Organic....not sure what to do ?

[jules0328]

I received my grade for organic I today and I ended up with a C in lecture and an A- in lab. I dont know what to do at this point and need some advice.

I submitted my applications yesterday for DO and MD. I dont know how much this grade will hurt me. I am a post bacc student and have grades that are all over the place. I dont even know my science gpa at this point. I am so distraught about this situation. I studied really hard for this course and still couldnt hack it.

So, I guess my question is, should I retake organic I in the fall? Even though I have already submitted my apps? And then take organic II in the spring? This is horrible because my pre med committee already wont meet with me until after MCAT score are in, which is not until October. October!

Is this a lost cause? Has anyone else had this problem? I had a 3.4 post bacc gpa and now with this huge C its probably down to like a 3.0 science. Not too sure how to handle this right now. I may as well not even have bothered with MD schools considering this C will look just awful. Urghhhhh.....

Can someone advice? Thanks,

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[kaikai128]

I received my grade for organic I today and I ended up with a C in lecture and an A- in lab. I dont know what to do at this point and need some advice.

I submitted my applications yesterday for DO and MD. I dont know how much this grade will hurt me. I am a post bacc student and have grades that are all over the place. I dont even know my science gpa at this point. I am so distraught about this situation. I studied really hard for this course and still couldnt hack it.

So, I guess my question is, should I retake organic I in the fall? Even though I have already submitted my apps? And then take organic II in the spring? This is horrible because my pre med committee already wont meet with me until after MCAT score are in, which is not until October. October!

Is this a lost cause? Has anyone else had this problem? I had a 3.4 post bacc gpa and now with this huge C its probably down to like a 3.0 science. Not too sure how to handle this right now. I may as well not even have bothered with MD schools considering this C will look just awful. Urghhhhh.....

Can someone advice? Thanks,

First, your applications are already in. There really isn't much that you can do at this point. That class that showed up pending will be replaced with the grade that you received.

All you can do is chill out. My suggestion would be to take the next month and study up on the basic concepts of Organic Chem I and get them down as much as possible. I don't think it is beneficial to re-take any class that you got a C in. I think your best option is to improve in a higher level course (Organic Chem II) to prove your mastery of the material. When you get into Orgo Chem II...don't get behind the learning curve, keep up on the mechanisms, have a plan in place to study for x amount of time a day every day, etc. You definately have something to prove in Orgo II. If you don't think you can hack it yet, you may not want to take it in the fall.

One final thing to bring up, you took the MCAT already, with no (or only part of one semester) of Organic Chem???? I ask this becuase my other suggestion was going to be to just work very hard to score well on the MCAT...as this will also prove your mastery of the basic Organic Chemistry Principles.

Good luck.

 

[jules0328]

Hi thanks for the input.

No, I have not taken the MCAT. I am taking it in August and putting in 8 hours per day of study. As far as organic chem I. I studied the mechanisms and knew my stuff. But the profs tests were hard for me. I was even teaching the other kids in the class. Yet, I couldnt do that well on the tests.
I dont know.

I feel that I do have a good grasp of orgo I, that is the weird part about this whole thing. I dont know.

 

[dr.z]

Prepare well for the MCAT. I got C on my Organic II. I still got accepted to DO schools.

 

[jules0328]

Thanks Dr. Z, I appreciate the encouragement. Yes, studying for the MCATs is key for low gpa ers. Thanks again.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

first thing to do is chill. I screwed around hardcore in undergrad. Ive posted these grades before but Ill do it again so you can see you have little to worry about.

R=retake


Organic I - F
Organic IR - B+
Organic II - B-
Organic III - D
Organic IIIR - B+
Biochem - C-
BiochemR - A

MCAT: 30 with a biosci of 12. I got into OUCOM and CCOM (also the only two I applied too)

Just rock the MCAT.

 

[jules0328]

first thing to do is chill. I screwed around hardcore in undergrad. Ive posted these grades before but Ill do it again so you can see you have little to worry about.

