Orgo Chem

[RibonucleicAcid1]

I am struggling in Orgo Chem even with tutoring help and asking for friend's help. I checked my grades and realized that I essentially have an F in the class. I don't know what to do as this point. My GPA is at a disgusting 2.5 after having to go through a near divorce through my parents and with my anxiety issues that I am taking medications with. I am a sophomore but I feel as if I should just abandon the field of medicine that I had wanted to do. Is it at all even possible to salvage the damage at this point? I am thinking about retaking orgo, but I don't even know if it's worth it at this point.

I am also wondering if taking Orgo in the summer is a feasible idea. With the summer, I will be able to have smaller classes and be able to contact my friend who has passed all of his science courses at the top. I truly do not want to sit idly by while courses like organic are killing me.

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[rxphd]

Ochem is tough. I watched tons of videos and printed tons of worksheets online and it was still hard for me. I've heard they are a little more lenient in the summer, but if you're super struggling then I wouldn't do it. Never give up on what you really want to do. Most of the ppl in my ochem classes were med students taking it for the second time.

 

[Verduchi]

Yeah both semesters were super hard. If you have a lot of stress going on in your life and or depression, you will not make it far in orgo. If you still feel the same way you are feeling in the summer chances are you will be just wasting your time/money.

The only way I was able to get through orgo. was by not falling behind and studying very diligently on problems that I did not understand well. You want to jump on home work problems as soon as your instructor goes over the material that they cover in class. The problems that you don't do correctly circle the problem numbers and go back to them later. You really want to attempt to do the problems all the way through how you think you would do them vs. doing half the problem giving up and looking in the answer key. You need to see where you go wrong in problems vs. convincing yourself that you know what is going on just by looking at the answers.

 

[oldstock]

I am struggling in Orgo Chem even with tutoring help and asking for friend's help. I checked my grades and realized that I essentially have an F in the class. I don't know what to do as this point. My GPA is at a disgusting 2.5 after having to go through a near divorce through my parents and with my anxiety issues that I am taking medications with. I am a sophomore but I feel as if I should just abandon the field of medicine that I had wanted to do. Is it at all even possible to salvage the damage at this point? I am thinking about retaking orgo, but I don't even know if it's worth it at this point.

I am also wondering if taking Orgo in the summer is a feasible idea. With the summer, I will be able to have smaller classes and be able to contact my friend who has passed all of his science courses at the top. I truly do not want to sit idly by while courses like organic are killing me.

First, I think you should try to minimize the damage. An F will not only look horrible on your transcript but also drag your GPA way down. Try to ask to withdraw from the course, talk to the dean of your school if you have to regarding your hardship. They might help you and let you get an W instead of an F. W is neutral in the calculation for GPA, so it will not affect your GPA.

You are still a sophomore so there is still time to improve your GPA. Try to manage your situation and only take on classes if you think you can focus on your study. Take a workload on courses and study that you can handle. Try to get as many A's as possible, esp. in upper/advance classes. (I know it is easy said than done, but it is possible.).

I agree w Verduchi that Ochem is super hard. I took my general biology 1 & 2 and Anatomy & Phys 1 & 2 all in summer before. I could not do anything but study (though I had a part time job very earlier in the morning that I could get out just in time for class.). It is difficult and exhausting but all possible.

Do not give up on your dream! There are many additional things you can also do make yourself competitive for med school or pharmacy applications, e.g. mcat/pact, rec letters, extracurricular activities, etc. So it is not hopeless by any means!

GL

 

[RibonucleicAcid1]

Anxiety so far has been in check thanks to the medications. The problem with homework is that the professor uses this online program that is racked with program errors. Many students worked out problems in front of her, put them in the program, and it still counted as wrong. What's more, the homework has problems when it comes to accepting digitally drawn structures and such so learning through homework is like trying to turn in homework into a teacher with poor eyesight. I've reached out to textbooks, practice problems on the Internet, and even my tutor has said that Organic Chemistry is something that takes a long time to study. I think my problem is that I am a context person as well. My professor teaches through examples which is great but she leaves the explanations of how mechanisms react and why they react on the less important scale. The groups of students I study with are usually as dumbfounded as me when some exception in mechanisms come up but works for very specific reactions but not for others.

I don't want to keep dropping and I want to bring these grades up. The relationship between my parents are not improving and I feel as if I may have to drop college to alleviate the stress if there is a divorce. I am just trying to improve where I can and not have to repeat courses just because the first time around didn't work out.

 

[PharmlyDoc]

How often do you study? And how do you study? I studied ochem everyday...literally. Also think about buying
Organic Chemistry As a Second Language, 3e: First Semester Topics[Paperback] by David Klein.

Stop worrying, worrying never accomplished anything. I STRONGLY SUGGEST you find time to read this book: Your Erroneous Zones by Wayne Dyer.

