To drop or not to drop - advice needed

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

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I currently have a 3.75 overall gpa and a 4.0 math and science gpa. I took some of my pre-reqs backwards, chem 1 and 2 (A) a&p 1 and 2 (A) before bio 1 and 2. Currently, I am in Bio 1 with a professor that is well a ....choose your favorite expletive. My 4.0 is being threatened and no amount of extra studying will ensure me an A. It is past the date of dropping without record of a W....I am no quitter....and I know if I was taking the same course with the other hard but reasonable teacher I would be looking at an A.

In case you are interested my only two test grades are 96 and 92 but the subjectively graded lab reports (I spend an average of 10 hours on them each and submit them for revisions and feedback and still only get in the 70% range but curiously the 19 year old blond chicks make in the high 80% and yes I have read their papers and they are not even in the same league - I guess when you are a prof you can be unethical as hell- okay enough ranting) are pulling my grade down to a mid B. Now I am not crazy for the As but hey I want to get into the pharm school of my choice and see this possible B as a potential hiccup in my hard won record.

The worst part is as far as I can tell in reading other student's papers my work is A level....for I surely know how to use spell check and know just where to put the commas....yeesh...and dammit I can get an A in a 100 level bio course...and I love bio too which only adds insult to injury. The deal here I feel is not my level of work or knowledge but a professor who should go get professional counseling...I know there are a lot of them out there....I am not looking for a perfect or fair world however, should I remain in the class and kill myself for the pleasure of receiving his bestowed B or drop with a W when I know for a fact that I can ace this course with a different professor?

 

[Carboxide]

Have you considered asking the professor what is wrong with your labs? Because I don't see where you are saying where you miss points. Lots of people can write and analyze, but if they don't follow the right format it doesn't matter.

I think it would be stupid to drop. If you really care that much about the A, take it, get a B and retake. But a B is fine.

 

[10yearslater]

I don't think you should drop the class because of a B. Many of my friends are getting interviews and acceptances to Pharmacy Schools with GPAs in the range of 3.2 to 3.5. Based on researching admissions criteria, a lot of schools look at the entire package of the candidate; how well rounded a candidate is based not only on grades, but community involvement, experience in the pharmacy your personal statement, letters of recs, and performance on the interview (oral and written).

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

Yes, I spent an hour in his office today going over the three questions I missed on the last exam in preparation for the cum final exam. At the same time he handed me back the last lab report. He grades the lab reports on ten different areas giving one point for each area. The appearance portion of my lab received a .6 because my table was not indented in from the margin of the text. Never mind the six figures shown each taking an hour each to create in paint and excel - those didn't count toward the appearance.??!! I received a 0 on the conclusion since there was none written for my paper - of course I did not write one because he stated there did not need to be a conclusion in this paper since it was a descriptive lab? WTF? Now miraculously there needs to be a conclusion. This is the sort of thing I am talking about. My favorite is the lab that didn't get turned in on time because he changed his written syllabus due date and didn't inform the class until 26 hours before the new due date. I was slammed with a chem test and an ap lab practical (cardio - oh joy) and was just flat out of time. The thing is he is very confrontational, he loves a good fight. So, you know you can't reason with people like this. Haven't you ever encountered a prof like this? I have only met two (this one included) in my time but they certainly leave a bad taste in your mouth.

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

Well, I think saying it is stupid is a bit harsh...LOL...why not take a class with a prof that enjoys teaching? Where you get to learn in an environment of support versus an environment where the prof gives off the not so subtle vibe that he is pulling for you to fail. Please don't get me wrong I am not the only student complaining. This guy has 29 ratings on www.ratemyprofessor.com and all but four are negative. I am just trying to determine the fallout from a W and also wanting to take a class I normally really enjoy with a teacher that doesn't have a huge chip on their shoulder.

 

[madmax20]

.

 

[themulya]

Honestly, you shouldn't drop the class. 1 B in an intro bio course is not gonna prevent you from going to pharmacy school.

There are a few factors that you have to consider. There are going to be harder courses that you are going to have to take that you may want to drop in the future. There is no point in using a W on this course when you might need to use one later. You might think that you would never drop another class, but you never know what situation that might happen in the future where you might need a W.

Secondly, you would need to take this class again, and that will push your course work off a semester. You wouldn't be able to take bio 2 next semester, which in turn will not let you take an upper division bio course that following semester.

