Should I retake O-chem or give up?

[Kingstun]

Ive done well in all of my chem classes before (A's), there is still a chance i could pull a B in o-chem but my teacher is really tough. Basicly what im asking is, if i can't make at least a B in o-chem should I try to retake it and get an A or start looking for another major. I am carrying a pretty heavy load calc 1, microbio, 0-chem, analytic geometry, and the real toughy speech (jk). On top of all of that I work as a pharmacy tech. 18 hours a week and voulenteer coach for both soccer and wrestling 3 times a week. More to the point finals are coming up and it is possible to make a B, but if I don't should i retake the class?

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[acetyl]

No.

I say try your best, take all the required classes, and apply. Just because you don't get a certain letter grade doesn't mean you're not learning the material. Certain professor's ask questions in ways that some people are not good at. However, if you feel like you're over extending yourself with other non-academic endeavors, then maybe you should cut down on those and concentrate more on school.

If everything else is in line with your application, I wouldn't worry about a C in organic.

 

[Jack555]

Ive done well in all of my chem classes before (A's), there is still a chance i could pull a B in o-chem but my teacher is really tough. Basicly what im asking is, if i can't make at least a B in o-chem should I try to retake it and get an A or start looking for another major. I am carrying a pretty heavy load calc 1, microbio, 0-chem, analytic geometry, and the real toughy speech (jk). On top of all of that I work as a pharmacy tech. 18 hours a week and voulenteer coach for both soccer and wrestling 3 times a week. More to the point finals are coming up and it is possible to make a B, but if I don't should i retake the class?

I'd say the first start is to

A)stop coaching
B)start working less
C)possibly take 1 less class a quarter/semester




I'd personally finish the class if you think you can nail a B. If you can't I'd retake it but thats just my opinion. Colleges care a lot about your O-Chem grade.

 

[MCVpharmD4me]

Just do your best with the class now. The semester is almost over and do you really want to sit through the class AGAIN. As long as you get a C most schools will accept it (I would only retake it if you got less than a C). Just make sure you do well in your other classes to balance it all out. Since you're taking microbio it would appear that you're already going above beyond the normal pre-reqs (this will definitely help). Organic has a lot of information that comes at you pretty quickly. Don't get discouraged! Try to pull off that B (if you don't, it isn't the end of the world) and keep your notes to review because O-chem doesn't ever go away.

I agree that you may want to re-organize your week a bit better so that you'll have more free time to focus on school. Being well rounded is extrememly important and extracurricular activities help to show an admissions committee that you have a good moral character. Just try to keep it all in proportion cause extracurriculars alone won't get you into a school.

Good luck!

 

[ADN1226]

I agree with reducing your load - it seems like you're thinking of applying with just the prepharm classes without a BA/BS, since its so competitive nowadays you really need a good GPA so you're best bet is to reduce your load and get a B for Ochem - if you end with a C you should retake it but really, you don't want to take ochem again! so try hard to get that B

 

[ufgator]

I would totally finish the class and see how you do. I took organic the first time and got a D. I retook organic and only got a B because my teacher was really good but very hard (less than 20 A's and B+'s in a class of 200). I had him write me a letter of recommendation for school. When I took O chem 2, I got a B+ and an A in the lab. I also got work experience in a pharmacy and will get my Bachelor's this May. This year, I got accepted into UF, UNC, and South University. My point of all this is that even after I retook O chem 1, i still only got a B, and I got into some really good schools. I would definitely say to study for the PCAT and write a great Personal Statement. Other than that, know that a few bad grades aren't going to kill you (I should know, I also had C+'s in Physics I and Biology I).

 

[tantan]

Ive done well in all of my chem classes before (A's), there is still a chance i could pull a B in o-chem but my teacher is really tough. Basicly what im asking is, if i can't make at least a B in o-chem should I try to retake it and get an A or start looking for another major. I am carrying a pretty heavy load calc 1, microbio, 0-chem, analytic geometry, and the real toughy speech (jk). On top of all of that I work as a pharmacy tech. 18 hours a week and voulenteer coach for both soccer and wrestling 3 times a week. More to the point finals are coming up and it is possible to make a B, but if I don't should i retake the class?

Try your best to get a B, but if the rest of your grades are high, then I don't think it's necessary to re-take it...I mean I got a 'C' in O-chem II (the only 'C' on my transcript) and it's never been an issue...then again it depends on the schools you're applying too as well. If they're tough schools, you wanna be as competitive as you can...hope this helps

 

[nixnix]

Ive done well in all of my chem classes before (A's), there is still a chance i could pull a B in o-chem but my teacher is really tough. Basicly what im asking is, if i can't make at least a B in o-chem should I try to retake it and get an A or start looking for another major. I am carrying a pretty heavy load calc 1, microbio, 0-chem, analytic geometry, and the real toughy speech (jk). On top of all of that I work as a pharmacy tech. 18 hours a week and voulenteer coach for both soccer and wrestling 3 times a week. More to the point finals are coming up and it is possible to make a B, but if I don't should i retake the class?

Don't retake it. I got into pharm school after a pretty crappy freshman year. (I got C+'s in both calc 1 AND gen chem 2. Granted, I really stepped it up for the rest of my pre-req's.) Schools look beyond grades. I think the fact that you're working as a pharmacy tech will matter more than your grade in organic.

 

[Kingstun]

thanks guys