Should I drop Orgo 2?

[SeaAngel45]

We got our first exams back, and the average was a 45.

I got a 55.

Which is roughly a C....I want to work hard but the prof told us that it is definitely just going to get harder....

any advice?

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[dcolon_et06]

We got our first exams back, and the average was a 45.

I got a 55.

Which is roughly a C....I want to work hard but the prof told us that it is definitely just going to get harder....

any advice?

Hmm. You WANT to work hard? Start working hard NOW and see where that takes you with the upcomming material. You'd be suprised how much can come out of taking a little more initiative and maybe reviewing more often or ahead of time. Just because it's going to get harder shouldnt discourage you from trying. Like the saying goes," You'll never know unless you try". For me, it's helped tons .

 

[kenmc3]

I think that you can pull your grade up to a B. I think that a B would be more advantageous than dropping. I received a B in Orgo 2 and made it into med school. Just keep on top of the material, go to the professor for extra help, and find someone to tutor you.

 

[el.harpo]

Just stay in and work harder. Look for ways to improve how you studied for the first test and if you're having a hard time coming up with anything then go ask the professor if he/she has any advice for studying for their tests or for understanding the material.

 

[Falco2525]

Here is the key to orgo...understand the flow of the electrons...if u do then just practice the movement of electrons so u can visualize it...this is what helped me the most...of course you have to remember the chemicals also..

 

[GuzzyRon]

Other than postponing your evil day, I don't see what good dropping is going to do. If you're still planning on going to med school you're gonna have to confront Orgo 2 now or later. And if you can't handle Orgo 2 what are you going to do with the upper level courses such as Biochem, Cell Bio etc?

In addition to what others have said, spend plenty of time understanding MECHANISMS. Orgo 2 is mostly mechanisms and electron flow. And remember most of the reactions in Orgo 2 all follow a similar pattern. Also, get help and if you can pin down these concepts - nucleophile, electrophile, SN1, SN2, E1, E2 - you're gold!


Finally, remember the words of Abe Lincoln: "quitters never win; winners never quit."

Goodluck and God bless!

 

[mcat_study]

We got our first exams back, and the average was a 45.

I got a 55.

Which is roughly a C....I want to work hard but the prof told us that it is definitely just going to get harder....

any advice?

hmm, i took it a few years back, but 10 pts above average is not that bad.
usually an average is a C or B-, so you probably got something like a B or B+
NO. do not drop out. just study hard for the next test and you can still make an A or A- this is how it was with me. and BE POSITIVE
-->very important!!!

 

[solitude]

push electrons towards positive charge.

if you understand that, and you study a lot, orgo 2 isn't *that* hard.

 

[Zoom-Zoom]

Yeah, if the average was a 45, a 55 is not a C. It's probably a B.

I wouldn't drop, but it really depends on:
1. How many other exams you have. Our school has 4 plus a final.
2. What they scale the average to. Most of my classes scale to a C+ or B-, and this will make a big difference.
3. How much you need a good grade in o.chem. Do you have a 4.0? If so, you'll be fine with a B...if you desperately need an A then you might consider dropping...although your first test doesn't mean you can't pull your grade up significantly...

 

[CTtarheel]

Is it past your drop date yet (ours is Oct 17th)? If you can drop with no consequences and you have the time to take it later, i'd go ahead and do it. My biggest regret is that i didn't drop A&P after making a C on the first test, then ended up making a C overall. There's no point in trying to dig yourself out of a hole if you don't have to, and you really have to think what makes you think you're going to do better on the next test to bring it up?

But . . . it's not worth dropping for a W, a C probably looks better than a W and will hurt your GPA a lot less (W carries a value of 0!!!). Plus 10 points above average is definitely above a C, you're looking at minimum B-, maybe B.

 

[CTtarheel]

push electrons towards positive charge.

if you understand that, and you study a lot, orgo 2 isn't *that* hard.

AWESOME . . . finally someone else UNDERSTANDS organic and isn't running around with stupid flash cards trying to memorize reactions. Best thing about cheimstry is there's a REASON FOR EVERYTHING, once you learn why, there are less than 10 principles to learn.

 

[Crazy4F1]

stay with it until the very last day you have to withdraw, and see what improvement you can make by then.

 

[FenderHM]

no way your class is curved to below a C

 

[CaramelDlite]

We got our first exams back, and the average was a 45.

I got a 55.

Which is roughly a C....I want to work hard but the prof told us that it is definitely just going to get harder....

any advice?

Please do not withdraw from a pre-req, this pretty much looks like an automatic C or lower. Get an orgo tutor. I had a tutor for orgo when I took the class and she was great. Afterwards, I tutored and taught orgo for a long time and it's amazing how much better people understand things when there's someone to show them the way. Heaven forbid you take it again and don't do well, then it will really look bad. You'll get more credit for toughing it out and moving past it, than you will for dropping it and having a W-save those only for the classes you will feel most comfortable explaining why you withdrew to a member of an admissions cmte.

