TarheelGirlx3 Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 So I took gen chem 1 and 2 my freshman year of college. I made a B and C+, respectively. (B- in both labs). I am graduating in May with my bachelors in bio, and since have done better in science courses. Anyways, I have to take Orgo 1 and 2 this coming up Fall/Spring, but my question is, should I retake gen chem 2 at the least for refresher and GPA boost, or should I be fine to start fresh in Orgo? Any thoughts are personal experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarheelGirlx3 Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 So I took gen chem 1 and 2 my freshman year of college. I made a B and C+, respectively. (B- in both labs). I am graduating in May with my bachelors in bio, and since have done better in science courses. Anyways, I have to take Orgo 1 and 2 this coming up Fall/Spring, but my question is, should I retake gen chem 2 at the least for refresher and GPA boost, or should I be fine to start fresh in Orgo? Any thoughts are personal experiences? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Bars Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I don't think it's necessary to retake general chemistry to prepare for organic. General chemistry was more about math and organic chemistry is more about shapes and connections within molecules. Retaking general chemistry would be of minimal benefit. Also, because CASPA counts both grades for a repeated course, retaking a course gives no better gpa boost than taking some new class and getting an A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lemon Bars Posted March 26, 2013 Share Posted March 26, 2013 I don't think it's necessary to retake general chemistry to prepare for organic. General chemistry was more about math and organic chemistry is more about shapes and connections within molecules. Retaking general chemistry would be of minimal benefit. Also, because CASPA counts both grades for a repeated course, retaking a course gives no better gpa boost than taking some new class and getting an A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarheelGirlx3 Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Well, I know CASPA counts both, but the particular schools that I want to apply to only look at the retake when they calculate GPA. But since I am hearing that orgo is a different ballgame, the only reason I would retake chem 2 would be for GPA purposes if it came down to it. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TarheelGirlx3 Posted March 26, 2013 Author Share Posted March 26, 2013 Well, I know CASPA counts both, but the particular schools that I want to apply to only look at the retake when they calculate GPA. But since I am hearing that orgo is a different ballgame, the only reason I would retake chem 2 would be for GPA purposes if it came down to it. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM2016 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I would retake chem 2 over the summer if i were in your shoes. just so that when i am asked in an interview why i received a C+ (i am sure you will be asked) i can say yes i received a C+ because ______ but as you can see i retook the course and got an A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PM2016 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I would retake chem 2 over the summer if i were in your shoes. just so that when i am asked in an interview why i received a C+ (i am sure you will be asked) i can say yes i received a C+ because ______ but as you can see i retook the course and got an A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briepm Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 You should definitely re-take your gen chem course for a better grade.. A 'C' in one of the core sciences is generally not going to fly, especially since your other chem grade wasn't spectacular either. I would caution you about taking it over the summer if you're not a strong chem student though - summer classes are brutal and if you haven't mastered those basic concepts it might not help you very much. Orgo is very different than chem 2, though you will need to know the orbitals, shapes etc. (We covered this in a basic way in my gen chem 2 class - maybe you did as well?) You don't need to necessarily re-take gen chem before you take orgo, but it might be helpful to refresh that material before your class starts. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
briepm Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 You should definitely re-take your gen chem course for a better grade.. A 'C' in one of the core sciences is generally not going to fly, especially since your other chem grade wasn't spectacular either. I would caution you about taking it over the summer if you're not a strong chem student though - summer classes are brutal and if you haven't mastered those basic concepts it might not help you very much. Orgo is very different than chem 2, though you will need to know the orbitals, shapes etc. (We covered this in a basic way in my gen chem 2 class - maybe you did as well?) You don't need to necessarily re-take gen chem before you take orgo, but it might be helpful to refresh that material before your class starts. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alster Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I didn't do as well as I would have liked to in my general chemistry classes as a freshman in college either (C+ in both). I became a much better student as time went on. I took Orgo I last summer (a year after graduating) without retaking general chemistry and got an A. It's not an easy class, but it is pretty different from general chemistry, so you should be fine if you work hard. After taking orgo and biochem, I'm finally redoing my gen chem classes and am pleased to say I have improved a ton since freshman year in college. Orgo doesn't require a fresh knowledge base in gen chem to do well, but I'd consider eventually retaking at least chem 2 to have a better grade on file for your prerequisites. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alster Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I didn't do as well as I would have liked to in my general chemistry classes as a freshman in college either (C+ in both). I became a much better student as time went on. I took Orgo I last summer (a year after graduating) without retaking general chemistry and got an A. It's not an easy class, but it is pretty different from general chemistry, so you should be fine if you work hard. After taking orgo and biochem, I'm finally redoing my gen chem classes and am pleased to say I have improved a ton since freshman year in college. Orgo doesn't require a fresh knowledge base in gen chem to do well, but I'd consider eventually retaking at least chem 2 to have a better grade on file for your prerequisites. