W from organic chemistry I?

[rosathedino13]

hi everyone! i'm a sophomore at a private undergrad that extended their withdrawal policy instead of continuing the pass/fail option from the spring semester. i took 20 credits this sem, and ended ochem I with a C+ (rest of the classes were A's). should i withdraw from ochem and take it again next semester with a better professor who is known to be easier than the one i had? this will be my first and only withdrawal. any advice is appreciated, thank you so much!

*will still be able to take ochem II + biochem and graduate on time!

 

[JimKimSlim]

Yes.

 

[Goro]

hi everyone! i'm a sophomore at a private undergrad that extended their withdrawal policy instead of continuing the pass/fail option from the spring semester. i took 20 credits this sem, and ended ochem I with a C+ (rest of the classes were A's). should i withdraw from ochem and take it again next semester with a better professor who is known to be easier than the one i had? this will be my first and only withdrawal. any advice is appreciated, thank you so much!

Take the W and do better in your future courses. Be forewarned that a numerous Ws scattered about will look like grade preservation, so do NOT overdo this.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

hi everyone! i'm a sophomore at a private undergrad that extended their withdrawal policy instead of continuing the pass/fail option from the spring semester. i took 20 credits this sem, and ended ochem I with a C+ (rest of the classes were A's). should i withdraw from ochem and take it again next semester with a better professor who is known to be easier than the one i had? this will be my first and only withdrawal. any advice is appreciated, thank you so much!

Go far it if it won't impact taking Ochem II and biochem after it.

 

[KnightDoc]

Go far it if it won't impact taking Ochem II and biochem after it.

???? What does this mean? Of course it will impact, because there is no orgo 2 w/o orgo 1, and probably no biochem as well. What does pushing everything back by a semester have to do with saving the GPA and not showing the C+ now???

In addition, I'm surprised by the advice from everyone, since C+ is a passing grade, and adcoms usually advise us not to be neurotic perfectionists, that lots of successful people stumble on ochem, and a few Cs here and there are not the kiss of death. So why advise pushing all subsequent prereqs back in order to eliminate one crappy passing grade?

 

[JimKimSlim]

---

???? What does this mean? Of course it will impact, because there is no orgo 2 w/o orgo 1, and probably no biochem as well. What does pushing everything back by a semester have to do with saving the GPA and not showing the C+ now???

In addition, I'm surprised by the advice from everyone, since C+ is a passing grade, and adcoms usually advise us not to be neurotic perfectionists, that lots of successful people stumble on ochem, and a few Cs here and there are not the kiss of death. So why advise pushing all subsequent prereqs back in order to eliminate one crappy passing grade?

Not just because of bad grade. I was in OP’s shoe my sophomore year. Took too many courses too soon, but withdrawing relieved the tensions and helped me achieve better grades in my other classes. I hope OP learns something from this experience. One or two Ws is okay, don’t abuse it.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

???? What does this mean? Of course it will impact, because there is no orgo 2 w/o orgo 1, and probably no biochem as well. What does pushing everything back by a semester have to do with saving the GPA and not showing the C+ now???

In addition, I'm surprised by the advice from everyone, since C+ is a passing grade, and adcoms usually advise us not to be neurotic perfectionists, that lots of successful people stumble on ochem, and a few Cs here and there are not the kiss of death. So why advise pushing all subsequent prereqs back in order to eliminate one crappy passing grade?

I was talking about class availability. What if this pushes OP to graduate one semester late? I would personally take C+ and move on if GPA is around 3.7.

 

[rosathedino13]

Go far it if it won't impact taking Ochem II and biochem after it.

Thank you!

 

[rosathedino13]

???? What does this mean? Of course it will impact, because there is no orgo 2 w/o orgo 1, and probably no biochem as well. What does pushing everything back by a semester have to do with saving the GPA and not showing the C+ now???

In addition, I'm surprised by the advice from everyone, since C+ is a passing grade, and adcoms usually advise us not to be neurotic perfectionists, that lots of successful people stumble on ochem, and a few Cs here and there are not the kiss of death. So why advise pushing all subsequent prereqs back in order to eliminate one crappy passing grade?

