Taking biochem before ochem2

[patobe123]

I see that organic isn't a major prereq for schools, but biochem is. 

 

For anyone who has taken two semesters of ochem and a semester of biochem:

Is it possible to only take biochem having only taken ONE (the first) semester of ochem?

 

I have to opportunity to skip ochem II but I'm not sure how much I'll need it in biochem.

 

Thanks!

[rcreek]

I see that organic isn't a major prereq for schools, but biochem is. 

 

For anyone who has taken two semesters of ochem and a semester of biochem:

Is it possible to only take biochem having only taken ONE (the first) semester of ochem?

 

I have to opportunity to skip ochem II but I'm not sure how much I'll need it in biochem.

 

Thanks!

 

It really depends on your professor and how the class is taught. All universities are different. In most cases I think that would be fine to skip O-Chem II, especially if you do very well in O-Chem I. Many BioChem classes are taught from more of a "biological" perspective - more of the Bio and less of the Chem... sort-of like an advanced cell-bio class. I do not know if this is how your professor will teach it or not. Now here's my story:

 

I took O-Chem I & II and Cell Bio before Biochem. My Biochem class was VERY O-Chem heavy, might as well have been called O-Chem III. Professor did his PhD in Biochem from an O-Chem perspective, so that's the way he taught it to us. For example, on the exams we were doing full page-long electron pushing mechanisms for many enzymatic reactions. I wish we could have just stuck to memorizing all the amino acid structures and their side chain properties, but that was just the very beginning. Michaelis-Menten kinetics... shudder.

 

In my case I would not have earned my A- had I not had a solid O-Chem foundation. Only top 20% of class could earn A's. It was a 3000 level class, yet half of the students were grad students (strange I know). Understanding the behavior of molecules and how they react (or equally as important - won't react) with one another was integral. Possible without O-Chem II? Sure, some people did it. But most of the ones who were able to excel had taken the full chemistry offering.

 

Your best bet would be to ask the professor you intend to take the course from, as well as others who have taken the class from that specific professor. I really think you would NOT be at a disadvantage without taking O-Chem II, provided you don't have some kind of crazy O-Chem loving professor like I did.

[bradtPA]

It can easily be done. The course I think would need to be a prerequisite even more so than o-chem would be cell bio....

[UGoLong]

I took a full year of biochem with labs before ochem, but I don't think it was all that helpful. The first quarter was, in that it taught structure and nomenclature. 

[rcreek]

I took a full year of biochem with labs before ochem, but I don't think it was all that helpful. The first quarter was, in that it taught structure and nomenclature. 

 

You must mean a full year of O-Chem with labs before Biochem.

[mashlee]

I took just the one semester of O chem that was a requires prereq to Biochem and I did very well In Biochem. I would ask other prePA students at your school what they have done or are planning to do and ask the teachers of Biochem if they think you can succeed without the second half of O chem. My advice would be just take Ochem 1 and skip O chem 2, O chem and biochem are actually very different and the Ochem just prepares you by teaching chemical bond structures.

[MedicinePower]

Only the first semester of organic chemistry is needed to fully understand the interaction of organic molecules with one another. This helps with know why one molecule interacts with another, but in the end biochem is a complicated story that you simply have to spend a lot of time memorizing. Knowing that the lone pair on a nitrogen is acting as the electrophile is useful but not entirely necessary. Organic II focuses on novel reagents and synthesis, and does not further one's fundamental knowledge of organic chemistry.

[Juliemarie]

You can absolutely take biochem without much (or any ochem).. They will review ochem at the start or the book with have a few review chapters.  And if you've taken micro and physio that will help too.  i was terrified of biochem and I am taking it online with U of Wisconsin and I have an A and I haven't taken General Chem for 20 years.  So it is doable!

[rcreek]

You can absolutely take biochem without much (or any ochem).. They will review ochem at the start or the book with have a few review chapters.  And if you've taken micro and physio that will help too.  i was terrified of biochem and I am taking it online with U of Wisconsin and I have an A and I haven't taken General Chem for 20 years.  So it is doable!

 

Perfect example of how much Biochem varies from school to school. Mine was very o-chem intensive and it was absolutely expected of us that we had a solid chemistry background. We had no catch-up period, or "here are the basics" before we start. It quickly progressed into complex chemistry. Keep in mind though that this was taught through the chemistry department of a research level 1 institution, by a professor who loved O-Chem and was very rigid on having it as a pre-requisite, with half of the class being graduate students - But this was still the BioChem required of pre-meds, pre-PA's, etc!

 

Investigate how it is taught at your intended place of study. Don't risk going in totally blind as to what to expect is all I am saying.

[UGoLong]

rcreek,

 

Right. I took a full year of ochem.