Chemistry Woes/Advice for dropping class

[skater]

I'm an adjunct prof in a science deptartment at a community college (I don't teach chem, so no - I'm not the OP's teacher )
Some really good points have been made:
1. If she wants to go into nursing, she NEEDS chemistry - not just for the grade, but for the material. If she's not learning it well from this prof, she should drop it and try again later.
2. from the college's perspective, dropping it "quietly" vs. talking to everyone about it first makes absolutely no difference. Once she fills out the forms, the registrar will process it. End of story.
3. I would, though, encourage her to talk to someone in the science department. Not in a "this teacher is crappy" manner, but approach them saying "I'm dropping chemistry this semester. What can I do now, and next time I take it, to make sure I'm more successful?" My school offers a chemistry 001 class the second half of every semester. It's a non-credit class for students who dropped out of the intro chem class (there are always a LOT of them every semester.) The class goes over some of the basics, including the math skills, that are necessary to succeed. It also stresses a lot of the study skills that students often lack heading into college and introduces the kids to all of the resources available for help.
4. Whenever she takes chemistry, make sure she knows when the tutoring center hours are, when her profs office hours are, what online tutoring is available, etc., etc. I 99% guarantee you that those things are all available to her - for free - at her college. That doesn't mean she'll get a private tutor from the college, but that there are LOTS of resources available for help. She may need to use every single one of them.
5. Finally, I know you're her mom and that you want to help her. And advising and offering our opinions is what parents do. It's in our very DNA. But now's the time to step back and let her handle this. Listen, commiserate, ask questions, but let her figure out what she wants to do and how best to do it.

Good luck!

Thanks! Lots of great perspective in this.

 

[pumpkinmomma]

Thanks for all the great advice. She has utilized some of the methods suggested here like borrowing other Chemistry books (Idiot's Guide, etc.). There's no way I can say with absolute certainty that she has given it all she can, but I know she's given it a good try. I know she'll learn some life lessons, but I'm not glad her self esteem is suffering. But maybe that's the Mom in me .

She does have a Pell Grant which is why I was hoping she could discuss this with an adviser first, but we'll see if this is an option before the withdraw date.

I am planning on backing off a bit. Its hard to let go .

If she is on a pell grant, she NEEDS to speak with an advisor and with financial aid before she drops. It is very, very important that she does this. Depending on when she drops the class and what her overall hours and GPA are, she may be better off staying in the class and getting a low grade than withdrawing from a financial aid perspective. If she drops the class too soon, she may have to pay back some of her pell grant money or lose some of her aid for next year.

I teach at a community college, and I can believe that she has a bad professor. It happens. But she needs to be fully aware of the financial impact of dropping the class versus failing and retaking before she makes any decisions. She really, really needs to speak with her advisor.

 

[jujube]

If her scholarship is dependent upon the grade, drop it. COlleges do ahve a way of figuring dropped classes into the cumulative GPA-at least they did when I was in school.
As a previous poster said though, " Welcome to college". She'll probably have at least one more teacher like this one. Some teachers say they won't curve but after midterm, they grade those who remain in the class a lot easier. She'll be able to ask others in her class whether or not particular teacher does this. Then if she has to retake with the same person at east she'll know what to expect.

 

[The Orchid]

I would drop the class. GPA's are important.

There is a website where you can check out instructors before registering for classes. You can find out what other people think of the teachers you are considering and you can rate teachers you have taken so other students can make informed choices. It's called "Rate my Professor."

I think it's a pretty good and helpful site. If a teacher has received a dozen negative reviews, then you have a pretty good idea to stay away from his classes! I wouldn't let one or two negatives deter me if most reviews are positive, but let's face it, some teachers really suck, and the ones who are really bad usually have really bad scores!

 

[ccgirl]

Thanks for all the great advice. She has utilized some of the methods suggested here like borrowing other Chemistry books (Idiot's Guide, etc.). There's no way I can say with absolute certainty that she has given it all she can, but I know she's given it a good try. I know she'll learn some life lessons, but I'm not glad her self esteem is suffering. But maybe that's the Mom in me .

She does have a Pell Grant which is why I was hoping she could discuss this with an adviser first, but we'll see if this is an option before the withdraw date.

I am planning on backing off a bit. Its hard to let go .

I had a Pell Grant as well. If I remember correctly, the GPA wasn't that high. I believe it was a 2.5 or something like that but you also had to do a minimum number of credits. So, if dropping this class would drop her below the minimum number of credits that is obviously not a good thing.

