Should I consider withdrawing even though it’s only 4 weeks into the semester?

[doctorwannabe1234]

Just took my first online Orgo 1 exam and got a 49%. Admittedly, my study habits for this class are not where they need to be and I’m not making excuses but I’m honestly shocked. My very smart friend also scored a 63% and We both aced general chemistry with no problems. We don’t know the class average yet because we just took the exam an hour ago. Should I consider withdrawing? I’m a non-trad doing a DIY post bacc (2 classes at a time with labs). My current post bacc gpa is about a 3.8 and I’m URM. The class breakdown is

3 exams (100 points each)

5 quizzes (20 points each, I got a 16/20 on the first quiz)

10 homework (10 points each)
The entire class is out of 500 points each.

Is it too late to get back on track? I feel terrible because I took out loans for this class and if I take a W, that’ll be $2500 wasted I’ve taken Bio series and gen chem series and got A’s in all 4 classes but now I feel like I’m not smart enough to be a doctor

 

[Rachapkis]

Unless there is a penalty for waiting, at a minimum, I would understand what the mean is before withdrawing. It's possible that you both have high scores relative to the rest of the class. However, if it turns out that the mean is in the 60s or 70s, I would consider withdrawing, especially since you've admitted that you're not motivated to study hard enough (for some reason). Given how hard it can be to get into medical school, the key is to do things once and do them right, rather than to do them quickly.

 

[doctorwannabe1234]

Unless there is a penalty for waiting, at a minimum, I would understand what the mean is before withdrawing. It's possible that you both have high scores relative to the rest of the class. However, if it turns out that the mean is in the 60s or 70s, I would consider withdrawing, especially since you've admitted that you're not motivated to study hard enough (for some reason). Given how hard it can be to get into medical school, the key is to do things once and do them right, rather than to do them quickly.

Thank you. I am willing to study hard after seeing my exam grade. I plan on completely doing a 180 but I just don’t know if it’s too late

 

[KnightDoc]

Unless there is a penalty for waiting, at a minimum, I would understand what the mean is before withdrawing. It's possible that you both have high scores relative to the rest of the class. However, if it turns out that the mean is in the 60s or 70s, I would consider withdrawing, especially since you've admitted that you're not motivated to study hard enough (for some reason). Given how hard it can be to get into medical school, the key is to do things once and do them right, rather than to do them quickly.

This^^^^. You could withdraw right up the to end (what do you mean "deadline"? - is that with a W, or without one?), and the $2,500 is gone, so you need to figure out what the 49% means in terms of a letter grade, which means knowing whether and how the test is going to be curved. You then need to figure out whether or not you are in a position to get it together and perform the way you need to. It's way too early after only 20% of your grade is in to be able to answer these questions. Of course, if you just want to bail, it's your time and money, so feel free.

 

[doctorwannabe1234]

This^^^^. You could withdraw right up the to end (what do you mean "deadline"? - is that with a W, or without one?), and the $2,500 is gone, so you need to figure out what the 49% means in terms of a letter grade, which means knowing whether and how the test is going to be curved. You then need to figure out whether or not you are in a position to get it together and perform the way you need to. It's way too early after only 20% of your grade is in to be able to answer these questions. Of course, if you just want to bail, it's your time and money, so feel free.

Sorry, I meant the application to withdraw opens up on nov 6th. I’m just really scared that I just threw my entire future away. I know I’m catatrophizing right now (I just started seeing a therapist about this) but I’ve read on here that Adcoms expect to see a 4.0 for DIY post bacc people.

 

[DT III]

Sorry, I meant the application to withdraw opens up on nov 6th. I’m just really scared that I just threw my entire future away. I know I’m catatrophizing right now (I just started seeing a therapist about this) but I’ve read on here that Adcoms expect to see a 4.0 for DIY post bacc people.

Like the people above have said, you should wait til the deadline before making a decision. Whether you withdraw now or at the deadline, the outcome is the same. At least at the deadline you will have more data to make the decision.

Goro’s advice is to earn at least a 3.5 GPA for DO and at least a 3.7 GPA for MD for postbacs.

 

[LizzyM]

Just on a points basis, you are down 51 points on that first test and 4 points on the other assignment so down 55 points or about 11% from 100%. That is not the end of the world. Frankly, just about everyone's lowest grade is in o-chem.

You do need to learn how to study o-chem which is different than gen chem. Think about structures, affinities, attractions, pairing, repelling. I haven't looked at o-chem in 40 years so don't go by what I say but find a tutor IRL or someone who can help you with an understanding of the concepts. Don't overlook Anki decks and Kahn Academy too for drilling and explanations of difficult concepts respectively.

 

[KnightDoc]

Sorry, I meant the application to withdraw opens up on nov 6th. I’m just really scared that I just threw my entire future away. I know I’m catatrophizing right now (I just started seeing a therapist about this) but I’ve read on here that Adcoms expect to see a 4.0 for DIY post bacc people.

Definitely take a deep breath and find out whether or not the test will be curved before freaking out. If the whole class did poorly (very smart friend scored a 63%), you might be worrying about nothing. Your 49% could very well be a B.

Find out, talk to the professor about what you need to do to improve, and then get more data points. You didn't throw anything away, except maybe $2,500 and some time. Worst case - you withdraw and start over.

This is NOTHING, but you do need to get your anxiety under control. Otherwise, med school will eat you alive! And remember as you stress about grades, fair or not, the stat bar will always be a little lower for URMs, so play that to your advantage, and remember you will always have less to worry about than ORMs and Whites!

 

[joe32]

Definitely not the end of the world but just to add to what others are saying, please review the past topics and stuff you messed up on for this exam. OChem isn't like gen chem where there are distinct sections in the class where you can kind of do well on one without getting the other (e.g. do well on Acid/Bases but do badly on nuclear chemistry or something) it's all additive and the first 1-2 months where you really build up the foundations for the rest of the class sequence and you really don't want to be stuck having fundamental knowledge gaps in OChem.