<p>So I'm taking Chem1021 at the U of MN as one of my classes. There was a placement test that I took and passed, but I took that about 1.5 years ago, meaning I really don't know what I knew then. So now I'm trying to take this stupid chemistry class, and basically failing it. I got 50% on my first test (sad and pathetic I know) and the labs are even harder. Whenever me and my partner try to ask the TA questions, he just gives us evil looks and some un-understandable explanation which leaves me even more confused. I didn't want to drop the class because it's part of my major which means I'll have to tackle it someday, but I'm starting to think that's the only thing I can do now. And just take an intro chem class in the spring, and start this chem over next year. </p>
<p>It's not that I don't study. I really do try! I spend about 4 hours every single day on chemistry trying to solve the problems in our textbook, but it's not helping. Also if I drop this class, I will have a W on my transcript. Would that look bad for pharmacy school? For some reason I feel like it would.....</p>
<p>I desperately need advice because I'm not really sure how to handle this. Thanks so much!</p>
<p>If you're completely lost and the class is way over your head (Chem. 102), you may want to set up an apt. with your academic advisor ASAP and discuss the situation. Perhaps you might want to re-evaluate your idea of Pharmacy School. Pharmacology is Chemistry driven and the chemistry classes just get more difficult as you progress further into the curriculum. </p>
<p>I suggest emailing your academic advisor right now and ask to set up an appointment as soon as possible. Follow up the email with a telephone call if he/she doesn't respond by the end of the day tomorrow. Good luck.</p>
<p>A W is not going to look as bad as an F.</p>
<p>You can look into getting tutoring, and you can get a textbook geared for a lower level and try to cram with that. Do you think either or both of those things would enable you to improve your performance quickly?</p>
<p>What stands out to me is that you're spending 4 hours a day studying. I've known a lot of people who have complaints like yours and are spending 4 hours a week -- or less -- studying. Those people aren't likely to be able to drop, start over, and get a decent grade, because they're not doing what it takes.</p>
<p>I think you have identified the real problem, though: you don't have the same working knowledge of chemistry that you did when you passed the placement test. There's nothing shameful there. All of us lose skills and knowledge when we don't use them. When you're applying to pharmacy school you can be honest: you didn't take chemistry for a year and a half and you found that you had lost some of the prerequisite skills -- and you learned from the experience and have continued to review the material you will need to know when you start pharmacy school even if you didn't take those subjects in your senior year of college.</p>
<p>So yeah, if I were you I would drop this course and start over, either by registering for a lower-level class or by using the time I would have spent on this course learning the lower-level material again by myself, and then register for this class when I again had the prerequisite knowledge and skills.</p>
<p>Now, there are of course other things to consider. Would dropping chemistry mean that you're no longer a full-time student, and would that affect your financial aid, your living in student housing, your eligibility for sports, etc.? It may be that for some reasin you cannot withdraw, and if that's the case then you should be doing your best to learn the things you really should have already known at the start of the course. But if the worst thing about dropping is that you'll have to explain a W when you apply to grad schools, I wouldn't worry about that too much.</p>