Any Michigan pre-meds here who are terrified of PChem?

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Latteandaprayer

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I just got done reading a thread here where everyone told OP not to go to Michigan... well I’m a rising junior at Michigan (I don’t really care about people tracing this back to me). I’m really scared of PChem. Do you recommend taking senior year? Basically after I apply? That way a B wouldn’t kill my app...

I tried taking it this past semester but fell behind very quickly because I hadn’t seen the material in a year, and I didn’t know she’d hit the ground running. She expected us to know all these equations and laws by the second lecture. As I result, I dropped it to protect my GPA lol.

People are gonna ask: every pre med at Michigan is required to take PChem in order to complete the two-semesters of inorganic chemistry requirement because Michigan teaches both Gen Chem 1 and 2 in one class.
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Lol med school admissions know pchem is a killer class. Getting two Bs in pchem 1 and 2 will not kill your app.
 
Why are you taking P Chem? If you are taking that class because you are a chemistry major, why are you majoring in chemistry? If you wanted to go to med school, why did you do your undergraduate work at Michigan? You are running this race with a piano on your back. Why?

Latteandaprayer said:
I just got done reading a thread here where everyone told OP not to go to Michigan... well I’m a rising junior at Michigan (I don’t really care about people tracing this back to me). I’m really scared of PChem. Do you recommend taking senior year? Basically after I apply? That way a B wouldn’t kill my app...

I tried taking it this past semester but fell behind very quickly because I hadn’t seen the material in a year, and I didn’t know she’d hit the ground running. She expected us to know all these equations and laws by the second lecture. As I result, I dropped it to protect my GPA lol.
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Took it, got a mediocre grade, moved on. It was certainly tough but not the worst thing on my transcript (the two years of language we were mandated to take holds that honor 😵...).
 
Obnoxious Dad said:
Why are you taking P Chem? If you are taking that class because you are a chemistry major, why are you majoring in chemistry? If you wanted to go to med school, why did you do your undergraduate work at Michigan? You are running this race with a piano on your back. Why?
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Michigan smushes both Gen Chem 1 and 2 into one class, which means we only have one semester of Inorganic Chem. To complete the one-year (2 semester) requirement of inorganic chemistry, we all have to take PChem. I don’t have a lot of pre med friends here, so I don’t really have a community I can ask directly.

I didn’t know I wanted to go into medicine until halfway through second semester freshman year.
 
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Latteandaprayer said:
My sGPA can’t take another hit...
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Don't worry - PChem is a difficult class. I don't suspect getting a B (or even lower) would be killer for your app. Adcoms appreciate students that take upper-level science courses that are challenging.

Also, Michigan is a great school. Push yourself to be the best you can - you won't regret it. Sure, some people might follow the "easy road" and take fluff science courses at traditionally easier schools. If you can succeed in a challenging academic environment like Michigan, it will make you stronger in the future and prepared to deal with competition in medical school. Just my thoughts though... No regrets!
 
CJhooper123 said:
Don't worry - PChem is a difficult class. I don't suspect getting a B (or even lower) would be killer for your app. Adcoms appreciate students that take upper-level science courses that are challenging
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But at the cost of a lower sGPA? I don’t know, I feel the number itself is more important than the classes taken.
 
Latteandaprayer said:
But at the cost of a lower sGPA? I don’t know, I feel the number itself is more important than the classes taken.
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Michigan is tough, but just because you go there doesn't mean you will end up with a low sGPA.
Ultimately, I would recommend going to the undergrad where you feel that you can succeed. But if your reason for not attending Michigan is fear of obtaining a low sGPA, that's weak sauce. Just work your butt off and you will be rewarded.
 
piii said:
So he can boast on SDN about how *intellectual* he is
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Ah yes, let me gamble with my GPA and my chances with admission just so I can say that I took PChem, a class that I’m genuinely afraid of taking and failing! That’s a very good observation on your part! Bravo you saw right through me!

No, I have to take it to fulfill the one year of inorganic chemistry requirement.
 
CJhooper123 said:
Michigan is tough, but just because you go there doesn't mean you will end up with a low sGPA.
Ultimately, I would recommend going to the undergrad where you feel that you can succeed. But if your reason for not attending Michigan is fear of obtaining a low sGPA, that's weak sauce. Just work your butt off and you will be rewarded.
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I’m a rising junior there lol. I’m already here!! 3.68 sGPA right now, still gotta take physics 2 and biochem (and of course PChem).
 
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kamakazi5 said:
So what are your actual GPAs now?
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cGPA: 3.8x
sGPA: 3.68

Still have Physics 2, Biochem, and PChem for sGPA.

