dndandrea Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 The majority of the schools surrounding me do not require organic chemistry II as a prereq for PA school. Would it be beneficial for me to take this or would it just be considered another science elective? I'm taking organic chemistry I right now and I got an A on the first test but i definitely don't feel comfortable in this class like I did in general chemistry. Is it worth taking the risk to take this as an elective? I'm basically all done with my pre-reqs and now i just need 4 300-400 level electives. edit: also what about biochemistry following that? Should i consider taking that? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 No don't take it unless you have or want to. Biochemistry IMHO looks and is better and is (from my experience) an easier class to get an A in. It will help a little bit in PA school whereas O Chem II isn't helpful for medicine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dndandrea Posted October 12, 2013 Author Share Posted October 12, 2013 No don't take it unless you have or want to. Biochemistry IMHO looks and is better and is (from my experience) an easier class to get an A in. It will help a little bit in PA school whereas O Chem II isn't helpful for medicine. Thanks for the reply. My university requires organic chemistry II as a prerequisite to biochemistry though. Would it still be a good idea to take both? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnConner Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 Depends on the schools you're applying to. Many schools require biochemistry, which in your case, would also require that you take OChem II. I went as far as Ochem I and biochemistry to widen my net when applying to PA schools, which in my opinion paid off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted October 12, 2013 Share Posted October 12, 2013 First thing I would do is talk to your advisor and see if you can get into biochem without O Chem II, even though that is the standard requirement. Most schools will let you do so, sometimes you have to go to the biochem professor and get his signature, but anyway, it is usually pretty straight forward. Now, as far as is it worth it - depends on the schools. Maybe 15% of schools require it but my experience when I applied a couple years ago was that most do not. If you get an A in it, I believe it will make you look more competitive, even if it's not required. Now, let's say you cannot take it without taking ochem 2. In this case, if you get an A in ochem 1, and know the reputation of the ochem 2 prof is not horrible (ie very hard to get an A), then you can go for it. But if it's a risk, then maybe consider not taking either, UNLESS a program you really want to apply to requires biochem 1. As stated, I felt, when I applied, most did NOT. I however took ochem 1-2 and biochem 1-2 because I was a bio major, but in hindsight, I don't feel any of those classes gave me that big of an advantage as a current 2nd yr PA student. I do think overall that having A's and B's in those classes make you more competitive as they are known to be tough courses and show that you can handle classes of that caliber. My experience was that ochem 2 was a little easier than ochem 1 and biochem 1 was easier than any of those classes. I enjoyed biochem 1 and I hated both ochem. I think I got a B in ochem 1 and an A or A- in the other courses. Hope this helps, feel free to ask anything else. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted October 12, 2013 Administrator Share Posted October 12, 2013 I'd recommend considering it. Haven't taken it myself, and I didn't need biochem either, but more than just sGPA, many AdComs are looking at how many and what science classes you've taken. Getting an A in an "intro to astronomy" class may boost your GPA more, if that's your objective, but if you want to show that you can do the hard work, the OChem II will certainly do that for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dndandrea Posted October 13, 2013 Author Share Posted October 13, 2013 Thanks for all the advice. I'll wait until until my second test comes up to decide whether or not I feel comfortable taking organic chemistry II. My advisor strongly suggested I do not take it since many of the local schools do not require it, but I feel like it'd help me a lot if I do good in it. Unfortunately it's not a very easy class... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted October 13, 2013 Share Posted October 13, 2013 I agree with some of the other comments about this. Take biochem if you can. Pathophysiology was probably the most important elective I took. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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