 

[Kelp103]

I had to take both OChems (semester 1 and 2) again. Luckily, I'm good at biology which and got decent grades in my other science classes. My GPA isn't the greatest either. I got asked to interview in 3/4 of the schools I applied to. Work on bringing your GPA up, but if you ace your PCAT, have good recommendation letters, and get experience it can really help your application. Luckily, you still have plenty of time (if you were getting a bachelor's before applying anyways), to help your GPA. An upward trend in grades helps. I agree with oldstock. Try to get a W instead of an F. Ask your teacher if there is ANYWAY for you to pass if they say no to withdrawing. It took me 2 classes to get OChem (I got a my first semester B and an A my second after retaking them), so don't get discouraged. Know that almost everyone struggles and treat it like something you have to do every day. If you aren't learning from this teacher, maybe try taking it from another school.

 

[foomba]

I am currently taking the second semester of ochem and as of now i am doing poorly... it is still too early to say what i will end up because there are still 3 of 5 exams left, but i was just wondering if it is better to take a bad grade and retake the class or just get a W and retake it? I am unsure of how a retake gets calculated into GPA. Would a C look horrible? Thanks for any advice and help!

 

[oldstock]

I am currently taking the second semester of ochem and as of now i am doing poorly... it is still too early to say what i will end up because there are still 3 of 5 exams left, but i was just wondering if it is better to take a bad grade and retake the class or just get a W and retake it? I am unsure of how a retake gets calculated into GPA. Would a C look horrible? Thanks for any advice and help!

1 or 2 C's won't look so horrible imho. As you said, it is still early as you still have 3 exams left out of total 5. Unless you score 40% or less on your first two exams, I think you might have a chance of bringing it up to a B if you got A's for the remaining 3.

Take 1 more exam before the deadline for withdraw and decide. If you do not get an A on the 3rd exam, I would withdraw if I were you.

If you had to retake the course, a W would be better than a C or D or F. The reason is that W is neutral in GPA calculation in most schools (some schools would have WP-Withdraw with Passing grade or WF-Withdraw with Failing grade and those might be assigned some points and factored in your GPA at those schools) and in PharmCAS' GPA calculation. If you already had a C, D, or F then retake the course, both new and the old grades are probably taken in the calculation of your whole GPA at most schools.

Again, 1 or 2 C's or W's won't look so horrible. But don't make it appear like a pattern, which shows a downtrend or tendency. If you can still make it to a C or B, that would be great. If things are not improving on your next exam, i.e. you don't get an A, I would withdraw to get a W and retake the whole thing.

 

[foomba]

1 or 2 C's won't look so horrible imho. As you said, it is still early as you still have 3 exams left out of total 5. Unless you score 40% or less on your first two exams, I think you might have a chance of bringing it up to a B if you got A's for the remaining 3.

Take 1 more exam before the deadline for withdraw and decide. If you do not get an A on the 3rd exam, I would withdraw if I were you.

If you had to retake the course, a W would be better than a C or D or F. The reason is that W is neutral in GPA calculation in most schools (some schools would have WP-Withdraw with Passing grade or WF-Withdraw with Failing grade and those might be assigned some points and factored in your GPA at those schools) and in PharmCAS' GPA calculation. If you already had a C, D, or F then retake the course, both new and the old grades are probably taken in the calculation of your whole GPA at most schools.

Again, 1 or 2 C's or W's won't look so horrible. But don't make it appear like a pattern, which shows a downtrend or tendency. If you can still make it to a C or B, that would be great. If things are not improving on your next exam, i.e. you don't get an A, I would withdraw to get a W and retake the whole thing.

Hey thanks! I appreciate the quick response. Exactly what I was hoping to hear... I've got to step it up!

 

[oldstock]

Hey thanks! I appreciate the quick response. Exactly what I was hoping to hear... I've got to step it up!

You are welcome !! GL

 

[rxphd]

Did u guys think ochem1 or ochem2 was harder? Or bout the same?

 

[Verduchi]

Most of my classmates struggled with orgo 2 more than they did with orgo 1. I personally liked orgo 2 more because there were a lot more synthesis problems. I thought orgo. 1 was harder in a sense that you are laying down the foundation in this class and everything just feels so new when you're learning about it for the first time.

 

[Jibby321]

Did u guys think ochem1 or ochem2 was harder? Or bout the same?

Orgo 1 was more difficult than orgo 2 IMO.

 

[88888888]

I got a C in orgo 2 and B in orgo 1. 2 was harder for me cause I didnt study as much.

 

[Chriskahn]

Its weird to see people call it orgo chem instead of o chem. But anyways try Khan Academy theres a bunch of videos on there that helped me out.

 

[Jibby321]

Its weird to see people call it orgo chem instead of o chem. But anyways try Khan Academy theres a bunch of videos on there that helped me out.

I hear its a regional thing. Lol