I know my sGPA isn’t horrible, but it’s quite a bit lower than my cGPA, and it’s still not quite high enough to be seriously competitive for top tiers.
 
lol 230 or 260 tho?
 
excalibur24 said:
lol 230 or 260 tho?
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I’m kinda debating. On the one hand, 230 is algebra based and probably easier, but on the other hand 260 would let me understand the equations better, and thus potentially make it easier to understand? Which would you recommend?
 
Like math = 260
hate math = 230
Both are painful tbh, but I heard 260 makes up for the fact that it has more math with less conceptual stuff that 230 enforces.
I would take 260.
 
Probably too late to ask, but can you take PChem as a summer class? Sometimes it's worth it just taking a single difficult class in the summer so that's your sole focus, esp. if you have the advantage of commuting from home so you wont need to pay for room and board.

I had problems with Calc I during my freshman year and barely got a B in it, so I decided to take Calc II in the summer and nailed a solid A. There is no way I could have scored that kinda grade during a fall or spring semester.
 
I took PChem at a different university. Helped on the MCAT quite a bit.
 
Latteandaprayer said:
cGPA: 3.8x
sGPA: 3.68

Still have Physics 2, Biochem, and PChem for sGPA.

I know my sGPA isn’t horrible, but it’s quite a bit lower than my cGPA, and it’s still not quite high enough to be seriously competitive for top tiers.
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I recommend taking physics 2 and biochem junior year because you'll want them for the mcat. Pchem can wait until senior year because Gen chem is enough for the mcat and it will help your sgpa for apps. You'll want your spring semester as light as possible for mcat study if your sitting the MCAT around April (assuming the "standard" 4 year schedule)
 
gyngyn said:
We're not usually looking that closely until the very end of the process...
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There you go ladies and gentlemen. Straight from the horse's mouth. They don't start fly specking transcripts until all of the numerical hurdles have been jumped.

If Michigan only offers one semester of general chemistry and you have to take P Chem to fulfill the prerequisites of most medical schools, there are your reasons to avoid Ann Arbor. This is a chemistry department and a university that says "tough rocks" if you don't get into medical school even if you had more innate talent and a better work ethic than the people who got in from Western Michigan.

CJhooper123 said:
Michigan is tough, but just because you go there doesn't mean you will end up with a low sGPA.
Ultimately, I would recommend going to the undergrad where you feel that you can succeed. But if your reason for not attending Michigan is fear of obtaining a low sGPA, that's weak sauce. Just work your butt off and you will be rewarded.
Click to expand...

Whenever I see a post like this, I'm thinking the poster is either a fool or a troll. There is simply no statistical evidence that going to a more rigorous undergraduate college and taking a tougher major (once you control for entering ACT/SAT scores) promotes admission to medical school. It simply does not exist.
 
Obnoxious Dad said:
There you go ladies and gentlemen. Straight from the horse's mouth. They don't start fly specking transcripts until all of the numerical hurdles have been jumped.

If Michigan only offers one semester of general chemistry and you have to take P Chem to fulfill the prerequisites of most medical schools, there are your reasons to avoid Ann Arbor. This is a chemistry department and a university that says "tough rocks" if you don't get into medical school even if you had more innate talent and a better work ethic than the people who got in from Western Michigan.
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I wish I was pre med before I started. I would’ve 100% gone to MSU. No offense to anyone at MSU. Michigan was the clear choice for financial reasons, and I pretty much thought I’d be going into academia and Michigan seemed a better fit for that.

Oh well. I’ll take PChem senior year and lessen the blow.
 
When you sign up for the class, get a tutor before class starts - either a paid tutor or a free one from your school's chemistry club or advising office. Start (re)reading first few chapters of the book. Get your formulas memorized. Get a pChem cheat sheet (or use the Kaplan quicksheets or something similar). Form a study group. Go to office hours/TA help sessions. Don't get behind. Take it during a semester when you have few other problem classes.
 
Obnoxious Dad said:
There you go ladies and gentlemen. Straight from the horse's mouth. They don't start fly specking transcripts until all of the numerical hurdles have been jumped.

If Michigan only offers one semester of general chemistry and you have to take P Chem to fulfill the prerequisites of most medical schools, there are your reasons to avoid Ann Arbor. This is a chemistry department and a university that says "tough rocks" if you don't get into medical school even if you had more innate talent and a better work ethic than the people who got in from Western Michigan.



Whenever I see a post like this, I'm thinking the poster is either a fool or a troll. There is simply no statistical evidence that going to a more rigorous undergraduate college and taking a tougher major (once you control for entering ACT/SAT scores) promotes admission to medical school. It simply does not exist.
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I never said this.
If you read more closely, you can see that I recommended going to the undergrad where an individual feels they are more likely to succeed. It's a personal decision.

Is Michigan difficult? Never went there, but yea, probably. Should that be the reason for not going to Michigan? No. Medical school is difficult.
 
