Full Year or Summer?

Students frequently ask me if they should take organic chemistry over the summer instead of during the regular school year.

For anyone who plans to apply to a program that heavily weighs their organic chemistry performance (i.e.: medical school, dentistry, optometry, pharmacy, veterinary), the full year course (two semesters) is probably the superior option and is more likely to better serve the bigger-picture needs of the student.

I completely understand the appeal of taking organic chemistry over the summer: the student gets the course over relatively quickly (6 to 12 weeks instead of two semesters) and they can take organic chemistry all by itself, which means focus isn’t divided across multiple subjects.

But students should be aware of some things they may not have considered:

The pace of the summer course is highly accelerated. Students are being presented the material 3 to 4 times faster than the pace of the full-year course. Even the 4.0 summa cum laude student is going to find their head spinning while trying to keep up with the summer course.
Organic chemistry is not a subject that lends itself well to learning quickly. Because of the ferocious pace of the summer course, it is very difficult to absorb the material, properly understand it, and then have the time to work on practice problems. One of the most important things for organic chemistry success is to practice solving problems, and students need time to absorb, practice, and learn from mistakes. Summer ochem makes this difficult. Students are literally learning material on Friday, and then being tested on it on Monday.
The fast pace of the summer course often translates to long-term retention being compromised. One student likened summer organic chemistry to a “binge and purge” experience of binging on the material for the upcoming exam, then purging it out onto the paper. Unfortunately, many summer students then find themselves shaky in their ochem knowledge when they prep for the MCAT or DAT.
Summer organic chemistry is like a full-time job plus overtime. Even though it is "only one class", the student will likely have 4 or 5 lectures a week, each between 2 and 3 hours long. There will also be labs – in some programs, two five-hour long labs a week! Additionally, there will probably be discussion sections that should be attended. Because of the all-consuming schedule and pace of the course, I believe it is unwise to take a second summer course concurrently.
The overwhelming schedule makes it difficult for a student to work a part-time (and for sure a full-time) job while taking the summer course. Most students need to be prepared to not work over the summer.
Some medical schools may not consider a summer organic chemistry class equal to a course taken in conjunction with other classes during the regular school year. I'm not saying the summer course won't satisfy the prerequisite of 4 or 8 credits of organic chemistry; I'm saying that it may not be as respected as a course taken in conjunction with other classes during the regular school year. Some of my students have told me that their medical school advisors told them this, and discouraged them from taking any of their science pre-reqs over the summer. A potential issue is a student who takes only one class at a time may not be demonstrating their ability to handle the rigors of succeeding at several challenging classes at the same time (a need for medical school success). Getting an A in a summer class may not be considered as notable as getting an A during the full-year, and getting a B or C (or dropping out!) could look even worse!

Bottom line: I recommend taking your organic chemistry class(es) in conjunction with other classes during the regular school year when there is an option to choose. For sure, students should talk with their advisers and even with medical school admissions counselors to get opinions and input on this important decision.