Chemistry- The dreaded "W"

Started by Trying2BMD
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Trying2BMD

Trying2BMD

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Hello Everyone!

Im a long time lurker and I appreciate all the advice you all have to give.
A little history.. I graduated High school in 1998, didnt have financial help from my parents to start college right away so I started in 2011 while working full-time. My husband and I both attend College, work and have a daughter who is 8.
My major is pre-med with aspirations of becoming an OB/GYN. I usually take 2 classes in Fall/Spring Semester and 1 class in the summer.
Math and Science has been my weak point. I got a C in Precal & Cal, and a D in Prin. of Chemistry 1211 the first time I took it. I took a break from Chem until this semester. Midterm grades we just posted and I have an F :-( I decided that the risk was to great so I Withdrew. Im so sad about this. Ive signed up on Khan Aca, Ive met with my professor to get some extra help but I feel like I need more. I feel like a failure and almost want to just give up but becoming an OB/GYN is such a passion of mine I just cant let it go.

What advise can you give to better my chances of getting a better understanding of Chemistry and will these grades look terrible when I do decide to apply to Med School?
 
With Chemistry, you need to put in the time. I have met very few people who seem to have an innate ability to pick up the concepts in chemistry. For the rest of us, it is a matter of putting in the time, using resources (like Kahn academy and office hours) and perhaps hiring a tutor. If you are working full time and still struggling, you may need to cut down your course load or work load (I totally understand if this is not possible). Start by identifying what material is challenging for you (concepts, calculations, names, etc) and then talk to professors to figure out what you can do to prepare for retaking it.




Trying2BMD said:
Hello Everyone!

Im a long time lurker and I appreciate all the advice you all have to give.
A little history.. I graduated High school in 1998, didnt have financial help from my parents to start college right away so I started in 2011 while working full-time. My husband and I both attend College, work and have a daughter who is 8.
My major is pre-med with aspirations of becoming an OB/GYN. I usually take 2 classes in Fall/Spring Semester and 1 class in the summer.
Math and Science has been my weak point. I got a C in Precal & Cal, and a D in Prin. of Chemistry 1211 the first time I took it. I took a break from Chem until this semester. Midterm grades we just posted and I have an F :-( I decided that the risk was to great so I Withdrew. Im so sad about this. Ive signed up on Khan Aca, Ive met with my professor to get some extra help but I feel like I need more. I feel like a failure and almost want to just give up but becoming an OB/GYN is such a passion of mine I just cant let it go.

What advise can you give to better my chances of getting a better understanding of Chemistry and will these grades look terrible when I do decide to apply to Med School?
Click to expand...
 
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Chemistry success involves practice problems, hands down. Do the practice problems in the textbook and find others online to work on. The repetition will help in learning the concept(s).

A withdraw here or there won't hinder you in the grand scheme of things, but for this course coming off a lower grade doesn't help establish a good trend. Talk to folks who have passed the class and bounce thoughts off of them.
 
Thank you so much for the advice! I think next semester Im just going to take Chem alone so I can focus on that only. Taking one class may put me back but I really want to understand it not just get by.
 
When I see your math grades and then see you're struggling with general chemistry, my first guess is that your problem is math and not chemistry. How hard or easy you find general chemistry and physics will depend heavily on your mathematical competency. Since that's 50% of your typical premed science prereqs, any time spent brushing up on math skills is time well spent.
 
I agree with the comment above. Since you struggled in pre-calc, have you considered starting at a lower level math class and working your way up just to make sure you mastered the skills? You could do this through independent study with a math center for help (many universities have them free of charge) or hire a college student to tutor you. This won't increase your GPA in the short term but will help you in the long run. You could also re-take those math classes. If you earn higher scores, DO schools allow for grade replacement while MD schools allow the grades to average.

From personal experience, not knowing the math made chemistry really tough. I took calc 5 years ago (earned a B-) and started chem without doing a very robust refresh of the material. I spent more time learning math than learning the chemistry. Any time on math is time well spent.
 
W's don't look great, but if you have an upward trend it won't be as big of a deal. Just try not to make withdrawing a trend, and it will probably never even get mentioned.
 
I'm contemplating withdrawing from BIO II. My current grade is a C. Although I aced the first exam, I keep failing the labs and can't get a explanation from the professor as to why my lab questions are insufficient.

I know it's bad taste to blame your professors for poor grades but this particular BIO professor has a Ph.D. in Chemistry (teaches several Chem classes) and is extremely disorganized presenting BIO material. I'd rather drop it (but keep seeing money being flushed down the toilet) and get an actual BIO department professor over the summer or online.
 
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