Rising junior here at Michigan as well!
I've been lurking here for quite a while, laughing at the funny quotes by premed students thread until lo and behold, I find a page created possibly
by a friend at school. Regarding Pchem (230 or 260), I have decided that biting the bullet is the only way. Our school is pretty tough and making study groups or having a friend to straighten things out with helps a lot. I also need P-chem and Physics 2 and if it helps at all, my sGPA and cGPA are both around 3.9.
 
Turboplo said:
Rising junior here at Michigan as well!
I've been lurking here for quite a while, laughing at the funny quotes by premed students thread until lo and behold, I find a page created possibly
by a friend at school. Regarding Pchem (230 or 260), I have decided that biting the bullet is the only way. Our school is pretty tough and making study groups or having a friend to straighten things out with helps a lot. I also need P-chem and Physics 2 and if it helps at all, my sGPA and cGPA are both around 3.9.
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Dude it would be so cool if we actually have had classes together lmao
 
I took Biteen 2016 Fall @excalibur24. LOL same here. All my friends are either in Ross or are engineers LOL. Its because of them that I'm considering MD/MBA. These guys are always talking about private equity (one of my friends got into 1 xD), hedge funds, and investment banking.
 
Turboplo said:
I took Biteen 2016 Fall @excalibur24. LOL same here. All my friends are either in Ross or are engineers LOL. Its because of them that I'm considering MD/MBA. These guys are always talking about private equity (one of my friends got into 1 xD), hedge funds, and investment banking.
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Dude same!! I low key didn’t like her. Alright @excalibur24 where do we know each other from?

All my friends are humanities or Econ majors
 
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altblue said:
230 with Amy isn't terrible. Her exams are very difficult but also very doable. Do the prep packet more than once...

Maybe I had one of y'all in my study groups, who knows.
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Study group? You must be one of those weak pre meds... jk 😛

I took it for two weeks with her and thought she was great, but I wasn’t expecting to have to know so much right off the bat. Now that I know where my weaknesses are, I’ll tackle those and see how it goes.
 
@Latteandaprayer For biochemistry, I would recommend taking MCDB 310. One of my business/pre-med friends took chem 351 last sem. and told me it ripped him a new one to get the A. I took biolchem 415 and learned through rote memorization, a process that also ripped me a new one.
 
@altblue , Mark Saper is one of the professors in 415 and hell. Read his rate my professor (lol I can't post this because I'm new). His exam (for his lectures) and his method of teaching was beyond ****. My ears are still in rehab from his screeching. The other two professors are decent, but just know that if you take 415, you're going to have to perfectly memorize each slide of every lecture. I did this and I ended up with a 94% exam average, but if I were given the opportunity to choose between MCDB 310 and Biolchem 415, I would take 310 in a heartbeat. 310 actually provides explanation for its material and expects you to understand it, which I believe will prepare you better for the MCAT. 415 is a bunch of over-specific facts that you are expected to memorize. My friend (who has taken the m-cat) told me that biolchem 415 is beyond MCAT material, whereas another friend told me that 310 was great for the MCAT. This is a super long post, but I hope it helps lol
 
Turboplo said:
@Latteandaprayer For biochemistry, I would recommend taking MCDB 310. One of my business/pre-med friends took chem 351 last sem. and told me it ripped him a new one to get the A. I took biolchem 415 and learned through rote memorization, a process that also ripped me a new one.
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Thanks! I kinda wanted to take 415 though, because the professor is rated higher than 310. Alexander Ninfa.

EDIT: I just read your other post explaining why. Darn, but thanks for telling me!
 
Latteandaprayer said:
I just got done reading a thread here where everyone told OP not to go to Michigan... well I’m a rising junior at Michigan (I don’t really care about people tracing this back to me). I’m really scared of PChem. Do you recommend taking senior year? Basically after I apply? That way a B wouldn’t kill my app...

I tried taking it this past semester but fell behind very quickly because I hadn’t seen the material in a year, and I didn’t know she’d hit the ground running. She expected us to know all these equations and laws by the second lecture. As I result, I dropped it to protect my GPA lol.

People are gonna ask: every pre med at Michigan is required to take PChem in order to complete the two-semesters of inorganic chemistry requirement because Michigan teaches both Gen Chem 1 and 2 in one class.
Click to expand...

old thread but for anyone reading this, the "P Chem" that OP is referring to is barely that- Chem 230 or "P chem" is basically just Gen Chem II with a tiny bit of advanced p chem stuff specifically in preparation for the MCAT (most of the stuff on the class syllabus is literally just expanding on material from second semester AP Chemistry). more importantly, there's absolutely no quantum mechanics/calculus involved in the class, as opposed to actual upper level PChem courses at UMich.
 
lololololol man I do not miss the science department or the premeds at this school one bit
 
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