Help me strategize.. I have 2 C's :(

DadTwoGirls
Tue, 25 Jun 2024 19:47:54 +0000

ucbalumnus:

if the student is a biology or chemistry major, it may not be possible to delay organic chemistry until third year.

This might depend upon the university. Also, there is at least one frequent contributor to CC whose son did take organic chemistry freshman year, and did very well in the course.

One thing that I have wondered about might be called the “MIT Freshman Dilemma”, but most likely also applies to premed students, and some other students. Basically if you are arriving as a freshman at MIT, you are probably pretty close to being the top student in your high school either in math, or science, or overall. You might expect to at least be in the top half of you class at MIT. However, half of the class won’t be. How do you know the extent to which you can challenge yourself with courses that are tougher than what might be expected for the average incoming MIT freshman, or for the average incoming premed student? I do not think that it is in general possible to know. Some students might just jump ahead a bit too far, and get a C or two. They will survive. They will learn from the experience. It might not help their medical school applications, but probably won’t be a total deal breaker either. Edit to add: Medical school and graduate school applications will not include high school grades, so a couple of C’s in high school will have no impact at all on medical school or graduate school applications. C’s in university might have some impact, but also are likely not a deal breaker.

Perhaps this is a place to cautious, rather than a clear rule.

And yes, students do need to follow the curriculum that is expected at whatever university they attend.