<p>My D is a freshman pre-med at Wash U. For a variety of reasons, she is seriously considering taking Organic Chemistry AT Wash U this summer. She has a few questions relating to this subject:</p>
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<li><p>What are the pros/cons of taking Organic Chemistry at Wash U this summer?</p></li>
<li><p>Does taking Orgo during the summer have any impact on MCAT score? Some discussion on CC suggests that it does effect scores because it moves so quickly.</p></li>
<li><p>Are the usual resources available during the summer as there are during the school year? PLTL/Cornerstone/Prof and/or TA reviews?</p></li>
<li><p>How do Medical School Admissions committees view the decision to take Orgo during the summer at a student's own university (not at a community college) rather than during the school year? Is there any truth to the suggestions on CC that Med Schools frown upon taking it during the summer? Any correlation between admissions rates and whether or not the student took pre-med requirements during the summer at their own university? </p></li>
<li><p>In addition, if she would like to speak to someone on campus who would have some of these answers, to whom should she speak? She does not yet have a Pre-Health Advisor.</p></li>
<li><p>Finally, she is doing some research in a lab at Wash U Med School this semester. Is it wise for her to continue with the research this summer while taking Organic Chemistry? What about next year? </p></li>
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<p>I know there are a lot of questions but she has been unable to get clarity on how she should proceed and I thought that perhaps there was someone out there who could help! Thank you for your input and thoughtful responses. I am quite sure that they will really help her (and future pre-meds) make this decision.</p>
<p>Pretty sure there isn’t PLTL over the summer… there should be TA’s for the course, but the typical resources aren’t available.</p>
<p>Some people claim medical schools don’t like summer classes because a) many people that do summer orgo do them atcommunity colleges and b) summer is less stressful than year round with 4 other classes. a is not true in your case, and I really doubt b would make a difference, if it’s true.</p>
<p>The cons are you have to pay, and the material is at a much faster pace. Pros are she won’t have to worry about it during the year.</p>
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<li><p>From what I’ve heard from friends, Organic Chemistry at Wash. U. during the summer is much more relaxed and has easier grading vs. the course during the school. Looking at course listings, it looks like Dr. Iha will be teaching again and she is awesome. Another pro is that you won’t have to worry about your other pre-med classes while taking organic I/II (arguably among the toughest courses at Wash. U.) It also means you won’t have to worry about it during the year. Cons: The cost (Taking both would cost nearly $8000).</p></li>
<li><p>MCAT has recently been de-emphasizing organic chemistry and now usually only accounts for 2 out of the 7 passages on average for the biological sciences section. I can’t speak for the summer Organic Chemistry course, but after taking Organic Chemistry during the academic year at Wash. U., the organic chemistry part of the MCAT was never a problem. </p></li>
<li><p>There is no PLTL for Organic Chemistry during the academic year nor for the summer. I believe the instructor would hold some reviews though, but resources will definitely not match what is offered during the school year, though the decrease in difficulty for the summer course will make up for that many times over.</p></li>
<li><p>I doubt it would be frowned upon. Especially if she takes it at Wash. U. and the grade will be on her Wash. U. transcript. I would say with confidence that it wouldn’t matter at all if she is planning on doing a science major. Wouldn’t hurt to ask a pre-health advisor though. See the link for a list of advisors. [Advising</a> | Prehealth | Washington University in St. Louis](<a href=“http://prehealth.wustl.edu/advising/Pages/default.aspx]Advising”>http://prehealth.wustl.edu/advising/Pages/default.aspx)</p></li>
<li><p>See above. You don’t need to be assigned a pre-health advisor to speak to one. I would suggest Dean Romney or Kiefer.</p></li>
<li><p>I strongly advise her to NOT take the class while doing research. I have tried doing that and it did not turn out well. Full-time research requires at least 8 hours a day (some days many more). If you plan on taking organic chemistry at the same time, you will need to go to class, lab, and find time to study for exams (2 hours M-F, 4 hours Tuesday Thursday, not to mention preparation). Doesn’t leave that much time for sleep. Just don’t do it.</p></li>
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<p>It’s a tough decision. If she is in a good lab for the summer or has funding, I would suggest her to do the research. If she has had trouble in her freshman year with pre-med classes, I would suggest to take organic during the summer as it would lift a HUGE burden off of the sophomore year. </p>
<p>I would be happy to answer any more questions you may have. Hope that helped.</p>
<p>In case any of you are considering taking Organic Chemistry at Wash U over the summer, I wanted to revive this thread just to update you on the decision made by my daughter. She did, in fact, elect to take both semesters of Organic Chemistry this past summer at Wash U and she never looked back. She was able to focus 100% of her energy and focus on Orgo without any other academic distractions. Because it moved quickly, semester finals were, in some ways, easier to study for because she had recently learned the material and it was still somewhat fresh in her mind. The summer professor last year was awesome and available: she often held study reviews prior to quizzes and exams AND she held office hours after class almost every day to review and answer questions. There were a number of Wash U rising sophomores who took the class and they all bonded, studied together, and were even able to have some fun on the weekends! To this day, she feels like it was the best decision she could have possibly made for herself. She was especially happy with her decision first semester Sophomore year when she could focus on her other science classes (second semester of Biology) without having to worry about Orgo as well. Overall, a great option for those students considering taking it over the summer.</p>
<p>Hey so my dad teaches organic in the chemistry dept. at WashU and he does not recommend taking the class over the summer. He says your teachers aren’t as good and it makes it really clear that you’re just trying to get it over with for the premed requirement. It’s also really expensive…</p>
<p>My daughter is planning to take Orgo during summer in WASHU. Can someone give the typical grade distribution for this course in the Summer? She is trying to decide between WASHU and a state College.</p>