 

[solitude]

AWESOME . . . finally someone else UNDERSTANDS organic and isn't running around with stupid flash cards trying to memorize reactions. Best thing about cheimstry is there's a REASON FOR EVERYTHING, once you learn why, there are less than 10 principles to learn.

holler.

 

[psipsina]

AWESOME . . . finally someone else UNDERSTANDS organic and isn't running around with stupid flash cards trying to memorize reactions. Best thing about cheimstry is there's a REASON FOR EVERYTHING, once you learn why, there are less than 10 principles to learn.

Orgo is just BSing with electrons and remembering the names of some of the rxns. Learn the reasons for the electron's behavior and you'll be set. Definitely don't drop it, its a great learning experience for med school to learn how to pull yourself out of a hole in a class. I guarantee your first med school test grades won't be what you expect and you'll be in the exact position you are in now except the classes will be way harder and it will be with all your classes. Learning to persevere now would be a usefull medschool skill.

 

[deleted36260]

Go insane on this class. Get old tests, live it, breath it, do everything you can. Do not drop if you don't have to. Can you mathematically pull a B in the class? I'm sure you can.
Stick with it, figure out why you did poorly (that's the biggest part here) and get to work.

 

[Skaterbabe74]

Other than postponing your evil day, I don't see what good dropping is going to do. If you're still planning on going to med school you're gonna have to confront Orgo 2 now or later. And if you can't handle Orgo 2 what are you going to do with the upper level courses such as Biochem, Cell Bio etc?

Doing badly in Organic does not mean you won't be able to handle Biochem or Cell Bio or other upper div. classes. I totally suck at Organic exams. I understand the material, and can do synthesis if given the time and resources to look up the things I need to, but our Orgo II exams were extremely heavy with synthesis and I was never able to perform well on the exams so I ended up with a C. On the other hand I got a B in the 4 week Biochem I class I took (definitely not easier than the regular 15 week version - nothing got cut out).

To the OP - You're going to have to take Orgo II sometime, and you scored 10 points above the average. I'd stick with it - if you consistently score that much higher than the average you won't end up with a C. (And even if you do, it's not the end of the world if that's your only C.)

good luck!

 

[wolfram241]

AWESOME . . . finally someone else UNDERSTANDS organic and isn't running around with stupid flash cards trying to memorize reactions. Best thing about cheimstry is there's a REASON FOR EVERYTHING, once you learn why, there are less than 10 principles to learn.

Alright but it's not as simple as knowing how to push electrons. Knowing how to push electrons doesn't help you do a multi-step synthesis, elucidate a structure from NMR, etc.

 

[MEG@COOL]

Anyone who thinks he should drop it say "drop it like its hot"

 

[Nickelpennykid]

Gather 'round the campfire kiddies, this will def. make you feel better.

I had a great OChem I prof, and did really well. Second semester, new professor and very different exams. After the first exam, he put a p.p slide of the grade distributions. Highest was an 86 all the way down to a 46. There were a bunch of high 50's, but the only one below those was the lonley 46. I sat in the back, laughing with my friends about the poor soul with the 46. Two minutes later, he hands the exams back. I'm sure you have figured out where this is going, but in case you haven't...the 46 was mine.

Thinking about it now, I should have dropped the class (it would have been my only Withdraw), but I worked my tail off after that only to come out with a C. This story came up in both of my interviews and I used it to talk about how learning to overcome / dealing with failure will ultimatly make me a better med student.

My advice would be if you think you can get a B or better with curves / tudors etc., stick it out. If not, I have heard that one W on the transcript won't kill you. Hope this made someone feel better.

 

[Savannah]

We got our first exams back, and the average was a 45.

I got a 55.

Which is roughly a C....I want to work hard but the prof told us that it is definitely just going to get harder....

any advice?

I made a 54 on my first Org 2 test last year (and the average was actually close to an eighty). But, I still managed to pull an A.

It's not impossible. Just make up your mind not to give up.

 

[TPROrgoTutor]

Get a tutor. TPR offers excellent tutors that WILL substantially bring up your grade. They are more expensive but you will be getting a certified tutor, not just a random grad student... Now that Im done with the shameless TPR plug...

This is my best advice. Dont withdrawal, that C can EASILY be made into a B or A with a little help from either a tutor, or a lot of studying on your part alone. Either way, just work for it. Good luck, if you ever have any specific questions you can PM me about it and Ill give you my e-mail. Most of my students send me questions all the time, so it is helpful if you are ever stuck.

 

[TPROrgoTutor]

oops, double post.