Official Harvard Extension 2012 Thread

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johnnyscans said:
I took biochem this past summer having not yet taken Orgo. I did fine. The class is difficult, but if you have a firm grasp on gen chem and bio you should be a-ok. Professor Viel is a great teacher and makes the subject as enjoyable as it can be.
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^Or this. I would strongly advise against taking Orgo over the summer.
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MedWonk said:
^Or this. I would strongly advise against taking Orgo over the summer.
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This x 1000. 8 credit summer courses are supposedly brutal. The summer Biochem and Molecular Biology classes I took were perfectly paced for the summer.
 
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Solutions are posted on the course website for the physics exam.
 
I did not even know the Extension school had its own forum, cool. Is anyone else applying this cycle? If so, hows it going?
 
It just got real in ochem. Time to strap up that jockstrap cause it's bout to get ugly. :xf:
 
smiley27 said:
It just got real in ochem. Time to strap up that jockstrap cause it's bout to get ugly. :xf:
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I found both Thurs' lecture and the last problem set fairly straightforward. Maybe I need to check out the most recent practice problems for said ugliness.
 
smiley27 said:
It just got real in ochem. Time to strap up that jockstrap cause it's bout to get ugly. :xf:
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Ughhh orgo. Does anyone else find this GFP system more confusing than helpful? Why are half the questions answered with "it's a long story" or "I have no idea what you're talking about"? How is there a midterm in a little over a week? Is this real life?
 
oldcrumb said:
Ughhh orgo. Does anyone else find this GFP system more confusing than helpful? Why are half the questions answered with "it's a long story" or "I have no idea what you're talking about"? How is there a midterm in a little over a week? Is this real life?
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iz9a2a.jpg
 
oldcrumb said:
Ughhh orgo. Does anyone else find this GFP system more confusing than helpful? Why are half the questions answered with "it's a long story" or "I have no idea what you're talking about"? How is there a midterm in a little over a week? Is this real life?
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Holy moly, we have a midterm next thursday and I have no idea why I don't understand the antiperiplanar practice problems. Oh wait, maybe it's because we got out of lecture 40 minutes early :mad:
 
Hi everyone, this is my first post on SDN and I just had a quick question:

I'm a math major and my cumulative gpa is kind of low (3.6) because of the rigor of the courses. have a deep interest in pursuing a medical degree and would like to apply to the Harvard pre-med postbac program and wanted to see others' opinions on the likelihood of gaining admissions. Do you think I stand a chance at getting into Harvard's extension program? Please let me know, it'd be greatly appreciated.
 
FightOrFlight10 said:
Hi everyone, this is my first post on SDN and I just had a quick question:

I'm a math major and my cumulative gpa is kind of low (3.6) because of the rigor of the courses. have a deep interest in pursuing a medical degree and would like to apply to the Harvard pre-med postbac program and wanted to see others' opinions on the likelihood of gaining admissions. Do you think I stand a chance at getting into Harvard's extension program? Please let me know, it'd be greatly appreciated.
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3.6 in math? Yeah, that is kind of low... usually post-bacs only let in people with 4.0 gpas at an absolute minimum. It's actually harder to get into than med school, sort of a weeding-out process. And if you get less than an A in any of the classes, they make a giant poster out of your face and put it in front of the Science Center for all the other post bacs to throw tomatoes at on their way to class.

I only had a 3.4 in anthropology, but they let me in thanks to an impressive dance video I sent in along with my application. Little extras like that might help you out if you're borderline.
 
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oldcrumb said:
3.6 in math? Yeah, that is kind of low... usually post-bacs only let in people with 4.0 gpas at an absolute minimum. It's actually harder to get into than med school, sort of a weeding-out process. And if you get less than an A in any of the classes, they make a giant poster out of your face and put it in front of the Science Center for all the other post bacs to throw tomatoes at on their way to class.

I only had a 3.4 in anthropology, but they let me in thanks to an impressive dance video I sent in along with my application. Little extras like that might help you out if you're borderline.
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And that's not even getting into what happens if you mess up the synthesis of (Mg, Fe)7Si8O22(OH)2.

In all seriousness, a 3.6 won't be what holds you back. If you can articulate why you want to be a physician in your application essay, and you don't have any red flags (multiple failed classes/withdrawals/felonies), then it'll be smooth sailing. Just don't snort the procaine you've made in lab.
 
johnnyscans said:
MCAT registration done. April 27th, 2013 here I come.
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How long did it take you to get into the system?

