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Author Topic: Organic Chem Freshman Year  (Read 478 times)

rpatel1213

  • Newbie
Organic Chem Freshman Year
« on: February 01, 2012, 12:44 AM »
Hello Everyone,

I was just wondering if getting out of the first two Basic Chem classes with the use of AP credits and going straight to Orgo, or just taking the second chem and then orgo 1 spring semester would be doable in terms of work load and success in the class. Thanks for you input.

JHU_Dominique

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #1 on: February 01, 2012, 10:33 AM »
Hi there!

Advisors here don't recommend freshmen taking orgo but many do it and most are fine. It is a lot of work, and requires you to think differently. There are not really formulas to memorize; rather, it's a lot of knowing different types of mechanisms and being able to predict how molecules will act in the presence of certain chemical agents. That being said, I  know a lot of people (and current freshmen) who have done this and are fine.

Some students use their AP chem credits, but wait till their sophomore years to take orgo. This is advantageous in the sense that the vasttttttt majority of people in orgo are sophomores, so all of your friends would be in orgo with you, and I say this because of the opportunity for group study.

Additionally, you can't take orgo 1 in the spring because it's only offered in the fall. Orgo I in the fall and Orgo 2 in the spring.

Many. many students also take it in the summer after freshman year. But ultimately it comes down to you and your preference. You may try it first semester and be fine; you may try it and see that it's hard and want to wait to take orgo 2 in sophomore year. Whatever makes you the most comfortable.

Hope that helped! :)
JHU_Dominique
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JHU_KateT

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #2 on: February 01, 2012, 05:03 PM »
It's definitely a hard class. In fact, many academic advisers suggest that it is hard to take it their first semester of college and I'd definitely suggest that you contact your adviser. I had trouble at first with the class, but once I learned the study techniques I needed, I did well. I think it's an individual decision.

JHU_Kate T.
Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering
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JHU_Trisha

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #3 on: February 01, 2012, 05:56 PM »
I agree with Kate. It is a very personal choice to make! I am currently in it (as a sophomore) and it is a lot of work, especially with the other classes I am taking. There are pros and cons to it- getting it out of the way early, but if you are a premed, having a class like orgo with half covered grades is apparently not such a good thing, especially if you are getting into the rhythm of college. However, I know A LOT of premeds took it freshman year and loved it. I think if you want to, you should totally do it!

Good Luck!
JHU_Trisha
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JHU_Noah

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2012, 04:45 PM »
If I were you, I would just skip Gen. Chem. and do Orgo as a Sophomore. If it's really important to you, you might like to know that my Orgo class last semester was about a third freshmen, so it's definitely something that people do.
Noah Guiberson
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Class of 2014
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JHU_Allysa

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2012, 04:58 PM »
A large number of my friends took it over the summer too here at Hopkins. I personally think that's a good choice because you would only have to focus on that class and not have the distraction of other classes unlike during the school year. Additionally, so many people have raved about the professor who teaches during the summer (Dr. Klein); from what I've heard, he is a fantastic professor and teaches the material very well.
JHU_Allysa
2014
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JHU_Ian

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2012, 05:59 PM »
I'm a freshman and I took orgo this year. Honestly, it is fine. If you understand the fundamentals of chemistry and they are still relatively-fresh in your head when you get here, the class is not much more challenging than any other science class.

Yes, organic chemistry does require a lot of memorization and yes, there are some times when you will have to go to office hours to understand a concept better, but those are not necessarily bad things. My advice is to do it if you are motivated and feel ready enough.

If you are pre-med, like Trisha said, be careful when you take it because first semester grades are covered (best to consult with pre-professional advising when you get here) and medical schools want to see organic chem grades.


JHU_Ian

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rpatel1213

  • Newbie
Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2012, 12:11 AM »
Thank you guys for all your input, its really valuable. And also, about the covered grades, how does that work exactly, and I ready somewhere on JHU's website that you can get your grades "uncovered" if you want, how does that work? Thanks again for all the helpful advice.

JHU_Ian

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2012, 12:29 AM »
Basically, covered grades mean that for the first semester of freshman year all of you classes appear on your transcript on a pass/fail basis. The point of covered grades is to make it easier to adapt to college life without having you stressing over your GPA and grades first semester.

As far as I am aware, there is no clear-cut way to uncover your grades. If a medical school requests for your grades to be uncovered, however, they will be. The same goes for scholarship applications that require your first semester GPA.

Like I said before, I would consult pre-professional advising as soon as you get here to decide what to take when because they know exactly what they are talking about.
JHU_Ian

"More and more, it feels like I'm doing a really bad impersonation of myself " -C. Palahniuk

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JHU_Cate

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Re: Organic Chem Freshman Year
« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2012, 12:27 PM »
Uncovering your grades means at the end of the first semester you and your adviser see the letter grades you would have earned.  I believe Hopkins doesn't not reveal grades to internships, medical schools, or graduate schools as best as they can.  In my experience, that rule is pretty stringent.  With that being said, many advisers do not advise freshmen to take orgo and the lab under covered grades if they are premed since these are critical courses in the premed curriculum. 
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