on cusp in orgo I course

[chlc]

orgo I hasn't been going so hot for me this semester. The final day for dropping is tomorrow and based on the updated midterm grade as of yesterday I have a 65% in the course. I barely understand the material and I'm trying really hard and have been exploring tutoring options but nothing seems to be helping.

Here's my current uni standing:

In second year at 4 year uni (UIC)

Courses taken so far:

Gen Chem 1 & 2 - C
English - A
Span 103 & 104 - B

Taken at a community college:
Calc I - C
Gen Bio 1 - A

Courses in progress:

PUBH 110 - A
PSYCH 100 - A
Gen Bio 2 - B
Organic Chemistry 1 - ???

Right now I have a 2.83 GPA (i have weak math reasoning skills contributing to my issues with calculus and gen chem i & II)

My main concern is since there are 4 quizzes left ( we do not have exams only quizzes) and a final exam idk if I should take the risk and try and get a C by getting a 90 % or higher on the remaining quizzes (considering my highest grade on a quiz so far is 50%), or if I should withdraw and retake it next semester. I feel like I could do it, but i don't see how I can go from failing quizzes to getting A's in a matter of a week

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[chlc]

The professor has stated several times that he will not be curving the course (if he did I would be fine ), so I'm not banking on that. I'm just trying to avoid dropping and retaking a course I could have gotten a passing grade in at least and did much better in following courses. I'm on track to get all A's this semester with organic chem I being the exception.

Posted it in this forum since it seems DO schools are tiny bit more lenient and will accept grade recalcs (I'm avoiding having to do this as well because I feel I could better explain a W in organic chemistry rather than a D or F in organic chemistry)

 

[Playdoh4lyfe]

orgo I hasn't been going so hot for me this semester. The final day for dropping is tomorrow and based on the updated midterm grade as of yesterday I have a 65% in the course. I barely understand the material and I'm trying really hard and have been exploring tutoring options but nothing seems to be helping.

Here's my current uni standing:

In second year at 4 year uni (UIC)

Courses taken so far:

Gen Chem 1 & 2 - C
English - A
Span 103 & 104 - B

Taken at a community college:
Calc I - C
Gen Bio 1 - A

Courses in progress:

PUBH 110 - A
PSYCH 100 - A
Gen Bio 2 - B
Organic Chemistry 1 - ???

Right now I have a 2.83 GPA (i have weak math reasoning skills contributing to my issues with calculus and gen chem i & II)

My main concern is since there are 4 quizzes left ( we do not have exams only quizzes) and a final exam idk if I should take the risk and try and get a C by getting a 90 % or higher on the remaining quizzes (considering my highest grade on a quiz so far is 50%), or if I should withdraw and retake it next semester. I feel like I could do it, but i don't see how I can go from failing quizzes to getting A's in a matter of a week

I've withdrawn and dropped courses before...it stinks. Especially this far into the semester.

If I were you, I'd drop the course and work on your study habits. You have 2-3 years before you apply to med school, so that will be plenty of time to enhance your GPA with the upper level science courses. Don't try to shoot for a C, a C is something most people would recommend retaking.

I started an Orgo class one summer but had to take a medical withdrawal (Flu season struck me pretty late). I wasn't doing well in the course (partially because of my fatigue and overall malaise, but I do remember not understanding much of it either) By the time I was back on my feet, I had improved my study skills and wound up taking it again, this time getting A's.


Edit: So the W will show up on your transcript? Not too big of a deal, but I'd focus on getting those A's in the other courses and seeing what you can do about getting rid of the W altogether.

 

[Jumpstartmy5HT]

You need to drop the course. It's better to have a W than a D or F. As long as you don't have a W every semester, no one is really even going to ask you about a W or two in depth. **** happens. Adcoms understand.

Also, it's time to meet with your school's pre-med advisor and see how you're doing compared to other pre-meds at your school. Ask for an honest opinion. You then need to reassess your master plan and see what you need to fix.

 

[chlc]

@Playdoh4lyfe You're totally right. I was thinking about retaking it at a CC but I got a lot of advice that that would be a really bad idea. Yeah if I were to drop, the W would show up on my transcript. If I got a D/F I could count my retake as a grade recalculation and the D/F grade would no longer be factored into my GPA but it would also be visible on my transcript.

Are there ways to get W's removed? I thought only I's (incompletes) could be retaken and subsequently removed but not W's..?

