C in ochem?

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?

 

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

 

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.

 

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!

 

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

 

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!

 

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!

 

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

 

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

 

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!

 

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.