Withdrawal from Orgo I

[KellySmith24]

Planning to withdraw from Orgo I. I worked really hard but still scored poorly on the exams (48% on the first one and 58% on the second one). Planning to retake the class next year.
Question for those who withdrew from Orgo I before. Were you able to get better grades taking this class for the second time? I've been in class for 2/3 of the semester (meaning I was exposed to a good amount of material). Are people usually more successful taking the class for the second time?
TIA!

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[Serendipitykitcat]

Planning to withdraw from Orgo I. I worked really hard but still scored poorly on the exams (48% on the first one and 58% on the second one). Planning to retake the class next year.
Question for those who withdrew from Orgo I before. Were you able to get better grades taking this class for the second time? I've been in class for 2/3 of the semester (meaning I was exposed to a good amount of material). Are people usually more successful taking the class for the second time?
TIA!

From my humble experience, Orgo is not that difficult per se as much as it builds on itself. So if you are shaky in the earlier parts, your struggles can be compounded later on. Having a great professor who breaks things down to the basics can be very helpful. Some sections in the same institution can do much better than others just because of that, so that's something to consider when you are choosing your classes next time. Another thing that makes Orgo challenging is the fast pace. So one way to tackle this is to study small sections on your own ahead of time, perhaps in the summer. Khan Academy is a great resource. Spending time with the basics and practicing as much problems as you can will hopefully make the second round go much better. Try not to advance to a new topic until you have fully mastered the previous topic and done lots of practice problems. You could also try to audit the class at a community college during the summer, if you don't like studying on your own. I hope this helps! Believe in yourself! Just because you struggled this time, doesn't mean you won't be able to overcome it and do well next time!

 

[KellySmith24]

Thank you so much for your advice and encouragement.

 

[MedicineN'Jazz]

I didn’t withdraw from Orgo but I did for Calc1. I also finished about 1/3 of the course. I ended up getting a B+ second time around. No one questioned me about the W on my transcript and I got into multiple medical schools just fine I know it seems like a big deal right now, but I promise you, it really isn’t. I had 1 or 2 W’s in the end

 

[postbaccgalore]

Planning to withdraw from Orgo I. I worked really hard but still scored poorly on the exams (48% on the first one and 58% on the second one). Planning to retake the class next year.
Question for those who withdrew from Orgo I before. Were you able to get better grades taking this class for the second time? I've been in class for 2/3 of the semester (meaning I was exposed to a good amount of material). Are people usually more successful taking the class for the second time?
TIA!

What you do is next time you start preparing a few months ahead. If you needed to withdraw, you need to over prepare. Don’t ask other people their advice only because most people probably don’t have to withdraw. This isint to say there’s anything wrong with what you’re doing- it’s smart. Get the best grade you can by doing what you need to do. Everyone seems to swear by “organic as a second language book.” Literally start preparing 3-4 months prior and practice practice practice so when you come into the class you can get your A. Do whatever YOU need to do to be over prepared and successful.

 

[KellySmith24]

I didn’t withdraw from Orgo but I did for Calc1. I also finished about 1/3 of the course. I ended up getting a B+ second time around. No one questioned me about the W on my transcript and I got into multiple medical schools just fine I know it seems like a big deal right now, but I promise you, it really isn’t. I had 1 or 2 W’s in the end

Thank you for sharing your experience. Glad it worked out just fine for you!

 

[KellySmith24]

What you do is next time you start preparing a few months ahead. If you needed to withdraw, you need to over prepare. Don’t ask other people their advice only because most people probably don’t have to withdraw. This isint to say there’s anything wrong with what you’re doing- it’s smart. Get the best grade you can by doing what you need to do. Everyone seems to swear by “organic as a second language book.” Literally start preparing 3-4 months prior and practice practice practice so when you come into the class you can get your A. Do whatever YOU need to do to be over prepared and successful.