A W conveys to a school that you were not doing well in the class, or that you could not handle it, or maybe there was some extenuating crisis that you had to drop the class. There is nothing wrong with a B

You seem like a smart student, and as long as you keep working hard on all your classes, the B will not hurt you. Bad professors are just a part of school, and sometimes you have to deal with it.

 

[aterly]

if I was in your place I would finish the class, some pharmacy schools might think you can't handle it, which will hurt your chances

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

I am 39 and have been spending my life's savings on going back to school this past year and then off to pharmacy school. I take it all rather seriously. I enjoy biology. To get the B from him requires me to do as much work on his class as I have to put into my other two classes combined - physics and calculus. Did you find your bio class to be more work than your calculus class?

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

Oh, finally please realize one important fact I have left out....I took this same level class nearly 20 years ago at a major university in Arizona and received an A in it. This class is being taken at a community college. So either I am getting dumber as the years go by - LOL - or biology has changed so much in the last two decades that a former A student now is incapable of getting a like grade...again when acceptance rates to the school I want to attend are 1 out of every 7 I don't want my chances hurt by one anal retentive type.

 

[madmax20]

1

 

[Carboxide]

Okay...it's clear that you don't care what we think and you just want us to tell you to drop the class. So do whatever you want and stop arguing when we ALL SAY TO TAKE A B.

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

Carboxide that is not true at all. But I also don't take the first thing someone says to me and run off with it without analyzing it. I have noticed that everyone says stay in the class and take the B...keep in mind it is not a gift of a B - I will still have to work my ass off the rest of the semester for the B and frankly am worried it will wear on me enough to impact my other grades. I can't predict the future but know that while still an undergrad I have some choices...once you are in pharm school you have no choice but to suck it up - so I guess I am questioning why if I now have a choice/option why would it not be wiser to take the option that most benefits me. Sorry if you see this as arguing but I see it as analyzing.

 

[wolfpackhal]

I would hate to get a B in a class I feel I should get an A in. However, I would recommend sticking with it. A B is not bad, and you can always shoot for an A in your second semester BIO course to overshadow the B. A B will not look negative to any ADCOMS, but maybe it could slightly lessen your competitiveness among other applicants that have an A in BIO. With that said, I truly believe ADCOMS look at the whole package, so do not let one B bother you too much. For example, I have been accepted to several programs with a variety of A/B/C grades for my science and math prereqs.

 

[Jdario86]

wow.

Ask your doctor if paxil is right for you.

 

[ccpharmd]

I honestly think you should tolerate it and work your butt off, even if you'll end up with a B. If you're worried about getting a B in an intro bio course, then I should've just killed myself when I got a D in an intro bio course... and look where I am now! I think you should show them that you still worked hard for that grade, even if it's not an A (as long as it's not a C), rather than dropping it and getting a W for it (doesn't show your perseverance). And GOOD LUCK!!!! REALLY!

 

[WestTXisGr8]

I am 39 and have been spending my life's savings on going back to school this past year and then off to pharmacy school. I take it all rather seriously. I enjoy biology. To get the B from him requires me to do as much work on his class as I have to put into my other two classes combined - physics and calculus. Did you find your bio class to be more work than your calculus class?

Wow, it sounds like we had the same Bio 1 professor. On the first day of class the Prof. stated that he felt anyone over 30 years old in his class going for pre-med, pre-pharmacy, etc. was a waste of govt. tax dollars and he would do everything he could to make sure he weeded you out of his class. I thought, big talk, I study, I know the material, what could he do? Was I ever wrong. Everything he did was HIGHLY subjective. And yes the 19 year old blonde girls seemed to come out with much better grades than me.

He didn't teach the lab, but the idiot who did teach the lab was hand-picked by him, had a 4.0 and had been applying to medical school for several years without getting in. He was young and bitter. In one lab on parasites he stated that women were the true parasites. Being a woman, I take that offensively. He didn't say it as a joke. I told him it was offensive. He didn't care.

So midway through the semester I had enough of this from both of them, and went to see the Dean to set up a meeting. The Dean was from Pakistan and the week before had cleared out his office and went back to Pakistan with no warning. And all this at a State 4-year University!

Needless to say, apparently their entire department was in the crapper, at least as far as I was concerned.

I came out of the class with a C after working my butt off. I'm retaking the class this semester at a different college. I should have dropped it the first day of class. Listen to your gut.

And no, my calculus class was much harder, and required much more work than Biology!

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

Wow...can you say age discrimination lawsuit? How are you doing in the current class?