R=retake


Organic I - F
Organic IR - B+
Organic II - B-
Organic III - D
Organic IIIR - B+
Biochem - C-
BiochemR - A

MCAT: 30 with a biosci of 12. I got into OUCOM and CCOM (also the only two I applied too)

Just rock the MCAT.

Wow, good job on the MCAT score. Do you suggest that I retake organic I? Thanks for the support. I have applied to 12 DO schools but I am at a disadvantage since I will be taking the August MCAT and my stupid pre med committee wont meet with me until the scores are in which is in October. Should I retake organic I in the fall and then take organic II in the spring? Will that look bad for me? My advisor is on vacation I think and has not gotten back to me as to what to do.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

If you have the time and resources, Id retake it, seeing as how the retake grade is the one factored into your gpa.

 

[kaikai128]

Wow, good job on the MCAT score. Do you suggest that I retake organic I? Thanks for the support. I have applied to 12 DO schools but I am at a disadvantage since I will be taking the August MCAT and my stupid pre med committee wont meet with me until the scores are in which is in October. Should I retake organic I in the fall and then take organic II in the spring? Will that look bad for me? My advisor is on vacation I think and has not gotten back to me as to what to do.

I would see if there is a way around your pre-med committee. Many schools will allow you to send science/personal advisor letters in leiu of a pre-med committee. I know of people who were not endorsed by their pre-med committee who just got their own letters and still got in. This would definately help keep you from being so late in the interview process...the least you can do is try.

 

[jules0328]

Yes, this is true. Nevertheless, all of the science professors already have submitted their letters to the committee office and I do not think that they would be willing to rewrite letter again. I really think that my med school fate is doomed for me at this point, especially now with the C in organic chem. The funny thing is, I got an A- in the lab portion of the class.

Anyway, thanks for the advice.

 

[USArmyDoc]

Jules,
Your medical school fate is not doomed. Relax, you got a C in a very hard course. If you pull a 24 plus you are fine for a DO school. I have faith in you. By the way, its Frank from Hofstra. I must be a stalker because you are the second classmate I have been able to pick out on this website so far. It would be awesome if we were classmates at NYCOM. Good Luck and study hard. Let me know if you need any help.
In regards to the MCAT, you told me you were taking Kaplan. Kaplan was okay but in my opinon Exam Krackers works better for me. If you can, go buy the EK 1001 for bio, phy,chem,ochem, and EK 101 for verbal. In addition, I have Audio Osmosis so if you want to borrow them you can. I have found them VERY helpful. Good Luck

 

[mx_599]

I received my grade for organic I today and I ended up with a C in lecture and an A- in lab. I dont know what to do at this point and need some advice.

So, I guess my question is, should I retake organic I in the fall? Even though I have already submitted my apps? And then take organic II in the spring? This is horrible because my pre med committee already wont meet with me until after MCAT score are in, which is not until October. October!

Can someone advice? Thanks,

Screw your pre-med commitee and their October meeting. Get the ball rolling! I think I told you this before. By the time you need them...everything would be just about right. However, if you wait for their slow a$$es, you'll be late in the cycle which can hurt you.

Don't fret about about the O-chem. If you're in a position to re-take it in the Fall, I would do that concurrently with your apps/interview process. I think it will show dedication and perseverence. You tell them at the interview that you're currently taking the class.

O-chem in the summer sucks. I had to drop it and take it in the Fall. I got an A.

I think you can still bypass your committee. Approach those professors. They probably have the letter in file on their pc and could simply print another couple up. Explain to them that getting the stuff in is imperative and that your lame committee is on hiatus.

Also, didn't you tell me that you were going to get an awesome letter from your boss for cardiac rehab and stuff?? That one should be cake if you know them well. Tell them you need a bunch printed up.

Another thought...I don't know how your school works, but maybe the secretary will officially copy the letters and seal them in envelopes for you to disperse. That is all my school did.

And don't you have a masters in exercise science?? KCOM loved that for me

 

[LVDoc]

I'm not exactly sure what you should do. The main thing is, you have already submitted your application and cannot change it. The strategy I used when I applied last cycle was to send in my application and transcripts immediately after the quarter ended. That way, when the application was verified, it would not contain the new grades. This didn't really make any difference for me though because I changed my summer session class from a letter graded course to Pass/No Pass (my mistake, since the class was probably the easiest I've ever taken).

