what should I do about general chemistry 2?

[argarg01]

I am in general chemistry 2 right now, and I am not doing too hot. As of right now I have about a D (almost a C). We only have the final left, and if I get an A on that I can get an A in the class. I can totally use that test to pull my grade up, but I'm nervous that if I don't, I may even fail the class. What should I do about this? I have been studying my butt off for this class but I really can't seem to pull off better grades. This professor is notorious for being worst professor on my entire campus, so that probably doesn't help either. Should I retake it next semester if I get a C or lower? There is a different professor teaching, so I might be able to understand the material better, and it will be my second time seeing it, so I should know more off the bat.

Any ideas?

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[Mahliah]

Study groups, practice tests, chemistry 2 apps (if you have a smart phone), practice, practice, practice. Well if you retake it you should get an A in it but I wouldnt be thinking about that. Figure out what you are doing wrong & try your best to ace the final.

 

[estradiol9]

Why does everybody feel the need to come to this forum and whine about whatever bad grade they got and blame it on something else like their professor, lack of curve, etc?

Seriously, stop making excuses. If you fail the class or get a D, you WILL have to explain why you did so poorly on secondary applications and at interviews. They might even ask even if you get a C. I really don't think adcoms want to hear about how you took a class with the "worst professor at your school". What happens if you go to medical school and you get a terrible professor? Are you going to tell your patients you can't treat whatever it is they have because the professor you had for pharmacology sucked?

If you do poorly, okay, well it happens. But don't go blaming it on your professor. You could very easily pick up a textbook and teach the material to yourself. Not good at learning from the book? There are probably thousands of videos on YouTube providing help with all kinds of chemistry problems. That still doesn't work? I'm sure your school has tutoring services. You say you studied your butt off? Maybe you should assess your study habits because you are clearly not doing something right if you are spending a lot of time studying and still have a D in the class.

If you get less than a C, I am pretty sure you are REQUIRED to retake it. I don't think medical schools will even accept prerequisites with less than a C. Even if you get a C, I'd still retake it in my opinion.

 

[argarg01]

Why does everybody feel the need to come to this forum and whine about whatever bad grade they got and blame it on something else like their professor, lack of curve, etc?

Seriously, stop making excuses. If you fail the class or get a D, you WILL have to explain why you did so poorly on secondary applications and at interviews. They might even ask even if you get a C. I really don't think adcoms want to hear about how you took a class with the "worst professor at your school". What happens if you go to medical school and you get a terrible professor? Are you going to tell your patients you can't treat whatever it is they have because the professor you had for pharmacology sucked?

If you do poorly, okay, well it happens. But don't go blaming it on your professor. You could very easily pick up a textbook and teach the material to yourself. Not good at learning from the book? There are probably thousands of videos on YouTube providing help with all kinds of chemistry problems. That still doesn't work? I'm sure your school has tutoring services. You say you studied your butt off? Maybe you should assess your study habits because you are clearly not doing something right if you are spending a lot of time studying and still have a D in the class.

If you get less than a C, I am pretty sure you are REQUIRED to retake it. I don't think medical schools will even accept prerequisites with less than a C. Even if you get a C, I'd still retake it in my opinion.

I don't need you to lecture me. I barely ever come on this website, and I just asked this question because I was hoping to get advice from someone who may have been down this route. I normally don't ever blame my bad grades on anyone but myself, but with the professor I have, I think it is allowed. The class average is a 38 in a 1000 person class. My professor is very condescending and doesn't want his students to pass. I have been to countless office hours, to the learning center, used 4 different textbooks, online help (such as khanacademy) and many many other resources. I know what to do to get a good grade. Even the TA's in the Chem learning center and the TA for my recitation told us not to feel bad because this professor is the devil. I know many people that are advanced students and are struggling as much if not more than I am. You don't know me and you don't know the amount of effort I do or do not put to get a good grade. I don't need someone to come here and lecture me. If you were someone that really knew me, than that would be a different story, but you don't. You don't know what my life is like you don't know who I am or what I am about. So really, all you can do is just give me the advice I asked for, or just don't even bother commenting. You don't need to take out your anger for life on innocent people through the internet.

 

[PressPforPi]

Why does everybody feel the need to come to this forum and whine about whatever bad grade they got and blame it on something else like their professor, lack of curve, etc?

Seriously, stop making excuses. If you fail the class or get a D, you WILL have to explain why you did so poorly on secondary applications and at interviews. They might even ask even if you get a C. I really don't think adcoms want to hear about how you took a class with the "worst professor at your school". What happens if you go to medical school and you get a terrible professor? Are you going to tell your patients you can't treat whatever it is they have because the professor you had for pharmacology sucked?

If you do poorly, okay, well it happens. But don't go blaming it on your professor. You could very easily pick up a textbook and teach the material to yourself. Not good at learning from the book? There are probably thousands of videos on YouTube providing help with all kinds of chemistry problems. That still doesn't work? I'm sure your school has tutoring services. You say you studied your butt off? Maybe you should assess your study habits because you are clearly not doing something right if you are spending a lot of time studying and still have a D in the class.

