P/F orgo but retake or withdraw ?

[aSunFlowerPlant]

I am taking orgo this summer and its ridiculously fast paced and difficult. I am wondering if I should take the class p/f and retake it this fall so that I’m able to take biochem during the fall( orgo 1 is the only pre req) or just withdraw.

Thank you for the help

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[ZukosRedemption]

Can you change to pass fail, i thought by the time the withdrawing deadline comes around you cant switch. If you can swtich to pass fail, you will have to retake but it will look weird. Withdrawing should be a last resort if you can't get help from Prof or TA first. PS change your profile pic.

 

[deleted929832]

Personally, I would not recommend taking organic chemistry during the summer. Having previously taken organic chemistry (and biochemistry) during the last academic year, I believe that the content of these classes are difficult to retain in the long run (making the material learned in a short frame of time even more difficult to hold onto). In addition to the difficulty in retaining and learning of the material (which is also important for the MCAT), as I've read many times on this forum, if you believe that you would be unable to do well in this class, are financially well-off, and would not receive a mark on your transcript for withdrawing, withdrawing could potentially be an option. However, be aware that these classes that are considered to be "hard" in college are ultimately lacking in difficulty compared to the content learned or classes taken in medical school.

In my humble opinion, I believe that taking the course P/F may be a risky gamble in that retaking the class reduces room for a different experience that you could possibly partake in. @Goro is outstanding when it comes to things like this.

*these are my personal thoughts and they may differ from those that read them

 

[Goro]

I am taking orgo this summer and its ridiculously fast paced and difficult. I am wondering if I should take the class p/f and retake it this fall so that I’m able to take biochem during the fall( orgo 1 is the only pre req) or just withdraw.

Thank you for the help

Suggest dropping it,

 

[Blanky]

Second the drop.
Also not as much orgo on the MCAT as you would imagine.

 

[aSunFlowerPlant]

Can you change to pass fail, i thought by the time the withdrawing deadline comes around you cant switch. If you can swtich to pass fail, you will have to retake but it will look weird. Withdrawing should be a last resort if you can't get help from Prof or TA first. PS change your profile pic.

At my school, I can change to p/f anytime before the final exam. My drop/add date has passed and I’ll get a W if I decide to drop

I think I signed up using facebook and my profile pic came along lol

 

[aSunFlowerPlant]

Personally, I would not recommend taking organic chemistry during the summer. Having previously taken organic chemistry (and biochemistry) during the last academic year, I believe that the content of these classes are difficult to retain in the long run (making the material learned in a short frame of time even more difficult to hold onto). In addition to the difficulty in retaining and learning of the material (which is also important for the MCAT), as I've read many times on this forum, if you believe that you would be unable to do well in this class, are financially well-off, and would not receive a mark on your transcript for withdrawing, withdrawing could potentially be an option. However, be aware that these classes that are considered to be "hard" in college are ultimately lacking in difficulty compared to the content learned or classes taken in medical school.

In my humble opinion, I believe that taking the course P/F may be a risky gamble in that retaking the class reduces room for a different experience that you could possibly partake in. @Goro is outstanding when it comes to things like this.

*these are my personal thoughts and they may differ from those that read them

Different experience how so :0? Thank you for your input! Do you think taking biochem during the spring semester - and taking the mcat before finishing the class- will be okay?

 

[aSunFlowerPlant]

Second the drop.
Also not as much orgo on the MCAT as you would imagine.

Why don’t you think taking the class p/f is a good idea ? Does it look bad? Does it look worse than W?

I’m mostly thinking about the money I will waste and maybe how the class might prepare me for the fall !
Thank you ✨

 

[Blanky]

Stay in the class up to the drop date, sometimes you can still sit in lectures but not test all the way through. Drop the class and it wont matter 1 W on your transcripts. P F isn't even accepted for pre-reqs so just take the W.

 

[aSunFlowerPlant]

Stay in the class up to the drop date, sometimes you can still sit in lectures but not test all the way through. Drop the class and it wont matter 1 W on your transcripts. P F isn't even accepted for pre-reqs so just take the W.

It’s not accepted even if I retake it ? Actually, it will be my third W...

 

[smukke]

It’s not accepted even if I retake it ? Actually, it will be my third W...

If you retake it'll be fine as a prereq but taking it P/F then retaking it for a grade the following semester will raise the question of why you didn't just take it for a grade the first time around and the unspoken assumption will be that you were in the C/D range. Which won't completely sink you, neither will a couple of Ws, because at that point it means at least they are looking at details in your app which is half the battle. The way I'd look at it a W, especially during the summer, is that it has an out; there could be a reason other than grades "I was planning to finish it out but X unexpectedly happened during the summer and unfortunately I had to withdraw" (X being: My summer job increased my hours. I won a cruise around the world. There was a fire in my apartment and I lost all my belongings. I was kidnapped by pirates, fell in love with the first mate and decided to join their crew for the season.)

 

[deleted929832]

Second the drop.
Also not as much orgo on the MCAT as you would imagine.

Many alumni at my school said the same thing . They said that o-chem at our school made the MCAT o-chem look like a joke (may not be like that for others). But then again, the alumni I talked to all scored over 521 .

Different experience how so :0? Thank you for your input! Do you think taking biochem during the spring semester - and taking the mcat before finishing the class- will be okay?

Different experience= clinical/non-clinical volunteering, shadowing, taking different pre-med/non-premed classes, etc. I meant it as a very broad expression. Instead of taking a class that you already know moderately well, I believe that finding/identifying your passion for medicine would be time better spent. Regarding biochem, if spring semester is the full semester right before the MCAT, that is when you want to take it (you will probably learn more biochem than you need to know for the MCAT). Although my alumni suggested this to me, I chose to take it earlier with a good friend and although it was fun, I am currently regretting my decision.