First Quarter of College: To Stay Or Drop Chemistry?

[MunniMD]

Hi!
I'm a first-year at the University of Chicago, and to say in the least, this quarter has been horrible. I wasn't too keen on coming here and have walked along the borders of depression mainly because of that. I dropped down from four classes (the max) to three (the minimum) just so I could focus more on chemistry (and to make matters even more sad, I'm in Chem101) and just found out that I have a C in the class (which is a 2.0 GPA). I took chem during my sophomore year in high school but the class was really crappy and we didn't have any APs offered at our school that could prepare me for anything close to what UofC would be like.

I'm unhappy here, but am willing to give it a shot and know that I am not willing to give up medicine just because of a bad grade. My question to you all is, do you think I should withdraw because of my C? In order to make it into a B/low B I'd need to do a standard deviation and a half better than the class, and the chances of that happening is unlikely.

I wanted to withdraw (how bad is it to take a W on your transcript) and take it over the summer at an accredited to not only get a better grade on the subject, but also to gain a better grasp on it. Right now, all the material is being thrown at me too fast and I'm not able to comprehend as much as I should in order to succeed later on.

My finals are in two days, so I need to make a decision fast. I ask friends and family that are medical school students/residents and they advise me to take a W and retake it somewhere else to understand it and get a better grade, but my professor thinks I should stick with my C.

What should I do? Ideally, I'd like to go to one of the top medical schools, so I don't want anything that would just "get me by" but something that would optimize my chances at some of the best medical schools for the future.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

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[He2]

just as a side note, i got a solid C in calc my first semester. its not a death sentence.

but i would take the W

 

[Kimaris]

Your school allows you to drop this late in the game. Thats pretty amazing. If you think there is a chance that you could get a "D" then I would def. drop it. I would only retake a class if you knew for certain you could make an A in it.

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I would take the W. I'd also consider transferring schools if I were you. It's not right for you to be so unhappy and the fact that you got into UChicago in the first place tells me that you probably have a lot of other options. It's not worth being miserable for your four years of college.

 

[MunniMD]

I do feel that it would be easier getting an A in Chemistry from say...an accredited state school, the only problem is that at most of the summer chemistry classes that I've been looking at offer Chem101 and Chem102, meaning I'd have to take either or during the summer instead of taking an all-year comprehensive course, which may set me back for med school?

And so early in my college career, I'm not yet thinking too much about taking a break after undergrad.

@MightySmiter
I agree with you! It's just that putting so much time and not getting much out of Chem to the point where not only am I sacrificing my peace of mind but having it affect my grades in my other class, I don't feel like I'd be a good transfer candidate for this year. I haven't been able to join many clubs or do much outside of doing my homework and trying to study for midterms/finals.

 

[chrisski]

It sounds like if you drop you will fall below full time student status. Depending on your situation, this could be very bad. You will lose your dependent status with your parents. Look into this first.

 

[MunniMD]

It sounds like if you drop you will fall below full time student status. Depending on your situation, this could be very bad. You will lose your dependent status with your parents. Look into this first.

Yes, sadly there will be consequences. Since it's at the end of the quarter, it won't change my financial aid and I will be enrolling for 4 courses next quarter (only if I don't take chem). Since I'll be at less than the required amount of classes, I'll be put on academic warning (which WONT' be shown on my transcript), which just means that I'll have an eye kept on me and my GPA can't be less than 1.75 or else I'll get put on probation, and I'll just have to take the full amount of classes for the next two quarters (which I had planned on doing anyway).

 

[EmpathMan]

Hey Munni,

Getting a C in your first chemistry course in college isn't bad really. Do you feel that you can do better in Chem 2, Organic Chemistry, Biochem? You should think about if you think you can do better in the next courses, and if you can, getting one C isn't gonna hurt ya. As for transferring, yeah, if you went to some state school, you could probably get better grades. Only do this if you really feel like staying at the University of Chicago is really depressing and you don't like it at all (0%). Finally, keep in mind that, you're at a top 10 national university, it's okay to not get like a 3.8+ GPA. I've been told that medical schools take into account where you went for your undergrad. At a super top-notch college like yours, it's alright to get some lower grades when compared to going to a state school I believe. Anyway, best of luck, hang in tight, you can do it!

 

[red10]

You're a freshmen. Med schools understand having a hard first semester. I wouldn't drop unless you KNOW you can get much much better next time. Also consider that summer courses tend to be a faster pace than regular term courses so if you think it's coming at you fast now, it'll be as bad or worse over summer, even if you have all the time in the world to study.

 

[mmmcdowe]

Yes it is. Don't listen to this guy. If you have a C in your first chem class, that means you hate it. this is just a sample of what is about to come at you. it will be ten times tougher than people on this forum explain it. save yourself the trouble of retaking the class, and switch majors.

Yes, that's the only possible reason for getting a C. Getting a D means you have a near sociopathic hatred for your professor. Getting a F, shoot, I'd have to warn the chem department to check their stores of volatile chemicals.

Troll btw.

 

[MunniMD]

Hey Munni,

Getting a C in your first chemistry course in college isn't bad really. Do you feel that you can do better in Chem 2, Organic Chemistry, Biochem? You should think about if you think you can do better in the next courses, and if you can, getting one C isn't gonna hurt ya. As for transferring, yeah, if you went to some state school, you could probably get better grades. Only do this if you really feel like staying at the University of Chicago is really depressing and you don't like it at all (0%). Finally, keep in mind that, you're at a top 10 national university, it's okay to not get like a 3.8+ GPA. I've been told that medical schools take into account where you went for your undergrad. At a super top-notch college like yours, it's alright to get some lower grades when compared to going to a state school I believe. Anyway, best of luck, hang in tight, you can do it!