@Jumpstartmy5HT - I actually met with a pre-med advisor two days ago and I'm meeting again in a few weeks. They helped me pinpoint the fact that math reasoning is my weakest point considering I'm struggling with chemistry and calculus but not biology (haven't started physics sequence yet so we'll see).
I was told I needed to get straight A's for the following two years to attain a GPA of 3.5/3.6 which I believe is doable but will be very very hard work. I would consider myself nontraditional as far as my major choice as I am pursuing a dual degree in Economics and Neuroscience / Computer Science ( I haven't started the sequence for neuro / comp sci or econ yet so I'm trying to choose because I have interest in all three, mainly Econ).

 

[Jumpstartmy5HT]

You can't get Ws removed. But they're really not a huge blemish. I have 2 Ws on my transcript, and no one even asked about them during my interviews.

You probably also need to reassess what you're doing wrong in terms of studying. Organic chemistry doesn't involve numbers. It's about understanding the different functional groups and their properties. Organic chemistry is actually fairly important, and the principles will pop up again in biochemistry, pharmacology, etc. You really need to understand the intro organic courses taught as a part of the pre-med curriculum.

I also hate to break it to you, but your major combo isn't that unique. I double majored in neuroscience and history; I graduated with honors in neuroscience with a thesis project, and half of my history classes are grad-level classes. No one was over the moon about my majors, so I hope my experience will give you some perspective.

You really just need to do well in your classes as a whole. You can major in the hardest major at your school, and if your final average GPA isn't near the average GPA for the matriculants of med school, then you are in trouble.

 

[Mehd School]

I've been where you are now. Drop the course. It won't get better until you build up the foundation.

 

[Playdoh4lyfe]

@Playdoh4lyfe You're totally right. I was thinking about retaking it at a CC but I got a lot of advice that that would be a really bad idea. Yeah if I were to drop, the W would show up on my transcript. If I got a D/F I could count my retake as a grade recalculation and the D/F grade would no longer be factored into my GPA but it would also be visible on my transcript.

I was able to get my W removed from that semester...don't ask me how, I won't remember. Some schools just have different protocols for handling such things. I did a lot of research in my school's academic guide and figured out a way. (The other W stayed from a subsequent semester however. Don't remember why on that occasion either.)

I wouldn't recommend taking it at a CC. From what I've heard, it may not be perceived well by the admission committee (then again, this is just hearsay). You should take it at your university, but only after determining your plan for success in that course.

I agree with what Jumpstartmy5HT said, W is better than D/F. And as an Econ/Chem major I can attest that it's much more important to do well in the pre-med courses than to go for that "prestigious" double major. Had I done my major solely in Chem, I may not be doing a masters program right now trying to prove I can take these upper level sciences.

 

[chlc]

Thanks so much for your input. I feel strongly about Econ and for me I'm pursuing the dual not necessary because I feel it will strengthen my application but because I have interest in both fields and I worry about my prospects after undergrad if medical school does not become a reality.

 

[Jumpstartmy5HT]

If you're worried about getting a job after college with a bachelor's, you probably should consider an engineering degree or a degree in Public Health. I know my post-grad options with my degrees were fairly limited in my city. But the economy also was super rough then.

 

[BCAA]

I think having an exit strategy in case med school doesn't work out is wise. But remember to try your best in your coursework and not use having an exist strategy as an excuse to not try harder for getting into med school. I'm not convinced you have 'poor math reasoning skills'. It may be a simple case of not putting enough/the right type of effort. I hate to say it but a B in bio is not good, which says that you may not be putting in the required effort. Let's say you are not as adept at math for some reason, it's still not an excuse for the B in bio... I realize it's tough, but just re-evalute your efforts and try harder... Also you may not necessarily completely need to switch fields if for some reason your GPA does not end up working out--podiatry schools regularly take students with 3.0 and slightly below. Hope it works out for you!

 

[GUH]

Drop the course and retake it at a community college, preferably with the easiest professor you can find.

 

[chlc]

@BCAA the B in bio is not set, it's just what I have at this point in the semester ( I really feel I will get an A since the drop off at an 86% I currently have 82% I believe I need to double check ) But yeah I'm not trying to use the poor math reasoning skills as an excuse but moreso that I am identifying it as one of my issues along poor study skills. I will admit that I have been a tiny bit lax due to worrying more about having a perfect exit strategy which is an attitude I am currently in the process of changing.