If you get less than a C, I am pretty sure you are REQUIRED to retake it. I don't think medical schools will even accept prerequisites with less than a C. Even if you get a C, I'd still retake it in my opinion.

Whoa. If it bothers you that much, then don't post. Just my two cents. Some people need some advice. Sure he probably could've searched, but it's not like you're forced to respond.

OP, Ace that test. Do whatever you can (besides cheating) to ensure that A. Even so, if you pull a C, it's not the end of the world. You have the option to re-take it or just do really well in other sciences to try and balance it out. Just make sure you understand the material. Good luck!

 

[estradiol9]

I don't need you to lecture me. I barely ever come on this website, and I just asked this question because I was hoping to get advice from someone who may have been down this route. I normally don't ever blame my bad grades on anyone but myself, but with the professor I have, I think it is allowed. The class average is a 38 in a 1000 person class. My professor is very condescending and doesn't want his students to pass. I have been to countless office hours, to the learning center, used 4 different textbooks, online help (such as khanacademy) and many many other resources. I know what to do to get a good grade. Even the TA's in the Chem learning center and the TA for my recitation told us not to feel bad because this professor is the devil. I know many people that are advanced students and are struggling as much if not more than I am. You don't know me and you don't know the amount of effort I do or do not put to get a good grade. I don't need someone to come here and lecture me. If you were someone that really knew me, than that would be a different story, but you don't. You don't know what my life is like you don't know who I am or what I am about. So really, all you can do is just give me the advice I asked for, or just don't even bother commenting. You don't need to take out your anger for life on innocent people through the internet.

I am not taking out my anger for life on you. I'm actually not angry about anything. I just don't appreciate it when other students complain about how they do poorly in a class and blame it on their professor. Why? Because I have had many wonderful professors and gotten As in their classes but seen other premed students complain and whine that the professor sucks ass and failed them for no reason. I think there are way too many people that just expect to be fed information and answers that can be regurgitated when it comes to exam time. If you truly don't think you fit that description, then I apologize but then why come to the internetz and ask for help if you don't want to hear what people have to say? You asked explicitly for advice on what to do to pass and simply said you "studied your butt off". Maybe you should have elaborated more that you've done everything you could possibly think of and feel like you've exhausted all your resources.

If your professor is that bad then I seriously suggest going to see the dean of the chemistry department or the dean of students if you have one. If enough students complain about a professor at my school, something is usually done about the situation.

 

[Cypher321]

If your professor is that bad then I seriously suggest going to see the dean of the chemistry department or the dean of students if you have one. If enough students complain about a professor at my school, something is usually done about the situation.

I agree with this. If the professor really is the son of Lucifer, then it shouldn't be too difficult to get enough people to complain to the dean and hopefully get something moving. However, I doubt it would happen in time to help you so in my opinion I would say man up, study hard, and see how the cards are dealt. At the worse you get a D, retake the class, and have an opportunity to talk about how you learned better study habits blah blah blah.

Best of luck to you.

 

[Hoya2009]

Is someone of the 1000 getting an A in this class?
If yes, find out what he is doing and do that.
If no, go talk to someone in the chem department.
If unsure, collect more data.
If other "Panic"
I taught myself Portuguese for a class., então aprender química vai ser muito más fácil.

 

[BadHorse]

Is someone of the 1000 getting an A in this class?
If yes, find out what he is doing and do that.
If no, go talk to someone in the chem department.
If unsure, collect more data.
If other "Panic"
I taught myself Portuguese for a class., então aprender química vai ser muito más fácil.

Sua mãe vai ser muito mais fácil.

 

[gettheleadout]

Why does everybody feel the need to come to this forum and whine about whatever bad grade they got and blame it on something else like their professor, lack of curve, etc?

Seriously, stop making excuses. If you fail the class or get a D, you WILL have to explain why you did so poorly on secondary applications and at interviews. They might even ask even if you get a C. I really don't think adcoms want to hear about how you took a class with the "worst professor at your school". What happens if you go to medical school and you get a terrible professor? Are you going to tell your patients you can't treat whatever it is they have because the professor you had for pharmacology sucked?

If you do poorly, okay, well it happens. But don't go blaming it on your professor. You could very easily pick up a textbook and teach the material to yourself. Not good at learning from the book? There are probably thousands of videos on YouTube providing help with all kinds of chemistry problems. That still doesn't work? I'm sure your school has tutoring services. You say you studied your butt off? Maybe you should assess your study habits because you are clearly not doing something right if you are spending a lot of time studying and still have a D in the class.

If you get less than a C, I am pretty sure you are REQUIRED to retake it. I don't think medical schools will even accept prerequisites with less than a C. Even if you get a C, I'd still retake it in my opinion.

