Organic Chemistry and Botany

[Bill Purves]

Earlier today, John Silvius asked:

>QUESTION:  Is anyone aware of the current status of the one-year of
>Organic Chemistry as a requirement for graduate studies, particularly
>Medical Schools (the majority of our BIO majors)?   Specifically, what
>would our undergraduate applicants to grad/med schools loose if they
>were to have 1 semester of organic chem. taught with biology in mind
>(versus industrial chemical applications) followed by a semester (or
>more?) of biochemistry?

I bucked this one over to my buddy/colleague/coauthor David Sadava,
who is a very knowledgeable premed advisor.  He replied:

>Bill:
>
>Med schools and grad schools tend to be pretty strict about a year of
>organic. But if an undergraduate school has one semester and then biochem
>and calls the sequence organic and biochem they would be ok, in my
>opinion. One problem is the MCAT: be careful as to what topics are covered
>in one semester of organic...
>
>DSadava

(bill)

 William K. Purves
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