So, first of all, I hate chemistry, and wouldn't take it just for fun, by any means.
However, I do consider med school as a potential destination, so keeping that in mind, I felt that I should take orgo because some schools require it as a pre-requisite, and the science coop/ed office told me that there was a section on the MCAT devoted strictly to orgo.

I didn't do so well in Chem over the school year, mostly because I left it on the back-burner trying to focus on other subjects that I enjoyed more. I decided to take orgo in summer school so that I could focus on it alone. However, when I went to go speak to my academic advisor, she pretty much tried to scare me out of taking it.

"People who do badly in 1AA3 don't do well in Orgo."
"I've seen people who do well in 1AA3 fail orgo, and I've seen people who do extremely well in 2EO3 fail orgo."

It basically sounds to me like I'll just be scraping by either way, whether I take it in summer school or not. But I feel that since everyone seems to be taking it, that's what I should do. Can someone enlighten me on what I should do in this situation?

Take it in the summer ! It's so much better than taking it during the school year. Orgo isn't hard. You just have to practice and do organic chemistry every every day ! There is no way that you can do good while slacking the whole time and just decide to learn the course in few days.

Good luck

I think you should go for it. You can do anything when you put your mind to it, and if you have the prerequisite(s) for it you may as well try.

Honestly what's wrong with these academic advisers trying to scare students... they should be encouraging us to set challenges for ourselves.

Originally Posted by ooburii

"People who do badly in 1AA3 don't do well in Orgo."
"I've seen people who do well in 1AA3 fail orgo, and I've seen people who do extremely well in 2EO3 fail orgo."

I really disagree. I did much better in both organic chems over the summer than I did in 1AA3. I found organic chem to be much more interesting than first year chem too.

Yea I agree, I think with orgo, the key is definitely to practice a lot! & if you take it in the summer you'd have a lot more time to focus on the course than during the school year. Personally, I found the content to be easier than 1AA3.. Also, if Teri Gullon is teaching, definitely go for it! She's an excellent instructor and really helpful to students after class and during office hours .

Teri Gullon <3 BEST INSTRUCTOR I EVER HAD !

If she is teaching in the summer and you ended up doing it in the summer, I ENVY you

Thank you everyone for the support and advice! I was really nervous about taking it but I've decided that I'll put my mind into it and work hard, and whatever happens, happens.

U CAN DO IT !!! Everybody can ! you just have to believe that YOU can. (and practice , ALOT)

Originally Posted by L'Étoile

U CAN DO IT !!! Everybody can ! you just have to believe that YOU can. (and practice , ALOT)

ahah, thank you. i'll try my best.

Yes, I've heard that Chem 1AA3 is actually harder than orgo...but I don't know. I'll probably have to take orgo next year and it's not something I'm looking forward too...LOL.

Originally Posted by ooburii

"People who do badly in 1AA3 don't do well in Orgo."

Complete and utter bs. I've love to show that academic adviser my transcript. 5 in Chem 1AA3, 11 in Orgo, what up.

Planning on doing this next summer to replace my crappy 2E03 mark. Neither course are really hard as long as you actually study... (I did terribly)

I think the reason why people do so bad in orgo is they don't realize how much time is needed to do well. It's not hard, just time-consuming, and therefore, you cannot cram. In bio you might need let's say 10 hours to go over lecture notes and another 2-3 hours to memorize. In orgo you cannot do this, and you especially cannot do this in a few days. You need the 10 hours to review the notes, then you need another 10 hours to practice, and probably another 3 hours to take up the things you are confused about with a TA. The time commitment is over double. But once you get it, you get it.

Originally Posted by ramses

I think the reason why people do so bad in orgo is they don't realize how much time is needed to do well. It's not hard, just time-consuming, and therefore, you cannot cram. In bio you might need let's say 10 hours to go over lecture notes and another 2-3 hours to memorize. In orgo you cannot do this, and you especially cannot do this in a few days. You need the 10 hours to review the notes, then you need another 10 hours to practice, and probably another 3 hours to take up the things you are confused about with a TA. The time commitment is over double. But once you get it, you get it.

Yep I agree, this is why I did soo bad in orgo 20a3, just did not dedicate enough time to working on it . I started to understand near the end of exams but it was too late.

Yeah, you really can't compare 1AA3 with orgo... I didn't do half as well in 1AA3 as I did in 2OA3/2OB3. You need to put in a fair amount of time understanding the basics at first though. Most of the reactions are based on a few fundamental ideas. I'd say the only real pain was going and memorizing all the different reagents and conditions towards the end of 2OB3 :( Overall, orgo was probably my fave course this year. Capretta was great Same with Teri.. if she's teaching it in the summer, def take it!