I think this may fall under the category of classes you need to pass. I’m just another student so obviously I don’t know this stuff fore sure—- but I think it’s going to be hard to convince an admissions team you’re a viable candidate if you can’t pass Bio 101 with even a C (at least without taking much more difficult biology classes and doing very well— which is very unlikely to happen if you haven’t passed the foundational course). At this point, better than a C would be ideal because you already have a D followed by an F on your record.
If you think you’re doing badly and can still get out of your current class with a drop or a W, that might be a good option. There’s no forgiveness when calculating your GPA when you apply for medical school (each attempt counts when your GPA is calculated), so each time you get a D or an F in Bio 101, you’re sinking your GPA a little more. Your community college might have a pre-Bio 101 class (some do) and while it’s not transferable, it might help you get a better foundation so that Bio 101 isn’t such a struggle. Many community colleges also have college counseling classes that can help you learn college level study skills as well.
I used to always be that student who was trying to finish whatever I started— whether I should have or not. (In my case, I think something about having ADHD and physical disabilities and being the first in a four year institution out of any of my Chicanx/NDN family made me a real sucker for the sunk-cost fallacy for far too long. Like, I just kept pushing on as if I had a point to prove by not backing down, no matter how much I should have pulled back and reassessed.) It really hurt my academic record and I now feel under really high pressure to keep up the yearlong 4.0 streak I have going.
As a former undegraduate teaching assistant, I’ve seen a bunch of students in Intro classes fail because college is different from high school for expectations. This might be a study skills and planning issue for you; if you’re finding the exams are nothing like the lectures, the professor may be expecting you to do a lot of reading outside of class. Also, start the assignment early (when you get it), especially for things that are heavily weighed so that computer issues in the last day or two before an assignment is due don’t screw you over for your entire grade. Also, don’t skip any assignments even if they’re not many points, those small points add up and it sounds like you’ll need them. Do any extra credit offered to you even if you don’t think you will need it. Make flashcards and review daily. If you’re still struggling after trying to do all that, see you college’s counseling or student disability office and ask about being screened for learning disabilities. This sound like poor planning and underdeveloped study skills, but sometimes learning disabilities masquerade as that. If you’re a first generation college student from a low-income background, consider signing up with your school’s EOP program can help you gain some extra access to services such as tutoring, mentoring, priority registration, and college counseling, and in some cases expanded access to borrow or buy stuff like tech that you need for school.
There’s also a bunch of great and very engaging lectures, demonstrations, and mnemonic devices for introductory Bio (and most science topics) on YouTube. Sometimes hearing a topic in a different way from someone else who is not your professor can help clarify what you’re missing. (Just make sure whatever you’re looking at is a scientifically credible source.)
