Currently I am in Organic Chemistry and it’s been rough. I have a C right now due to a mixture of a professor who’s a nice guy but doesn’t know how to teach and the inherent difficulty of the class. Is it worth withdrawing with a (W) if I am not able to bring it up to a B-? We have 1 more test left and we have taken 3 already. Right now this is destroying my GPA but at the same time I’ve heard that withdrawing from a course looks very bad especially if it’s a major related course. What do you guys think?
How important is your GPA (e.g. if you are pre-med or if you need to compete for admission to your major)?
If you drop, will your progress to graduation be delayed?
One C grade versus B- grade would make only about a 0.06 GPA difference over about 12 similar credit courses (about three semesters’ worth).
Things to consider when thinking about Withdrawing from a class:
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**TALK TO YOUR ADVISER ** before you make any decisions
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** Will taking a W move you from full time to part time? ** Full time is usually 12 credits (check your college). If you are part time you are not eligible for financial aid or living in dorms.
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** Is this class needed for your major? ** If you don’t take it now, will you have to take it again? Will it cause you to fall behind in keeping up with your major classes?
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**Why are you getting a C? ** What happens the next time you get a C? W again? One W is okay, but a pattern shows that you have difficulty with college.
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**Will Withdrawing from a course make it difficult to graduate on time? ** Will you need to make it up in summer $$ or do you have extra credits from HS?
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**Can you raise your grade? ** Are you getting all the helpy ou can? Check this post for ideas
http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/college-life/1920853-college-is-a-step-up-from-hs-16-tips-on-doing-well-in-college.html -
If this course is in your major, is this the right major for you? If you are pre-med but are getting a C in Biology, maybe this is not the major for you. If you are getting a C in an elective, that is another story.
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**Sometimes W’s are necessary. ** My daughter was in the hospital for a week early in the semester…she Withdrew from a course (O-chem!) because she would not be able to catch up on all her courses if she kept all the classes. A W here or there is no problem, but a pattern of them looks like you have trouble with college work.
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** Do you think this is because you are taking virtual classes because of Covid? ** Would it be any different in the spring? Would you need to wait until next fall? Would that delay graduation?
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** Is this course’s grade critical for pre-med GPA or major GPA ** Given all the above, is it critical you get a B or A in this class to continue further in your desired major/career?
Also get this book right now: ** “Organic Chemistry as a Second Language” by David Klein. **
@ucbalumnus I am pre-med so GPA is fairly important yeah. Withdrawing and retaking this class later would not delay graduation which is part of the reason I’m considering it (aside from my class grade being in a precarious position)
I think that we probably need to know more information to give good advice. What are your plans after graduating? What is your major? How are the rest of your grades?
Organic Chemistry is famous for being a very hard course. I have heard rumors that there are doctors for whom Organic Chemistry was the only C that they ever got, although I do not know any who admit to this. I do know someone well who did their graduate work at an Ivy League university for whom Organic Chemistry was the only C that they ever got in their life. That C did not keep them from getting accepted to an Ivy League graduate program. I know someone else who is currently applying to rather competitive graduate programs who says that OC was the toughest B- that they ever got in their life. It took them a lot of work to pull out that B- with a strong final exam.
The one person who I know who did very well in OC when asked “how did you manage to do so well” claimed that it was because organic chemicals fit together in ways that are logical. You need to understand the logic behind the way that chemicals fit together. Apparently this helps in memorizing a pile of information.
I got a C once in a course in my major and it did not prevent me from attending a highly ranked graduate program.
“TALK TO YOUR ADVISER before you make any decisions”
I think that this is correct.
My gut feel is that a C in Organic Chemistry is probably common and therefore OK, but your advisor will know better that I.
@bopper I am currently taking Organic Chemistry ahead of most people in my major in my year so I could take it again without any delays or additional classes needed. I will still retain full time student status as well. In terms of the possibility of raising my grade, if I am able to get a 79% on my next test I will finish the semester with a B- which I think is doable and to bring it up to a C+ I need a 65.5%.
Essentially I am mainly deciding whether it would look worse to have a subpar grade in a major related class, such as a B-, or a (W) on my transcript instead.
“such as a B-, or a (W)”
I would take a B- rather than a W. However, I would also ask your faculty advisor.
Talk to your advisor.
You would not be the first college student to take the W, only to end up with a C once you retake the course. You’ve got no guarantees that a retake is going to yield different results- the material is the same, professors styles vary, the level of competition from your peers is going to be the same.
So you are banking on a “better” professor- which may or may not come to pass…