How important is chemistry in med school?

[jayjayjayz]

I failed 2/2 labs, 60 each, failed 2/2 quizzes, scored 45 on both. What else can I say? I'm not sure if I want to be a doctor after all of this. I"m considering dropping chem and never ever touch a science course again. Seriouslly, I don't know if I should continue or drop it. I would love to help and cure the sick but chem is not my stuff.

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[lord_jeebus]

Not that important beyond a few basic science courses, but if you can't handle general chemistry, med school is going to be quite a challenge.

 

[Law2Doc]

I failed 2/2 labs, 60 each, failed 2/2 quizzes, scored 45 on both. What else can I say? I'm not sure if I want to be a doctor after all of this. I"m considering dropping chem and never ever touch a science course again. Seriouslly, I don't know if I should continue or drop it. I would love to help and cure the sick but chem is not my stuff.

Sounds like you need to take a break from the sciences and come back to it sometime down the road. Some things click for different people at different times.

 

[cheezer]

Sounds like you need to take a break from the sciences and come back to it sometime down the road. Some things click for different people at different times.

this is one possibility. the other is that you didnt study hard enough. ask yourself which one it is

 

[pakbabydoll]

Mybe you just need to study. General chem is not that hard. It's challenging but it is not something you would want to drop medical school for. However if you want to drop MD school just because of one class then mybe it is not for you. In the end it all depends on you.

 

[Enthalpy430]

I failed 2/2 labs, 60 each, failed 2/2 quizzes, scored 45 on both. What else can I say? I'm not sure if I want to be a doctor after all of this. I"m considering dropping chem and never ever touch a science course again. Seriouslly, I don't know if I should continue or drop it. I would love to help and cure the sick but chem is not my stuff.

Is this Gen Chem I and how much time did you spend studying?

I had trouble in the beginning of Gen Chem I. In fact, I failed two quizzes and got a D on my first exam. I analyzed the situation and realized I wasn't investing my time like I should have been.

For me, Gen Chem was all about repetition. I did every single problem in the backs of the chapters; sometimes several times. It paid off and I turned my grade around into an A.

I'm now a grader for the same professor. Stop by your professor's office during hours or see if his grader offers tutoring if you need it.

Oddly enough, I've barely studied for Organic this semester and think it's much easier to understand than Gen Chem ever was. It's just how my brain works I suppose.

 

[Nasem]

I failed 2/2 labs, 60 each, failed 2/2 quizzes, scored 45 on both. What else can I say? I'm not sure if I want to be a doctor after all of this. I"m considering dropping chem and never ever touch a science course again. Seriouslly, I don't know if I should continue or drop it. I would love to help and cure the sick but chem is not my stuff.

it might be that your just so bored with the class...
Wanting to be a doctor is a sacrifice, its not a "gift" or a "dream" (even thought some people think it is). You have to sit there and "sacrifice" the hell out of your time to learn something that you probebly never going to use in your life.... If you can't underestand something in chemistry, sit there for a few hrs a day, and more hours on the weekends, turn off your cell phone and TV, and read your chapters inside out and solve every problem in that chapter.... thats how you get good at sciences classes that you don't underestand at first (by the way, this DOES NOT apply to biology, biology is tearing me a new one these days)....

 

[Bacchus]

Nasem, you described my pchem experiences. Oh how I love sitting there and thinkin, Hmm... when am I going to use this?

 

[mindquick]

chemistry knowledge can only be a good thing.

 

[NonTradMed]

General chemistry is pretty important in med school. Much of biology is based off of basic chemistry so understanding molecular interactions, ions etc is required in order to get through some of the med school's classes.

If you are sick of science classes, take a break from it. Med school is all about science classes. If you don't think you can handle undergrad science courses, perhaps it's time to rethink med school. Take a break and see if something else comes up. 🙂

 

[Arc]

Is this Gen Chem I and how much time did you spend studying?

I had trouble in the beginning of Gen Chem I. In fact, I failed two quizzes and got a D on my first exam. I analyzed the situation and realized I wasn't investing my time like I should have been.

For me, Gen Chem was all about repetition. I did every single problem in the backs of the chapters; sometimes several times. It paid off and I turned my grade around into an A.

I'm now a grader for the same professor. Stop by your professor's office during hours or see if his grader offers tutoring if you need it.

Oddly enough, I've barely studied for Organic this semester and think it's much easier to understand than Gen Chem ever was. It's just how my brain works I suppose.

Thats the same exact thing I'm going through. I think I spend more time getting to class than actually studying for O-chem.

