C in ochem?

[sweetcalie08]

Anyone here gotten a C in ochem and still gotten in and been successful in pharmacy school? I know my boss didn't get anything higher than that in pharm school and he whizzed by many of his classmates still. Though, that was several moons ago when pharmacy wasn't as competitive, but still. Just wondering. (not like this will be my excuse for a C being ok but I'm beginning to lose hope for this course this semester)

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[VP_Pharm2004]

I don't think one C will hurt you much. What did you get last semester in o-chem and how well did you do in other science courses?

 

[sweetcalie08]

Actually, I am in my first semester of ochem...that is why it has taken awhile for me to get used to this material...finally starting to form study habits for the course...but it's a little late! At my school, ochem1 and ochem2 are both offered each semester. I got A's in gen chem, anat/phys, bio, etc... half at a large uni and half at a CC. I do have another C on my record from last semester... a C+ in calc... shucks for being my freshman year in college and still overcoming homesickness. Trouble is, my conditional acceptance to pharmacy school may be revoked if I get this C. Better get back to studying away for tomorrow's exam.

 

[spacecowgirl]

I got a C my first semester and a B+ the second. Before that I had a 3.97 so I guess they let that one slide

 

[sweetcalie08]

Spacecowgirl~

THanks for the little ray of hope! Yeah, I think for me it was difficult realizing JUST how HARD I would need to work my tail off in ochem...but I sure hope I will do better next semester.

I'm assuming you already got into pharm school then?

What does everyone think of this idea:
If I do end up getting a C in ochem1, and then need to be reevaluated by the admissions committee...do you think it would be a help or hindrance to have my pharmacist boss write a good LOR (they didn't require those for application) and for me to write a letter explaining my poor grade (put too much on my plate this semester with being too involved, homesickness, application process, pet's death lol, etc)?

Thanks for all the responses regarding my ochem worries and frustrations.

 

[VP_Pharm2004]

Wow that's interesting! So do you plan on finishing O-Chem II during the summer? What about Physics? How did that go for you? Physics is a subject that I really can't stand! But it's a "weed out" course, so getting a C in that subject wouldn't matter much compared to getting a C in O-chem. You might want to read all the chapters for O-chem and take your own notes. What really helped me was creating my own small packet of ALL the important reactions with helpful notes, ie. the possible reagents used, conditions in which the reaction occurs, and even the actual mechanisms with examples, etc.

 

[EarlyEditionDude]

I got C's in Orgo 1 & 2. I still got into pharmd school and med school. Goes to show that grades ain't everything!

 

[sweetcalie08]

Originally posted by EarlyEditionDude
I got C's in Orgo 1 & 2. I still got into pharmd school and med school. Goes to show that grades ain't everything!

WOW! You even got into med school w/ C's in orgo chem? That's pretty darn cool.

btw VP, I do plan on taking ochem2 w/ lab this summer, assuming I come out of ochem1 okay. I'm kind of worried now though- that'll be one intense summer! Aack. Also, the pharm school I was "conditionally accepted" to does not require physics...howd'ya like that? I'm dreading physics if I get rejected this year and have to apply to other schools next year. Pre-pharmacy is one tough cookie but I am soo determined to make this happen! **PharmD or bust!!**

Thanks for all the replies... gonna retire for the nite now...starting to get my substitution, elimination, and addition rxns all mixed up now. Need that sleep... goodnight.

 

[Longhorn23]

Can I know which pharmacy schools you applied to? The fact that you are having trouble with Ochem and still got accepted gives me so much hope
Thanks

 

[sweetcalie08]

Hmm sorry, don't want to possibly put a bad rap on my potential pharmacy school. JK. Actually, as I have mentioned before, I am not really accepted yet. My ochem grade just might make or break me though.

Longhorn, are you having trouble in ochem too?

Time to head out for my exam soon. Wish me luck!

 

[sweetcalie08]

Hmm, well that midterm sucked. I swear the prof is trying to screw our particular class over. Former students of his claim that the practice exams resemble the real exams...that was true of previous semesters...not ours. I don't even understand why he shows us those practice tests. Anyway, so I am SUPER discouraged about my future right now. Pretty upset that I spent tons of time over winter break and spring break applying and interviewing and getting a conditional acceptance to pharm school...when now I will probably have to drop that idea all together. Plus, I already sent in my non-refundable (600 dolla) deposit. What a waste of money. I guess I'm destined for nursing school...sniff. I just don't understand, I have done uber excellent in pretty much all of my other courses... and now this. Guess I shoulda been smart and waited till experiencing ochem before actually even considering the field.

Sorry for my rant.

 

[pharmel]

Pharmtech77-
Don't give up! It is time to ask mom and dad for money for a tutor. You may have to pay someone 20-30 bucks an hour, but they can show you the tricks - and organic is full of them! Good luck!

