Do you need to know Gen chem for orgo?

<p>The university of maryland is really weird. Your suppose to take chem I first, then organic chem I, then organic chem II, than finally chem II-chemistry and energetics. The thing is, im transferring to the university of maryland with chem I credit (I got an A+) but since its from a community college, I don't think we learned as much as chem I at the university of maryland. So would basic knowledge of general chem I allow me to survive organic chemistry I?</p>

<p>Oh, and transferring to spring semester is really frustrating. I have to buy books and stuff and most classes that I need are filled up. Would med schools mind if I take courses pre-med and non pre med during the summer to make up for the classes I can't take this spring? BTW, The university of maryland college park is the worse school in the world, but it's either this or back to community college so I don't have much of a choice.</p>

<p>get the syllabus for the chem class at University of Maryland and compare it to the things you learned in your community college chem class. It is likely that if the units transfer, the university feels that you are ready for the next level (although it is odd that organic I is the next level).
Also, you can definitely take premed courses in the summer (there is some controversy on CC about this), just as long as you take them at the university of maryland.</p>

<p>Well, did you think you really needed to know general chem to take organic? People say their pretty different. Gen chem is more math, organic is more memorization. Do you use stuff learned in general chem for organic?</p>

<p>The only important GC concept I remember becoming relevant for OC was orbital hybridization. GC is important for the MCATs, however.</p>

<p>Don't gamble on this, or get your advice from CC. At U Md ask an instructor of the Organic Chemistry course, an advisor in the Chemistry department, or a premed advisor. You need someone who is familiar with the organic course at Maryland to look at the syllabus for the chem course you have taken and tell you whether it completely covered what you would have done had you taken the course at U Md.</p>

<p>As a premed you should NEVER take a required course for which you do not have the prerequisites. It is much better to take an extra course in preparation if you are unsure.</p>

<p>For example "all you need is orbital hybridization". Well, first of all, you REALLY need this. It is a huge part of the why the reactions occur the way they do. Second, whatever else you need depends on what else they cover in the course. You don't want to get halfway through the semester and discover that you are the only person who has not had the background for something that shows up on the problem sets or tests.</p>

<p>Also ask the premed advisor about taking courses over the summer. The usual advice is the premed required courses should be taken at your college, and during the regular term. Non required courses over the summer are fine. Some colleges say that taking required courses over the summer, at the same college, is ok, but check out what the premed advisors say.</p>

<p>Are advisors allowed to add yau into a class thats full? UMCP got my application and transcripts really late and so I get whatevers left, but it's impossible to take the required courses because most of them are full. So, unless they allow me into those classes I have no choice but summer school.</p>

<p>Again, the only people who know the right answers to these questions at your college are faculty and advisors at your college. That's what they are there for, let them earn their pay and ask them. </p>

<p>The general advice invokes the principle that medical schools want to see good grades in the required courses, taken while you are handling a full course load. The concern is that summer school, since it is one course at a time, is less demanding, and thus less of a test of your ability to manage multiple challenging courses. </p>

<p>But you really need to hear from advisors at your college.</p>

<p>Actually, most summer courses are condensed versions that pack in tons of material into a relatively short time, which can be quite difficult even if you're only taking a couple of courses. </p>

<p>There's nothing wrong with taking summer courses. It's great if you want to finish those requirements in the shortest amount of time.</p>

<p>Summer courses, at least at my school, have a reputation -- true or not -- for being graded on significantly easier curves. It is for reasons like these that phillySAS's advisors advise their students against summer courses.</p>

<p>*PhillySAS is another poster on these boards.</p>

<p>BDM has already iterated my objections to taking summer classes in terms of how it looks to admissions officers. It is also important to remember that all of the prereqs outside of math are subjects tested on the MCAT. If you cover the material in less time, in all liklihood you will retain less, and this will make studying for the MCAT more difficult.</p>

<p>My most strenuous objection to summer courses -- which I probably should have mentioned earlier -- is that they interfere with your ability to do more important things: research, clinical service, etc.</p>

<p>ok, heres the dilemma. Theres only one space left in calculus II and according to ratemyprofessors.com, it's the worst professor in the math department in the University of Maryland College Park (Gulick Frances). People say it's nearly impossible to get a good grade. So should I risk getting a C if im lucky, or should I take the class during the summer with better professors?</p>

<p>What's the problem with delaying it until next semester?</p>

<p>well i guess that could work, but it's already spring and I just want it out of the way ASAP so I can take courses like physics. And if I had the option, it would not be good to take it at a CC right?</p>

<p>u need to know orbital hybridization, molecular orbitals, VSEPR, Lewis structures, resonance, and acid-base chemistry from gen chem.</p>

<p>hmmm, im pretty sure they covered them in general chem I. Does anyone know whats on Gen chem II?</p>

<p>In Cal, (like ur school), we also have only one semester of gen chem, then two semsters of ochem, and then biochem. I like it that way.</p>