In nervous breakdown mode

[idiotext]

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Alright guys. This is my first post, so I apologize if I break any forum rules. I found about this forum from Something Awful. Was skimming their premed/med thread and saw several references to this lovely forum.

Here's the deal. I can't really breathe as I'm typing this because I'm starting to realize that I may as well give up now, but...

I just finished my first semester of sophomore year at SDSU. Got a 3.55 overall...aced every class except for organic chemistry lecture I. Got a nice, fat, C. My cumulative GPA is a 3.2. I was an idiot and got straight B's my first year of college, including a lovely C+ in first semester of calculus.

Should I retake O Chem I? Should I go straight into O Chem II? Should I give up entirely? Help, please. I have a feeling I will not be sleeping tonight.

 

[BBender716]

Reeelax. You still have many options.

MD will be tougher, but if you show a STRONG upward trend, pull cGPA + sGPA to 3.6 each and get 32+ on the MCAT you will have a decent shot (assuming your extracurriculars are in line).

DO will be much easier. You can retake O-chem and calculus to have it replace the first grades since DO calculates GPAs with only the most recent grades (retakes replace original grades). That will significantly help you. Also, you will not need 32+, though that would help as well.

Your dreams are NOT dashed! Make sure you keep your eyes on the prize and your options open, DO = MD. Best of luck! 🙂

 

[TheMightySmiter]

I think that you still have a chance at MD schools as long as you have no grade slip-ups from here on out. An A in o-chem II can redeem your C in o-chem I. You might also consider delaying your application by a year to maximize your GPA improvement, and to give yourself more time for very strong ECs. All is not lost!

 

[tennisball80]

You have improved your GPA since your bad freshman year. It's very good. If you can keep up your good grades from now on, you should be fine.

I don't think it's necessary for you to retake the O chem 1.

 

[Dude Man Bro Man]

You're really not that bad off, plenty of people do so-so their first year. Also, orgo tends to be a hard class and ADCOM's know this. Like BBender said, just work on an improvement and get a good amount of studying in for your MCAT when the time comes. Notice that you still have a few years to go before you get to play this waiting game they call the admissions process, so take a breath and just focus on next semester.

Believe me, you should relax for now and just do as well as you can and see where you are when it comes time to fill out your AMCAS, then decide which path to take. There will be plenty of stress to come when you're waiting to hear from schools.

 

[idiotext]

Thanks for the support and encouragement guys. I just bawled my eyes out but I feel slightly better now. I'm really glad I found this forum.

Edit: Has anyone taken second semester o chem after getting a C in first semester, and done okay? Is it possible to do well second semester if you haven't aced first?

 

[Catalystik]

Has anyone taken second semester o chem after getting a C in first semester, and done okay? Is it possible to do well second semester if you haven't aced first?

If you did poorly due to harsh grading policies from the professor, if you strategize on the second professor, it's certainly possible to get an A in the second course. If you really didn't understand the material well, your chances are low, and you should probably retake OChem I so you have a good enough grasp of the material to do well on the MCAT. You could consider doing this at a community college over the summer.

Many med schools let you substitute Biochem for OChem II. You should check into the schools you'd most want to attend and see what their requirements are. Perhaps you can save yourself the angst of OChem II.

 

[J ROD]

Thanks for the support and encouragement guys. I just bawled my eyes out but I feel slightly better now. I'm really glad I found this forum.

Edit: Has anyone taken second semester o chem after getting a C in first semester, and done okay? Is it possible to do well second semester if you haven't aced first?

It can be done and I would recommend that you at least get a B+ to make up for that C in Ochem I.

You have to be clean the rest of the way and raise the GPA and get a strong MCAT 33+. Work hard on your ECs to help out with the GPA. I think taking an extra yr is also a great idea to give yourself more time to recover. Cali is probably the hardest state to get into MD school so you may want to relocate to another state and establish instate residency there so you can have a better shot. For example, I wouldnt even have had a shot in Cali. Something to think about....for everyone....that might be the biggest difference you can make!!

 

[c4e]

Edit: Has anyone taken second semester o chem after getting a C in first semester, and done okay? Is it possible to do well second semester if you haven't aced first?

It is possible to do well in the second semester of organic chemistry, on the condition that you know first semester organic chemistry well, since everything eventually becomes cumulative in terms of synthesis reactions. I recommend that you review and fill in any gaps with first semester before second semester starts, since trying to figure out the material from first semester as you go along in tandem with second semester will be very difficult, as second semester is generally more difficult and (again) builds on first semester's material.

 

[Dude Man Bro Man]

It is possible to do well in the second semester of organic chemistry, on the condition that you know first semester organic chemistry well, since everything eventually becomes cumulative in terms of synthesis reactions. I recommend that you review and fill in any gaps with first semester before second semester starts, since trying to figure out the material from first semester as you go along in tandem with second semester will be very difficult, as second semester is generally more difficult and (again) builds on first semester's material.

I agree with this for the most part. I don't know about your school, but at mine the 2nd semester had a different focus which was more on synthesis, whereas the first semester was more focused on intramolecular interactions, ie steric hinderance and other configurational concerns. So I guess talk to people who have taken 2nd semester and see if the material is stuff that you feel comfortable tackling.

 

[idiotext]

Cali is probably the hardest state to get into MD school so you may want to relocate to another state and establish instate residency there so you can have a better shot.

I'm definitely leaving the state. When I started getting everything together, I realized any of the UC schools are not an option and I am also out of the other private school's leagues...

What is this substitution of biochem for o chem II option? I've looked around on plenty of med school sites and most of the ones I've seen have said a year of organic in addition to biochem...also, considering my lowish GPA (projected 3.5/3.6), would a year of o chem (o chem I and II) make me more competitive than just a semester?

 

[J ROD]

I'm definitely leaving the state. When I started getting everything together, I realized any of the UC schools are not an option and I am also out of the other private school's leagues...

What is this substitution of biochem for o chem II option? I've looked around on plenty of med school sites and most of the ones I've seen have said a year of organic in addition to biochem...also, considering my lowish GPA (projected 3.5/3.6), would a year of o chem (o chem I and II) make me more competitive than just a semester?

Personally, I would take Ochem II and Biochem.

 

[BBender716]

Personally, I would take Ochem II and Biochem.

I didn't, but wish I did. Take both and you'll have the most options with regards to schools.