**Sigh**

[Beau Geste]

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I posted this over on the Old Premeds site and thought I would post it here, too just in case. I'm not sure if I'm looking more for advice or just validation 😱 !

We had our 2nd Organic Chem exam on Friday and while I did well on the questions I answered, I (and a lot of the class) didn't get to finish!

So, I am considering dropping the class. This semester is very time-consuming for me - I have a genetics class with an extremely demanding lab (15-20 hours a week both in and out of lab!), I'm trying to plan a wedding for Nov. 26 (and since it's getting close, everyone needs to talk to me, I have to visit vendors, do dress fittings, showers, etc. and I'm getting married 350 miles from where I currently live), and my business is demanding a lot of my attention right now (I'm being audited by the state - all therapists involved in state contracts will be audited over the next 2 years, and my name came up now in a lottery-style fashion. Talk about timing 🙁).

I will probably get my grade on Monday, but the deadline to drop was on Friday. I actually tried to drop the class on Friday after my exam, but the system from my home to the mainframe was timing out, and now it says it's too late - so I've e-mailed the registration department for help.

My first grade was a C, and this grade should have been an A if I had finished, but I think I probably have a C again because of the point distribution. There are 2 more exams, and we can drop our lowest score, and there is a curve based upon total points earned out of 300.

When I am in the lecture, I really "get" what the professor is saying, and I really enjoy it! The hard part is finding time to go over the material enough to really be fast - and it really showed on the exam, plus my time is so limited that I'm not finding enough quality time to devote to the material as I should.

It's not offered again until next fall, but I am beginning to get the feeling that taking the W instead of a C would be better, and I can register for this as my only class next time it's offered, with no wedding planning, and a less demanding business schedule.

Do you guys think this is a good idea, or should I stick it out? Honestly, I don't want less than a B (preferably an A), and I KNOW I can do it with a less stressful schedule.

Although my Genetics class is very involved, I'm getting an A there - it's not as complicated as Orgo, just busy work.

 

[MoosePilot]

Well, do you have plans for the MCAT? I think organic is more "core" than genetics. So it sounds like you're prioritizing the wrong class to me, but decisions like this are hard enough for me to make for myself. I'm certainly not going to try to make this one for you. If it was me, I probably wouldn't drop, because it would really only be postponing something I didn't want to do. Organic won't get any more palatable with time. There's never a good time to take organic (because it sucks!!).

Good luck in whatever you decide to do!

 

[blee]

Moose has the right idea, in my opinion. You absolutely need orgo to do well on the MCAT, while genetics will be of little use to you on the test. Plus, orgo is a pre-req for med school while genetics is at best an elective. I would concentrate on organic if I were you. Of course, I realize that you're suffering in that class more than you are in genetics. It's a tough call. What's making it worse, though, is the fact that you might have missed the drop deadline, in which case this is kind of a moot issue. 🙁 Keep your head up, and keep us posted.

 

[samenewme]

If you're loving the Genetics and the Orgo is killing you, I hope you can get the Orgo dropped. The DNA/RNA stuff (transcription, translation, replication) in genetics is useful on the MCAT, though you get enough to get by in a good freshman bio class. As long as you do the orgo before you take the MCAT you'll be okay.

 

[Beau Geste]

I'm not planning to take the MCAT until '07, so the timeline isn't an issue. I wouldn't dream of taking it without orgo! However, not only is it important for me to get a good grade, but to really have a grasp on it outside of the lectures. Unfortunately I'm stuck pouring over financial records and case notes from 2 years back to present as well as addressing wedding invitations and writing thank-you notes from a wedding shower from a few weeks back. And, we just got back from a marriage preparation retreat that is mandatory to marry in the Catholic Church that took up Friday night 7pm to today at 12 pm. It was good, but there was no time to study then, and now I'm stuck on my financial review on the computer. (But I can respond while I download 🙂).

I was a little overconfident to think that I would be able to handle orgo with the wedding, but the auditing thing was out of the blue about 3 weeks ago and will keep me busy through Xmas. We even had to cancel our honeymoon to reschedule a different time 🙁

After digging on the university website a little more, it looks like the deadline to drop using the computer system was Friday, after that I have to get permission from the department, which shouldn't be a problem. I left a phone message and several e-mails asking for clarification so I'll know for sure tomorrow.

At this point, since time is not an issue, I'm going to drop (if I can) and pick it up either next semester or Fall (when it's offered again) and focus on that by itself. The MCAT can wait.

I'm glad you guys responded. Sometimes, even when I post for advice, I end up doing what I was going to anyway. But there are so many ways to look at a situation, that's why I post it.

THANKS.