I ended up dropping the course about 20 minutes ago. I am very much considering still attending the lectures ( if that's allowed since I technically paid for the course) and downloading all remaining course material to use next semester.

 

[chlc]

Drop the course and retake it at a community college, preferably with the easiest professor you can find.

Wouldn't medical schools look unfavorably at that course of action, or is it more so attaining the grade? And I've been trying to see if I would be able to do the class at a CC while taking my other courses at my uni in the same semester, but I've yet to hear from anyone who has done that. Right now looking at the professors for next semester

 

[chlc]

If you're worried about getting a job after college with a bachelor's, you probably should consider an engineering degree or a degree in Public Health. I know my post-grad options with my degrees were fairly limited in my city. But the economy also was super rough then.

funny you say that as I was strongly considering going the Public Health route since my uni offers a competitive program and I've taken most of the prereqs for it ( they also fulfilled gen ed requirements which was a bonus ). But I fear I don't have enough of a passion / drive for it and ultimately I don't want to end up with a major I don't necessarily care for.

Next semester will be a deciding factor for me as I plan to take courses in each of the majors I am deciding between, and dropping those I find I am not interested in first two weeks of the semester ( when there is no penalty of dropping ). My course load is looking like this:

Principles of microecon
Principles of macroecon
Programming I
Behavioral Neuroscience
Orgo I

It's a lot :/

 

[Starry]

funny you say that as I was strongly considering going the Public Health route since my uni offers a competitive program and I've taken most of the prereqs for it ( they also fulfilled gen ed requirements which was a bonus ). But I fear I don't have enough of a passion / drive for it and ultimately I don't want to end up with a major I don't necessarily care for.

Next semester will be a deciding factor for me as I plan to take courses in each of the majors I am deciding between, and dropping those I find I am not interested in first two weeks of the semester ( when there is no penalty of dropping ). My course load is looking like this:

Principles of microecon
Principles of macroecon
Programming I
Behavioral Neuroscience
Orgo I

It's a lot :/

Hopefully Programming and the Economics courses will help you improve your quantitative reasoning skills.

Although I'm curious why you would want to pursue such diverse interests as Economics, Compsci, AND medicine?? Why not focus on one when you are clearly struggling already? Only add more as *extras* once you KNOW you can handle it?

Jack of all trades, Master of none.

Edit: just read the part about a backup plan. I have mixed feelings about this. It just feels like you are biting off more than you can chew right now. With Compsci OR Econ alone you can find a decent job. You don't really need both.

As a MIS (business) major, I agree with the other people with mixed majors: you will have to jump hurdles that natural science majors don't have to. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, especially someone already struggling.

 

[chlc]

@Starry I see your point. I'm trying to add in courses I'm actually interested in as while I am pursuing medicine the fundamental courses leading up to it don't interest me. I feel balancing my schedule with challenges I look forward to would be best for me. I honestly don't have a real idea what I'm looking to do, just several interests as you can see. Ideally I would pursue the dual degree or a major in one subject with a minor in the other. What it will be out of the list I've provided I can't say I've decide yet, but I'm hoping to narrow it down next semester by taking courses in each of the subjects.

As far as pursuing all three at once I just have this fear that I will delve into one and realize it isn't for me and have to waste more time taking courses in other fields to see if they would suit me better. It makes a little more sense to me to try them all out early and then make a decision. The courses I'm taking are all pre-reqs for each major, so if I do chose one or more, I'd have at least one of the pre-reqs out of the way.

I just feel like I'm in a weird spot (for myself probably great for others) since I'm essentially already done with my gen ed reqs and it's only the fall semester of my 2nd year, I feel a bit pressured to make a decision.

I really do appreciate your input though as I realize life would be much easier if I just stick with neurosciene, biochem, biology, or even public health but it's getting hard for me to ignore my desire to pursue other paths, while staying on track for med school. I haven't even begun MCAT prep so I'm trying to also take that into account.

 

[Jumpstartmy5HT]

Take the courses. Find out what you like and take more classes in that field. I didn't declare either one of my majors until my junior year.

Also try to do some clinical stuff. Figure out whether you like medicine enough to invest more time and resources into it.