I will still be able to take ochem II and biochem and still graduate on time if i withdraw from orgo I!

 

[rosathedino13]

---

Not just because of bad grade. I was in OP’s shoe my sophomore year. Took too many courses too soon, but withdrawing relieved the tensions and helped me achieve better grades in my other classes. I hope OP learns something from this experience. One or two Ws is okay, don’t abuse it.

Thank you - will definitely learn from this!

 

[KnightDoc]

---

Not just because of bad grade. I was in OP’s shoe my sophomore year. Took too many courses too soon, but withdrawing relieved the tensions and helped me achieve better grades in my other classes. I hope OP learns something from this experience. One or two Ws is okay, don’t abuse it.

But, the class is over, so there is no tension to be relieved and no other classes to benefit from a W. There is only the grade, and having to repeat the class and being unable to move on to the classes that require it as a prereq.

 

[rosathedino13]

Take the W and do better in your future courses. Be forewarned that a numerous Ws scattered about will look like grade preservation, so do NOT overdo this.

Thank you so much!

 

[KnightDoc]

I was talking about class availability. What if this pushes OP to graduate one semester late? I would personally take C+ and move on if GPA is around 3.7.

I agree, just because I wouldn't want to have to repeat a class with a passing grade. But, your concern is misplaced because a sophomore has PLENTY of time to pick up classes without having graduation delayed. A bigger issue would be being able to take everything before taking the MCAT next spring, assuming OP wasn't planning on a gap year.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

But, your concern is misplaced because a sophomore has PLENTY of time to pick up classes without having graduation delayed.

Not necessarily, at large public universities not easy to get into some of these classes.

 

[HopeP]

I was talking about class availability. What if this pushes OP to graduate one semester late? I would personally take C+ and move on if GPA is around 3.7.

Add to that sometimes Orgo continuation is not available. e.g. Orgo 1 is only offered in fall semester, so if you withdraw this fall sem, you have to wait another 6 months to take one next fall. We had that dilemma in spring Q when Covid was newbie and university decided P/F mandatory and my son can't drop Orgo 3 as that won't be offered until a year after spring Q and won't be continuation as he already finished Orgo 1 and 2.

 

[KnightDoc]

Not necessarily, at large public universities not easy to get into some of these classes.

????? I'm not sure where you are getting this from, but I've never heard of a sophomore not being able to graduate on time due to something like this. Upper class people get registration priority to avoid what you are talking about. Sure, if you change majors (or switch to premed) midway through junior year you could maybe have issues, depending on how many classes you need, but a sophomore needing 3 classes over 5 semesters is not going to have a problem graduating due to not being able to register for the classes.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

????? I'm not sure where you are getting this from, but I've never heard of a sophomore not being able to graduate on time due to something like this. Upper class people get registration priority to avoid what you are talking about. Sure, if you change majors (or switch to premed) midway through junior year you could maybe have issues, depending on how many classes you need, but a sophomore needing 3 classes over 5 semesters is not going to have a problem graduating due to not being able to register for the classes.

CA special

 

[KnightDoc]

CA special

Another reason it's such an awesome place. They really don't give registration priority to seniors, then juniors, then sophomores, for upper level classes (or all classes)? I never heard of that at public schools, large or small, with the only exceptions being honors college and athletes. And I have friends at a bunch of them, and checked out a whole bunch of them back when I was college shopping. I don't have first hand knowledge of the UCs, but what I am saying was true EVERYWHERE I went, from AZ to TX to OK to PA to NJ to SC to FL to AL.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Another reason it's such an awesome place. They really don't give registration priority to seniors, then juniors, then sophomores, for upper level classes (or all classes)? I never heard of that at public schools, large or small, with the only exceptions being honors college and athletes. And I have friends at a bunch of them, and checked out a whole bunch of them back when I was college shopping. I don't have first hand knowledge of the UCs, but what I am saying was true EVERYWHERE I went.

