wesr_gordon Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Hey there, I currently am in a biochemistry class with a professor that I will give you a little background about. A week after class our found out she was on "watch" by administration because her entire class went into the dean's office at the same time to complain about her teaching. This semester she teaches from one text book, but required us to get an entirely different one. She prefaces parts of lectures by saying your book doesn't go into this... but then she tests on it after only going over it in class once. Among other things her objective seems to be as challenging as possible without really getting the class solidified on the major proponent of biochem (need I say we are three chapters behind where were supposed to be). Anyway, with the way tests and quizzes have gone I will maybe get a solid "C." While some schools require biochem a vast majority accept OChem which I have done and gotten a good grade in. I have two weeks to decide to drop this biochem class but I would receive a "W" on my transcript. My question is: battle it out and get a C, which PA schools would see - or drop it and explain to schools why there is a W on my transcript? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 What a dilemma! You do paint a picture of what is going on. You want to learn biochem and get a good grade. And, of course, in PA school you will have no choice of teachers, who will lie somewhere in the spectrum of competence, just like the rest of us. What the school is doing to your teacher is interesting background, but really doesn't change your choices: 1. Tough it out: Talk with the teacher you have and maybe get the book she uses as a reference. Treat this experience as a challenge. or 2. Drop the course: It's probably easier to explain a W than a D; you might not even be asked about the W. And maybe take the class again at a local community college if you can. It's up to you to weigh those options. If it were me, I'd probably take "2". Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FuturePA1990 Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Honestly, I'd take the C (as long as you're sure that's not going to turn to D, or even worse an F) assuming everything else on your transcript looks great, sometimes I feel it's over zealous to expect perfection, they will look at your transcript, see that you've taken Orgo, did well, and probably won't make too harsh of a judgement. ultimately only you know what the rest of your grades look like, so if you feel like this C will make or break you then drop it, otherwise finish the class. I have a total of 3 C's on my Transcript (all in science classes), but out of 15 science classes I had one B and 11 A's...I think you get my point. I will say that the ones I got C's most were not pre -requisite courses! Either way Good luck!, I'm sure you will figure it out, get into PA school, become a great PA, and this situation will be a long forgotten dream :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 Honestly, I'd take the C (as long as you're sure that's not going to turn to D, or even worse an F) assuming everything else on your transcript looks great, sometimes I feel it's over zealous to expect perfection, they will look at your transcript, see that you've taken Orgo, did well, and probably won't make too harsh of a judgement. ultimately only you know what the rest of your grades look like, so if you feel like this C will make or break you then drop it, otherwise finish the class. I have a total of 3 C's on my Transcript (all in science classes), but out of 15 science classes I had one B and 11 A's...I think you get my point. I will say that the ones I got C's most were not pre -requisite courses! Either way Good luck!, I'm sure you will figure it out, get into PA school, become a great PA, and this situation will be a long forgotten dream :) I have about half A's and half B's as far as pre-requisites go. I mean the class is taught in a way that it would be possible to get a D What a dilemma! You do paint a picture of what is going on. You want to learn biochem and get a good grade. And, of course, in PA school you will have no choice of teachers, who will lie somewhere in the spectrum of competence, just like the rest of us. What the school is doing to your teacher is interesting background, but really doesn't change your choices: 1. Tough it out: Talk with the teacher you have and maybe get the book she uses as a reference. Treat this experience as a challenge. or 2. Drop the course: It's probably easier to explain a W than a D; you might not even be asked about the W. And maybe take the class again at a local community college if you can. It's up to you to weigh those options. If it were me, I'd probably take "2". Good luck. Thanks for the insight. I guess my next question is how many schools will even look at the 'W' and care as long as I have the Ochem requirement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterallsummer Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 I had one C on my transcript. Didn't affect me at all. That being said, I'd drop that class like a bad habit. If you wanna take biochem take it somewhere else even if that means waiting, or just take orgo instead. No need to put yourself through that hell, stress and risk of a bad grade, and many PA students don't take biochem anyway. Just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenmood Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 If you think you might not pass, you should clearly drop the class. This is assuming you believe your difficulty is due entirely to teaching and not your own habits and that dropping the course will not set you behind significantly in your pre-PA journey. I agree with one of the other posters who said you don't get to pick your profs in PA schools, so you should learn to deal with difficult/not ideal teaching styles. At the same time you don't have to sit by as a subpar teacher negatively affects your education. While the background on your prof is somewhat intriguing, my first thought was actually how childish it was for the entire class to complain en masse. That's not an entirely mature way to address difficulty with an instructor, however empowering and satisfying it may be. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - now Free Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiiamalysha Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Personally I would withdrawal because a bad GPA is hard to recover from (one class won't ruin your GPA but what if there are other classes that you struggle with as well - not sure how far you are in finishing prerequisites). Or I would suggest going to talk to the professor about your concerns and if they have any suggestions on how to do better in the class. Getting through a class like this shows how you can handle the crappy situations life throws at you constantly. Always try to look at every situation as an experience to learn from. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted October 15, 2013 Author Share Posted October 15, 2013 Personally I would withdrawal because a bad GPA is hard to recover from (one class won't ruin your GPA but what if there are other classes that you struggle with as well - not sure how far you are in finishing prerequisites). Or I would suggest going to talk to the professor about your concerns and if they have any suggestions on how to do better in the class. Getting through a class like this shows how you can handle the crappy situations life throws at you constantly. Always try to look at every situation as an experience to learn from. Good luck! Do you think it is easier to explain a drop versus a C though? It is my last prerequisite and most schools I'm applying to accept ochem in place of biochem. so it isn't necessarily needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiiamalysha Posted October 15, 2013 Share Posted October 15, 2013 I think it depends on how you explain it. I wouldn't suggest starting out your explanation by saying "I had a bad teacher". I think if you had a good explanation it would be easier. But will they even ask about this class if none of the school require it? I feel like schools get a lot of applicants so first they probably look at overall cGPA and sGPA and then look at the classes you took and the grades you received in those core science classes. They want to see a student that can handle the tough science courses because that is the majority of PA school curriculum. If you have a decent GPA I'm sure a "W" on your transcript won't be concerning unless you show poor grades in other difficult science classes, such as OChem, but I could say the same about getting a C in one science class. I think you need to make the decision of how strong your application is already and if you think the C will truly affect your stats or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loliz Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 OK. Honestly, everyone always talks about "explaining" grades... who are you explaining them to? If you are invited to an interview, they obviously already looked past it. If the only thing on your app to talk about is a C in biochem next to 130 other credit hours, you may need to brighten up that personal statement, get some life/job/work experience, and take a step back. No one gets into PA school because they can explain a bad grade, they get in because they are a complete package and fit into the vision of the school. Good luck! Relax!!! (I can say this because I got into my #1 choice school with multiple Cs, and even 1 on a prereq- it happens. I am more than my worst semester) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hiiamalysha Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 The explanation part I was talking about would be in an interview. That's why I am saying on paper does the W or C stand out more? Because that's what they look at first before any explanation, along with all other requirements of the application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wesr_gordon Posted October 16, 2013 Author Share Posted October 16, 2013 I think I've decided to stay in the class. I feel like if I had to explain myself either way I would rather explain why I didn't quit and the situation with a teacher versus why I threw in the towel. Other posters are right a 'C' isn't the end of the world on the application and this is a class that I am taking in addition to pre-requisites for many of my schools. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UGoLong Posted October 16, 2013 Share Posted October 16, 2013 Good decision! Now go get a copy of the book she IS using! I'm guessing that a prof on the bubble would like someone to succeed in her class. It might as well be you. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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