B in general chemistry?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

I just checked my grade and I got a B in general chemistry (my school only has gen chem, orgo 1 and 2, and p chem). I feel awful, mostly because everyone I talk to keeps saying if I can’t get an A in gen chem then I’m screwed for orgo and p chem and that I shouldn’t really bother continuing. I know exactly what I did wrong: I didn’t study as much as I should’ve, thinking “well if I understand the basics then I’ll be fine,” which, as a freshman, I promised not to do because I knew college would be harder, but I fell into the mindset due to easy homeworks and quizzes.

But I’m seriously scared now.

Do you think I’m screwed?

2

A B in gen chem isn’t going to keep you out of med school unless you give it a whole bunch of additional Bs to keep it company.

This is a fixable problem and you already know what you did wrong. So, go forth and do better next semester.

3

@WayOutWestMom I guess the part that gives me more anxiety is that many say if I can’t get an A in gen chem then I can’t get an A in orgo or p chem

4

Make an appt with the counseling center at your college for as soon as you get back from winter break to learn how to deal with your anxiety issues.

Anxiety and self-doubt can cripple your med school ambitions.

5

@WayOutWestMom Will do. It’s not crippling and I’m certainly not giving up, but I just want to know that I still have the chance to get an A in orgo and p Chem despite my B (NOT saying it’ll be easy at all, just that there’s a chance)

6

It’s certainly possible.

If you want a personal example. D1 got B+, B+, B (quarter system) in her freshman gen chem course. When she took ochem (4 years later because she was a physics & math major and not a pre-med) she earned the highest grade in ochem out a class of over 400 students. Her ochem prof wrote one of her LORs for med school.

7

@WayOutWestMom thank you for that example, and thank you for reassuring me!

8

Are you at a CC? Why does your school not have Gen Chem II?

9

@mom2collegekids I’m at U of Michigan, Ann Arbor. I don’t know why, but when I asked a pre med advisor, she said it’s only gen chem I, orgo I and II, and p chem

10

I also checked courses and there’s no Gen Chem II. I only asked her because I didn’t want to screw anything up, but I already knew we don’t offer it.

11

If you got a B in Chem 123 (if that’s what they still call it) congratulations! The chem series at UM is no joke and designed to test your dedication. Plan on putting a good 10-15 hours a week into it and you’ll be fine.

12

Chemistry

Health professions schools typically require one year of inorganic chemistry and one year of organic chemistry (with lab experience).

You will likely begin with general chemistry (I):

CHEM 130: Macroscopic Investigations & Reaction Principles and CHEM 125 and 126: General and Inorganic Chemistry: Laboratory.

If you have A.P. credit or a high score on the chemistry and math placement exams, you may begin with organic chemistry (I):

CHEM 210: Structure and Reactivity and CHEM 211: Investigation Laboratory (1)
This is followed by organic chemistry (II):

CHEM 215: Structure and Reactivity II and CHEM 216: Synthesis and Characterization of Organic Compounds Laboratory.

The last term of general chemistry (II) includes:

CHEM 230: Physical Chemical Principles and Applications or CHEM 260: Chemical Principles

13

@mom2collegekids Every professor in the chem department and the advisor called it p chem and said it “replaces” chem ii…

14

@notveryzen Are you serious? I feel incredibly inadequate for not getting an A in gen chem

15

First year Chem at UM is maybe one of the most famous weed out classes ever. If you got a B without trying all that hard, I’d say you’ve got what it takes to do well through the rest of the series.

16

Yep, it appears that Chem II is Pchem at your school.

17

General chemistry is just an introduction to the areas of chemistry. What you learn in organic chemistry is completely different.

18

Hey I got a B too, that makes two of us.

Not screwed, though.

19

Organic Chem is a whole different animal. Depending on how you get along with that animal…you might do very well, and you might be completely screwed. LOL. Depends a bit on how the concepts click for you…that’s just the reality of it. My kid’s a Microbio major, she just got a B- on her first Orgo 2 exam. She’s delighted with her grade. Genetics, Microbio, infectious diseases, Calc, Statistics, Physics…these things make sense to her and come easy to her… Organic Chemistry, not so much. She hated Orgo 1, and now hates Orgo 2 even worse. LOL. A lot of kids struggle with it. Some kids have an unexpected talent for it. My advice? Treat your first Organic Chem class like the “hard class” until you know how you get along with it. Get the text book and start reading over the summer, watch some YouTube lectures. See how it clicks. it’s a stumbling block for some, and an absolute breeze for others. Time will tell. Just…keep your eye on this one. It’s sneaky. Don’t take your progress for granted until your first couple of tests and quizzes come back. More advice: Do the problems in the text book. Do them again. Do them a third time. Do all of them. One thing that will get you in trouble, is needing to take too long on each problem. If you’re practicing on enough problems, you won’t get stuck and need to think. You’ll work through smoothly and finish on time. Good luck! Also! Take Physics FIRST.