Do I take a W?

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medicineisforme

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I am taking Chem II and having a very difficult time with it between bad prof, bad weighting emphasis for grade, online learning, and I struggle with Chem.

I have 2 W's on my transcript 1 from an irrelevant course freshman fall semester and 1 from that summer taking Physics I.
My science grades haven't been the best - I know, a necessity for med school - I'm working on it.

Do I take the W and retake Chem II in the Spring or do I stick it out and come what may?
 
The semester only just started so there isn't much to go on. We have the first midterm in a little over a week.
without even first midterm, why are you thinking about withdrawing? You already took a W in a science class. Can you dropout or that day passed?
 
without even first midterm, why are you thinking about withdrawing? You already took a W in a science class. Can you dropout or that day passed?
I'm sure he can always take the W. The question is, what else is he going to do with the time if he drops now, rather than sticking it out now and dropping later if necessary? Bottom line, OP is digging himself a hole. Between multiple Ws and science grades not being the best, it's not going to get any easier to be successful.

That said, one more W is not going to make a difference. I'd say save the GPA, but it doesn't sound like he has a GPA worth saving. Tough spot.
 
Having a week until your midterm is salvageable. Maybe not 99 on the midterm salvageable, but enough to land you in a spot where you should be OK for the rest of the semester. What's working for you? What isn't working? And if you face these challenges again, like in med school, what's your plan of attack then?

I say this gently -- but we have all been there where the format of the course/professor/subject matter was less than desirable. I would recommend you to focus on what you can control. You have some time. If the professor's style of teaching isn't working, there's a plethora of completely free, condensed resources on chem out there.

Do I take the W and retake Chem II in the Spring or do I stick it out and come what may?

I would not think of it as "come what may." That implies you have little choice in what may come, and that mindset is what sets you up for failure.
 
Do I take the W and retake Chem II in the Spring or do I stick it out and come what may?

If you already passed the drop deadline and you're going to get a W no matter when you drop the course, might as well see how part of the semester goes and then decide to take the W later on.
 
I agree with the crowd to see. A week is a good amount of time. Work hard and push yourself through it. There are a lot of resources if you don't like your prof just look over what they teach and YouTube it? I think Chad's Videos does a great job summarizing content quickly.

For O-Chem I just worshipped our textbook (but attended lecture) and physics I didn't even go to lecture cause it was so vague being such an open field I had to just practice a ton. I don't suggest skipping lectures -- but you know you best, make the most of your time.
 
At my university, the drop date isn't until late October. If it is like that at your school, why not just wait? It will come out on your transcript regardless so give it a shot.

Made an A in Chem 2 and I was also a supplemental instructor for it. Best advice = read ahead . you should know what the professor is talking about during class; it SHOULDN'T be the first time you are seeing that information. TheOrganicChemistryTutor is the best Gen Chem channel; I always tell my students I will name my first son after him lol.
 
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