Anyway, you might still be able to do this. Once the verification is done, the schools will evaluate you only according to what's on your application - any grades not listed won't be factored into the decision to accept or reject you. I would send in your transcripts immediately if they have not already been posted on the transcript (ie. you received your grade some other way, via e-mail or what not, but it hasn't been forwarded to the registrar yet). If they have been entered, then well, this discussion doesn't really matter much anymore.

You're taking the MCAT in August. Basically, you're going to have to learn Orgo II off the prep books. You could opt to retake Orgo I in August or you can make sure you Ace Orgo II instead. It's completely your choice, but in the event that you do retake it, the new grade will replace the old one for AACOMAS applications only; they will be averaged for AMCAS applications.

Considering that you're only doing organic at this point, I assume that your science GPA is composed only of the minimal pre-req's? If so, getting bad grades in those courses is not going to look very good as opposed to having a few minor slips here and there.

About your committee, see if you can try to get them to write it without the MCAT scores. October is seriously late (considering how early you submitted your apps). Also, they should not be factoring your MCAT score into their letter. That's not what letters of recommendations are for. They are supposed to be based on your work-ethic, personality, etc. None of my letter writers asked me for my scores. I voluntarily provided them with my GPA, however, since it still represented 3 years of work at that time.

Some universities will require you to use a committee if your school has one. You may be able to get away with getting separate letters though from each of your select professors. My school did not have a committee and so I got individual letters and used Interfolio to send them out (our school's LOR service is too expensive). I would try to talk to the committee first before resorting to the individual letters (just don't piss them off when asking them about your situation).

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

O-chem in the summer sucks.

I couldn't disagree with you more.

 

[mx_599]

I couldn't disagree with you more.

uhhh... why?

For me, 2 hours of lecture and 4 hours of lab, followed by work until 10 pm each day just didn't pan out. You're probably much smarter than me.

 

[jules0328]

Thanks guys. Frank, yes you are stalker! LOL

As far as the whole committee thing. A couple of questions?
1) I thought schools look down on you not using your school pre med committee if your school offers it?

2) I am not too sure how this LOR process would go if I did bypass my committee. Do the professors have to send in their letter to each individual school? Or, to AACOMAS? I want to find all of this out before I ask them again. God, I feel bad doing this.

3) And as far as retaking organic I, say I do retake it, should I send AACOMAS notification that I am retaking the course?

If anyone would be kind enough to answer these questions for me, it would be very much appreciated. Thanks.

P.S. Yes, I have a Masters in Ex Phys, along with my name on 4 publications which have gotten pretty good press recently regarding autonomic system response in HIV patients and exercise. And have two really great LORs from an MD and my director at the hospital that I used to work at for 2 years.

Wish me luck guys. Thanks for the support.

 

[mx_599]

Thanks guys. Frank, yes you are stalker! LOL

As far as the whole committee thing. A couple of questions?
1) I thought schools look down on you not using your school pre med committee if your school offers it?

I don't think they care enough to check. There are thousands of undergrad schools. It is not that important. In my opinion. Furthermore, I don't see how ANY med school would fault you if they knew your lame committee only meets when they feel like it with total disregard to your chances of acceptance. That is rude of them.

2) I am not too sure how this LOR process would go if I did bypass my committee. Do the professors have to send in their letter to each individual school? Or, to AACOMAS? I want to find all of this out before I ask them again. God, I feel bad doing this.

Don't feel bad. Maybe you could provide them with envelopes pre printed with the schools addresses on them...like feed them through a printer. Or better yet would be to use school official envelopes. See if they can stamp the back of it after it is sealed. Ask them for like 10. Just ask 2 teachers. You shouldn't need anymore than that. The other letters will be from the doc/supervisor. I presume you can easily get letters from them.

3) And as far as retaking organic I, say I do retake it, should I send AACOMAS notification that I am retaking the course?

