On the verge of failing a class, any suggestions on how to prevent it?

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BoxinMoxin

BoxinMoxin

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so ya, the class I am talking about is Organic chemistry and here is a short story so far

got back my test today, made a freaking 61 on it, made a 56 on my first test ( he drops the lowest one ).

We have three tests which are 50 percent of our grade (lowest one dropped), labs which are 20 percent (started off making 70s on lab reports and then progressed to making 90s), quizzes which are 5 percent, and the final is 25 percent of my grade.

I studied my butt off for that exam we had and I made a 61 on it. Went to nearly ever SI session I could, saw the professor often during office hours, practiced the problems on the worksheets he handed out to us and I mean I did everything. There was not a day in which I did not look at my notes for organic chemistry and I ended up with a freaking 61 on the test.

The mistakes were just smaller ones which added up, leaving a plus charge off of a part of a mechanism (problem worth 10 points, professor took off 8 for that). I made some mistakes on multiple choice, I mean I was aware of most of the material but still I freaking failed.

I feel defeated, don't even know if I stick my head in there again and try to plow through if I would reach the endzone.

I have not failed a class before, I already have 3 C's on my transcript and I am only a sophomore in my first semester.

I don't know how to defeat this freaking demon! What in the world can I realistically do to save myself?
 
Why didn't you withdraw? Is there a curve? Is there anyone in that class who's doing well in Organic Chemistry and you can study with? Do you do book problems as well?
 
Another woe is me thread.... didnt you already say you dont really want to go to med school? Stop torturing yourself and drop the class.
 
I thought you were done with pre med (as mentioned in a couple of your other threads)? Since/if you are, then drop O-chem and quit torturing yourself.
 
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deadline was like 3 days before the second test so ya I missed it, now I would have to drop with a W/F
 
Class average: ?
Parts you did the worst in?
Highest score in the class?

Now go study with the person with the highest score.
 
If I knew my goals weren't to get into something super competitive like med school,I would rather drop the class with an "F" than be miserable and stress myself out.
 
organic chemistry is tough. for many people, it is not enough to simply review the notes. i suggest doing ALOT of practice problems. for every new section you learn, attempt all the practice problems in your book, and go to office hours for the ones you don't understand. if you don't have enough time to attempt all the problems, at least try to hit key problems that cover the new concepts/mechanisms at least once.

as far as test preparation, definitely try to get your hands on old tests (if this isn't against your school's academic policy). ask the successful students how they studied, and study to the test. one thing that's worked well for me is that 1 or 2 days before the test, i would reserve a conference room with a large white boards, and i would make a condensed summary of all the concepts and mechanisms to be tested--drawing out each step. then, i would review this until i can reproduce the whole thing without looking at my notes. this usually took ~10+ hrs.

the main thing for me is to actively learn the material, rather than passively review notes/listen to review lectures. of course, every1 learns a little differently. use other people's successful habits as a starting point and find your own fit. good luck.
 
Omg. Weren't you the guy who was complaining about wanting to get out of the path to med school?
You are such a whiner.
 
Honestly, it only gets harder.

See inorganic chem, biochem, pchem, nuclear chem etc...
 
Disinence2 said:
Study harder, change your study habits. Sleep more before the next test to minimize dumb mistakes.
Click to expand...

No, study better.
Or, you know, stop torturing yourself and do something you actually love.
 
1. Do you go to USC?
2. Take a W if it won't impact your GPA. If it will,
3. Ask your SI leader if they tutor on the side. If they don't, ask if they have any friends who aced the class and will tutor you. It will be worth every penny to avoid a D/F if you think you might want to go to ANY kind of grad school, medical or otherwise.
 
Just drop the class and take the W, and move on with your life. Now that you know you don't want to do med school, you can finally start exploring all the other cool things that you would like to be doing.
 
Neurosis said:
Only if you're either a chemistry major or extremely masochistic.
Click to expand...

Good point. Many people are Biochem and Chem though so for probably 30% this is true. Would you say that is about right?

Yeah, I can't speak for any biology courses that are harder than orgo. I just wouldn't know. 😕
 
some of you forgot to read my post where I said it is past the withdrawal deadline, i will get a WF if I drop
 
gettheleadout said:
Lol this.