They probably but will they offer Ochem 1 and 2 every semester/quarter is doubtful. Also, you have to worry about which instructors teach if you are aiming for an A. So with all that, I would go for C+ and aim for A in Ochem 2 and Biochem.

 

[KnightDoc]

They probably but will they offer Ochem 1 and 2 every semester/quarter is doubtful. Also, you have to worry about which instructors teach if you are aiming for an A. So with all that, I would go for C+ and aim for A in Ochem 2 and Biochem.

Is it? I'm calling BS. I don't know what orgo 3 is, or where @HopeP's kid goes, but, by definition, LARGE schools offer popular classes EVERY semester. Yes, there are fewer sections of orgo 1 in the spring, and orgo 2 in the fall because people tend to take them in sequence in an academic year, so there is less demand in the "off semesters," but I don't know a single large public school that doesn't offer any sections of those classes every semester, including at least one of the summer semesters.

Cherry picking easy teachers is another matter entirely, but I would suggest needing to do that to maintain a high GPA will ultimately catch up to anyone. OP already has a C+, so there is pretty much no place to go but up from there.

That said, I still agree with you because, based on what the adcoms say when they are not advocating taking Ws, a C here and there won't be fatal, and a lot of people struggle with orgo and go on to have wonderful medical careers, so I just wouldn't waste time retaking a class I didn't have to. But, if you are hell bent on getting As, I wouldn't keep a C+ because I might not get an A on a retake, or because I was worried first semester of sophomore year that I won't be able to register for orgo 1, orgo 2 and biochem over the next 5 semesters, and my timely graduation might be in jeopardy as a result.

 

[JimKimSlim]

Everyone on this forum makes a great point for both sides. OP, just trust your gut. You will be fine whether you choose to withdraw or not.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Is it? I'm calling BS. I don't know what orgo 3 is, or where @HopeP's kid goes, but, by definition, LARGE schools offer popular classes EVERY semester. Yes, there are fewer sections of orgo 1 in the spring, and orgo 2 in the fall because people tend to take them in sequence in an academic year, so there is less demand in the "off semesters," but I don't know a single large public school that doesn't offer any sections of those classes every semester, including at least one of the summer semesters.

Cherry picking easy teachers is another matter entirely, but I would suggest needing to do that to maintain a high GPA will ultimately catch up to anyone. OP already has a C+, so there is pretty much no place to go but up from there.

without knowing how each school offers classes you can't call it BS! When teaching and grading varies quite a bit there is nothing wrong with cherry picking? I will actually say it's foolish if you don't check how the teaching and grading for classes you take. May be you are too good and these are trivial things to you

 

[KnightDoc]

without knowing how each school offers classes you can't call it BS! When teaching and grading varies quite a bit there is nothing wrong with cherry picking? I will actually say it's foolish if you don't check how the teaching and grading for classes you take. May be you are too good and these are trivial things to you

I respectfully disagree. I don't think I need to know how each school works to know that large public schools offer popular classes all semesters. Show me one that doesn't before throwing hypothetical theoretical problems into the mix.

Also, you're kind of talking out of both sides of your mouth. Shopping for easy teachers is great. Using that as a reason to keep a C+ because you might not get an easy teacher in a retake makes absolutely no sense. As I said before, you already have a C, and have nowhere to go but up, easy teacher or not!

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

I respectfully disagree. I don't think I need to know how each school works to know that large public schools offer popular classes all semesters. Show me one that doesn't before throwing hypothetical theoretical problems into the mix.

Also, you're kind of talking out of both sides of your mouth. Shopping for easy teachers is great. Using that as a reason to keep a C+ because you might not get an easy teacher in a retake makes absolutely no sense. As I said before, you already have a C, and have nowhere to go but up!

@HopeP already explained the scheduling difficulty at his kid's school and I believe his kid goes to T10 private school.

How can you be so sure that OP can only go up from C+ not knowing the instructor, class size, course load?

 

[KnightDoc]

@HopeP already explained the scheduling difficulty at his kid's school and I believe his kid goes to T10 private school.

How can you be so sure that OP can only go up from C+ not knowing the instructor, class size, course load?

