First off, I wanna start by asking how hard it is to take chem 2OB3 if you have a break between it and 2OA3. As in I just finished 2OA3 (with a surprisingly decent mark) and I'm wondering if it would be best to take 2OB3 next semester rather than in the summer as I had originally planned. I heard you tend to forget a lot of the assumed 2OA3 knowledge if you wait to take 2OB3. Opinions?

So anyways right now my semester setup is bio 2A03, bio 2B03, physics 1B03, psych 1XX3 and lifesci 2H03. In my opinion this doesn't seem too bad. But now I'm thinking I might switch either lifesci or psych (haven't decided which) for chem 2OB3, just so I can get it over with, which looks like its gonna bring my semester up a few notches in difficulty/amount of work. Any opinions/advice on this would be appreciated.

it wouldnt be that hard. as you probably noticed in first term, orgo is chill until the exam. you relax 3 months and just gotta go hard for the exam so orgo wont be time consuming throughout the term. all your other courses just require you to study hard before midterms which shouldnt be much trouble if you start on time. labs might get annoying in bio 2a03, but thats about the only thing i wouldnt want to do with your courses.

I have to say other wise to the response above me regarding the difficulty of the second part of orgo. I can't speak for the rest of your courses but I took both orgos last summer. The 2nd part of orgo is a direct continuation of the first part and they will teach it at a pace where they assume you know everything from the first one (no review session and such). It mainly involves using the concepts from 2OA3 and applying it to multiple reactions (2OB3). Most of 2OB3 revolves around different reactions and multiple mechanisms (a ton of more arrow pushing, and literally, 50+ more reactions to learn, probably 100+ but the mechanisms are closely related). When I was taking it during the summer, I found that I needed much more practice than I did in 2OA3. You might not need as much practice as most and you might be good in orgo, but I can say that it is definitely heavier in workload than the first one. The labs are about the same in workload as the ones in 2OA3.

I would suggest doing the 2nd part of orgo in second semester. That way, the material you've learned from 2OA3 will still be fresh in your mind. Despite this, most people only take 2OA3 as it's usually the only one required for med schools and such (I may be wrong).

i also recommend taking 2OB3 in 2nd term and you should keep life sci 2H03 it's a VERY easy course and guaranteed 10+

Originally Posted by winter02

I have to say other wise to the response above me regarding the difficulty of the second part of orgo. I can't speak for the rest of your courses but I took both orgos last summer. The 2nd part of orgo is a direct continuation of the first part and they will teach it at a pace where they assume you know everything from the first one (no review session and such). It mainly involves using the concepts from 2OA3 and applying it to multiple reactions (2OB3). Most of 2OB3 revolves around different reactions and multiple mechanisms (a ton of more arrow pushing, and literally, 50+ more reactions to learn, probably 100+ but the mechanisms are closely related). When I was taking it during the summer, I found that I needed much more practice than I did in 2OA3. You might not need as much practice as most and you might be good in orgo, but I can say that it is definitely heavier in workload than the first one. The labs are about the same in workload as the ones in 2OA3.

I would suggest doing the 2nd part of orgo in second semester. That way, the material you've learned from 2OA3 will still be fresh in your mind. Despite this, most people only take 2OA3 as it's usually the only one required for med schools and such (I may be wrong).

I found the exact opposite.

I thought 2OA3 was much harder because none of the mechanisms are really related, and it just felt like a random list of reactions to memorize, but for 2OB3 it's literally just the same thing over and over because it's all carbonyl chemistry. I didn't really find you needed to remember much from 2OA3 for 2OB3, it was more the general ability to map out electron flow that was needed.

2OB3 is a much easier Orgo! I would say that you should take it in regular school.

Thank a lot guys. Now I'm getting a little worried about the difficulty and amount of work I'm gonna have with my new semester consisting of bio 2A03, bio 2B03, chem 2OB3, physics 1B03, and lifesci 2H03. Especially since physics and me do not click (aka I dropped 1B03 after the second midterm last year). Any insight on what's ahead of me would be appreciated.

Originally Posted by GrapeSalad

Thank a lot guys. Now I'm getting a little worried about the difficulty and amount of work I'm gonna have with my new semester consisting of bio 2A03, bio 2B03, chem 2OB3, physics 1B03, and lifesci 2H03. Especially since physics and me do not click (aka I dropped 1B03 after the second midterm last year). Any insight on what's ahead of me would be appreciated.

Yikes, that is a lot of work.

Bio 2A03 has very demanding lab reports. I wouldn't call them "difficult", but they are quite long and require journal research. The first one is the toughest because you have to learn the required formatting. which is also tedious to prepare. My TA took off one mark for every formatting mistake (except on the first lab).

Physics 1B03 and Chem 2OB3 are similar in workload that the courses require practice. It isn't enough to just attend lectures, read the text and complete assignments. Your grades in these courses will be proportional to the amount of practice you put in.

For the physics, there is a help centre in the basement of Thode very day and some other tutoring programs. Your professor will gladly provide you with a list of tutors on request. BIG TIP: Don't leave CAPA (online assignments of varying difficulty) to the last minute. Start on it upon release. Otherwise, receiving assistance will be very difficult as the help centre is jammed the day & day before it is due.

Bio 2B03 is a memorization course. Reading the relevant textbook material PRIOR to lectures is essential. While Dr. Dej is a great prof (fair, approachable, etc.), her lectures primarily consist of her just talking with slides on the screen. The amount of material in each lecture is formidable (she takes very little review time, 48-50 minutes of new material/class). If you fail to read the textbook beforehand, you can easily and most likely will get lost very quickly in each lecture. There is also an essay that requires research, which like any research project can prove daunting at times, but the construction of the essay is easy and unless you put zero effort in, it should boost your mark.

I cannot speak for Life Sci 2H03.

That seems like a really tough workload, but manageable if you work hard. I'll quickly comment on all the courses:

Physiology -> You'll have to learn to work fast on the labs. I'd recommend asking a lot of questions about formatting on the first lab so you know how it's supposed to be done. I know I always left the lab till the night before, had to pull off all-nighters and go into the lab without any sleep (it's not fun). The content for the course isn't too bad since it's interesting and basic (you won't go into too much detail into any section).

Cell Bio -> so much memorizing. Don't fall behind. I ended up not having enough time to memorize all the pathways for the exam (didn't go so well).

Physics -> pay attention in lectures (you'll be able to do CAPA easily without having to learn the material again, and score clicker marks too). You've done most of the course once so you will probably perform better this time, knowing your mistakes from the last.

Life Sci 2H03 -> I also took this course in second year (I had a very similar courseload as you) and it was pretty easy. Go to lectures, take good notes, memorize before midterm, done.

Organic 2OB3 -> I'm actually taking it this semester (took the first orgo a couple years ago). Kinda scared now from all the comments in this thread, should have spent the break going over 2OA3 but been too lazy. This is gonna be interesting...

i know that the prereq for BIO 2A03 is PHYS 1B03, but what if you pass bio but fail physics? do you end up getting the credit for bio then or not since you technically don't have the prereq's completed

Originally Posted by kl9988

i know that the prereq for BIO 2A03 is PHYS 1B03, but what if you pass bio but fail physics? do you end up getting the credit for bio then or not since you technically don't have the prereq's completed

If it's a prereq then it should be completed prior to Bio 2A03, so you shouldn't have this problem. If you don't drop the course second term after knowing you failed physics fist term, you should speak to an advisor.
If you can do them concurrently (corequisites) then I don't think it's a problem.