jordan19 Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 Hi so let me explain my situation: So I am a premed entering third year Biochemistry for undergrad at McMaster. One of the requirements for my programme is that I must take this course called "Analytical Chemistry." Referred to "ANAL" by upper years, this course is notoriously known for being a GPA killer, as the professor for this course is a hardass, and past years averages have been around a 50% - much lower than organic chemistry, and this is unlike other courses in biochemistry, where the average tends to be around an A-. The thing is, this course is not a pre-req for any upper year courses. I have tried talking to my department head about opting out of this course, but have not had much luck, as this is a "required" course to graduate. This is ESPECIALLY UNFAIR since we are sort of in the "health science dept," and I have heard health sciences kids opt out of required courses for their program (because otherwise they would bring down gpa). I was wondering if I could just avoid this course at all, and if I were to be accepted into medical school the following year, would I be held back because I have not completed my "program?" Additionally, another problem that arises is that this is the last year that this professor is teaching this course. The course content itself tends to be difficult, and the prof's method of testing is brutal; however, I have been told that he is a good lecturer and KNOWS his stuff really well. I could always take this course the next year, with a new prof... but I have had bad experience with new profs who are ESPECIALLY unknowledgeable and bad lecturers... and I do poorly as a result - as I am more so a didactic learner. The thing is that I'm not really interested in this course, and it conflicts with another course that I am interested in... and if I take this course, I'm less likely to do as well in it rather than a course that I am interested in. Add to that the fact that I did not fair to well in first year, and am in dire need of recovering my GPA, due to my belief that history courses would be easy and fun. In retrospect, I fully regret taking such courses. Any thoughts/comments? Thanks, Jordan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 Jordan, I don't understand and am missing something. Your "program" aside, what happens to do if you don't take this course and substitue it for another? Will you be forced to walk the plank? In other words, if you are still going to obgtain your degree, who cares, just drop it. However, if you are going to be penalized in some fashion that will prevent you from obtaining your degree and graduating, that is a different and more seious matter. So, true and consequences please. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan19 Posted August 9, 2010 Author Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 Jordan, I don't understand and am missing something. Your "program" aside, what happens to do if you don't take this course and substitue it for another? Will you be forced to walk the plank? In other words, if you are still going to obgtain your degree, who cares, just drop it. However, if you are going to be penalized in some fashion that will prevent you from obtaining your degree and graduating, that is a different and more seious matter. So, true and consequences please. Most likely, I will be unable to obtain my degree - although I'm not completely sure of the exact consequence that may ensue should I not take this course. This is the response from the department head about opting out of the course/ not taking it this year. It is a bit unclear... It is absolutely required and best to take this year as the concern is that it may conflict with another required course in later years. Please contact the department of Chemistry and let them know that this course is required for your program. They will ensure that you get a spot in the course! I am adamantly against taking this course, and although I do like biochemistry, and would like a degree in it, I'd avoid this course at all costs, and am looking into obtaining just a general science degree rather than a biochemistry one (Even though I'd be just missing 1 course for the degree). Other than that, I'm not sure what they would exactly do if I didn't finish this course... was hoping someone in this forum had a similar experience, and could offer me counsel on what to do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
indigo Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 I took that course last year and it was... doable. Being honest though, it required a lot of work, but in the end you learn a lot. Most people do pretty bad, but if you are decent in your work and study habits, you can be part of the handful of people that get 10+. If you're in biochem core, it won't really kill your GPA if you try your best. Just make sure you kill the majority of the rest of your courses next year and it should be fine. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
future_doc Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 I guess another avenue to explore is to obtain ermission to get out of the program all together, if possible, and just obtain a general degree. Presumably, you would need to see the Dean or Assistant Dean of the faculty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mizz.lee Posted August 9, 2010 Report Share Posted August 9, 2010 I'm not sure if you're posting here because you go to Mac, or because you want to get into Mac, but for admissions to McMaster there's no way you'll need it. If you're accepted out of 3rd year it won't matter at all what courses you've taken, and if you're accepted out of 4th+ they don't make your acceptance conditional on finishing the program. All that matters is that you've completed 30 courses, and beyond that they don't require you to submit final marks, degree completion, or anything like that. Bonus! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benhc911 Posted September 1, 2010 Report Share Posted September 1, 2010 I'm not sure if you're posting here because you go to Mac, or because you want to get into Mac, but for admissions to McMaster there's no way you'll need it. If you're accepted out of 3rd year it won't matter at all what courses you've taken, and if you're accepted out of 4th+ they don't make your acceptance conditional on finishing the program. All that matters is that you've completed 30 courses, and beyond that they don't require you to submit final marks, degree completion, or anything like that. Bonus! exactly! It depends on which school's you are applying to, but some do NOT require you to have your program completed/going to complete it this year... so ask your self which schools you are applying to, and if you really want your degree, or just want to get into medical school. If you are ok with the idea of being an MD with an UG degree, and the selection of schools isn't too small/unappealing for you, then go for it... At the same time though... you would be reducing your options to keep your gpa up... why? because you feel that having your gpa go down will... reduce your options? Be careful that you aren't giving up more than you are getting! How high is your gpa? whats a reasonable worst case scenario if you take this course? could preferential weighting of years from schools like western and toronto save you from this? how many other classes have you taken/are you taking that could shift away the weight? there are a dozen considerations... But if all you are afraid of is a B in a sea of A+s, maybe you are overreacting... Give some more details if you need a more in-depth opinion Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jordan19 Posted September 2, 2010 Author Report Share Posted September 2, 2010 exactly! It depends on which school's you are applying to, but some do NOT require you to have your program completed/going to complete it this year... so ask your self which schools you are applying to, and if you really want your degree, or just want to get into medical school. If you are ok with the idea of being an MD with an UG degree, and the selection of schools isn't too small/unappealing for you, then go for it... At the same time though... you would be reducing your options to keep your gpa up... why? because you feel that having your gpa go down will... reduce your options? Be careful that you aren't giving up more than you are getting! How high is your gpa? whats a reasonable worst case scenario if you take this course? could preferential weighting of years from schools like western and toronto save you from this? how many other classes have you taken/are you taking that could shift away the weight? there are a dozen considerations... But if all you are afraid of is a B in a sea of A+s, maybe you are overreacting... Give some more details if you need a more in-depth opinion If you read my post more carefully, I was recovering from my horrendous first year. I am NOT an A+ student, and far from it. Thus I am trying to avoid anything that would jepordize my chances. As of right now, I am far from being competitive in terms of GPA... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benhc911 Posted September 4, 2010 Report Share Posted September 4, 2010 If you read my post more carefully, I was recovering from my horrendous first year. I am NOT an A+ student, and far from it. Thus I am trying to avoid anything that would jepordize my chances. As of right now, I am far from being competitive in terms of GPA... perhaps I am again misreading your post, but it seems a bit more... caustic... then I was expecting in your response... I thought I was being fair and considerate of all aspects. to clarify, when I didn't mean to imply that you were an A+ student (I never said it in fact...)... But so long as you make the hard cutoffs, and have good ECs and a good MCAT, you will be fine. So what can I say? I hear people whining about 3.8s, and others stoked about a 3.6... people respond differently to different marks... So I don't know how borderline you are. More important is the other consideration... the option of forgoing your degree, and applying to medschools that dont require it (ottawa for example)... but some people hate the idea of not coming out of undergrad with something... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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