Should I drop?

[James3shin]

Alright...I'm taking a prob and stat course for Chem E's. I'm a Chem/Bio double and I'm in way over my head with this class. It's a 400 level course and I'm getting DEMOLISHED. But get this, I'm taking it for an upper level elective (req. to graduate, I'm supposed to graduate this sem). My course load for this (final) semester is pretty rough, and need to keep my GPA up for MD/PhD programs. I want to leave and go to the next level but I need to keep my transcript looking clean!! Drop or try to SURVIVE?

 

[Dacalo]

If you are confident that you can do it, suck it up for the semester and do it. If you think you will jeopardize your GPA, drop.

 

[pyonir]

Originally posted by: Dacalo
If you are confident that you can do it, suck it up for the semester and do it. If you think you will jeopardize your GPA, drop.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

Drop now or repeat later.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Depends how high up you are.

Well, you can either bust your ass, get help from a tutor and stop having any free time at all; devote yourself entirely to your classes for the remainder of this one semester. You could drop and make things substantially easier, but have to come back for a couple measly credits in the summer/winter... The onylquestion you need to ask yourself is whether you have the willpower to devote the entirety of the next few months to coursework. If you have any doubts, it's probably wiser to make up the course later than fuck up your GPA (MD programs being extremely competitive).

 

[Epic Fail]

Am I reading this right, you are thinking of dropping a class that you need for graduating this semester?

 

[TallBill]

Originally posted by: yamadakun
Am I reading this right, you are thinking of dropping a class that you need for graduating this semester?

Yeah, I don't understand either. If it's required then there is no sense in dropping. Even if you fail you'll have the retake.

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Originally posted by: TallBill

Originally posted by: yamadakun
Am I reading this right, you are thinking of dropping a class that you need for graduating this semester?

Yeah, I don't understand either. If it's required then there is no sense in dropping. Even if you fail you'll have the retake.

Sounds like his question is whether it's worth having to come back for one semester for one class because he doesn't feel his grades will be strong enough with his current workload to get into medical school or a PhD program. Basically, does he kill himself for 4 months or take the class later and graduate late?

 

[James3shin]

arghh...the thing that is killing me is that I could've taken a cake course like "Human Sexuality" instead of "probability of James getting raped in this class 400" but nooooo, I had to try and be a smart ass and ended up screwing myself.

 

[spaceghost21]

I thought this thread was going to be about drugs.

 

[PCMarine]

Originally posted by: James3shin
arghh...the thing that is killing me is that I could've taken a cake course like "Human Sexuality" instead of "probability of James getting raped in this class 400" but nooooo, I had to try and be a smart ass and ended up screwing myself.

Ouch man, ouch. Rough lesson to learn the hard way...

 

[ed21x]

drop the class. it's the second best feeling in the world.

 

[nycxandy]

Originally posted by: ed21x
drop the class. it's the second best feeling in the world.

:thumbsup:

 

[Syringer]

Originally posted by: nycxandy

Originally posted by: ed21x
drop the class. it's the second best feeling in the world.

:thumbsup:

Word..it was the second best thing I did in college--and did that about as many times as I did the #1 thing.

 

[Utterman]

I would say drop the class and take something in the summer. That way you can graduate at the end of the semester and just worry about taking one class before getting your actual diploma.

 

[mugs]

Can you switch to pass/fail instead of a grade?

 

[MasterOfKtulu109]

how is failing one class going to affect your overall GPA in your last semester? after 130 credits or whatever a typical undergrad program is, your GPA would drop like .05 points wouldn't it?

 

[Daverino]

Chem/Bio double major? PreMed? Honestly, the thing you should drop is one of your majors. Chem and Bio curriculum overlap too much and every Med school knows it too. It doesn't add nearly enough to your application for the heartache going in. If you do a Chem/English or Bio/Poly Sci, that's one thing. But realistically carrying the second major is only going to be any boost for you IF you can keep the same GPA that you would have had without it. I.e. if you're a 3.5 as a Chem major you better be a 3.5 as a Chem/Bio major.

So yeah, drop that stats class. Keep your GPA maxed. If you can squeeze some more points out by dropping the second major do that as well, although if it's your last semester it's probably late for that.

 

[Epic Fail]

Originally posted by: Utterman
I would say drop the class and take something in the summer. That way you can graduate at the end of the semester and just worry about taking one class before getting your actual diploma.

not many schools offer any high level course during the summer.

 

[James3shin]

Thanks for the replies and suggestions everyone. To clear up some questions, my actual GPA will not be too hurt as Master stated, but relative to the people I'm competing against for a spot at Hopkins, its best if I go all out every semester, and every class. Dave, there is some overlap, but only up to organic chemistry. Organic is the highest level chem that Bio majors have to take, at UMD, some students take organic their freshman/sophomore year. I've had to go through Thermo, Adv. Inorganic, Instrumental, and Quantum. Bio only overlaps with Chemistry upto intro of biology, I've run the gamut of Biology and there is no overlap to chem, chemistry does help me at times, but not so much as you may think. Medschools do like to see "diversity" in majors such as history and english, but I just don't give a flying fuck about history and english to be blunt.

 

[Daverino]

James, as a Hopkins grad here, I can tell you that your MCATs and GPA are going to be 99% of what is going to get you in. It's sad, but it's true. And you're also going to be competing against people who've diversified as much as you have as well. Most of the bio-chem duals I knew took their science electives such that there was a lot of conceptual overlap, like immunobiochemistry or something like that. Yeah, there's all the P/I-chem that you need to take in your Junior year, but the Senior year electives were titled towards the biochemistry courses.

Getting into Hopkins is always going to be a crap-shot at best. There just are too few slots and the applicant pool of the elite undergrads is just too large. Not trying to piss in your cornflakes or anything, just being realistic. Apply to at least a dozen med schools, regardless of how much you want to get into Hopkins. My guess is that I'm not telling you anything new, however.