retaking gen chem for third time? giving up?

[fallmed]

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SO, I took gen chem 2 last semester and withdrew because I wasn't doing well on the tests and I didn't want the grade to impact my GPA.. Fast forward to this semester, im taking it again and i'm not doing great. I just took my third test and got a 48..I tried to study hard and focus but I live in a full noisy apt with nowhere to study on my own. I'm doing fine in all my other courses except chem, and my university is offering pass/fail and "special pass" for undergraduates with a D in a course. MY POINT is, If i can't pass gen chem 2 how in the world am I supposed to succeed in med school? I know I want to be a physician and I don't see myself doing anything else, but at this point it's embarrassing that i'm having to take gen chem 2 for third time. Any advice? (be honest please)

 

[souravdada]

Perhaps, going to your academic resource/counseling center can benefit you. You should just worry about understanding the fundamentals of chemistry for now and take it a year at a time. How did you do in Gen Chem 1?

 

[Goro]

Perhaps, going to your academic resource/counseling center can benefit you. You should just worry about understanding the fundamentals of chemistry for now and take it a year at a time. How did you do in Gen Chem 1?

On top of this sage advice, OP, have you gone to your professor(s) for help with the material??

 

[fallmed]

Perhaps, going to your academic resource/counseling center can benefit you. You should just worry about understanding the fundamentals of chemistry for now and take it a year at a time. How did you do in Gen Chem 1?

I got an A in chem 1, but for some reason it seems like I can never get the hang of chem 2. I understand the material, but once I get to the exam my mind goes blank? At this point I only have the final exam (which is cumulative over chem 1 and 2) so i'm studying for that now but the university has all the academic centers closed due to COVID so it's been difficult to get help.

 

[fallmed]

On top of this sage advice, OP, have you gone to your professor(s) for help with the material??

I went in for office hours a few times but didn't seem to help much? I think it may be on my end, I'm not sure

 

[stickgirl390]

Gen Chem 2 is very math heavy, if I remember correctly. I don’t think it is a good indicator of how you will perform in medical school. Medical school is difficult because of the volume; the content really isn’t that challenging. I’d say get past gen chem 2, and keep going. Get a better idea of what your GPA will look like going into med school applications, and decide if you’re competitive.

 

[JustAnotherNonTrad]

I got an A in chem 1, but for some reason it seems like I can never get the hang of chem 2. I understand the material, but once I get to the exam my mind goes blank? At this point I only have the final exam (which is cumulative over chem 1 and 2) so i'm studying for that now but the university has all the academic centers closed due to COVID so it's been difficult to get help.

This is a curious situation. Gen Chem 2 is not that much more difficult than Gen Chem 1 so going from an A to failing suggests that you probably rely very heavily on rote memorization and that simply doesn't work long term for chemistry. You have to understand the how and the why of reactions/interactions/etc. Even if you were to get past Gen Chem 2, OChem and Biochem will be nearly impossible for you because they will rely on your conceptual knowledge of the material to formulate an answer. There are myriad online resources that should be able to help you with the material. What topics are you having issue with? You said you blank on test day: perhaps you've developed text anxiety. That can be overcome, though, this late in the semester, I don't know if you'll rebound. Have your professors reached out to you? Have you reached out to them? Any chemistry professor worth their weight would not let you get this far without addressing your grades.

General Chemistry is the weed out course sequence for pre-meds. Yes, it's important to know and valuable, but it's the foundation for everything else (even some biology, believe it or not) and if you can't make it through, sadly, medical school may always be out of reach.

 

[souravdada]

I got an A in chem 1, but for some reason it seems like I can never get the hang of chem 2. I understand the material, but once I get to the exam my mind goes blank? At this point I only have the final exam (which is cumulative over chem 1 and 2) so i'm studying for that now but the university has all the academic centers closed due to COVID so it's been difficult to get help.

Compare how your habits/techniques may have changed over time from last semester to this one, if you have picked up a bad study habit try and rectify that. The problem may not be extrinsic as the noisy room would have affected your other classes as well. Focus on the the final for now, it may be a chance at redemption since you did so well the first semester and it’s cumulative. Depending on how it goes you can take time in the summer to plan ahead as needed.

 

[texasdoctorprincess]

SO, I took gen chem 2 last semester and withdrew because I wasn't doing well on the tests and I didn't want the grade to impact my GPA.. Fast forward to this semester, im taking it again and i'm not doing great. I just took my third test and got a 48..I tried to study hard and focus but I live in a full noisy apt with nowhere to study on my own. I'm doing fine in all my other courses except chem, and my university is offering pass/fail and "special pass" for undergraduates with a D in a course. MY POINT is, If i can't pass gen chem 2 how in the world am I supposed to succeed in med school? I know I want to be a physician and I don't see myself doing anything else, but at this point it's embarrassing that i'm having to take gen chem 2 for third time. Any advice? (be honest please)

I had to take gen chem 2 twice, and I will have to take organic chemistry 1 for a third time this summer. I am HORRIBLE at chemistry, but I kept pushing. I am currently in ochem 2 and will be taking biochemistry in the fall. I struggled in chemistry the entire time, but I never gave up. Keep pushing. If you truly want to be a doctor, don't give up because there will be other challenges in medical school and life. Your aptitude for being a good physician is determined by your dedication and passion, not your inability to do well in one class. You got this 🙂

 

[fallmed]

Gen Chem 2 is very math heavy, if I remember correctly. I don’t think it is a good indicator of how you will perform in medical school. Medical school is difficult because of the volume; the content really isn’t that challenging. I’d say get past gen chem 2, and keep going. Get a better idea of what your GPA will look like going into med school applications, and decide if you’re competitive.