I do feel like I could do better, it's just that I'm still getting used to college, esp. one like UofC. Studying has been nonexistent in my life so far, so being able to handle college classes and on top of that, a college science class that weeds kids out is another thing.

 

[MunniMD]

Yes, that's the only possible reason for getting a C. Getting a D means you have a near sociopathic hatred for your professor. Getting a F, shoot, I'd have to warn the chem department to check their stores of volatile chemicals.

Troll btw.

Yeah I'm new here, so seeing that kind of response was kind of...
what would you recommend, though? =)

 

[MunniMD]

I would withdraw from the class and try to get everything in order. Then, reevaluate your educational plan and make adjustments as necessary.

Just wondering, but by this do you mean reconsider medicine?
I know that medicine is what I want to do, I've just always had a strong dislike for chemistry, so I think that is probably a small reason as to why I'm doing not nearly as well as I could in the class.

But despite that, I know I want to do medicine (maybe I sound like one of the many over-zealous other undergrads that come here saying the same thing, lol).

 

[softmed]

Fun story:

I never took any science in high school. None. I took art and business. I jumped straight into the whole science thing my first year at college and I got As in all my classes despite my complete unfamiliarity with Chemistry and Biology. They set these freshmen classes up so that anyone from any background can jump right in, learn the basics, and be on equal footing. The fact that your sophomore class in HS wasn't particularly good doesn't matter.

Actually that wasn't a fun story at all.

So here's my advice:

I'd give it another semester. Perhaps your teacher was bad, or perhaps there was something going on in your life you didn't tell us about. Most people have a bad grade once or twice, it's how you deal with it that's a measure of your true character. If you don't do well next semester, I really would consider another major.

 

[MunniMD]

You're a freshmen. Med schools understand having a hard first semester. I wouldn't drop unless you KNOW you can get much much better next time. Also consider that summer courses tend to be a faster pace than regular term courses so if you think it's coming at you fast now, it'll be as bad or worse over summer, even if you have all the time in the world to study.

That's true, and I have thought over that. But then I also think that at least in the summer I would have more time (I feel if I had more time and didn't have to worry about my other classes, I'd be doing better), and a class at a state school would comparitively be a little easier, no?

 

[Global Warming]

Fun story:

I never took any science in high school. None. I took art and business. I jumped straight into the whole science thing my first year at college and I got As in all my classes despite my complete unfamiliarity with Chemistry and Biology. They set these freshmen classes up so that anyone from any background can jump right in, learn the basics, and be on equal footing. The fact that your sophomore class in HS wasn't particularly good doesn't matter.

Actually that wasn't a fun story at all.

So here's my advice:

I'd give it another semester. Perhaps your teacher was bad, or perhaps there was something going on in your life you didn't tell us about. Most people have a bad grade once or twice, it's how you deal with it that's a measure of your true character. If you don't do well next semester, I really would consider another major.

Same. OP don't give excuses to justify WHY you didn't do well. The second you take responsibility and admit that you failed b/c you didn't study much, the better it will be. Let this be a lesson to you, your family may have sympathy for you, but the world will not. I surely have zero sympathy for you. We all were freshmans in college at some point, but why do some people make it and some don't?

Take the W, get your affairs in order, and try it again!!

 

[s1lver]

Here's what I would do if I were you:

* Take the W
* Enroll in a pre-Chem class
* Get out of UofC (why are you at a school that you're not happy with? Boggles the mind...)

Chem at my school was just like a Math class - you basically just memorize the formula and do all the problems in your book and online and you should be golden. I spent like 30 mins to an hour every day just doing problems over and over.

 

[MunniMD]

Same. OP don't give excuses to justify WHY you didn't do well. The second you take responsibility and admit that you failed b/c you didn't study much, the better it will be. Let this be a lesson to you, your family may have sympathy for you, but the world will not. I surely have zero sympathy for you. We all were freshmans in college at some point, but why do some people make it and some don't?

Take the W, get your affairs in order, and try it again!!

Thank you for your dosage of reality?
I'm not going to say that I didn't study much, because I did, notice that I did say that I could do better because I genuinely think I can. If I wanted to make up excuses to get people to sympathize for me, I would've gone elsewhere and not come here for advice.

There is something called depression, family problems, all to have to deal with the transition into college, that is what I had run into this quarter. Maybe your hs prepared you for the transition better than mine did?

 

[EmpathMan]

Hey Munni,

I think what Global basically meant was that everyone has a tough time transitioning into college y'know? If you don't, then well, props to you hehe. But for most people, moving out away from their parents into a foreign setting without any friends and stuff may seem extremely overwhelming. The first year is always the toughest for many people because it takes time adjusting to such a new setting and period in your life. You just have to keep your mind on the gold and think positively. Do you really want to be a doctor with all your heart and soul and might? If you do, then you can SURELY get through chemistry. Don't let negative thoughts about courses affect you!

Besides that though, I really am sorry that you're dealing with depression, family problems, e.t.c. I know how you feel, just try not to let it master you. You are the master of your emotions and internal thoughts, work on optimism. You'll be okay, just give it time, and try not to freak out too much. 🙂