But seriously OP, what's the big deal if you drop it as a W/F now? If you think you're going to fail anyway...especially considering you don't want to pursue medical school.
Click to expand...

A W/F will make my GPA take a major nosedive and I really want to transfer to another university so I need a decent GPA.....
 
yea since it is too late to withdraw then you will just have to put more time in. Get in the upper 90's on the last test. Another C isn't the end of the world considering you are still a sophomore. You have so few credits its easy to raise it, if you put the work in.
 
gmcguitar4 said:
yea since it is too late to withdraw then you will just have to put more time in. Get in the upper 90's on the last test. Another C isn't the end of the world considering you are still a sophomore. You have so few credits its easy to raise it, if you put the work in.
Click to expand...

Considering this guy has said that he has no interest in going into medicine, I have no idea why he even started this thread.
 
msquaredb said:
Yeah, I can't speak for any biology courses that are harder than orgo. I just wouldn't know. 😕
Click to expand...
That's because there aren't any.

BoxinMoxin said:
A W/F will make my GPA take a major nosedive and I really want to transfer to another university so I need a decent GPA.....
Click to expand...
Then just stay in the class and salvage what you can. You're not going to get an F with 60's if there are still many people scoring below that. At this point, you should just be aiming for a C or better, and then you can get on with your life.
 
BoxinMoxin said:
A W/F will make my GPA take a major nosedive and I really want to transfer to another university so I need a decent GPA.....
Click to expand...

I would do your best to work through as many practice problems as you can. Personally, I like to use a white board for drawing things out. Even if you get a "D", you'll spare your GPA some of the pain. If you later decide that you've had a change of heart with medicine you can take the class again, hopefully do well, and use grade-replacement (DO schools only) to repair your GPA...but you'll likely enjoy another major/career so much more based upon your previous posts.
 
Here is the plan to follow. While in class, several weeks before the day of the exam, look around at your classmates. Find the asian kids. On the test day, sit next to one and look at his or her test paper.
 
ranson said:
Here is the plan to follow. While in class, several weeks before the day of the exam, look around at your classmates. Find the asian kids. On the test day, sit next to one and look at his or her test paper.
Click to expand...

If you do that, be very careful about the other six kids who are paying more attention to your copying than to their exams.
 
You should've dropped. Now you must stick it out and study your ass off even more. You claim that you study, but you're obviously doing something wrong. Fix it.
 
Wow, all these informative suggestions but I don't see the easiest:

Get off of the Internet and study instead of posting on SDN!
 
save time on your test by buying this:
r-83.jpg
 
Do you rush when you take your tests? I suggest slowing down as to not miss the tiny details.
 
You need to work as many Orgo problems as possible. And when I say "work" I mean attempt them on your own without looking at the answer key. It is very common for students to look at a problem, guess a half-solution in their head and then look at the key and say, "Oh yeah, I understand that." This is a terrible way to study because it not only fails to help you learn the material, but it also makes you think you know more than you know.
 
gettheleadout said:
lol...well this is what I think of as a proper chair:
Click to expand...
lmao, it's the same damn thing except the middle isn't parallel to the plane

And why would you want to use a template? Drawing everything is the best part. It makes you feel like a smart scientist person.
 
Ok listen....you obviously just like making threads, I gave you a solid set of advice a month ago in another one of your threads. If you would have followed even half of it, you would not be failing.

Maybe if you cant follow directions nor are able to learn to adapt, then you should find a new profession with easier standards, because as a physician you are expected to be able to do both.

P.S. You dont have to make a new thread everytime you get a bad grade, maybe just bump the previous "I made a bad grade" thread.
 
link2swim06 said:
Ok listen....you obviously just like making threads, I gave you a solid set of advice a month ago in another one of your threads. If you would have followed even half of it, you would not be failing.

Maybe if you cant follow directions nor are able to learn to adapt, then you should find a new profession with easier standards, because as a physician you are expected to be able to do both.

P.S. You dont have to make a new thread everytime you get a bad grade, maybe just bump the previous "I made a bad grade" thread.
Click to expand...

Don't fret, he's not pursuing medicine anymore.
 
ranson said:
Here is the plan to follow. While in class, several weeks before the day of the exam, look around at your classmates. Find the asian kids. On the test day, sit next to one and look at his or her test paper.
Click to expand...

we don't have any asian kids in our class
 
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