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[GUH]

Wouldn't medical schools look unfavorably at that course of action, or is it more so attaining the grade? And I've been trying to see if I would be able to do the class at a CC while taking my other courses at my uni in the same semester, but I've yet to hear from anyone who has done that. Right now looking at the professors for next semester

I got a D the first time I took OChem (at a university) and later retook it at a CC. Never once did the location of the retake come up during interviews. There are many legitimate reasons someone might do this, including scheduling and finances. When I retook orgo at the CC, I was also taking taking courses at a (separate) university towards a degree. This was not an issue in California.

You want to have the highest numbers possible. Just be sure to kick butt when you retake the course.

 

[edgerock24]

funny you say that as I was strongly considering going the Public Health route since my uni offers a competitive program and I've taken most of the prereqs for it ( they also fulfilled gen ed requirements which was a bonus ). But I fear I don't have enough of a passion / drive for it and ultimately I don't want to end up with a major I don't necessarily care for.

Next semester will be a deciding factor for me as I plan to take courses in each of the majors I am deciding between, and dropping those I find I am not interested in first two weeks of the semester ( when there is no penalty of dropping ). My course load is looking like this:

Principles of microecon
Principles of macroecon
Programming I
Behavioral Neuroscience
Orgo I

It's a lot :/

This is WAY too heavy of a courseload. You are going to kill your GPA due to taking too many tough courses at once.

Take Orgo I, Neuroscience, and 1 random easy humanities course. Orgo I will take up a lot of your time, keep in mind.

Getting into medical school is all a numbers game. You can improve your GPA if you strategize and study properly. Don't set yourself up for failure.

 

[GUH]

This is WAY too heavy of a courseload. You are going to kill your GPA due to taking too many tough courses at once.

Take Orgo I, Neuroscience, and 1 random easy humanities course. Orgo I will take up a lot of your time, keep in mind.

Getting into medical school is all a numbers game. You can improve your GPA if you strategize and study properly. Don't set yourself up for failure.

Agreed 100%. I've seen too many intelligent, hard-working premeds fail because they bit off more than they could chew. Premed is doable, especially if you break it down into bite-sized chunks. Slow and steady wins the race.

 

[chlc]

Point well taken. I just don't want to be at my school for 5 years trying to complete the major I want because i'm only doing 3 courses per semester. I really don't like my uni, so being here longer than I really need to does not sound appealing at all :/. So I'm kind of stuck taking fewer classes and being here longer or taking more and working harder.

For those of you who took orgo online ( if you did and didn't state it) did you take it through your school or a completely different school? I'm assuming you need to be able to access the campus / another facility for proctored exams correct?

 

[chlc]

Reviving this old topic to ask a question. I took the advice you've all provided me and with the start of this new semester I have re-registered for orgo I at my current uni. Now I'm wondering since my uni offers the lab portion as a separate course from orgo I & II (most people take the lab once they've completed orgo I), is it a bad idea for me to take both at the same time?

as you know I was enrolled in orgo I last semester for basically the entire semester before dropping so I do know some key concepts however since I struggled with it last semester and I'm looking to do very well this semester if I have the option to not take the lab at the same time should I do that or is that lab not that difficult? I just feel behind since I ideally would have been taking orgo II and the lab this semester if I had done well in orgo I.

I guess I could have made a new thread but didn't really see the point. thanks!


Also if an admin could change the topic to orgo I + lab question or something that would be great, if not no worries. I just don't want people to think it's a continuation of the original topic.

 

[Elevencents]

Lab is typically time consuming but not hard. Most people take them concurrently.

 

[chlc]

Lab is typically time consuming but not hard. Most people take them concurrently.

I see. I went to the intro lab meeting today and they were explaining functional groups and it seems everyone else in the lab already completed orgo I. I'm pretty bad at chemistry in general so I don't want to set myself up for failure / barely passing (kind of the trend I had looking back at gen chem I & II) but I don't want to shy away as I am prepared to do the work and study immensely.

 

[stlrams22]

Reviving this old topic to ask a question. I took the advice you've all provided me and with the start of this new semester I have re-registered for orgo I at my current uni. Now I'm wondering since my uni offers the lab portion as a separate course from orgo I & II (most people take the lab once they've completed orgo I), is it a bad idea for me to take both at the same time?

as you know I was enrolled in orgo I last semester for basically the entire semester before dropping so I do know some key concepts however since I struggled with it last semester and I'm looking to do very well this semester if I have the option to not take the lab at the same time should I do that or is that lab not that difficult? I just feel behind since I ideally would have been taking orgo II and the lab this semester if I had done well in orgo I.

