How Important is Organic Chemistry to Medical Schools?

Often I am asked how much a medical school admissions officer will emphasize a student’s grades in organic chemistry when assessing a candidate for admission. While this class is very important to admissions, it may not be so for the most obvious reasons.

In 2006, almost 40,000 students applied to medical school, of which less than 45% were accepted. The average applying student had a GPA of almost 3.5 and MCAT score of 27.6, while the average matriculating student had a GPA of 3.64 and an MCAT score of 30.4. Thus, it is obviously a very competitive endeavor. Now we need to examine how to give yourself an edge in that endeavor.

First, it must be acknowledged that the grade itself that one receives in organic chemistry will be duly noted be the admissions official and that an “A” will impress the most. In addition, the student’s organic chemistry laboratory grade will also weigh in the admissions process. These grades are not just a part of your GPA, but are also a larger part of the “science GPA”, which is also closely scrutinized by med schools. Read the rest of this entry »

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Organic Chemistry Made Easy Using Online and Multimedia Resources

Organic Chemistry help is available online with many academics and institutions offering interactive learning tutorial featuring quizzes with feedback, simulations, and other exercises to help with difficult topics in organic chemistry such as stereo chemistry, biochemistry, acids and bases, chemical bonding, and hybridization. These resources can be ideal for AP high school and university learning.

Effective chemistry homework help and study material should be structured in ways that make it easy for both students and teachers to use. Both these groups can follow some of the following recommendations.

Organic Chemistry Teachers:

Use the power of interactive multimedia to motivate your students and provide them with a clearer understanding of Organic Chemistry ideas that are more difficult to explain. The Internet offers a wealth of tools that can be of help if you are able to spend some time to sort through the available material. Read the rest of this entry »

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How to Study Organic Chemistry to Get an A-Plus

Organic Chemistry is the most interesting and easy to learn subject of all the sciences. However a lot of students find it daunting. The fear of Organic chemistry pervades from a lack of understanding of the subject which itself stems from a incorrect approach to learning the subject.

There are two basic steps in learning organic chemistry – Reasoning and Practice. In my experience of twenty years teaching chemistry, I have come across a lot of students and they have done very well for themselves by just following the above steps. Some of the basic considerations that go into learning chemistry are as follows:

Organic Chemistry is Not Tough: Organic chemistry is not tough at all. It is one of the most systematic sciences. This subject needs more practice and if you are comfortable in writing and identification of compounds from different structural notations, I am sure that it will provide you with a good start. Remember that 40 percent of organic chemistry is done if you are good at identification of structural formulae or writing the structures. Read the rest of this entry »

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