Yes, this professor spent the first day of class telling everyone that he fails about fifty percent of the students. One hour and fifteen minutes spent on this same topic of how chances were very good you would fail. An amazing waste of time. If people were going to fail what good does a whole lecture class spent on this do? I did the same thing as you, thought big talk, and then proceeded to work my butt off.

This will tell you how ineffective he is: this past Tuesday - nearly 1/2 way through the semester was the first time he lectured about the cell. I of course went over this chapter about week two of the class but he is just now getting around to talking about the chapter on the cell. I just finished my lab now and will be turning it in tomorrow. I have officially spent 15 hours and 7 minutes on this one and if I can't break into the 80% level - sent it to him for feedback two times this time - then I will most certainly drop.

 

[bklyngirl]

wow.

Ask your doctor if paxil is right for you.

lol
I was thinking the same exact thing!

 

[itsblue2]

i had the same problem in my bio 1 & 2 actually...and i took c's!!! my only ones! go figure...but honestly, if c's dont ruin opportunities, then you'll be fine with a B. i got into pharm school with a number of interviews..

honestly, when you explain to the adcom that you dropped the class cuz the prof was hard, you wont get an acceptance offer, take the B and be happy..

 

[WestTXisGr8]

Wow...can you say age discrimination lawsuit? How are you doing in the current class?

Without factoring in that C, my pre-pharm GPA is 3.81. Once I have finished re-taking the course, I am sure I will make an A (I currently have an A in the class), so my pre-pharm GPA will be 3.83. At that point I will have completed all pre-pharm courses. In my pre-pharm classes I have 2 Bs, the rest are As (except for that one C which will soon be replaced with an A).

(Just a side note, if I factor in that C, my pre-pharm GPA is 3.66). I don't know exactly what my overall GPA is, as the school I want to attend doesn't consider my overall GPA, but it should be right at 3.4 to 3.5.

I don't know if that C would hurt my getting into pharmacy school, but it bothered the heck out of me. I couldn't leave it with that grade!

 

[Deja]

go talk with the adminstor for this course... there is always a person higher up over-sees each class, if you can get another persons lab for comparson when meeting with the admin. that would be even better (I had a bad experience in one of my elective class, all the tests and Hws was essays, and the T.A. would give me a C on everything! no matter what I did, but i didnt do anything and took the C, it was suppose to be my easy class for the sem. too, ended up spending wayyyy too much time for that class... it sucked! so I know how u feel)

and DO NOT EVER TRUST RATEMYPROFESSOR!!!! everytime i trust those ratings, it have bite me in the ass, and everytime when i see a professor who had a bad rating, turned out to be pretty good... for example, my chem II teacher made his finals the way where he had more than 50% of the questions from preivious exams, he didn't even change the numbers! and yet, on ratemyprofessor, he had a bad rating, and ppl were bitchin about how hard the class was! unbelieveable!

and damn how much do the lab reports worth in the overall grades?! u got As on the tests and the lab reports are pullin u down to mid Bs? is the class curved?

 

[meowmeow]

Yea, u should just drop the class. A B is horrible.. especially in BIOLOGY at a COMMUNITY COLLEGE? OMG. Drop and get a big fat W so that u have to explain that to admissions instead of having to explain why u got that nasty B.

 

[thephoenician88]

talk to the professor.

don't get a W where you could've gotten a B, a W should be reserved for C's and less.

just get an A in bio II or Micro. problem solved

 

[thephoenician88]

19 year old blond chicks make in the high 80% and yes I have read their papers and they are not even in the same league

btw, we need pics to see if he's really being bias. 😛

 

[WestTXisGr8]

talk to the professor.

don't get a W where you could've gotten a B, a W should be reserved for C's and less.

just get an A in bio II or Micro. problem solved

I would have to agree with this. If you feel you will pull at least a B, don't drop. Even if you are going to pull a C you might not want to drop. Below a C, definitely drop and retake it with a different instructor.

 

[trailrider400]

Maybe your professor thinks you're being arrogant. Thats kinda the picture you painted. You spent an hour talking to him about three questions you missed on the exam? why? This reminds me of a this guy in my class who stopped my microbiology class to argue with the professor about the 1/2 point he got off on his critique. Now I'm not here to bash on you but I think you are over reacting. You sound like a pretty smart person near the higher end of the class. He's not going to dog everyone. And I have more B's from one year than you will get in your entire life. Relax!

 

[Pharmgrlnxdor]

; )