I guess I could have made a new thread but didn't really see the point. thanks!


Also if an admin could change the topic to orgo I + lab question or something that would be great, if not no worries. I just don't want people to think it's a continuation of the original topic.

Take the lab with it, it may help you understand the lecture better.

 

[chlc]

Didn't think of it that way, it probably will help thanks!
More opinions are welcome

 

[coolingglasses]

I think at my school, you could take it with orgo I but they recommended you take it with orgo II. I'm kind of glad I did. Made doing the pre-labs more tolerable.

 

[GypsyHummus]

I am currently in Orgo 2 and was in orgo 1 last semester. If you are not on a time crunch, deff take the lecture and the lab separately. I have no clue what other people's lab was like, but orgo lab for us was a separate credit and it was so challenging.

Orgo sucked, I got a C and a C- in lecture an lab respectively. I have to retake the lab, and will most likely end up retaking the lecture next year. I am in Orgo 2 now and its pretty challenging. I wish I would have taken it in the summer or something like that. Do yourself a favor and save your GPA.

 

[chlc]

Yeah orgo lab at my school is 1 credit. There's even a separate textbook for it. I have all the lab materials (bought them today). It seems like a lot for 1 credit as well as a lot of supplemental reading.

I did want to get it out of the way as I'm not really sure I'll do better taking it after fully completing orgo I. I just thought it would be better since I've had exposure to orgo already. sigh I'm conflicted haha. It fits into my schedule as well (hefty schedule but I think I'll manage).

What was the most challenging aspect of the labs in your opinion?

 

[GypsyHummus]

Yeah orgo lab at my school is 1 credit. There's even a separate textbook for it. I have all the lab materials (bought them today). It seems like a lot for 1 credit as well as a lot of supplemental reading.

I did want to get it out of the way as I'm not really sure I'll do better taking it after fully completing orgo I. I just thought it would be better since I've had exposure to orgo already. sigh I'm conflicted haha. It fits into my schedule as well (hefty schedule but I think I'll manage).

What was the most challenging aspect of the labs in your opinion?

Deff the way my proof graded things. The report forms has to be a certain way, otherwise there would be like a point or two taken off. eventually, all those points added up. The quizzes were also really hard.

If you wanna get it out of the way, go for it. Just know its gonna be a ride.

 

[WalSlave]

I've been where you're at, and this is the advice I wish someone would have given me. First of all, your C's in Gen Chem are not good. They are going to really drag down your science GPA, which plays a big role in DO school acceptances (although that can depend on the school). Now don't get me wrong, two C's on your transcript aren't going to kill you. What WILL hurt you, in my opinion, is you not absolutely killing this Organic class. Scraping by with all C's in your chemistry pre-reqs is a pretty big red flag and may indicate that you do not have the greatest chemistry foundation. And as much as we all cringe at the thought, chemistry is important to any medical schooling. I know where you are coming from when you say you are just not inherently good at chemistry, but honestly, that isn't going to fly once you reach your application cycle. Nobody is just naturally awesome at organic chemistry. You can't just walk into an organic class and intuitively know all of the rules that make a structure or mechanism work. Some people certainly have a knack for it, but most people you talk to on this forum will tell you that it took some real work to get through that class. Chemistry isn't necessarily an intuitive subject for most, but I truly believe anyone can learn it if they put in the time. This is why a lot of your peers will refer to organic chemistry as a weed-out class. It not only weeds the people out who just really suck at chemistry, but it also weeds those out who are not truly willing to put in the time to get the grade they want.

Also, drop the "I'm bad at math" thing. I know your advisor is trying to help, but math has nothing to do with chemistry success. Don't use it as a crutch to explain away your poor grades in chemistry. The only time you do math in upper level chemistry is when you're converting units to make a solution or literally plugging numbers into an equation. If you cannot do either of those things, then you absolutely need to retake General Chemistry.

You seem super pumped and motivated right now to do all of these very ambitious academic things like double major, earn straight A's for the next two years, etc. Make sure you take the time to really learn the application process and focus on what is most important before you make impulsive decisions. I absolutely speak from experience when I tell you that if you take on more than you are ready for, you will only set yourself back. It is going to suck way more having to retake a bunch of classes because you took too heavy of a load. Trust me on this one because I've totally been there. Pace yourself and only take as many classes as you are confident with. Graduating a semester late with a stellar GPA is way better than graduating early with a sub 3.0.