Yes...if you decide to take it. I would notify AACOMAS. However, wait...you might just want to wait until it has been certified and given to schools and you get secondaries. if you think for some reason it is going to confuse the people at AACOMAS and delay everything. Call them and tell them you were thinking about re-taking a class and ask if they can fix it or if it delays everything or what the scoop is. If I remember correctly, you just submited. Maybe they'll just say you can re-submit and you'll only lose out on a couple days...no big deal.

P.S. Yes, I have a Masters in Ex Phys, along with my name on 4 publications which have gotten pretty good press recently regarding autonomic system response in HIV patients and exercise. And have two really great LORs from an MD and my director at the hospital that I used to work at for 2 years.

That is why I don't think you should fret.

 

[Buckeye(OH)]

uhhh... why?

For me, 2 hours of lecture and 4 hours of lab, followed by work until 10 pm each day just didn't pan out. You're probably much smarter than me.

because I took it in the summer and it worked out beautifully for me.

 

[Old_Mil]

Don't retake Organic I.

It's going to throw your application schedule off.

Just make sure you kick butt on Orgo II and the MCAT.

 

[jules0328]

Don't retake Organic I.

It's going to throw your application schedule off.

Just make sure you kick butt on Orgo II and the MCAT.

How will retaking organic I throw my schedule off? I would retake organic I in the fall and then organic II with lab in the spring.

As far as the committee, man, oh man, am I definitely screwed with this committee thing. Yeah the pre med advisor told me that they would meet with me after MCAT scores were in. And honestly, beggers cant be choosers because my science GPA is already down the tubes now. I had a 3.4 post bacc science and now its probably way down.

How will I be able to bypass this committee? Wont they realize that I am not going through them when it comes down to the LOR?

 

[mx_599]

How will retaking organic I throw my schedule off? I would retake organic I in the fall and then organic II with lab in the spring.

This is sort of what I was thinking. However, I understand where the other poster is coming from as well. I am still leaning towards what you mention. Just do well on MCAT. 25+ should do the trick if you apply broadly.

As far as the committee, man, oh man, am I definitely screwed with this committee thing. Yeah the pre med advisor told me that they would meet with me after MCAT scores were in. And honestly, beggers cant be choosers because my science GPA is already down the tubes now. I had a 3.4 post bacc science and now its probably way down.

Understand, it is not your fault. Obviously this committee doesn't understand the consequences of applying later. Ask how many people on this committee have recently gone the the app process. That's what I thought Anyone on SDN will tell you to apply early. Tell your committee to read this site for some pointers
This C is not going to drastically pull down averages!

How will I be able to bypass this committee? Wont they realize that I am not going through them when it comes down to the LOR?

So? They brought it upon themselves. You have a right to do what you want. It is your future, not theirs.

Okay,...game plan:

1) utmost importance, FOCUS on MCAT...not this junk, you'll have time to sort this out during the second half of August and still be in a good position app cycle wise, take many practice tests! strictly timed!

2) Right after MCAT, try to get multiple letters from those professors

3) get multiple letters from supervisor/DO

Just remember...you are the victim here

 

[jules0328]

This is sort of what I was thinking. However, I understand where the other poster is coming from as well. I am still leaning towards what you mention. Just do well on MCAT. 25+ should do the trick if you apply broadly.



Understand, it is not your fault. Obviously this committee doesn't understand the consequences of applying later. Ask how many people on this committee have recently gone the the app process. That's what I thought Anyone on SDN will tell you to apply early. Tell your committee to read this site for some pointers
This C is not going to drastically pull down averages!



So? They brought it upon themselves. You have a right to do what you want. It is your future, not theirs.

Okay,...game plan:

1) utmost importance, FOCUS on MCAT...not this junk, you'll have time to sort this out during the second half of August and still be in a good position app cycle wise, take many practice tests! strictly timed!

2) Right after MCAT, try to get multiple letters from those professors

3) get multiple letters from supervisor/DO

Just remember...you are the victim here

I really appreciate the support. Thank you again. And yes, I do need to solely be concentrating on the MCAT right now. Good point. Thanks again!