Tough situation with professor - withdraw?

[HearYeHearYe]

---

Members don't see this ad.

I am a non-trad pre-DO post-bacc student who is currently taking Organic Chem 1 at a local community college. I am taking it because it is in the evening and I work full time during the day; to be honest, I chose the class due to its time slot and nothing else.

The Orgo 1 professor has a doctoral degree in an agricultural field, not chemistry. He also has severe social deficiencies (quite possibly high-functioning autism and/or a personality disorder) that cause him to become angry over completely innocuous matters and to say bizarre, incoherent, and/or factually incorrect things throughout his "lectures." His speaking pattern honestly reminds me of that of Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man." He is unable to teach organic chemistry, because he struggles to express coherent ideas.

We just got a test back, and the average was in the 50s; I got a score that's near the average. (The test questions are all from the textbook company's test bank. The professor also adds "bonus questions," which are generally esoteric and/or phrased in an incomprehensible way.) It's very unclear if there will be a curve, and the professor has the attitude of "If you fail the course, you can just retake it. No big deal!" When I asked him for advice about whether to withdraw or not, he told me he's not allowed to give me advice of that nature.

One-third of the class has already withdrawn. I reached out to the academic dean of the community college, and it appears that I'm going to be brushed off. (There's very little she would be able to do at this point, anyway, right?)

No matter what happens, there's a near-guarantee that I will not finish this course with an adequate understanding of organic chemistry. Here is the ultimate question: Do I withdraw and take a "W" on my community college transcript, or do I roll the dice and accept what may very well turn out to be a "C" or "D"... or maybe even an "F"?

I wish I had sucked up my pride and had withdrawn before the add/drop deadline... but it's sadly too late for that now.

 

[SterlingMaloryArcher]

I am a non-trad pre-DO post-bacc student who is currently taking Organic Chem 1 at a local community college. I am taking it because it is in the evening and I work full time during the day; to be honest, I chose the class due to its time slot and nothing else.

The Orgo 1 professor has a doctoral degree in an agricultural field, not chemistry. He also has severe social deficiencies (quite possibly high-functioning autism and/or a personality disorder) that cause him to become angry over completely innocuous matters and to say bizarre, incoherent, and/or factually incorrect things throughout his "lectures." His speaking pattern honestly reminds me of that of Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man." He is unable to teach organic chemistry, because he struggles to express coherent ideas.

We just got a test back, and the average was in the 50s; I got a score that's near the average. (The test questions are all from the textbook company's test bank. The professor also adds "bonus questions," which are generally esoteric and/or phrased in an incomprehensible way.) It's very unclear if there will be a curve, and the professor has the attitude of "If you fail the course, you can just retake it. No big deal!" When I asked him for advice about whether to withdraw or not, he told me he's not allowed to give me advice of that nature.

One-third of the class has already withdrawn. I reached out to the academic dean of the community college, and it appears that I'm going to be brushed off. (There's very little she would be able to do at this point, anyway, right?)

No matter what happens, there's a near-guarantee that I will not finish this course with an adequate understanding of organic chemistry. Here is the ultimate question: Do I withdraw and take a "W" on my community college transcript, or do I roll the dice and accept what may very well turn out to be a "C" or "D"... or maybe even an "F"?

I wish I had sucked up my pride and had withdrawn before the add/drop deadline... but it's sadly too late for that now.

Withdraw. You know you're not gonna ace the remainder of it (which is what you'd have to do to secure a decent grade)

 

[HearYeHearYe]

Withdraw. You know you're not gonna ace the remainder of it (which is what you'd have to do to secure a decent grade)

I currently have a 3.6 cGPA and 3.4 sGPA. If I take the "W" and then retake Orgo in the future (preferably at a four-year university), do you think I'll still have a shot at DO schools if I apply broadly? I really don't want adcoms to think that I'm a quitter who bites off more than she can chew. 🙁 How would I explain the "W" to them?

 

[bears1992]

He also has severe social deficiencies (quite possibly high-functioning autism and/or a personality disorder) that cause him to become angry over completely innocuous matters and to say bizarre, incoherent, and/or factually incorrect things throughout his "lectures."

Diagnosing mental disorders, spoken like a true premed.

I ran into this dilemma as well. I was in Orgo II and thought I was going to get a C after doing poorly on the first test. The overwhelming response I got on SDN was something along the lines of "Cs in postbacs are killer". If a C is your best case scenario, just take a W, it's miles better than a C. Plus your GPA is already good enough for DO so I doubt a W in a postbac is going to have anyone doubting your academic abilities.