I sat with Chrome open on one computer and Firefox on another for a good two hours. Then I said F this, opened it up in Opera, and I was in in less than five minutes.

Anyway, January 26th for me. Good luck.
 
MedWonk said:
How long did it take you to get into the system?

I sat with Chrome open on one computer and Firefox on another for a good two hours. Then I said F this, opened it up in Opera, and I was in in less than five minutes.

Anyway, January 26th for me. Good luck.
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I tried earlier and said F it. Had it open 45 minutes and nothing happened.

Logged in at like 1045 and waited 5 minutes
 
oldcrumb said:
Agreed! And if one more person at work tells me "Everyone hates organic chemistry, but I just found it faaaaaaascinating" or "orgo was hard, I almost didn't get an A+" I am going to shank them with my pipette!
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I put a pasteur pipette straight into my finger once. . . no bueno.
 
Everyone hates organic chemistry, but I find it faaaaascinating!
 
a6f6c21ee09f11e1a2fe22000a1e8a58_6.jpg


If I miss any carbocation rearrangements or intramolecular rxns in the box problems WHEN we get them I'm dropping out of premed. I missed enough of them already and any more would render me incompetent.
 
smiley27 said:
a6f6c21ee09f11e1a2fe22000a1e8a58_6.jpg


If I miss any carbocation rearrangements or intramolecular rxns in the box problems WHEN we get them I'm dropping out of premed. I missed enough of them already and any more would render me incompetent.
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Remember, IF POSSIBLE, intramolecular rearrangements happen before intermolecular. I know it's hard to remember at test time, but after each arrow push look to see if any logical rearrangement can be done.

The big two:
-relief of ring strain in a 4 membered ring
-linear compound forming a ring via a S/O/N lone pair.
 
smiley27 said:
How was the test?
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I thought it went better than the first exam, but still very challenging. Page 10 tripped me up, I spent a good 30 minutes on it. It finally came to me when I woke up this morning, checked the website for solutions, and sure thing... They want us to use the kind of critical thinking that just doesn't come to me when I have to rush through 12 pages of problems in two hours.
The rest of it was pretty fair, I suppose.
 
Sciengee said:
I thought it went better than the first exam, but still very challenging. Page 10 tripped me up, I spent a good 30 minutes on it. It finally came to me when I woke up this morning, checked the website for solutions, and sure thing... They want us to use the kind of critical thinking that just doesn't come to me when I have to rush through 12 pages of problems in two hours.
The rest of it was pretty fair, I suppose.
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This may be the first time I don't check the answers...

edit: I checked the answers. I botched one of the chair conformation/FMO questions (I, like an idiot, completely overlooked the methyl staring me right in the face). I also have a slightly different mechanism for the OTF question, but it seems completely valid in my book. Hopefully my ingenuity is rewarded.
 
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I walked out of the exam feeling better than the first. For me personally, I thought it was easier than the first. Hopefully they're generous with partial credit.
 
Sciengee said:
I thought it went better than the first exam, but still very challenging. Page 10 tripped me up, I spent a good 30 minutes on it. It finally came to me when I woke up this morning, checked the website for solutions, and sure thing... They want us to use the kind of critical thinking that just doesn't come to me when I have to rush through 12 pages of problems in two hours.
The rest of it was pretty fair, I suppose.
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Deja vu. Didn't you say had a post-mortem epiphany on the last test as well?
 
smiley27 said:
Deja vu. Didn't you say had a post-mortem epiphany on the last test as well?
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I did. That's what drives me crazy about these exams. I know that I am prepared enough to be able to answer every single question correctly, and yet for whatever reason I have trouble doing it at the time when it matters most - during the actual exam. I don't know if I am to blame, or if it's the test, but I have yet to figure out how to study for this class.
 
Sciengee said:
I did. That's what drives me crazy about these exams. I know that I am prepared enough to be able to answer every single question correctly, and yet for whatever reason I have trouble doing it at the time when it matters most - during the actual exam. I don't know if I am to blame, or if it's the test, but I have yet to figure out how to study for this class.
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I truly think it's the tests. You could have given me any practice problem, HW problem or practice exam problem and I would have rocked it.
 
