, but rather the current school/program.
High school was tougher on her ~X(
She is nowhere close to putting that kind of effort now and breezing through.
Orgo 2 is definitely way easier than Orgo 1. I also feel like Union being a trimester school made it a bit tougher for me because 10 weeks terms definitely force professors to cram a lot of material into a short period of time.
@rk2017 3.95 @ BU is a great achievement! Are you sure she didnât settled for less by going BSMD path? 
Thanks! No, she is just fine going this route since she loved exploring liberal arts. Besides, if she went through the traditional route with all the stress and tonnes of ecs she has to be involved in, who knows what the outcome may have been? She knows few students in her program, her batch, seniors and juniors, who chose the program in preference to elite schools traditional route, including her high school valedictorian this year (2018)
@rk2017 There is not much of a difference in 7-yr or 8-yr programs in terms of stress. In 7-yr program your credits in MS-1 are counted towards your UG degree as electives or general credits. One has to take MCAT earlier than in case you go for 8-yr program. 4-yr UG has its own advantages like exploring minors, double majors etc.
Yes, but for some one like D with almost a dozen AP/college level courses finished in high school itself, going through 8 year route, whether traditional or direct, may not be appealing.
@grtd2010,- As @rk2017 said issue comes down to ECs not course work for most kids who were able to get into top BS/MD programs. One issue I noticed is some kids loose focus in first year and take a GPA hit and then have to work extra hard to bring up the GPA and wonât have enough time to spend time on ECs and wonât have much to show.
These are the kids (or parents) who complain saying that they didnât get good MD admissions despite good GPA and great MCAT.
As per AP/IB credits I hear there is big difference between AP credits and college courses. My S is only taking math credits since he did IB HL maths but not any science credits.
Quite true. I know good students at high school who took a hit in gpa in the 1st year in the state college for whatever reasons. The state college is no doubt rigorous and one of the well known ones, but these kids were smart high achievers in high school. They got selected for almost free tuition awards at the said school (~90% of the tuition). They still got involved in ecs though in undergrad and now finishing up masters to make themselves more appealing while applying to med schools.
It is much harder to predict the outcome in the regular route. Even Adcom of one college can not predict the outcome in another college. It is much stronger competitive pool since many students with gap years have done interesting and solid ECs. And the application process is so complex, will interfere with your regular studies during interviews, travel, costly. Complex drawn out process and it takes 12+ months to know for some students if they got admission or not. It is common to apply for 25-40 schools since it is so hard to know.
Better to go with BS/MD for top programs like Rice/Baylor, UPitt, NU, CWRU, Rochester, BU, WashU?. It is worth the sweat than the regular process even if high GPA req. The only downside it is expensive if no aid in UG and if parents/students can not afford.
But for other BS/MD programs, think twice. Agree these smart kids are capable to get admission if they continue the intensity and work harder. And not get into distraction in new stage in life during the transition from home to independence. It is better to go as long as it is flexible and non-binding. Then you get a huge advantage to try out but still there is no stress and also students can do whatever courses or activities they want to do during UG. But not many programs are non-binding and also even if they are they are not going to state explicitly in any written form (web site or email ack).
But it is not a bad choice even if mid or lower tier BS/MD, as long as the student is absolutely clear medicine is their path. But it is hard to expect that student will know that for sure at that age (even if they have shadowed or volunteered) .