Good Luck!

 

[HearYeHearYe]

Diagnosing mental disorders, spoken like a true premed.

I ran into this dilemma as well. I was in Orgo II and thought I was going to get a C after doing poorly on the first test. The overwhelming response I got on SDN was something along the lines of "Cs in postbacs are killer". If a C is your best case scenario, just take a W, it's miles better than a C. Plus your GPA is already good enough for DO so I doubt a W in a postbac is going to have anyone doubting your academic abilities.

Good Luck!

Did interviewers ask you about the W? If so, how'd you explain it?

 

[bears1992]

Did interviewers ask you about the W? If so, how'd you explain it?

I didn't take a W, I ended up getting an A because that poor test ended up being my drop test. I have a 3.1 GPA and nothing about grades were asked about during either of my DO interviews. I think DO schools are a lot less likely to put your academic record under the microscope.

 

[Robin-jay]

When I took orgo 1, the median was always around 50-60 and I always scored 80-100.

In some cases, everyone really does score around 50-60, but that was for classes like advanced organic chemistry 6000, not for the undergrad. courses.

However, every professor is different, and every situation is different. If the professor is as inefficient as you say, then retake the course with a different professor at some point.

I've never had a community college course, maybe try to just take it at an accredited university?

Good luck!

 

[Coltuna]

I've said it 100x on here, and I'll say it again. Use ratemyprofessor for every class that offers more than 1 instructor at your school. Your gpa will thank me.

I also hope you didn't make the mistake of thinking CC classes are always easier than university classes. The hardest class I took in undergrad was... drum roll please... Orgo I at CC. Also had one W at said CC, and it hasn't been brought up in interviews.

 

[HearYeHearYe]

I've said it 100x on here, and I'll say it again. Use ratemyprofessor for every class that offers more than 1 instructor at your school. Your gpa will thank me.

I also hope you didn't make the mistake of thinking CC classes are always easier than university classes. The hardest class I took in undergrad was... drum roll please... Orgo I at CC.

Only evening classes work for my schedule, so I haven't been able to be picky about professor quality, unfortunately.

I'm not really talking about the difficulty of material being taught in class. I'm talking about the fact that there is no material actually being taught in the first place. The course is totally unstructured and there's virtually a total lack of instruction. I honestly just don't have time to self-teach myself all of Orgo 1.

 

[Coltuna]

Only evening classes work for my schedule, so I haven't been able to be picky about professor quality, unfortunately.

I'm not really talking about the difficulty of material being taught in class. I'm talking about the fact that there is no material actually being taught in the first place. The course is totally unstructured and there's virtually a total lack of instruction. I honestly just don't have time to self-teach myself all of Orgo 1.

I would recommend withdrawing and retaking with a better professor if possible later on.

 

[Goro]

I am a non-trad pre-DO post-bacc student who is currently taking Organic Chem 1 at a local community college. I am taking it because it is in the evening and I work full time during the day; to be honest, I chose the class due to its time slot and nothing else.

The Orgo 1 professor has a doctoral degree in an agricultural field, not chemistry. He also has severe social deficiencies (quite possibly high-functioning autism and/or a personality disorder) that cause him to become angry over completely innocuous matters and to say bizarre, incoherent, and/or factually incorrect things throughout his "lectures." His speaking pattern honestly reminds me of that of Dustin Hoffman's character in "Rain Man." He is unable to teach organic chemistry, because he struggles to express coherent ideas.

We just got a test back, and the average was in the 50s; I got a score that's near the average. (The test questions are all from the textbook company's test bank. The professor also adds "bonus questions," which are generally esoteric and/or phrased in an incomprehensible way.) It's very unclear if there will be a curve, and the professor has the attitude of "If you fail the course, you can just retake it. No big deal!" When I asked him for advice about whether to withdraw or not, he told me he's not allowed to give me advice of that nature.

One-third of the class has already withdrawn. I reached out to the academic dean of the community college, and it appears that I'm going to be brushed off. (There's very little she would be able to do at this point, anyway, right?)

No matter what happens, there's a near-guarantee that I will not finish this course with an adequate understanding of organic chemistry. Here is the ultimate question: Do I withdraw and take a "W" on my community college transcript, or do I roll the dice and accept what may very well turn out to be a "C" or "D"... or maybe even an "F"?

I wish I had sucked up my pride and had withdrawn before the add/drop deadline... but it's sadly too late for that now.

Find a way to get out of this class, even if you have to break a knee and get a medical withdrawal.

Then complain to the Dep't Chair. The prof sounds like a "freeway flyer"