Thank you, i'll get past this hopefully!

 

[fallmed]

This is a curious situation. Gen Chem 2 is not that much more difficult than Gen Chem 1 so going from an A to failing suggests that you probably rely very heavily on rote memorization and that simply doesn't work long term for chemistry. You have to understand the how and the why of reactions/interactions/etc. Even if you were to get past Gen Chem 2, OChem and Biochem will be nearly impossible for you because they will rely on your conceptual knowledge of the material to formulate an answer. There are myriad online resources that should be able to help you with the material. What topics are you having issue with? You said you blank on test day: perhaps you've developed text anxiety. That can be overcome, though, this late in the semester, I don't know if you'll rebound. Have your professors reached out to you? Have you reached out to them? Any chemistry professor worth their weight would not let you get this far without addressing your grades.

General Chemistry is the weed out course sequence for pre-meds. Yes, it's important to know and valuable, but it's the foundation for everything else (even some biology, believe it or not) and if you can't make it through, sadly, medical school may always be out of reach.

Now, that I think about it, it really might be testing anxiety.. I get really nervous for exams ESPECIALLY chemistry exams and everything I studied goes out the window

 

[fallmed]

I had to take gen chem 2 twice, and I will have to take organic chemistry 1 for a third time this summer. I am HORRIBLE at chemistry, but I kept pushing. I am currently in ochem 2 and will be taking biochemistry in the fall. I struggled in chemistry the entire time, but I never gave up. Keep pushing. If you truly want to be a doctor, don't give up because there will be other challenges in medical school and life. Your aptitude for being a good physician is determined by your dedication and passion, not your inability to do well in one class. You got this 🙂

This inspired me.. Best of luck to you! 🙂

 

[deleted947265]

If i can't pass gen chem 2

Well let's focus on that first

Reading your other comment, you got an A in General Chemistry 1 so you probably understand it fairly well. The reason why you're having trouble in General Chemistry 2 is because General Chemistry 2 is an abomination. It is a veritable waste bin of disparate concepts that everyone will forget when it's time to start whatever course Gen Chem 2 is a prerequisite for. Then the professor teaching the next course in the degree track always goes over to the person who taught Gen Chem 2 like "OMG HOW U PASS PEOPLE???" when all their students look at them like they're speaking French.

But I digress. How to get past it? You might need to brush up on your math and physics.

It could also be that you're taking the wrong approach to learning the topics in Gen Chem 2. Focus hard on the theory at first before attempting practice problems in this course. Don't try any practice problems with numbers/chemicals until you have all the theory figured out. Just every chapter the rhythm is the same to get it down. Study theory hard > reason through how the theory applies to the equations you're seeing > then do the math. Get the concepts down pat before you do practice problems. If you try and just grind through the practice problems without getting the underlying concepts first, it'll take forever, you won't understand it, and then do bad when you can't use Chegg on the Tests.

Get a tutor.

If i can't pass gen chem 2 how in the world am I supposed to succeed in med school? I know I want to be a physician and I don't see myself doing anything else, but at this point it's embarrassing that i'm having to take gen chem 2 for third time. Any advice? (be honest please)

This guy got through medical school: http://www.mythoclast.me/img/0000A2DC.pdf

I think you're smarter than that guy, just having some trouble is all. It do be like that sometimes. Just change up your approach and get a tutor in advance. You got this, promise. 🙂

 

[fallmed]

Well let's focus on that first

Reading your other comment, you got an A in General Chemistry 1 so you probably understand it fairly well. The reason why you're having trouble in General Chemistry 2 is because General Chemistry 2 is an abomination. It is a veritable waste bin of disparate concepts that everyone will forget when it's time to start whatever course Gen Chem 2 is a prerequisite for. Then the professor teaching the next course in the degree track always goes over to the person who taught Gen Chem 2 like "OMG HOW U PASS PEOPLE???" when all their students look at them like they're speaking French.

But I digress. How to get past it? You might need to brush up on your math and physics.

It could also be that you're taking the wrong approach to learning the topics in Gen Chem 2. Focus hard on the theory at first before attempting practice problems in this course. Don't try any practice problems with numbers/chemicals until you have all the theory figured out. Just every chapter the rhythm is the same to get it down. Study theory hard > reason through how the theory applies to the equations you're seeing > then do the math. Get the concepts down pat before you do practice problems. If you try and just grind through the practice problems without getting the underlying concepts first, it'll take forever, you won't understand it, and then do bad when you can't use Chegg on the Tests.

Get a tutor.



This guy got through medical school: http://www.mythoclast.me/img/0000A2DC.pdf

I think you're smarter than that guy, just having some trouble is all. It do be like that sometimes. Just change up your approach and get a tutor in advance. You got this, promise. 🙂

Thank you so much. I'm hoping this is just a bump in the road, but this definitely gives me a glimmer of hope :')