[bob64]

My school is offering summer courses. I'm going to be a freshman in Chemical Engineering at UT Austin next year, and was wondering whether taking Orgo I and Orgo II plus labs over a 10-week summer session was feasible/beneficial/sane and what I should expect. The professor is excellent according to online reviews, but I'm a little nervous about signing up for what could be a nasty, discouraging start to my college education. Preferably, I'd like to get this class which has a reputation for difficulty out of the way. The courses will be an equivalent of 8 hours of study (6 hour Ochem, 2 hours labs).

[Dan]

was wondering whether taking Orgo I and Orgo II plus labs over a 10-week summer
.
The courses will be an equivalent of 8 hours of study (6 hour Ochem, 2 hours labs).

Which works out at 7 mins per day. Doesn't sound too tough to me, I'd go for it.

[Borek]

The courses will be an equivalent of 8 hours of study (6 hour Ochem, 2 hours labs).

Per course, or per week? I am not familiar with summer courses in US, so I can be completely off, but what can one learn during 8 hours?

[azmanam]

It's doable, but you're going to burn yourself out.  When the two summer sessions are over, you will feel like you had a nasty, discouraging start to your college education.

 Ochem is a very dense subject.  It's hard enough to compact one semester into a 5 week intensive course.  To take both sessions in one 10 week marathon will be very mentally demanding.  You're going to be going at a rapid pace during the in-class lecture (often several hours straight), then you're going to need to study most of the remaining waking hours of the day.  Ochem is not a class where you can just 'pay attention during lecture' and ease your way through.  It's a whole new way of thinking about studying and a whole new way of thinking about organizing and learning new information.  As long as you know this upfront and as long as you're committed to not burning out at the end (which is nearly impossible), then you can sign up for it.  Personally, I would advise you not to.

Also, Ochem is typically a 3rd and 4th semester series.  Are you saying you haven't even started your 1st semester?  Is there a reason you're taking sophomore level classes before starting as a freshman?

[tamim83]

It sounds like those are the credits you earn, which matches what we have here at Pitt.  That doesn't account for the number of hours you spend in class.  Keep in mind that during a normal 15 week semester, you may have a 3 credit class 3 times a week for 50 minutes each and a 1 credit lab one a week for 3 hours and 50 minutes.  In the summer, for a 5 week course (that's what I'm assuming based on your post), the time you spend in class may be tripled; you may have the lecture class every day for 2 -3 hours and the lab 3 times a week.  Everything is going to feel rushed; you'll cover weeks of material in one week and have exams almost every week.  I didn't do this as a summer course, but its pretty intense here during the summer and people usually don't retain much.  

So, if you willing to devote almost all of your time for those 10 weeks to O-chem and you have a strong general chemistry background, go for it.  But, I am not so sure that I'd want to be introduced to college coursework by taking 8 credits of O-chem in 10 weeks, take it from someone who has graded exams for 4 week O-chem classes, it can be brutal  

[?less]

Well ask yoruself...are you willing to spend ooww lets say All day in O-Chem? in a course like that as short of 10 weeks, you will not have time to slack off. I am not sure how you study now, but if you like to kick back every now and then, then I dont think its a good Idea. O-Chem can be simple if you put the time into it, but if you dont....well...you'll hate your life during the time you take it. I say DO IT if you can pull it off, DOnt do it if you have other things you think might take you away from your studies. Good luck man.