Medical Should I drop organic chemistry?

[Goro]

So I took orgo 1 last semester and got a C-, and I couldn't get back into orgo 1 this semester to retake it. So I signed up for orgo 2 this semester, thinking that I would just study really hard and do well, and retake orgo 1 in the fall. However, after the first two exams, I'm not doing that great. The drop date for my class is before the next exam so I need to make a decision pretty soon about what I'm going to do. On the first exam, I got a low D, and on the second, a high C. I'm improving but it's also not high enough for med school, and I'm wasting my time when I could just retake the class in the spring semester of next year and do better after having a refresher of orgo 1. On the other hand, what would it look like to have to retake a whole year of chemistry? Having a C- and then a W? Back on the first hand, if I drop orgo 2 I could focus on my other science classes (an upper level bio class and physics) and do super well on them. I am also acing orgo lab this semester. Any advice is appreciated.

Also I know these grades are super super low, but I literally have As on the rest of my transcript. These are my only non-A grades, which I don't think keeps me completely out of the running for med school.

Yup, dump it.

Then figure out why this subject is so difficult for you. You then need to fix that.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

Why didn't you drop after exam 1?

Also, a hard look in the mirror, why are you really driven to go to medical school? What about a plan B?
Sent from my SM-N960U using SDN mobile

 

[Goro]

I want to be a doctor for many reasons. I do not want to be an organic chemist. My plan B is to get my PhD in biomedical sciences and do research. I have a 3.8 GPA even with my bad grade in orgo 1, I've made As in all of my other classes, many of which are at the 300 and 400 level.

You don't need to be a doctor with this career plan.

Why would you say that? I want to be a doctor because when I was a kid I couldn't get healthcare because we didn't have health insurance and my parents don't make a lot of money. I didn't go to the doctor ever, even when I had the flu. Now, I'm watching my grandma struggle with cancer, and she can't even afford hospital parking, let alone her treatment. I wanted to help the people in my family so badly as a kid, which is what made me want to become a doctor. I know that I couldn't change the whole healthcare system as a doctor, but I could offer healthcare, or at least health advice, to some of the millions of people in this country who can't afford it. I also love the subject of medicine and biology. I did a four-year pre-med program in high school and made an A in each of the classes, and all four of my teachers wrote me college recommendations. So doing poorly in one subject is not going to kill my dream and destroy everything I've worked hard for.

 

[MusicDOc124]

You need to have a C or better. I assume you know that as you mention you would retake orgo 1. Taking orgo 2 with a C- in orgo 1 demonstrates poor judgment regardless of your other grades. Even a D followed by a C followed by a B would still average to a C, and you still need to retake orgo 1 anyway.

Take the W because you are at risk for failing (at least relative to pre-med courses requiring a C) because if you happen to get another C, your D will bring you too close for comfort to a C-.

Figure out what went wrong for orgo in the first place, and then nail orgo 1 followed by 2.

The reason you're doing poorly in 2 is because you barely scraped by in 1 which is the basis for 2.

 

[MusicDOc124]

So doing poorly in one subject is not going to kill my dream and destroy everything I've worked hard for.

This is absolutely correct. However this is one of the few pre-reqs, and failing (again in pre-req standards) the base course, and continuing on to the next of the series demonstrates poor judgment - and poor judgment will kill a dream. Figure out what went wrong, make changes, and move on. Start with 1, and then 2. Nail them both, and move on as you have been with everything else.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I'm close to convinced you need a plan B. There are hundreds of health care jobs, and if you are dead-set focused on being "the doctor" instead of seeing how other professions "help people" and don't require having to pass organic chemistry, you're going to have problems. Organic isn't easy, but it's important for biochemistry, pharmacology, and understanding very abstract concepts that are as challenging as problems you will encounter with medical diagnosis.

Yes, a career direction in research isn't a terrible thing. You can do clinically relevant research with a Ph.D, even if you really stink at organic. (I can attest to that. ) But if you're acing all other classes except organic, you need to either cut your losses or put more resources into something that is more in line with your goals towards a Ph.D. if that's what you want to do. Now if you need them to graduate with your bachelor's degree, you better find the resources and help to get you to pass the classes. None of this C-minus stuff.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

I love the research I'm doing right now (in an animal behavior lab). I could see myself doing it, but when I go shadow doctors, that's what I REALLY see myself doing. I've done a couple mock interviews with med school admissions reps, one of which expressed interest in me and said that "other than your orgo grades, you are a fantastic candidate." I have a plan B but I'm not ready to cut my losses quite yet. If I was a B student, sure, but I'm not.

Well, passing organic chemistry is part of the journey that you can't avoid. It's like eating vegetables. If you want it, you'll pass organic chemistry. If you can't, then you won't.