Will a B in Gen Chem 2 look very poorly?

[bjl12]

I realize one class is not likely to make or break an application, but my cum. GPA is ~3.30 (or will be when I graduate) and my science GPA is ~3.75 (with the exception of Gen Chem 2). I can't explain it very well, but... Gen Chem 2 is hard as hell :sweat:

 

I'm working more hours than ever before, taking 17 credits, and have long forgone weekend recreations in place for extra Chem studying. However, it still doesn't seem to be enough. The math portion (calc) is, perhaps, just beyond my scope of applicable skills.

 

Anyone have any similar experiences which turned out to be success stories? I currently have a B or B- in the class, an 80 on the first test. I should've earned at least an 85 but I was stressed when I took the test and incorrectly answered questions I knew.

 

Chem 2 experts, share your secrets! :;DD:

[Andreasmo]

Schools typically offer tutoring for general classes like gen chem 2. Most likely you aren't studying the right way or seeking enough help outside of class for things you aren't understanding. Gen chem is a lot of the same formulas over and over, so you just need to get comfortable figuring out which equations to use then plugging and chugging. In most of the classes I had trouble in, I would use reference books, like the for dummies series, and it would help a lot. But no, as long as you meet the minimum gpa of the programs you apply for I wouldn't worry about a b or b- too much.

[Hemegroup]

Ugh, one of my few C's. To my credit, I was homeless and going to school living in my truck at the time :) Hike a mile out each night after the library closed, hike down the cliffs, set up tent and fire, ocean bathe, dry off with dinty moore, up at 5, to the kennel to leave the pup, over to the Y to dress, up the hill from the lot and in my seat by 8 m thru f. But yes, the Prof (who also worked as a chemist by day, his own company) drew out a differential across two boards one day and I was just sitting there thinking how beautiful of a but pointless presentation it was. I got A's in Calc and love the sh*t but still. Another C I got was in Poly Sci, blechh ... old white men blah blah lol

[Dynamo24]

Gen chem 2 sucked. I some how pulled an A in that class and it was easily harder than organic 1 or 2 for me. The concepts are just so disjointed and don't really flow together well..plus all the non-sense math that goes into you kinetics and thermodynamics and all that BS..yeah just get the best grade you can and quickly erase that class from memory.

[Dynamo24]

and no a B will not look bad in gen chem, physics, organic chem, etc. as long as it doesn't becoming a trend. 4.0 is a rare GPA. A close friend of my mine pulled a C+ in gen chem 2 and he is getting ready to graduate med school..if that says anything.

[Hemegroup]

shoot thank you, i actually got a C+ ... woohoo! he made it so hard, ***.

[MedicinePower]

All of this raises the question of how applicable gen chem 1 and 2 are to the practice of medicine. With the exception of some acid/base theory there isn't any real application. The same goes with physics. Organic is much more applicable, but only the first semester.

 

If I had my way there would be 2 semesters of chemistry required for PA school, but the chemistry would cover only the parts of gen chem, orgo chem, and biochem that are truly applicable to human physiology and pharmacology. The Doppler Effect is cool but it has absolutely nothing to do with the practice of medicine.

[EMEDPA]

shoot thank you, i actually got a C+ ... woohoo! he made it so hard, ***.

as you know I went to uc santa cruz. In one of my blow off GE courses that met 5 subject requirements(music cultures of asia) my eval said " this is the lowest passing grade I have ever given in this course". that quarter I also had chem, a+p, my senior thesis, and genetics I think. passing that one course meant I didn't have to take 4 other filler courses and allowed me to take more hard science.

[sartort]

I agree that as long as you don't get below a C one class shouldn't have much impact on PA admissions. The only thing that would concern me is if you are taking the easier chem at your school (mine had one for chem/bio science majors that some of the pre-med/pa students took also, and one that was simpler. They did the same for bio and differentiated by 100/200 level). If you're in a more basic level of chem and struggling then I would highly encourage you to get to understand the basics well before moving on to organic and biochem because they are a lot more challenging and really expect you to understand it when you get there. Good tutors usually charge money but office hours can be helpful if you have a good professor or good lab/recitation TA. If you're in a class designed to challenge people that choose chemistry as their future career then be happy you're doing well.

[EMEDPA]

Also remember many fine programs do not require ochem or biochem and their grads do just fine on pance/panre/etc.