 

[Arc]

Oh and OP, you should check your comprehension skills. Not trying to call you stupid, but maybe, just maybe, you are making an effort to read the material, but it isn't registering in your mind. I think that's what your problem may be. Do you have a rough time in Biology classes, or any other class that is mainly theory?

 

[GoldShadow]

Nasem, you described my pchem experiences. Oh how I love sitting there and thinkin, Hmm... when am I going to use this?

Heh. Are you a chem major? One of my chem major friends freaks out every few days about how she has to take p-chem next year.

chemistry knowledge can only be a good thing.

*SAVED*
I may have to print out something like this and hang it up around the campus student health center.

 

[LifetimeDoc]

Heh. Are you a chem major? One of my chem major friends freaks out every few days about how she has to take p-chem next year.


*SAVED*
I may have to print out something like this and hang it up around the campus student health center.

I love that poster! 🙂 hehe

I was a chemistry major, and physical chemistry did a number on my GPA. It was the worst possible course ever!

As far as chemistry goes, you need to know your basic science fundamentals and everything that is covered in an undergraduate biochemistry course. Lab chemistry isn't really covered, so I wouldn't sweat it if you are struggling with the labs. But the lecture material you'll need to know.

In the first four weeks of my medical school, we blasted through undergraduate biochemistry I and most of biochemistry II (along with some histology, majority of genetics, and a hefty helping of cell bio). It's all about science for the "biochemistry" part of medical school. No way around it, I'm afraid.

 

[jayjayjayz]

haha good responses! well first off, I spent a ****LOAD of time on chem. Spent 2 hours doing the homework which I got a 60 on. Studied about 3 hours for a quiz and failed. Spent 4 hours on lab and still failed. I'm not having a hard time at all in any other classes. I'm guessing chem isn't my stuff 🙄 and away with med school! Goodluck to ya future doctors and I truly admire your commitment to being one.

 

[Bacchus]

haha good responses! well first off, I spent a ****LOAD of time on chem. Spent 2 hours doing the homework which I got a 60 on. Studied about 3 hours for a quiz and failed. Spent 4 hours on lab and still failed. I'm not having a hard time at all in any other classes. I'm guessing chem isn't my stuff 🙄 and away with med school! Goodluck to ya future doctors and I truly admire your commitment to being one.

I feel you wasted our time...

 

[xpinchx]

haha good responses! well first off, I spent a ****LOAD of time on chem. Spent 2 hours doing the homework which I got a 60 on. Studied about 3 hours for a quiz and failed. Spent 4 hours on lab and still failed. I'm not having a hard time at all in any other classes. I'm guessing chem isn't my stuff 🙄 and away with med school! Goodluck to ya future doctors and I truly admire your commitment to being one.

So that's it? A couple bad grades in one class and you quit? There's no rule that says you aren't allowed to change your mind, but a small setback like a bad grade shouldn't keep you from what you want to do. Although if that's all it took then maybe you're just not cut out for it.

 

[neuro1617]

haha good responses! well first off, I spent a ****LOAD of time on chem. Spent 2 hours doing the homework which I got a 60 on. Studied about 3 hours for a quiz and failed. Spent 4 hours on lab and still failed. I'm not having a hard time at all in any other classes. I'm guessing chem isn't my stuff 🙄 and away with med school! Goodluck to ya future doctors and I truly admire your commitment to being one.

Maybe if all it took was a bit of a struggle in gen chem, then you aren't cut out for medicine. You can't expect to get through a career like medicine giving up so easily. If I only had a dollar for every time I said I was dropping my major b/c/o organic chemistry 1 & 2...I'm also much more of a bio person but all the classes are stepping stones to where you want to go.

 

[Quix]

Chemistry is very important in medical school - acid-base dysfunctions (acidoses & alkaloses) are regulated by cation/anion concentrations (which drive H+ / HCO3- shifts), for instance.

Anyway, I understand your feelings of frustration. My first time through college (94-98), I actively avoided the sciences. I was 26 went I went back for the post-bacc program and took everything I didn't the first time around, and ended up teaching Gen. Chem Labs (I & II). Give it time - you may find that the material clicks for you later. Explore some other interests; college and medical school will always be there, and you may find yourself more in the mindset in a few years. Undergraduates generally don't know who they are or who they will be in ten years time; it can wait.

 

[curlywurly]

Honestly, gen chem sucks. I took both semesters last year and hated it. I found the material boring and therefore it was really hard to apply myself.

If you really want to be a doctor, don't give up so easily. Some people just aren't chemistry people. You just have to suck it up and make it through, and then you can move on to some more interesting classes.

Keep in mind, though, that you are going to encounter classes that are MUCH harder then gen chem, both in undergrad and medical school. With the exception of a few classes, it's not going to get any easier.

