Ochem-grade and upward trend

[TNat97]

Hi guys!

I'm hoping someone can give me some insight or personal advice for my current situation. So basically, I took Ochem in the spring of 2017 but failed it with a D because I was going through a tough time and a lot of stress. My mother passed away a month after spring semester started and during midterm week. Chem is already a tough subject for me because I'm more of a biology person (hence why Im majoring in BIO), but because of my situation I was having a really tough time concentrating in school. And to make it worse, my ochem teacher was a total ass and wasn't lenient of my situation so I ended up taking my midterm 6 hours after I landed home from the airport. (mom funeral was in cali) However, I was in a bad situation mentally and started to go downhill in ochem. It affected my gpa badly, so i ended up retaking the class this summer and got stuck with the same asshole teacher since she was the only one teaching this course. I've worked really hard in this class, while balancing my other classes and Hospital work, however, I still might get out of this class with a C. Which isnt great, but it's still passing. 

So my question is, how bad will this look on my transcript? I'm doing well in my upper bio classes, but it's only ochem that's really the struggle for me. I know that when you retake a class, you have to aim and make like an A in it to show that you understand the material, which I clearly didnt do. 

How badly will this affect my chances when applying to PA school? I am aiming to have an upward trend from here till I graduate and hoping to Ace all of my upper level major classes. And I think i can graduate with a cumulative and science gpa of 3.4. I am also currently an ED scribe, trying build up patient care hours. I also have hospital volunteer hours since middle school, and I'm positive I can get some great recommendation letters from the physicians and PA im working with. The only thing that really worries me is my GPA, and that one D I have. 

It would be amazing if I can get some advice or feedback regarding this. Thank you in advance! 

[mmchick]

What are your other chemistry grades like? Surely you have grades in either a full year of general chemistry or semester Ochem part 1 (it's hard to tell what Ochem you're based off of your post).

Honestly, I don't think it looks great that you first received a D, and then retook it (a little later after the horrible news with your mother, my condolences by the way), and are now saying you're more than likely to receive a C. That just comes across like you cannot grasp organic chemistry which might be a red flag for adcoms deciding if you'll succeed in their program that is heavy on pharmacology/chemistry. If your grades are decent to show competency in other chemistry areas, you'll make up in that way; otherwise, you really should consider taking another chemistry course that you can get an A in and show improvement (i.e. biochemistry, physical chemistry, intro pharm, etc.).

We all have ups and downs in life, including what you have gone through with both your first ochem and mother last semester, but the bigger idea is that you show you can overcome these hardships and learn/improve from them. As of now, a C in a repeated class does not exhibit this.

Hope that helps.

[TNat97]

31 minutes ago, mmchick said:

What are your other chemistry grades like? Surely you have grades in either a full year of general chemistry or semester Ochem part 1 (it's hard to tell what Ochem you're based off of your post).

Honestly, I don't think it looks great that you first received a D, and then retook it (a little later after the horrible news with your mother, my condolences by the way), and are now saying you're more than likely to receive a C. That just comes across like you cannot grasp organic chemistry which might be a red flag for adcoms deciding if you'll succeed in their program that is heavy on pharmacology/chemistry. If your grades are decent to show competency in other chemistry areas, you'll make up in that way; otherwise, you really should consider taking another chemistry course that you can get an A in and show improvement (i.e. biochemistry, physical chemistry, intro pharm, etc.).

We all have ups and downs in life, including what you have gone through with both your first ochem and mother last semester, but the bigger idea is that you show you can overcome these hardships and learn/improve from them. As of now, a C in a repeated class does not exhibit this.

Hope that helps.

Thank you for the insight. I am also going to take biochem as well, which I hope I will ace and show that I do understand the materials. I have taken the full year of general chemistry and passed them with B. the ochem I'm taking right now is Organic chem 1. I'm also hoping to take ochem 2 in the fall and pass that as well. If i do pass ochem 2 with lets say an A, would that be good enough? 

[mmchick]

@Tnguyen342 I can't attest to what will be "good enough", but you're on the right track by getting A's in biochemistry and ochem 2. That at least is some large improvement to where you're at now. I say just focus on that, do your best, and see what happens.

[PA-C-to-be]

Improvement is important but no one on here is going to be able to tell you how exactly getting a C in this second attempt will affect you. You're not going to become an organic chemist, schools know that, but this is a weed out course for PA and med schools to help see you've got the chops to get through the hard sciences that still lay ahead. I will share that I felt similarly about my own prospects with a C in orgo 1, a C in a gen Chem class before that, and a D in genetics (retook it and got an A). I didn't retake any of the Cs, but followed the C in orgo with a B in orgo 2 and A in biochemistry and it didn't seem to hold me back at all. It's stressful for sure, I wish you the best!

[ilygurlie]

I think you're fine if you just show an upward trend in upper level sciences. Heck, I made a D, then C, THEN B in a chem course and still got 3 interviews so far. But the third retake was a couple years later and I was taking a whole bunch of high level course at the same time. I also did well in biochem the first time.