One last thing. Learn AACOMAS and how it works. It is really set up to reward those who do not give up and persevere. Take advantage of that!

 

[chlc]

@WalSlave you've really imparted some great advice. Realistically I probably should leave out orgo lab for this semester (i'm at 17 credit hours so I'd be at 16 without it). I really feel like I can do it if I work really hard but I'm so unsure of myself because I struggled with and am subsequently retaking orgo I. I really wish I was better at making decisions like this. For whatever reason I feel like I would be kicking myself for not getting it done this semester.

My current schedule excluding orgo lab is: macroecon, microecon, orgo I, program design I, and metaphysics

 

[coolingglasses]

@WalSlave you've really imparted some great advice. Realistically I probably should leave out orgo lab for this semester (i'm at 17 credit hours so I'd be at 16 without it). I really feel like I can do it if I work really hard but I'm so unsure of myself because I struggled with and am subsequently retaking orgo I. I really wish I was better at making decisions like this. For whatever reason I feel like I would be kicking myself for not getting it done this semester.

My current schedule excluding orgo lab is: macroecon, microecon, orgo I, program design I, and metaphysics

Good call.

The road through medicine is a marathon, not a sprint. Keep running, but pace yourself!

 

[jedi silva]

Hopefully you decided against the programming course because the projects tend to be extremely time consuming especially if you don't have any programming experience.

As for the lab, dont take it if some of the experiments expect you to be familiar with topics you find in orgo 2 (carbonyls, aromatic stuff, carboxylic acids, funky amines, yada yada yada). The only reason I say that is because it sounds like a corequisite for orgo 2

 

[WalSlave]

I'm happy to hear that. I apologize if I sounded harsh. It's only because you remind me of where I was a couple years ago. I have made some impulsive decisions in the past because I was feeling motivated, but my study habits and self-discipline had not caught up to my heart's wants yet, so I basically flopped. Haha. Also, because I've taken so many classes (160 credit hours or something ridiculous), my financial aid ran out last semester. I didn't even know they capped pell grants until that happened. So believe me when I say you will literally pay for it if you don't get the grade you need the first time around. If you don't quality for financial aid anyways, this obviously doesn't apply to you in the sense that it did me, but the lesson is all the same.

Anyway, sorry for the long posts. Best of luck to you and keep us updated on your progress. I hope to see you matriculating in a couple years!

 

[ChoomMed]

I'm happy to hear that. I apologize if I sounded harsh. It's only because you remind me of where I was a couple years ago. I have made some impulsive decisions in the past because I was feeling motivated, but my study habits and self-discipline had not caught up to my heart's wants yet, so I basically flopped. Haha. Also, because I've taken so many classes (160 credit hours or something ridiculous), my financial aid ran out last semester. I didn't even know they capped pell grants until that happened. So believe me when I say you will literally pay for it if you don't get the grade you need the first time around. If you don't quality for financial aid anyways, this obviously doesn't apply to you in the sense that it did me, but the lesson is all the same.

Anyway, sorry for the long posts. Best of luck to you and keep us updated on your progress. I hope to see you matriculating in a couple years!

I fell in the same rut as well with financial aid by having the cap placed on me and I didn't even know it existed till they sent me an e-mail. I don't even have 160 creds but the jerk of a Financial aid assistant director is determined to get me out of school since psychology doesn't cover med school pre-reqs....PUH-LEASE.

 

[ChoomMed]

@chlc Coming from someone who has to pay out of pocket for the rest of their pre-reqs, please believe it is best to go at the pace that is best for you and what you are truly prepared to take. Those C's now will become your anchor of death later because mine did. Thank Goodness I don't have many, but they severely impact your sGPA, so even if you do better by getting A's or B's it still drags it down. When you don't have the proper and "in the know" people yapping in your ears, you will follow advice tailored to suit others or rather to just shut you up and get you to stop asking them questions. All my advisers were pathetic and I had to learn from experience that being impulsive in my decisions would set me back in the long run.