I agree with a PP that O Chem is a weed out class for those in the Science majors. Is this an O-Chem or General Chem class? For Nursing majors around here, they had to take Chemistry for the Health Sciences (I was a Nursing major for a year), I barely had to open my book and got an A. When I transferred into Pre-Med, I had to take O-Chem (three times). There's a world of difference between those two classes. I would have her hold off on the Chem until she knows what she wants to get into. Although, transferring in to Nursing, some require the Chem as a pre-requisite to be accepted. I think she needs to take a step back and try to figure out what she wants to do.

Good luck.

 

[dis-happy]

Another thought.....could she sit in on an additional lecture each week with a different professor? In our CC science classes, all the classes take the same exams, regardless of who the teacher is.

My dd utilized this method to get through O-Chem; she sat through two lectures back to back each week (same professor in his case) to make sure she understood the material.

 

[luvsJack]

OP, keep in mind that with the Pell, she must complete and pass at least 67% of the hours she registered for. If she doesn't, she will most likely be put on FA suspension. She will most likely be able to get it back but will have to go through the process.

If she is full time, dropping is better than getting an F. If she isn't, she needs to make sure that she talks to the FA advisor to figure out the best thing to do. Also, I would suggest she talk to the chair of the Science dept. about the class and advice on her best course of action.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I agree with a PP that O Chem is a weed out class for those in the Science majors. Is this an O-Chem or General Chem class? For Nursing majors around here, they had to take Chemistry for the Health Sciences (I was a Nursing major for a year), I barely had to open my book and got an A. When I transferred into Pre-Med, I had to take O-Chem (three times). There's a world of difference between those two classes. I would have her hold off on the Chem until she knows what she wants to get into. Although, transferring in to Nursing, some require the Chem as a pre-requisite to be accepted.

This was at a community college, correct? I had to take Organic Chemistry I and II as a nursing major in a baccalaureate program, not something less. (Note we are in the same region.)

 

[SandrA9810]

I would drop the class. GPA's are important.

There is a website where you can check out instructors before registering for classes. You can find out what other people think of the teachers you are considering and you can rate teachers you have taken so other students can make informed choices. It's called "Rate my Professor."

I think it's a pretty good and helpful site. If a teacher has received a dozen negative reviews, then you have a pretty good idea to stay away from his classes! I wouldn't let one or two negatives deter me if most reviews are positive, but let's face it, some teachers really suck, and the ones who are really bad usually have really bad scores!

That site makes me laugh sometimes. There's some really good teachers that get a bad rap because they actually make you learn the stuff. I've read complaints of trivial stuff like, the teacher failed me because I was texting in class. Or not passing because they dont follow the teacher's instruction, like you must have class participation.

I was in the study hall room, where all the offices are for the professors, and one of them let a student have it because she disrupted the entire class over her phone call. Then there's the endless complaints of outside obligations, like kids, that prevent them from doing the homework and studying that needs to be done.

To the OP, does her school have tutors and study centers? Like ours has the math drop in and writing centers. It's students that have completed the course and offer group help and individual help.

 

[Hrhpd]

A few things

1. Welcome to college. As your DD is figuring out, college != high school
2. Dropping a class simply to save a GPA is not the right decisions. GPA's don't mean much in college.
3. Will the chemistry dept. allow an entire class to fail? Sure they will. Again, college != high school.

Have her talk to her advisor. That's what he/she is there for. Take the advice he/she gives. Simple as that.

I am going to have to echo the WTHeck?

I have a child in engineering. Every job and every internship possibility has a listed a minimum GPA before you will even be considered. Lower than a 3.2? Forget getting any kind of internship which also means forget getting a decent job after you graduate.

 

[skater]

So, she has decided to drop the class and has contacted her adviser to set up an appointment. I will tell her to talk to someone in financial aid as well (thanks everyone for that advice).

The thing is, I know she can learn Chemistry. She has tried to get a tutor, and she knows how to study and look things up on her own. Her study skills are better than mine ever were. The suggestion to sit in on other classes is a good one - I'll pass that on to her for future reference.

 

[ccgirl]

This was at a community college, correct? I had to take Organic Chemistry I and II as a nursing major in a baccalaureate program, not something less. (Note we are in the same region.)

Must depend on the program; UMASS Darmouth only requires Chem I and Chem II, Northeastern is the same thing, no Organic Chem required.

To be honest, I went to so many different colleges before I settled down that don't remember which it was but of the nursing programs I checked out; none required Organic Chem. I did a lot of pre-requisites at CCCC before Northeastern so it could have been there.