 

[Longhorn23]

Hmm, well that midterm sucked. I swear the prof is trying to screw our particular class over. Former students of his claim that the practice exams resemble the real exams...that was true of previous semesters...not ours. I don't even understand why he shows us those practice tests. Anyway, so I am SUPER discouraged about my future right now. Pretty upset that I spent tons of time over winter break and spring break applying and interviewing and getting a conditional acceptance to pharm school...when now I will probably have to drop that idea all together. Plus, I already sent in my non-refundable (600 dolla) deposit. What a waste of money. I guess I'm destined for nursing school...sniff. I just don't understand, I have done uber excellent in pretty much all of my other courses... and now this. Guess I shoulda been smart and waited till

experiencing ochem before actually even considering the field.

Sorry for my rant.

Don't give up. I had so much trouble in my first semester and did bad in the first two tests. Then I had to work real hard to get a B. Now I'm in my 2nd sem of it but it seems much easier to understand. As somebody already said there are lots of tricks esp in synthesis and mechanism. Once you detect a pattern it's not that difficult! Our prof always tells us to make a rxn roadmap and they have it on their website which is really helpful. If you want I can give you the web add! Keep at it- u have come a long way!

 

[sweetcalie08]

Don't give up. I had so much trouble in my first semester and did bad in the first two tests. Then I had to work real hard to get a B. Now I'm in my 2nd sem of it but it seems much easier to understand. As somebody already said there are lots of tricks esp in synthesis and mechanism. Once you detect a pattern it's not that difficult! Our prof always tells us to make a rxn roadmap and they have it on their website which is really helpful. If you want I can give you the web add! Keep at it- u have come a long way!

Thanks Longhorn23! I would very much appreciate that web add. I don't think I have my SDN account set up to receive PM's yet if you were going to do it that way...maybe I should get on that. Yeah thanks, I have come a long way. I don't really think nursing would be right for me I suppose, so I guess if I do THAT poorly in ochem I'll just have to hold it out for another year and reapply and take ochem1 over. Time will tell...

 

[spacecowgirl]

Spacecowgirl~

THanks for the little ray of hope! Yeah, I think for me it was difficult realizing JUST how HARD I would need to work my tail off in ochem...but I sure hope I will do better next semester.

I'm assuming you already got into pharm school then?

Yup, I was accepted last spring - and that was even before I did better in o-chem II I think so much depends on the prof. My first semester prof was terrible!!! I worked my butt off and still barely got that C. I showed my father, an organic chemist for 30 years, our coursework and he couldn't believe how difficult the class was. My second semester, at another school was 100x better. The prof was so much easier to understand and I actually learned rather than scrambled to scrape by. I remember shedding many a tear over o-chem I

unfortanately, you will need o-chem as it will come back to haunt you in medicinal chemistry

Good luck next semester! I do think the material is easier in o-chem II

PS - I'm orginally from MN too

 

[Longhorn23]

Thanks Longhorn23! I would very much appreciate that web add. I don't think I have my SDN account set up to receive PM's yet if you were going to do it that way...maybe I should get on that. Yeah thanks, I have come a long way. I don't really think nursing would be right for me I suppose, so I guess if I do THAT poorly in ochem I'll just have to hold it out for another year and reapply and take ochem1 over. Time will tell...

Pharmtech I would like to send you a PM w/ the web add but I can't find any link to that. Any ideas?

 

[sweetcalie08]

Hmm, well maybe the PM feature will be enabled again soon? *or so we hope *

 

[VP_Pharm2004]

Hmm, well maybe the PM feature will be enabled again soon? *or so we hope *

I think if you click on the name of the user you want to PM, it will show you some options and "send this user a private message" is one of the options. The user name is on the left of the screen. Hope that helps.

BTW, for some reason under pharmtech77's name, there is no PM option, while the rest of us on this board have that option under our user name. Interesting on why pharmtech77 doesn't have it!

 

[BMBiology]

I posted this a while ago on another thread:

After a year of mostly Cs in general chemistry and biology, I started to doubt my ability to succeed as a bio major. I knew I had to make a change. I spent some time evaluating my situation and more importantly, my seemingly inabillity to do well in chemistry and biology classes. After much contemptation, I realized that I was not learning the concepts, instead I was merely memorizing them. This frank realization changed the way I studied. I started to place heavy emphasis on understanding the concepts, as well as the lectures. I prepared for every lecture, went to office hours, and most importantly, I concentrated on the important concepts. As I did this, my grades did not only slowly but steadily improved, but I was also spending less time studying for my classes. I didn't study harder than before, instead I studied smarter. For the last 3 years, I had a 3.68 GPA while averaging 20 units per quarter. I was granted interview to UCSD, UOP, Western, USC and UCSF. During my UCSF interview, the interviewer even told me it is perfectly understandable that some students struggled during their first year.

Take this opportunity to evaluate your situation and more importantly, learn why you didnt do well. Improvement indicates commitment, determination, and persistance; all qualities that the admissions committee look for in a candidate.