I never took either and have scored very highly on pance and every panre I have ever taken.

if I was designing a pa school curriculum I would require a yr of physics before biochem/ochem as I find many of those concepts helpful.

[MedicinePower]

if I was designing a pa school curriculum I would require a yr of physics before biochem/ochem as I find many of those concepts helpful.

 

Which parts of classical newtonian physics are helpful in the practice of medicine? Electrical circuits and magnetism are inapplicable, as is the Doppler Effect. The velocity of one car and in how many seconds it will take to catch up to another car based upon it's acceleration is also unimportant to medicine. Knowing trigonometry is quaint but knowing both the horizontal and vertical velocities of an object that is projected at a theta of 45 degrees from the horizontal is similarly unimportant. I can go on but my point is that physics is unimportant to medicine, unless you are actively engaged in biomedical engineering or radiation/nuclear medicine. If you are then you wouldn't be taking classical newtonian physics, but rather a calculus-based engineering physics.

 

If I never see another Free Body Diagram it'll be too soon. Fn up, mg down. Arrows and more arrows. How does this help?

 

Not helpful in clinical medicine.

[Hemegroup]

Also remember many fine programs do not require ochem or biochem and their grads do just fine on pance/panre/etc.

I never took either and have scored very highly on pance and every panre I have ever taken.

if I was designing a pa school curriculum I would require a yr of physics before biochem/ochem as I find many of those concepts helpful.

 

ah, and yet there is no physics required in many fine programs that DO require ochem or biochem and their grads do just fine in pance/panre/etc. some people, even tho you personally haven't taken them, have and DO treasure them. just as i am planning taking physics in my future years (it was the one course which i had no time left at Uni to take), i would suggest that you conquer ochem and biochem at some point in your life. they are wonderful courses and the labs are equally as wonderful. Go Slugs! altho chem 2 i took in santa barbara ... less options for homeless, it was tough. the underwater welding program drew me there and in the emt class my lightbulb went brighter.

[bjl12]

I agree that as long as you don't get below a C one class shouldn't have much impact on PA admissions. The only thing that would concern me is if you are taking the easier chem at your school (mine had one for chem/bio science majors that some of the pre-med/pa students took also, and one that was simpler. They did the same for bio and differentiated by 100/200 level). If you're in a more basic level of chem and struggling then I would highly encourage you to get to understand the basics well before moving on to organic and biochem because they are a lot more challenging and really expect you to understand it when you get there. Good tutors usually charge money but office hours can be helpful if you have a good professor or good lab/recitation TA. If you're in a class designed to challenge people that choose chemistry as their future career then be happy you're doing well.

 

This is for science majors. I got an A in Chem 1, but so far Chem 2 is just... well much more difficult. The concepts are not much related. The graphs don't make the most sense. And the first test just seemed much more difficult than any test from Chem 1 (I have the same professor). I'm hoping on a strong turn-around in the second test, but my expectations have reduced from an A to an A- (to include realism).

 

My biggest problem doesn't seem to actually be the work. When I'm taking notes during lecture and doing problems on my own (studying) I do fairly well. For whatever reason that did not transition onto the test. I've come to a few conclusions and have decided I will stop studying 30 minutes before the next test (last test I studied up to the test). I think that 30 minutes will help reduce stress and increase general awareness... hopefully :;;D:

[BenRRT]

I'm currently getting a B in Gen Chem II as well. I also received an A in Gen Chem I last semester. This class is definitely a different monster! I'm not going to be too worried if I end the semester with a B. My biggest concern is acing A&P II!!!

[whoRyou]

Ugh, one of my few C's. To my credit, I was homeless and going to school living in my truck at the time :) Hike a mile out each night after the library closed, hike down the cliffs, set up tent and fire, ocean bathe, dry off with dinty moore, up at 5, to the kennel to leave the pup, over to the Y to dress, up the hill from the lot and in my seat by 8 m thru f. But yes, the Prof (who also worked as a chemist by day, his own company) drew out a differential across two boards one day and I was just sitting there thinking how beautiful of a but pointless presentation it was. I got A's in Calc and love the sh*t but still. Another C I got was in Poly Sci, blechh ... old white men blah blah lol

Now that is some dedication ...