Don't be afraid to drop or withdraw from a course in the future, but also don't use it as an excuse or a habit. I've only had about 2 in the whole 4 years I have been at my university (I was scared it was gonna mess with my money lol). That being said, if you feel you are not ready for a course meaning you are not up to it, have bad studying habits and it requires a lot of studying, or have too much on your plate....leave it for later. As WalSlave said, it is better to graduate a semester or two later with a better GPA and UNDERSTANDING of what you are doing than to graduate on time or early with a crappy GPA. Then, you have to redo all those low grades. If you can avoid it, please do.

I wish you all the best and hope you rock the rest of your classes!!

 

[chlc]

Oh geeze wow haha ok feeling better about my decision in that case. @WalSlave you were not too harsh at all! And that really goes for all of you. I will admit my ambition is clouding my better judgement so it helps to have some sense passed along.

@jedi silva it's actually a really introductory course, java centric. I have a bit of experience as far as programming languages go (not a whole lot) but I actually feel more comfortable pursuing that course over orgo lab haha. But yeah many of the students taking it are either taking the lab on it's own or concurrently with orgo 2.

But yeah I've just been wanting to get out of this school for personal reasons and all the advisors I've gone to have just kind of been like if you think you can do it do it. And then they're shuffling me out the door :/ so getting advice from people who have been there really helps. But wow I didn't know fin aid could get capped. I'm pretty lucky with my situation so I'm not in a bind as far as funds go, but I'd rather spend the money on courses once and I'm learning that with retaking orgo.

I feel like I've beat this dead horse to a pulp so thanks again for all your patience ! I'm not afraid of dropping another course in the future but I've made up my mind not to let myself get to that point again. I'm just working on my study habits for this semester and so far it's good.

Are there any other online communities you all used in the past that helped with courses and whatnot? Like science communities where students taking orgo collab online and stuff? I'm really trying to revamp my study methods since minor adjustments havent really helped these past 3 semesters.

Honestly you guys are great!

 

[ChoomMed]

Oh geeze wow haha ok feeling better about my decision in that case. @WalSlave you were not too harsh at all! And that really goes for all of you. I will admit my ambition is clouding my better judgement so it helps to have some sense passed along.

@jedi silva it's actually a really introductory course, java centric. I have a bit of experience as far as programming languages go (not a whole lot) but I actually feel more comfortable pursuing that course over orgo lab haha. But yeah many of the students taking it are either taking the lab on it's own or concurrently with orgo 2.

But yeah I've just been wanting to get out of this school for personal reasons and all the advisors I've gone to have just kind of been like if you think you can do it do it. And then they're shuffling me out the door :/ so getting advice from people who have been there really helps. But wow I didn't know fin aid could get capped. I'm pretty lucky with my situation so I'm not in a bind as far as funds go, but I'd rather spend the money on courses once and I'm learning that with retaking orgo.

I feel like I've beat this dead horse to a pulp so thanks again for all your patience ! I'm not afraid of dropping another course in the future but I've made up my mind not to let myself get to that point again. I'm just working on my study habits for this semester and so far it's good.

Are there any other online communities you all used in the past that helped with courses and whatnot? Like science communities where students taking orgo collab online and stuff? I'm really trying to revamp my study methods since minor adjustments havent really helped these past 3 semesters.

Honestly you guys are great!

As for places that had help me with Orgo or many other courses, I would suggest KhanAcademy. They have pretty great videos as do searching Youtube. There is another one...but I forgot the name, so I'll have to ask my friend. LOL Studying habits can either make you or break you. I was that kid in school who never studied and aced tests, so when I came to uni....let's say that it was not the best habit to have.

 

[WalSlave]

I think one of the best things someone can do in Organic is to get a tutor. I tutor for Organic 1, so I'm a little bias, but honestly the biggest issue I see with students is not that they can't understand material, but that they just need it explained to them in a different manner or at a different pace. Just remember that 99% of all organic chemistry can be explained by the same set of rules. If you can just learn and completely understand the rules, you can do anything in that class. My school actually has a whole tutoring center where you can come in any time and ask questions pertaining to different subjects. I lived at the math table during my calc class. I'd just sit there and do my homework and ask questions when needed. Definitely check and see if your school offers that before you shell out money for a private tutor.

 

[Donkk]

If you are struggling with chem/ochem I recommend Chad's Videos on Course Saver he teaches and explains things in a way that is useful for class and the MCAT and you can pause replay the videos and it comes with outlines etc. and has a question forum people use