In need of advice ? Kind of long

Student Lounge College Life
1

Hi,

I started going to a community college in fall 2015 with the dream of becoming a veterinarian. One thing I’ve always struggled with college in is doing labs… although we were in groups of 3 or 4 at this community college, it’s like I was always lost and I never really knew what to do… however, I ended up graduating in December at the community college and was able to transfer to a University this spring. So, here I am at this huge University (now a junior) and I’m still majoring in biology and wanting to become a veterinarian. This one class just really made me question if this really is the right career choice for me… Organic Chemistry. The professor is a piece of work and really knows his stuff but I’m used to having professors like this so that’s not a problem. However, I’m just not good with labs ? So, in this Organic Chemistry lab, he doesn’t allow us to work in groups or pairs… every student has to work individually which is even more of a struggle for me because at the community college, i was used to partnering up with someone cause they made us get into groups for labs and we never really did an experiment individually… so this was a really bad transition for me. So far, we’ve only had 2 labs into the semester… the first lab, I was all over the place in the worst way. Even though he had just explained to us what to do, I got lost and confused on what to do. I don’t know… maybe it was too many steps for me to remember all at once ? Eventually, I got the hang of it and was able to gather data but I took so long that I couldn’t finish the experiment smh. Before the lab that we did today, I actually researched what the lab was about and was able to fully understand what I was suppose to be doing and I actually felt that I would do better this lab because of that… however, even though I knew what I was doing this time around, I still wasn’t able to finish my experiment in time and the professor was so annoyed with me that he told me I should talk to student services and see if they can accommodate me cause I’m taking too long doing my experiments and I won’t be prepared for the practicum… mind you, there was 3 other students who was still working on theirs but that’s beside the point. Hearing that really broke me into pieces that I almost wanted to burst into tears. I’m so un motivated right now and now, I’m starting to think that maybe this field just isn’t the route for me. It’s like if I can’t do experiments in labs, how would being a veterinarian ever work out for me ?

Please, give me as much constructive criticism as you can… do you think it will get better or just worse ? Should i talk to someone about it like my professor suggested or my academic advisor? Or am I in the wrong major ?

Any advice is welcomed…

just please don’t be rude about it cause my feelings are still hurt ?

2

I’m not a science major, but I do know that OChem is a notoriously hard class. Remember that actually practicing in a certain field is very different from needing to know how to do labs in a chemistry class. Just because you’re having difficulties with these labs doesn’t mean you’re in the wrong field or that you won’t be able to be a veterinarian.

That said, I do recommend you speak to someone to get some help. Do you know/trust your academic advisor? Perhaps you can talk to them and get their opinion on whether or not you should speak to student services and get some help. If you get some special accommodations, it might help you figure out whether you just crack under pressure or if you’re really not grasping the material well.

3

Have you taken Biology yet? That also involves a lab. What is your major? Could you to talk to your professor during his office hrs and ask him questions? You might not understand certain parts of you lab, so it is taking you longer to finish your experiment. Talk to your academic advisor. Another option is to find a job working in a lab environment.

4

Thanks for the advice ! Yeah I think I’m going to go talk to my advisor and see what they think I should do

5

collegehuh,

Yeah I’ve taken Biology 1 and 2 and it was very difficult for me then but a bit easier since we were in groups and I didn’t have to do it alone

6

While your professor sounds like a bit of a d*ck, you may actually want to check with student services. While organic chemistry is a difficult subject (got a 70/100 in it, myself), in my (albeit limited) experience, labs tend to be straightforward.

That is assuming, of course, that the person running the lab is going out of their way to make it more difficult, and it sounds that your professor was trying get students to do their lab work in a set amount of time, without written instruction, or the possibility of writing down his instructions. None of which seems conducive to learning how to perform lab work, especially in the first lad session. It also seems weird to me that there was no TA at hand, to help students who were stuck.

So you may have some minor issue which makes doing the lab in the time he sets, a difficulty which would require them to provide you with accommodations. However, you may simply be a bit flustered by being in a very unfamiliar setting, and being forced to work in a way that really doesn’t work for you, and then add to that is the fact that the professor is singling you out.

So, you may be bad at labs, or merely bad at this professor’s lab. How did you perform in other labs before this?

7

Premed and pre-veterinary courses are notoriously difficult for a reason. From what I have heard, Organic Chemistry is a particularly difficult one.

I agree with getting help from the services at your school. However, be aware that this course is known as a hard one, and do the best that you can.

With practice you should over time get better at labs.

Do you have a grade in this from last semester, or are you just starting Organic Chemistry now?

8

Go see the prof during office hours. Tell him this. Ask him how to do the labs. Go see the academic support advisor. Maybe you should be a vet, maybe you can be a vet tech. There are other options.

9

I wouldn’t give up quite yet; and I suggest that because you’ve shown improvement over the course of just two labs. For the next lab, see if you can continue to do so. Look up the lab in advance, as you did for this one, as that worked for you. Prepare as you did. Then make it your goal to move faster through the lab.