Yay unsupported claims!

 

[Hoya2009]

^^ um, a lot of schools ask about out or of character grades, South Florida, for one. And maybe EVMS??

 

[estradiol9]

Yay unsupported claims!

A few examples:

4. How do you assess your college record?
5. Circumstances adversely affecting your academic performance?
University of Louisville secondary application prompts.

1. If applicable, please comment on any science grade(s) listed on your application for which you received grades lower than a B. If applicable, please comment if there is a downward trend in your science and/or total grade point average (GPA).
University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ-RWJMS secondary application prompt


Is there anything which you would like to share to clarify something in your application?
This or something similar to it shows up in a lot of applications. I've heard recommendations of elaborating on drops in GPA, failed classes, and time off in these types of prompts.



3. Have you had to repeat or drop a course?
Texas Tech-Lubbock secondary application prompt


And considering that anything on your application is basically up for grabs by adcoms during interviews, I can imagine that many would ask about it.

 

[Mac Blade]

I don't need someone to come here and lecture me. If you were someone that really knew me, than that would be a different story, but you don't. You don't know what my life is like you don't know who I am or what I am about. So really, all you can do is just give me the advice I asked for, or just don't even bother commenting. You don't need to take out your anger for life on innocent people through the internet.

No offense, but you're opening yourself up to both positive and negative comments from posters who do not personally know you every time you post on an internet forum. It sure appears as though you're putting a lot of time into studying for the class, but how efficient is your studying? I agree with the above poster who noted that you might try to find someone who is doing well, and see if they're doing something differently. You might be only a small change in your study strategy away from an A on the final.

 

[Frazier]

I am in general chemistry 2 right now, and I am not doing too hot. As of right now I have about a D (almost a C). We only have the final left, and if I get an A on that I can get an A in the class. I can totally use that test to pull my grade up, but I'm nervous that if I don't, I may even fail the class. What should I do about this? I have been studying my butt off for this class but I really can't seem to pull off better grades. This professor is notorious for being worst professor on my entire campus, so that probably doesn't help either. Should I retake it next semester if I get a C or lower? There is a different professor teaching, so I might be able to understand the material better, and it will be my second time seeing it, so I should know more off the bat.

Any ideas?

I didn't like GenChem 2 much either - so I feel ya.
Don't worry though, it only gets worse.

 

[gettheleadout]

A few examples:

4. How do you assess your college record?
5. Circumstances adversely affecting your academic performance?
University of Louisville secondary application prompts.

1. If applicable, please comment on any science grade(s) listed on your application for which you received grades lower than a B. If applicable, please comment if there is a downward trend in your science and/or total grade point average (GPA).
University of Medicine & Dentistry of NJ-RWJMS secondary application prompt


Is there anything which you would like to share to clarify something in your application?
This or something similar to it shows up in a lot of applications. I've heard recommendations of elaborating on drops in GPA, failed classes, and time off in these types of prompts.



3. Have you had to repeat or drop a course?
Texas Tech-Lubbock secondary application prompt


And considering that anything on your application is basically up for grabs by adcoms during interviews, I can imagine that many would ask about it.

I would be surprised if the majority of secondary prompts had questions specific to individual bad course grades. The point is that saying an applicant will be questioned about it 100% of the time is making a big assumption and just comes off as ignorant. I wouldn't think a bad grade with an A upon retake is not automatically going to come up in every interview.

 

[TurtleHop]

I am in general chemistry 2 right now, and I am not doing too hot. As of right now I have about a D (almost a C). We only have the final left, and if I get an A on that I can get an A in the class. I can totally use that test to pull my grade up, but I'm nervous that if I don't, I may even fail the class. What should I do about this? I have been studying my butt off for this class but I really can't seem to pull off better grades. This professor is notorious for being worst professor on my entire campus, so that probably doesn't help either. Should I retake it next semester if I get a C or lower? There is a different professor teaching, so I might be able to understand the material better, and it will be my second time seeing it, so I should know more off the bat.

Any ideas?

My only dropped class in college was Chemistry 2 in my second semester. I was keeping up with the coursework, but I continued bombing tests. It just was not clicking. I dropped it and sucked up the W. That summer I took Chemistry 2 and devoted alot of time to understanding it. I ended up with an A, but, more importantly, I got a firm base for Quantitative Analysis which I took my Junior year.

2 out of 3 interviewers asked me why I took Chemistry 2 over the summer. I told them practically what I just typed in the above paragraph. As far as I can tell, they did not hold it against me and respected my course of action.

There is my experience. Hopefully it gives you SOME insight.

 

[BJJ]

I was in a similar position as you...class average for the grades were around a 50 and I would consecutively get around 60-65. He stated that the curves were only like 10-15 points. I would have been happy with a final grade of a B in Gen Chem 2. Turns out, he just waited until the end to curve and I wound up with an A. (Also helped that I did all the HW, labs, and quizzes well and did well on the ACS Final)