I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again. Organic Chemistry as a Second Language is a great book that is keeping me afloat in ochem. I would be dying in class if it wasn't for this book. It's only about 40 bones and the chapters are short and it's really well written. People actually study for the mcat using this book. I only missed 5 pts on the first exam and I'm pretty sure I did work on the midterm.
Of course I approach the exams the same way as a gen chem/physics exam- bang out as many problems as possible but try to give this book a chance. It covers the material we went over really well, concisely.

I'm gonna be ordering the second semester book pretty soon.
 
smiley27 said:
I've mentioned it before and I'll mention it again. Organic Chemistry as a Second Language is a great book that is keeping me afloat in ochem. I would be dying in class if it wasn't for this book. It's only about 40 bones and the chapters are short and it's really well written. People actually study for the mcat using this book. I only missed 5 pts on the first exam and I'm pretty sure I did work on the midterm.
Of course I approach the exams the same way as a gen chem/physics exam- bang out as many problems as possible but try to give this book a chance. It covers the material we went over really well, concisely.

I'm gonna be ordering the second semester book pretty soon.
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I used the book as well. I can vouch for it's effectiveness. It's a lifesaver.
 
Is Anderson teaching Bio spring semester?

His name is listed as the professor.
 
Several dumb questions about my very half-baked plan:

1) Is it 100% guaranteed academic suicide to take 3 classes at once? I'm not working, and I volunteer 5 hours or so a week (nothing serious)

2) How about if I don't have the prereqs for the classes? But am willing to work like a maniac at doing well?

3) I'm doing well in gen chem and physics right now but maybe that's because it's only 2 classes...

I'm considering taking the second half of general bio, anatomy and physiology II, and microbiology.

I realize this probably sounds like it's beyond a reeeeeally bad, horrible, terrible idea but I'm at the maximum amount of loans I can get and am feeling backed into a corner.

Thanks in advance
 
BlueFoxAZ said:
Several dumb questions about my very half-baked plan:

1) Is it 100% guaranteed academic suicide to take 3 classes at once? I'm not working, and I volunteer 5 hours or so a week (nothing serious)

2) How about if I don't have the prereqs for the classes? But am willing to work like a maniac at doing well?

3) I'm doing well in gen chem and physics right now but maybe that's because it's only 2 classes...

I'm considering taking the second half of general bio, anatomy and physiology II, and microbiology.

I realize this probably sounds like it's beyond a reeeeeally bad, horrible, terrible idea but I'm at the maximum amount of loans I can get and am feeling backed into a corner.

Thanks in advance
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What about second semester of gen chem and physics?
 
Oh I forgot to mention that I recently decided to switch from the medical school plan to a nursing school plan, my current plan is to go to nurse midwifery school (an accelerated BSN to CNM program) and they (weirdly) don't require chem or physics so I figured why keep taking them.
 
Orgo was a blood bath. I didn't think they'd be that harsh with partial credit.

Hope everyone had better luck than I did.
 
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johnnyscans said:
Orgo was a blood bath. I didn't think they'd be that harsh with partial credit.

Hope everyone had better luck than I did.
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Nope, bombed it. Terrible partial credit too - I got 0/18 on a question where I made one mistake. Panic time!
 
BlueFoxAZ said:
Oh I forgot to mention that I recently decided to switch from the medical school plan to a nursing school plan, my current plan is to go to nurse midwifery school (an accelerated BSN to CNM program) and they (weirdly) don't require chem or physics so I figured why keep taking them.
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Just speculating, but I think taking the three classes you mentioned would be very challenging. I would email the course instructors individually and get their opinions. Biochemistry has bio as a prereq but I wanted to take it this semester along with bio so I emailed the prof. and he/she said that people have done it before but you're obviously at a disadvantage.
Do you have to take microbio for your program?
 
johnnyscans said:
Orgo was a blood bath. I didn't think they'd be that harsh with partial credit.
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I felt just the opposite actually.. Did much better than I could've ever hoped for. This class is so unpredictable it's scary!
 
PlumbLine said:
Whoaaaaa this scares me! Can you elaborate? That's harsh.
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I received 0/18 on page 9, 5/18 on page 10. Even if i had gotten half credit on these pages i would be in a much better place.

What kills me is I cannot imagine doing any more to prepare. I do all the practice problems,i read other sources for practice and questions, i attend all lectures, reviews and sections and i do every single practice problem. I have put so much time into this course and i feel like it's still not enough.

I've never been a bad test taker and this class is just working me. I'm wondering though: am i overreacting and is everyone having trouble, or am i truly in trouble.
 
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