Orgo 3 isn't 1 or 2, and small private isn't large public. C+ isn't exactly a keeper grade. I'm pretty sure anyone would do better on a retake, no matter the instructor, class size, etc. But, that's not the point. I agree it's unnecessary. But if OP doesn't want to show the C, a retake is an extremely low risk way to go, regardless of the theoretical issues you are conjuring up.

 

[HopeP]

For a quarter system schools orgo works little differently as split in 3 Qs in a row. Kicker is sequence starts at Fall Q and ends in Spring Q. Don't have flexibility, some try to do in summer but that one is slammed in few weeks instead of whole semester and students can't keep up with it.


So my take is simple, course scheduling may play a significant role to decide which grade to take, based on school they are enrolled to.
And petty attacks on adcoms or parents has no value in my view.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

Orgo 3 isn't 1 or 2, and small private isn't large public. C+ isn't exactly a keeper grade. I'm pretty sure anyone would do better on a retake, no matter the instructor, class size, etc. But, that's not the point. I agree it's unnecessary. But if OP doesn't want to show the C, a retake is an extremely low risk way to go, regardless of the theoretical issues you are conjuring up.

You are parsing too much here! Did OP say they got to a small private? Did they say Orgo 1, Orgo 2 (and orgo 3 if it's quarter system) offered every term?

 

[KnightDoc]

You are parsing too much here! Did OP say they got to a small private? Did they say Orgo 1, Orgo 2 (and orgo 3 if it's quarter system) offered every term?

No -- that's the whole point!! They said "should i withdraw from ochem and take it again next semester with a better professor who is known to be easier than the one i had?" They DIDN'T say the class wouldn't be available, or might not be available. They DIDN'T say they were worried about the professor. Those were things YOU threw in to say don't do it!!!

I said don't do it because it's a waste of time and no one will care about one C, especially in orgo, but, if you care about the optics of the C and don't mind wasting time retaking a class you already passed, knock yourself out. You and your friend then came up with a bunch of theoretical issues dictating keeping the grade. I'm not parsing anything.

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

No -- that's the whole point!! They said "should i withdraw from ochem and take it again next semester with a better professor who is known to be easier than the one i had?" They DIDN'T say the class wouldn't be available, or might not be available. They DIDN'T say they were worried about the professor. Those were things YOU threw in to say don't do it!!!

I said don't do it because it's a waste of time and no one will care about one C, especially in orgo, but, if you care about the optics of the C and don't mind wasting time retaking a class you already passed, knock yourself out. You and your friend then came up with a bunch of theoretical issues dictating keeping the grade. I'm not parsing anything.

I didn't say don't do it. I said if he can take Ochem 2 and biochem without delaying graduation then consider going for it. Anyway, time to move on.

 

[KnightDoc]

I didn't say don't do it. I said if he can take Ochem 2 and biochem without delaying graduation then consider going for it. Anyway, time to move on.

Didn't say what????

I was talking about class availability. What if this pushes OP to graduate one semester late? I would personally take C+ and move on if GPA is around 3.7.

They probably but will they offer Ochem 1 and 2 every semester/quarter is doubtful. Also, you have to worry about which instructors teach if you are aiming for an A. So with all that, I would go for C+ and aim for A in Ochem 2 and Biochem.

@HopeP already explained the scheduling difficulty at his kid's school and I believe his kid goes to T10 private school.

How can you be so sure that OP can only go up from C+ not knowing the instructor, class size, course load?

NOW we can move on!!!

 

[readmypostsMD]

hi everyone! i'm a sophomore at a private undergrad that extended their withdrawal policy instead of continuing the pass/fail option from the spring semester. i took 20 credits this sem, and ended ochem I with a C+ (rest of the classes were A's). should i withdraw from ochem and take it again next semester with a better professor who is known to be easier than the one i had? this will be my first and only withdrawal. any advice is appreciated, thank you so much!

*will still be able to take ochem II + biochem and graduate on time!

D- in Ochem 1...

MD student at relatively highly ranked med school now