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbphel4828 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I agree with the previous posts. I would retake gen chem 2. While it won't help you too much with organic it will make you a better applicant. You have to remember that over 180k people applied to caspa schools this year. Of those around 18k were selected for interviews and a little more than 5k were Accepted. You want to show the schools that you are dedicated to becoming a PA by retaking classes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbphel4828 Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I agree with the previous posts. I would retake gen chem 2. While it won't help you too much with organic it will make you a better applicant. You have to remember that over 180k people applied to caspa schools this year. Of those around 18k were selected for interviews and a little more than 5k were Accepted. You want to show the schools that you are dedicated to becoming a PA by retaking classes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loliz Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I You want to show the schools that you are dedicated to becoming a PA by retaking classes I'm not sure this shows "dedication." Every school is different, but I would think that it would show more "dedication" to take upper level science classes that would be helpful towards your education (pathophysiology, immunology or a more advanced version of the class in question) or work in health care and have your hands on patients on a daily basis. If you are straight out of undergrad- yes retake it because all you have is your GPA. If you are making efforts towards this goal in other aspects of your life, maybe not bother. If your application is otherwise strong, 1 C is not going to deter you from PA school. I have a C in gen chem and it was never brought up in an interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loliz Posted March 28, 2013 Share Posted March 28, 2013 I You want to show the schools that you are dedicated to becoming a PA by retaking classes I'm not sure this shows "dedication." Every school is different, but I would think that it would show more "dedication" to take upper level science classes that would be helpful towards your education (pathophysiology, immunology or a more advanced version of the class in question) or work in health care and have your hands on patients on a daily basis. If you are straight out of undergrad- yes retake it because all you have is your GPA. If you are making efforts towards this goal in other aspects of your life, maybe not bother. If your application is otherwise strong, 1 C is not going to deter you from PA school. I have a C in gen chem and it was never brought up in an interview. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavery100339 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I called a school that I was interested in and asked about this. I wanted to retake Chem 2 this summer and take Orgo in the fall. However, there are no schools in my area that offer it. So the woman on the phone told me that I shouldn't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lavery100339 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I called a school that I was interested in and asked about this. I wanted to retake Chem 2 this summer and take Orgo in the fall. However, there are no schools in my area that offer it. So the woman on the phone told me that I shouldn't worry about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicinePower Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Definitely retake. You'll likely do much better. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicinePower Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 Definitely retake. You'll likely do much better. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissy0022 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 If you were to retake it I would for the grade. It really will not help you in organic.. I took a 5 week accelerated organic chemistry class and made an 87 in it and that was before I even took Chem 1 or Chem 2.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrissy0022 Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 If you were to retake it I would for the grade. It really will not help you in organic.. I took a 5 week accelerated organic chemistry class and made an 87 in it and that was before I even took Chem 1 or Chem 2.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicinePower Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 If you were to retake it I would for the grade. It really will not help you in organic.. I took a 5 week accelerated organic chemistry class and made an 87 in it and that was before I even took Chem 1 or Chem 2.... This is an interesting point. I tutor for both gen chem and orgo chem and people go nuts when they hear that gen chem is not a pre-req for orgo chem. They are two completely different classes and impart completely different knowledge. OP, ask your college if there's a way to "scrub" an old grade. This is sometimes known as the "retake policy". You might have to ask your academic advisor, department chair, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MedicinePower Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 If you were to retake it I would for the grade. It really will not help you in organic.. I took a 5 week accelerated organic chemistry class and made an 87 in it and that was before I even took Chem 1 or Chem 2.... This is an interesting point. I tutor for both gen chem and orgo chem and people go nuts when they hear that gen chem is not a pre-req for orgo chem. They are two completely different classes and impart completely different knowledge. OP, ask your college if there's a way to "scrub" an old grade. This is sometimes known as the "retake policy". You might have to ask your academic advisor, department chair, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cinntsp Posted March 29, 2013 Share Posted March 29, 2013 I made a C in chem 2 and here I am in PA school. Continue taking upper level sciences and don't worry about one C. Most importantly: get HCE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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