<p>Hey all, </p>
<p>I was wondering if you guys had any input on honors orgo versus regular orgo. From what I've heard, honors orgo for fall semester is relatively 'easy' or rather manageable. It is also curved higher than the regular orgo. What would you guys do??</p>
<p>I also know that spring semester honors orgo is killer...so what do you think of doing honors orgo fall, and regular in the spring....</p>
<p>sakky, norcalguy, etcetera?</p>
<p>Thanks</p>
<p>I don't have first hand experience with honors orgo as I took the regular one but the boyfriend of one of my friends took it. It's a small class (only around 30 people I think compared with the 500+ in normal orgo) and the mean on the test is relatively high but keep in mind, the 30 people in honors orgo are going to be amazingly good at orgo. Heck, both of his parents are organic chem professors. Obviously, you'll want to talk to someone who actually took honors orgo for a more concrete view of the class.</p>
<p>Damn man, are you insane? Regular orgo is the class that's solely responsible for 99% of the whining about how hard cornell is on behalf of it's students. Honors orgo? Are you looking for a reserve one-way ticket to the bottom of Fall Creek Gorge?</p>
<p>Is honors orgo still graded on a curve. . . .even though its such a small class?</p>
<p>I could see where honors orgo might be helpfull, especially if you like a smaller learning environment.</p>
<p>Plus, I'm sure it would help out if your premed for the MCAT.</p>
<p>If it is still on a curve, however, I would be reluctant to take it.</p>
<p>Regular orgo is MORE than enough for the MCAT.</p>
<p>yeah norcalguy is right. I would not recommend honors orgo unless you have already some experience in orgo.</p>
<p>A quick looky at the median grade reports revealed:</p>
<p>Chem 357 enrollment of 677 median grade: B
Chem 359 (honors) enrollment of 51 median grade: B</p>
<p>Chem 358 enrollment of 561 median grade: B
Chem 360 (honors) enrollment of 37 median grade: B</p>
<p>Honors orgo doesn't appear to be curved better. Keep in mind only around 200 kids end up applying to med school from any given class meaning that 400+ from your orgo class end up either getting weeded out or deciding to do something else. While it sounds bad, those people make the curves in orgo bearable. Heck, it appears that more than 100 people dropped out of the loop between first and second semester orgo alone.</p>
<p>Honors orgo is great if:
a) you want to be an organic chemist
b) you are suicidal </p>
<p>(and the two are not mutually exclusive)</p>
<p>I took 359/360 and I really liked it...the class was small and most of the students were chem majors (I was biology). The two professors were Gannem (sp?) and I can't remember the other guy, jeff something, he was a polymer chemist. I really like Gannem, he was a ball buster and would sometimes schedule extra lectures in the evening. The main difference, as far as I could tell from talking to friends in 357/358 is that 359/360 is more oriented towards the chemist, while 357/358 is more oriented towards the pre-med/biologist. No doubt, it was hard as hell, but there was much more of a cooperative, as opposed to competitive atmosphere in 359/360 and forming study groups was pretty easy...If your interested in actually learning the chemistry (as opposed to getting a grade for med school) I'd say go for it...if you bomb 359, you can take 358 the next sememster...also, I think you need an A in freshman chem to take 359/360...two more quick things...I don't really think it's an honors course, I think it's just the traditional orgo course for chem majors. Also, when I took it, the mean was a B+...hope that helps.</p>
<p>cheers,
cugrad</p>
<p>Oh, I should add that aside from being a ball buster and scheduling extra lectures, gannem was extremely engaging and probably one of the top two or three professors I had at Cornell...after writing the above post and thinking about it, I'd say 359 in particular was one of my favorite courses at Cornell...really amazing stuff, I actually felt smarter after going to class--and if an orgo professor can make you love going to class (even extra classes) then he has to be good!</p>
<p>Cheers,
CUgrad</p>
<p>not to change the subject too much, but any comments on honors general chem v. reg. chem?</p>
<p>Take 207/208 if you are premed. Take 215/216 if you are a chem major and have the requisite AP credit.</p>