[Dynamo24]

Which parts of classical newtonian physics are helpful in the practice of medicine? Electrical circuits and magnetism are inapplicable, as is the Doppler Effect. The velocity of one car and in how many seconds it will take to catch up to another car based upon it's acceleration is also unimportant to medicine. Knowing trigonometry is quaint but knowing both the horizontal and vertical velocities of an object that is projected at a theta of 45 degrees from the horizontal is similarly unimportant. I can go on but my point is that physics is unimportant to medicine, unless you are actively engaged in biomedical engineering or radiation/nuclear medicine. If you are then you wouldn't be taking classical newtonian physics, but rather a calculus-based engineering physics.

 

If I never see another Free Body Diagram it'll be too soon. Fn up, mg down. Arrows and more arrows. How does this help?

 

 

Not helpful in clinical medicine.

 

I'm in physics 2 right now...probably my most useless/hated subject ever.

[EMEDPA]

I liked physics because it looks at real world problems and forces as opposed to stuff that happens in a test tube. I hated every minute of most chem courses I have taken, especially the one credit required labs that lasted for 3 hrs and produced a pile of smelly gunk as a reward for your efforts.. physics labs by comparison were fun and relevant.

I took a course once called introductory physical science which was a lot of fun because the guy who taught it made it relevant. we did fractional distillation, etc and our final test, "the sludge test" was actually a lot of fun. the instructor mixed 10 random chemicals, both liquids and solids, in a vial. we had a week to design experiments based on the coursework for the term to separate and define them. lots of fun. I got an A in all 3 terms of physics, a B+ in intro physical sciences, and barely scraped by in most chem courses( 1 A, 2 C's). never took ochem or biochem and never will. relevant biochem was taught as part of my pa school curriculum but not as a separate course.

[dndandrea]

I'm taking general chemistry 2 too this semester... Bombed the first test... The only C's i ever got were in gen chem 1, gen bio 1, gen bio 2. I have all A's in anatomy & physiology, genetics, microbiology, as well as other B's.

 

Worst part is I just found out the school I was planning to go to has just changed their pre-req requirements. All the schools around here require a MINIMUM of B in every pre-req instead of an average like it used to. I'm feeling so burnt out, I don't feel like taking these 3 (possibly 4) courses over again...

[EMEDPA]

look into online intro bio and chem courses.several with labs done at home exist and are accredited.

[dndandrea]

look into online intro bio and chem courses.several with labs done at home exist and are accredited.

Well i took those 3 courses my first two semesters of school when I had no idea what my major was. I wasn't a very wide student and didn't have the motivation like I do now. I've changed my study habits dramatically and I have a lot more knowledge after taking all these other classes. If i were to retake bio 1 & 2 I think i'd have no problem with them. Bio 2 isn't going to fun dissecting and identifying parts every week.

[EMEDPA]

BIO 1 and 2 are really important for pa school. definitely retake those regardless of where you plan to go to pa school.

[kth5195]

I'm currently taking gen 2 as well. I did pretty well on the first test. I think I'm the only one enjoying gen chem 2 in my class :). It's really fun for me. It's a nice change of pace instead learning by memorizing in biology.

[MedicinePower]

BIO 1 and 2 are really important for pa school. definitely retake those regardless of where you plan to go to pa school.

 

 

Bio 2 is unimportant for PA school. It's a course of the history of evolution, focusing on eukaryotic algae, plants (seedless, seeded, and vascular), and speciation. It has no relevance on modern biology or the practice of medicine. Bio 1, on the other hand, is a fundamental component of the understanding of biology and have a bit of relevance.

[EMEDPA]

Bio 2 is unimportant for PA school. It's a course of the history of evolution, focusing on eukaryotic algae, plants (seedless, seeded, and vascular), and speciation. It has no relevance on modern biology or the practice of medicine. Bio 1, on the other hand, is a fundamental component of the understanding of biology and have a bit of relevance.

I guess the sequences were different where I went. there bio 2 was genetics/dna/rna, cell structure, intro to micro, etc

[MedicinePower]

I guess the sequences were different where I went. there bio 2 was genetics/dna/rna, cell structure, intro to micro, etc

 

Those components are very relevant and important, but they are much too heavily integrated into the *very*irrelevant*and*boring* story of evolution. Those topics can be better taught and integrated into something that is much more based in human biology.

 

Human Bio 1 & 2 are great courses (and usually serve as the pre-reqs to A&P 1 & 2) but they are often not accepted as MD and PA pre-reqs.

 

I work at a college as a part-time instructor/tutor for all of the pre-RN and pre-PA courses. It's frustrating how little some of the material applies. At least they did away with a calculus requirement and replaced it with statistics (which is hard, but at least relevant).