Thank you for your reply. I am not asking for advice. I am asking for people to share their experiences.
It feels like I did everything I was supposed to. Studied before the start of the class to be ahead, worked on "Organic Chem as Second Language" book, took the class seriously from day 1. Can't blame professor as well (tough but good!). I am just hoping that going through this for the second time will be a better experience (because I was exposed to a lot of material already). Wondering if that was the case for other students who found themselves in similar situations.

 

[postbaccgalore]

Thank you for your reply. I am not asking for advice. I am asking for people to share their experiences.
It feels like I did everything I was supposed to. Studied before the start of the class to be ahead, worked on "Organic Chem as Second Language" book, took the class seriously from day 1. Can't blame professor as well (tough but good!). I am just hoping that going through this for the second time will be a better experience (because I was exposed to a lot of material already). Wondering if that was the case for other students who found themselves in similar situations.

Gotcha. Can I ask how long you studied for roughly before the class started? Just curious

 

[KellySmith24]

Gotcha. Can I ask how long you studied for roughly before the class started? Just curious

About 4 weeks (winter break).

 

[RoamingTexan]

From my humble experience, Orgo is not that difficult per se as much as it builds on itself. So if you are shaky in the earlier parts, your struggles can be compounded later on. Having a great professor who breaks things down to the basics can be very helpful. Some sections in the same institution can do much better than others just because of that, so that's something to consider when you are choosing your classes next time. Another thing that makes Orgo challenging is the fast pace. So one way to tackle this is to study small sections on your own ahead of time, perhaps in the summer. Khan Academy is a great resource. Spending time with the basics and practicing as much problems as you can will hopefully make the second round go much better. Try not to advance to a new topic until you have fully mastered the previous topic and done lots of practice problems. You could also try to audit the class at a community college during the summer, if you don't like studying on your own. I hope this helps! Believe in yourself! Just because you struggled this time, doesn't mean you won't be able to overcome it and do well next time!

As someone who struggled with orgo in undergrad and took it again in post-bacc, I 100% agree. Having a solid foundation in chemistry and early organic concepts is critical to doing well in later parts of the classes.

 

[KellySmith24]

As someone who struggled with orgo in undergrad and took it again in post-bacc, I 100% agree. Having a solid foundation in chemistry and early organic concepts is critical to doing well in later parts of the classes.

Thank you for sharing your experience. Did you do anything differently second time around?

 

[RoamingTexan]

Thank you for sharing your experience. Did you do anything differently second time around?

Good question! I had a pretty shallow understanding of gen chem when I first took Orgo, and I think that set me back so much that I could never catch up/build any further. While some memorization is necessary, the 2nd time I spent less focus on "what" and more focus on "why." In general, most things want to go from a less stable state to a more stable one. Spend some time learning what factors into stability (steric effects, charge, resonance, electronegativity, orbitals, etc...), and it can help you intuit where a reaction is headed and how it's going to get there. I'm sure this goes without saying, but I also highly recommend going to a professor's office hours if you are struggling with something. They typically love to explain subjects they are passionate about, and will almost certainly be willing to explain things in different ways.

I was fortunate that my professor's lectures were recorded so I could go back and watch them again when practicing mechanisms, but if your professor doesn't offer that, Khan Academy is always a good free resource for science material.

 

[KellySmith24]

Good question! I had a pretty shallow understanding of gen chem when I first took Orgo, and I think that set me back so much that I could never catch up/build any further. While some memorization is necessary, the 2nd time I spent less focus on "what" and more focus on "why." In general, most things want to go from a less stable state to a more stable one. Spend some time learning what factors into stability (steric effects, charge, resonance, electronegativity, orbitals, etc...), and it can help you intuit where a reaction is headed and how it's going to get there. I'm sure this goes without saying, but I also highly recommend going to a professor's office hours if you are struggling with something. They typically love to explain subjects they are passionate about, and will almost certainly be willing to explain things in different ways.

I was fortunate that my professor's lectures were recorded so I could go back and watch them again when practicing mechanisms, but if your professor doesn't offer that, Khan Academy is always a good free resource for science material.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply.