Dropping a Class

[deleted388502]

hey,

I'm a sophomore neuroscience major currently enrolled in organic chemistry, organic chemistry lab, a writing class, research credit, and a neuroscience anatomy class. that anatomy class is kicking my ass but I've been powering through..until I went to my prof's office hours today and she told me to drop the class.
I would have to take a W. We haven't had an exam yet but I can't drop after the exam. I have a 3.6 GPA, 3.5 science, and I've finished all of the hard neuroscience classes in my major except this one. I started working 25 hours a week this year, I got really involved with school, and I feel like I'm neglecting organic chemistry because I'm so involved and I feel like I could do really well in it..my first exam for organic is the day after my first exam for neuro and I feel like I'm going to get decimated this week.

Should I take the W? My end goal is to be competitive for out of state schools, possibly thinking MD/PHd...would this hurt me? I would have to retake this class later on obviously becuase it's for my major, but I'm planning on taking anatomy before so I can get some background.

Any insights appreciated. thanks!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[theseeker4]

hey,

I'm a sophomore neuroscience major currently enrolled in organic chemistry, organic chemistry lab, a writing class, research credit, and a neuroscience anatomy class. that anatomy class is kicking my ass but I've been powering through..until I went to my prof's office hours today and she told me to drop the class.
I would have to take a W. We haven't had an exam yet but I can't drop after the exam. I have a 3.6 GPA, 3.5 science, and I've finished all of the hard neuroscience classes in my major except this one. I started working 25 hours a week this year, I got really involved with school, and I feel like I'm neglecting organic chemistry because I'm so involved and I feel like I could do really well in it..my first exam for organic is the day after my first exam for neuro and I feel like I'm going to get decimated this week.

Should I take the W? My end goal is to be competitive for out of state schools, possibly thinking MD/PHd...would this hurt me? I would have to retake this class later on obviously becuase it's for my major, but I'm planning on taking anatomy before so I can get some background.

Any insights appreciated. thanks!

A W will hurt you less than a drop in your GPA, especially a poor showing in a pre req. Drop the class and make sure you can dedicate the time needed to orgo.

 

[Cipher9422]

Why did she want you to drop the class if there has not been an exam yet? What is your grade as of now?

 

[skiing]

I have 4 W's and I've been getting interviews. You should be ok lol

 

[deleted388502]

well i generally review the material and write down questions about it to go ask the prof for further clarification. apparently my questions were fundamentally flawed and i didn't understand the fundamentals of what we were studying (i was really tired and made some stupid remarks about spinal cord function)..instead of helping me she told me to give up I guess. she's also a med school prof, that's why.....it was also really discouraging in terms of staying premed because I'm one of those people that will never understand anything but work until I do. This is just really frustrating though because the prof wasn't really willing to help me out, and the class description is the NS structure & function for science AND nonscience majors which frustrates me.

 

[Lucky Louie]

What are all the other students saying? Is she too hard and over their heads too? If it's the general consensus, then maybe all of you need to ask her to explain the material at a more basic level. If, OTOH, you are the only one who struggles, then drop the class. Before you do, however, speak with the TA about this. The TA may be a bigger help in providing the rudimentary understanding you may be missing than your professor, especially b/c this professor also teaches at the med school level. Try also to find a tutor who may help. Sometimes, it's just getting an hour or two of basics that can make all the difference in how you're doing.

 

[Ashley1989]

I would give it your best and then come back when you get your test scores back

 

[deleted388502]

see the TA is the frustrating part because she "taught" one of the lectures on arteries - all of the CNS arteries in 20 minutes..it was ridiculous. the sad part is these ARE the basics? i don't even know..

would it really be the worst thing in the world to cut my losses at this point, take a breaj, and just focus on ochem full time? im just afraid of taking this with physics and biochem and still struggling but maybe i'll self study since i have the syllabus now and somewhat and know what to expect? i know i sound like i've made up my mind but i'm literally overwhelmed and want to believe this will be easier later on as a senior. the other students i think are split 50/50 and are mostly upperclassmen. my friends who are intelligent i think are underestimating the class and those that aren't seem to have had prvious background or have their **** together...

i just don't even know. i think my pride is getting in the way as every semester after this will have to be jam packed and i may not be able to study abroad now.

 

[theseeker4]

see the TA is the frustrating part because she "taught" one of the lectures on arteries - all of the CNS arteries in 20 minutes..it was ridiculous. the sad part is these ARE the basics? i don't even know..

would it really be the worst thing in the world to cut my losses at this point, take a breaj, and just focus on ochem full time? im just afraid of taking this with physics and biochem and still struggling but maybe i'll self study since i have the syllabus now and somewhat and know what to expect? i know i sound like i've made up my mind but i'm literally overwhelmed and want to believe this will be easier later on as a senior. the other students i think are split 50/50 and are mostly upperclassmen. my friends who are intelligent i think are underestimating the class and those that aren't seem to have had prvious background or have their **** together...

i just don't even know. i think my pride is getting in the way as every semester after this will have to be jam packed and i may not be able to study abroad now.

It would absolutely be better to take the W. There is also no reason you can't take a little more time to enjoy college, going an extra year won't hurt you at all, especially if it allows you to do something you want to do, like study abroad. Drop the class, get the A's you need, leave enough time to get the grades to stay competitive, and do something for fun, even if you end up with a gap year or taking an extra year to graduate. If you don't, you will wish you had once you are neck deep in med school.

 

[TriagePreMed]

If your reason to drop is because this professor is a jerk that thinks you can't handle it, prove her wrong. Her being a med school professor or doctor is meaningless. She is human and as one will make mistakes. She can think you can't handle it, but you are the only one that truly knows because you know how ready you can be when the time comes. Just because you stumble your way through there won't mean your A will be any less valid than the guy who has it come natural to him.

Sent from my SCH-R910 using Tapatalk

 

[deleted388502]

Just found out I can drop until the 10th week. I have an exam for this class next Tuesday, organic next wednesday. Currently in the midst of an allnighter to catch up on the ochem I've neglected for this class.

Should I suck it up and try to juggle both, take the exam? I am sooo tempted to take the easy way out right now, especially because I just found out that I could take this class when I go abroad to London (UCL) and it would be my only hard science AND there would be an anatomy lab where I could actually get to work with the human brain........bah what to do?!