Also do the other things the professor suggested, and do talk to your advisor. If you can’t overcome labs, you will probably not succeed in vet school. But again, you’ve already made massive progress. I think you’re going to be able to overcome this.

10

O Chem is a hard course. Your Prof knows that. But s/he has seen many a student in O-chem class…so they may know you are not prepared for this class. Vet school is VERY VVERY competitive even for students who get 4.0s.

Up until now I suspect your lab partners have been doing the heavy lifting in the course.

So what you need to do is :
Talk to your professor during office hours and figure out if it is possible for you to pass this course.
If it is not, then talk to your advisor about withdrawing. You need to make sure that you are still full time.

If it is, then What you are doing isn’t working. So you need to do something differently.

  1. Prepare for the labs. look at the sylabus and read about the lab. Understand what you are trying to accomplish, etc
    Maybe look for some Khan Academy videos or the like on the topic
  2. Get a tutor.
  3. Go to the professor’s office hours before the lab and get help on what you should be doing. Also ask if there is any way to learn more lab techniques.

In any case, Realistically evaluate whether Vet school is for you. Talk to the pre-health advisor about your GPA and how it may fit in. Talk about other animal-related careers.

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Although it may have been insulting for the prof to suggest you go see if Student Services might grant you accommodations, I perceive that as your prof actually trying to help you by encouraging you to do that. If you get “extra time” and/or other accommodations, that will only help you in this course and in future courses, and increase your chance of success as well as probably reduce some of your time-pressure stress/anxiety (not just for this course but for all your other future courses too). I don’t see any downside to you going to Student Services and inquiring about what you may be able to do that would have them grant you accommodations; the fact that it was suggested by your professor of his own initiative may also increase the chances that Student Services will be more willing to grant you accommodations. With appropriate accommodations (if you can get them), then success in Vet school - or any other future program- may be more realistic for you (presumably, you would also be able to get accommodations later in Vet school - or another future program, if you qualify for them now).

12

People under-estimate the transition from CC to a 4 year school. Not just you @Kamoura23 but everybody-students, instructors and, especially, administrators. I’m not sure what the solution is but things often don’t work smoothly with the current system.

Naturally there are loads of reasons some students start out at CC-often financial. But there is almost always an element of readiness for a 4 year school-especially now that students with strong academic records can access $ to attend strong 4 year schools. So some in CC don’t have as strong an academic record as those who start at 4 year schools. Some students at CC are fully ready for a 4 year school but many are not. Many work very hard to “catch up” and many become strong students during that period but even if they do, the system works against them.

Some CC’s strive to make up the difference. But the odds are sometimes against it even for very motivated students.

{relatedly, please don’t reply with claims that CC courses are every bit as rigorous as those offered by 4 year schools because they use the same textbooks. Of course there can be overlap and there are differences across CCs and 4 year schools. But, having studied the differences and similarities, it’s clear that there are systematic reliable differences in course rigor and other variables.}

It is usually the case that those starting off at 4 year schools are attending more rigorous classes compared to those in CC where classes may be more remedial and/or move at a slower pace and/or have lower expectations for student achievement. After 2 years in these less rigorous classes they join students already in the system for their 3rd year of college. Well how can they possibly be at the same level? Again they are disadvantaged.

Even if they hit the floor running, there’s a hugely steep learning curve. If CC students started in a 4 year school as if they were freshman, they’d have an advantage over those coming into the 4 year school from high school. But they don’t. The solution is that CC must make its 2nd year (200 level) courses much more difficult so that the students are brought up to the level of those already at 4 year colleges or the students should be allowed to begin as 1st years. But neither is realistic given the already high drop out rate at CCs, the expense of college and the desire to avoid a 6 year stint. A potentially viable solution is for students to take all classes p/f in their first semester at the new school so they do not factor into the GPA. Most schools won’t allow that.

I don’t know the best solution but the schools aren’t using what ever that would be. The result is often grades in the transition that place the student at a great disadvantage compared to peers whey will graduate with. It’s a losing proposition for them.

@Kamoura23, this does not help you except to convey that the problem is systemic. Your difficulty with it is understandable. It’s a set up. People have already offered great advice. In addition to working hard and smart, don’t beat yourself over the head about grades and challenges. Maybe you’ll be the one to graduate, end up with an administrative position that allows you to impact policy and will make needed changes in the educational system. “Lord knows”, they are needed.

13

Mwolf,

I did okay in past labs but I was in a group with like 3 other people so I don’t know how I would’ve been if it was just me.

Yeah the labs are straightforward but he kind of like to add more steps to it and idk, i think it’s just so much for me to remember all at once.

14

@DadTwoGirls

This my first time taking Organic chemistry, I took gen chem 1 and 2 last year… yeah, hopefully I’ll get better over time but I am going to talk to someone

15

Thanks everyone for the advice ! I’m going to make an appointment with my advisor sometime next week and see where it goes from there. Wish me luck xx