Pass/Fail???

[bujji13]

Hey everyone,

I have a little pre-med problem: I was thinking about changing a class (biochem lab) to pass-fail, because I really don't have the time to do well in it (I know..that sounds lame....). I really don't need it for my major/degree , do you think this will be a problem in the eyes of Adcoms? The reason I ask is because although it is just a lab, it is still a pre-med science class. Btw, I'm a junior, who plans on applying this year or next. Thanks for the help!!

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[bujji13]

Oh, I forgot to mention that it's too late to drop the lab (at least without a W - otherwise, I wouldn't be having this problem )

 

[leorl]

Bujji, I am exactly in your position (which school do you go to? those were the exact questions I had). You really should clarify with your advisor, but here's how it works, at least at my school. I think. You can pass/fail a class within your major (i.e. elective) as long as it's not a required class for the major. You still receive credit, but the GPA won't count.

About med schools...I've been told..they really could care less. Especially if it's not in one of the "premed" classes (i.e. orgo, physics, intro. bio, etc). Hmm, but you said it's a premed science lab? hmm....you'd really want to check with your advisor and premed advisor/committee before doing anything. Biochem is usually required for biology degree, and helpful for the MCAT.

 

[bujji13]

Hey leorl,
I don't need really need the lab for my major or my degree. I have AP Bio Credit (with lab waiver), and have taken Physiology and Cell Biology w/Lab. I mainly chose to take biochemistry lab because I am currently taking Biochemistry and because I wasn't sure how else I could get the 2nd half of the one-year lab requirement.... I should've never taken it at all , or dropped it earlier in the semester...

P.S. I go to Johns Hopkins.

 

[bujji13]

you'd really want to check with your advisor and premed advisor/committee before doing anything. Biochem is usually required for biology degree, and helpful for the MCAT.

By the way, the Biochem lecture course is fine, I'm just trying to get out of the lab! (I should have made that clearer.) In any case, it's good to know all this studying might pay off on the MCAT!

 

[Dr. Kermit]

bujji13-

i went to hopkins too. while i did take cell bio and biochem with the respective labs, i had friends who didn't take the labs until senior year and when they were having senioritis, they dropped the classes or took them pass/fail. i don't think ms. savage or dr. fishbein cared too much as long as you've already been accepted to a school or as long as the school is aware of you intentions of not taking the course. the only problem you may encounter is that if you're not a bio major, you may not fully meet the 1 year bio lab requirement that many med schools place emphasizee.

 

[bujji13]

i went to hopkins too. while i did take cell bio and biochem with the respective labs, i had friends who didn't take the labs until senior year and when they were having senioritis, they dropped the classes or took them pass/fail. i don't think ms. savage or dr. fishbein cared too much as long as you've already been accepted to a school or as long as the school is aware of you intentions of not taking the course. the only problem you may encounter is that if you're not a bio major, you may not fully meet the 1 year bio lab requirement that many med schools place emphasizee.

Yeah! Fellow Blue Jay! What year did you graduate and what are you up to now (I had to ask!) Thanks for the advice. I'm a junior, and I'm already having senioritis (not a good thing)... Anyway, to clarify, I'm not planning on dropping the lab (I can't at this point anyway), I just wanted to take it pass/fail as I don't feel very secure about my grade so far, and fear that I won't have the time to pull it up by semester end (which looms dangerously near --- ) I don't mind taking genetics and genetics lab next year (I kind of want to anyway) to make up for the 1 year lab requirement to med school, and this would be ok with my advisor/major - I'm just wondering how adcoms are going to look at this. My hope is that they won't care, but if they do........
Anyway, all opinions/advice greatly appreciated!

 

[Dr. Kermit]

hey fellow jay. i graduated 2001. i'm working as a research tech in pittsburgh and i see our friend regularly. how did you know him, btw? i'm not positive, but genetics lab will probably fulfill the bio lab requirement, i really didn't learn that much in biochem lab. and don't worry about your grade in it, i had a really bad TA who graded really harsh, but still ended up above the average. it's all about the practical exam at the end, if you do well on it, you'll do well in the class. let me know if you need any other advice and what's your major?

 

[bujji13]

Dr Kermit-
I knew M.P. because he was my orgo lab TA (ironically, now I TA the same class- I hear stories((all good)) about him all the time!) He probably doesn't rememeber me. My TA grades pretty tough too...I am making the average on lab reports (19/25), and doing well on the quizzes (9/10). A lot of people I've talked to tell me that it's very easy to get a C in the class, and that I'm nowhere near A- range even... Since you've already taken it, what is your take on the curve/grade scale? Btw, I am Neuroscience and Spanish. Thanks for the advice, so nice to hear from someone from Hopkins (who is helpful and non-bitter!)

 

[Dr. Kermit]

are you sure that you don't need to take biochem lab as part of your major? i almost thought that the pre-med requirements (at least biochem and cell bio + labs) were part of the neuroscience major. maybe that was just my year and above. make sure you absolutely don't need biochem lab before you end up screwing yourself over. and when i took biochem lab, B was pretty much the average. i did averagely on the reports (maybe 22's?) and did horribly on the quizzes b/c i had section on thursday and that was usually the day after orgo tests the preceding thursday followed by biochem tests on mondays, so i never read the labs. but i got a b+ in the class b/c i really nailed the practical. i doubt things have changed that much since i took it three years ago, if horner is still teaching. and no, i'm not a bitter blue jay. i wasn't pre-med until my junior year, was a chem major, and loved every minute of my hopkins career.

 

[dbsynergy]

I think you need to take biochem lab as part of your major because my roommate was a neuroscience major and he had to take it. And from my experience, as long as you are anywhere close to average, you will get a B in the class, at least last year.