I think you should try to at least make it through the first semester. Talk to your TA, go to a study group, get a tutor, and do LOTS of practice problems. If at the end of the semester you feel the same way then maybe it will be time for you to reevaluate your career goals. Good luck!

 

[collegefootball]

Yes you will need to learn the basics of chemistry. It took me two years to finally get a strong grasp for how chemical reactions take place. I got a C in both semesters of general chemistry and organic chemistry. I then had the highest grade in my biochemistry class (97 percent). All of my classmates that were in the biochemistry class all got A's and B's in general chem and organic chem. I just had a tough time grasping the concepts of ions, cations, reactions, how to do the calculations, and so forth. What came easy to me was naming a molecule, recognizing a functional group, memorizing the structure of all 20 amino acids, memorzing bond strenghts and distance between bods in a covalent bond, and why and how certain reactions take place. I even had to memorizing the structure, function, and active form of every vitamin. We also had to calculate pH, pKa, and Vm in the biochem course.

I had one classmate that always got a perfect exam score in the general and organic exams. I finally got a better exam score then this student in my biochem course because I was able to finally understand the material better then him because I have more interest in the material to do my interests in metabolic disorders. Heck, I'm now taking some graduate school courses in the sciences while he is still taking microbiology and other basic science courses and we started college at the same time.

You need to give yourself time. If you need to retake the first semester of gen chem, then you will need to retake. All you have to do is explain that you had a tough time grasping the material and wanted to do some preperation work to learn the material since you have such a strong interest and love for the sciences/medicine. You then will need to show it in your grades (upper level grades show your understanding better then general courses in my opinion).

 

[mrjbb]

haha good responses! well first off, I spent a ****LOAD of time on chem. Spent 2 hours doing the homework which I got a 60 on. Studied about 3 hours for a quiz and failed. Spent 4 hours on lab and still failed. I'm not having a hard time at all in any other classes. I'm guessing chem isn't my stuff 🙄 and away with med school! Goodluck to ya future doctors and I truly admire your commitment to being one.

Although realizing that becoming a doctor early is a good thing in a lot of instances, I'm so sorry to inform you that getting one or two or even three bad grades in a course is a COMPLETELY unacceptable reason to quit on medicine.

Wow, I'm sorry but I don't even know how you EVER considered becoming a doctor or how you expect to make it ANYWHERE in life with that attitude and mindset.

It's ok if you don't want to or realized for several other (good) reasons that you don't want to become a doctor anymore, however how do you my friend expect to make it in life when as soon as something goes wrong or gets hard you decide to quit?

IMO I think you should/need to reevaluate your life and think about where you mentally and emotionally stand.. With that mind set, (sorry to beat a dead horse with a stick) you will NOT excel in life (Speaking from past experiences........ 😉) Good Luck to you.....

 

[pakbabydoll]

Don't feel bad, I got a 71 on my first chem test and I am in intro!. I think it was because I had a biology, and math test on the same day as my chemistry test and since I like biology I spent more time studying for it. Then came math because I am not good in math. However thats not an excuse. you can't just give up every time you get a bad grade. Thats part of life.
Maybe you should take intro first. At my school the only difference between intro and gen chem one is that gen chem goes a lot faster, other then that both classes are same. I know because my friend is taking gen chem and I am in intro and we do the same exact stuff which kind of suxs but what you gonna do.
After intro when you take gen chem it will be a lot easier for you.

 

[Enthalpy430]

haha good responses! well first off, I spent a ****LOAD of time on chem. Spent 2 hours doing the homework which I got a 60 on. Studied about 3 hours for a quiz and failed. Spent 4 hours on lab and still failed. I'm not having a hard time at all in any other classes. I'm guessing chem isn't my stuff 🙄 and away with med school! Goodluck to ya future doctors and I truly admire your commitment to being one.

That's really not a lot of time to be honest.

When I was in Chem I and II, I probably spent 80% of my study time just on those classes. I wasn't working or volunteering then, so I'd estimate about 32-40 hours per week on Chem.

I'd come home from class, sit at the desk and just work problems until 2am. Sometimes, that's just what it takes.

If you're already deciding it's not for you, then it's probably for the best. I'm sure you'll find the right path for you, though.

 

[45408]

Although realizing that becoming a doctor early is a good thing in a lot of instances, I'm so sorry to inform you that getting one or two or even three bad grades in a course is a COMPLETELY unacceptable reason to quit on medicine.

I wouldn't sweat it. Someone who is bailing out at the first sign of trouble wouldn't have nearly the dedication to go through all the hoops required for medicine. I wouldn't try to convince the OP otherwise.