What should I do about me currently failing General Chemistry 1?

[nypredent]

I started college this semester and am taking Bio 1 and Gen. Chemistry 1.
Bio, I could be doing a lot better in, but I am still working on time management and better study skills.
Chemistry is what is giving me doubts about doing into dentistry. I currently have an F in the class after two exams, and even though the curve is huge and there are two or three more exams, I don't think either of those things will help my grade at this point. I am highly considering dropping the course and retaking it in the spring semester, and then if all is well, taking General Chem 2 in a summer session.

My main concern is, is it possible to go from doing horrible in chemistry to doing well in a semester? If I drop now, I can work on improving my Biology grade and continue studying Chemistry on my own so I can do better next semester if I decide to continue on the Pre-Dent track and retake it.
This one class is frustrating and making me lose hope in the possibility of a future dedicated to dentistry... What does everyone else think I should do?

Also, I never took AP Chem and my high school chemistry teacher wasn't exactly the best, so my chemistry background is not great.

Thanks, everyone!

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[wolfchild007]

Drop it now and retake it next semester. It's definitely possible to do better. It's up to u to decide how much effort u wanna out into it. I had no chemistry background and barely got a B in chem1. I studied way harder In the future and got straight As through ochem. Don't let yourself he a bad grade tho cuz everything shows up when u apply to dental school. Even if your college lets you or give and forget a class.

 

[AllHasOne]

CC or university? Can't you just stick through it and pass with like a B? I'm sure labs and HW will help, use tutors, friends. Don't just give up, try to stay clean of W's . If you don't understand one concept, once you get into new concepts the old ones become easier to understand. That's how it works for me lol. Don't give up!

 

[y3nd0]

CC or university? Can't you just stick through it and pass with like a B? I'm sure labs and HW will help, use tutors, friends. Don't just give up, try to stay clean of W's . If you don't understand one concept, once you get into new concepts the old ones become easier to understand. That's how it works for me lol. Don't give up!

W>F. If you don't feel confident that you can bring your grade up to a B by the end of the semester, then you should withdraw. One W will look a lot better than an F in a prerequisite course.

 

[Illuminati33]

You also might want to try using Course saver His things helped me a lot with the DAT, but there are also ones for an entire course. I think the transition from high school to undergrad can be difficult. Don't let this get you down

 

[AllHasOne]

You also might want to try using Course saver His things helped me a lot with the DAT, but there are also ones for an entire course. I think the transition from high school to undergrad can be difficult. Don't let this get you down

Chads videos right? He has free videos for general chemistry. Def recommend them.

 

[hs2013]

Just drop it and give it a go next semester, as long as you do well and have an upward trend, it won't affect the application much if at all.

Though if you are not able to do well in Chem, then yea you might have to look at other options. You don't need high school experience, as I took 1 year of chem sophomore year and am killing my chem class right now. Get as much help as possible, look for a tutor and just put more time in it. Work on practice problems a ton and know the concepts by heart. Taking bio and chem first semester, just like I am is a struggle but it isn't bad if you study, studying and focusing is the hardest part of it all, the actual material shouldn't be.

 

[Maglama]

W>F. If you don't feel confident that you can bring your grade up to a B by the end of the semester, then you should withdraw. One W will look a lot better than an F in a prerequisite course.

I got an F in Calculus my first semester of college. I have A's everywhere else except for 2 B+'s. I'm no dummy and I have never failed in my life before. When i retake calculus and get a better grade such as an A, my school will essentially override my previous grade. I think it will still show up on the transcript with an asterisk next to my new grade.. However, do you think dental schools will think little of it if i continue to get A's and occasional B+'s throughout my undergrad years?

thanks

 

[y3nd0]

I got an F in Calculus my first semester of college. I have A's everywhere else except for 2 B+'s. I'm no dummy and I have never failed in my life before. When i retake calculus and get a better grade such as an A, my school will essentially override my previous grade. I think it will still show up on the transcript with an asterisk next to my new grade.. However, do you think dental schools will think little of it if i continue to get A's and occasional B+'s throughout my undergrad years?

thanks

Yes, they will. They like seeing upward trends. One F will not kill you. But in the grand scheme of things, a W is better than an F.

 

[JohnTran1]

I don't suggest taking Chem 2 in the summer because from what I heard, it is much harder than Chem 1

 

[slm266]

Take the W. Realize though that normally chemistry is the rate limiting factor in DAT prep. 4 semesters of chemistry (concurrent with all your other science classes) before you take the DAT before you apply....so don't put off chemistry. Plan ahead a few years the summer that you'll apply to DS. It's probably best if you take the DAT soon after finishing Ochem II .

 

[wb1]

Take the W now,
Next step: take an intro. to or fundamental of general chemistry (this is like a teaser to Gen Chem) for those folks that never have or poorly prepared gen chem in hs.

You will find Gen Chem more enjoyable going forward.

 

[teal14]

Continue the pre-dent track and don't give up, with hard work and dedication you can do it! For me, the way I study for bio is very different from how I study for chem. The time management and study skills you mentioned, maybe see how you can apply those to chem as well? Use Chad's Videos and Khan Academy if you have a bad teacher. If you really think you're gonna get an F, I would drop and retake next semester (maybe with a different teacher?).

 

[Funz]

Don't let one class stop you from doing what you want to do the rest of your life. I'd drop and retake it. As for summer, I took chem2 with lab in the summer it was a 6 week class and the only class I took. It was not too bad because it was all I had to focus on. Also, learn from this and don't make the same mistake again...space out your hard classes! Good luck!!!

 

[Bottle]

Hey! I'm on the same boat!

I'm taking gen Chem I and my grade is 68% . And I didn't have good background in Chem from high school.

I'm still trying and I won't give up yet. Just keep trying until the withdrawal date. If you still have an F, than drop it. Otherwise continue to get at least B.

 

[ziggy1104]

Don't give up! If dentistry is really what you want to do, you should go for it. I also did not have a good chem background. I'm 26 and haven't touched anything chemistry related since I was prob 16! So yeah , it was an adjustment for sure. However , I stuck with it, used tutors, and studied my butt off. I now have a 100% in gen chem 1 (took a intro class before). Try to look at the concepts as a whole instead if memorizing minute details if that makes since. Helps me.

As for this semester, if you know you're going to get an f, drop the class. W is better than f. Then get your study habits together and try again

 

[Faux]

No reason to be taking Biology 1 and Chemistry during your first semester in college while trying to establish good study habits.


Drop the course. F's are included in gpu calculations, even if your institution doesn't.

 

[joeeeey3]

if you think you can pass, then its better to change it to Pass/Fail grade option and get a P.
P>W>F

also...don't give up !! I got 3 Cs out of 4 courses of gen chem and bio, but I managed to pull it up drastically and hey, I got 2 interviews so far this cycle.

 

[illwill3cp]

Chads videos right? He has free videos for general chemistry. Def recommend them.

Do you have a link? The only videos I found are not free :cry:

 

[rebelwithacause]

What does everyone else think I should do?

If you have an F take the W for now, but in the future you should work both smarter and harder.

Also get off of the internet and get a tutor if you have to.