<p>Latest Organic Chemistry 1 test…average in the class was a 42%.</p>
<p>Didn’t the professor fail at his purpose?</p>
<p>So, my dad went to Duke and he tells me that when he did, the mean grade on exams was considered a ‘B’. So, IF that 42 was the mean grade for that exam, that’d be a ‘B’. If you got a 60, you prolly got an ‘A’; a 20, prolly an ‘F’. </p>
<p>You never know how the professor will treat the grades; at Duke, at least, they rewarded the student for being in the classroom to begin with. </p>
<p>the kitesurfer.</p>
<p>kitesurfer makes a very good point.</p>
<p>Orgo is THE weed out class for pre med students, making it the “dream killer” so to speak. In reality, there are far more students taking Orgo who don’t really belong there than in most other classes on campus.</p>
<p>So obviously they’re trying to weed out. I just think that if we consider the top 10% of students in our state as weeds…then we’re doing them, our state, and our country no favor. We’re importing foreigners by the planeful because we cannot fill all the engineer, scientist, and doctor spots this country needs. And meanwhile, we’re trying our hardest to “weed out” our brightest kids who want to pursue careers in these fields.</p>
<p>And if my future doctor is the one that got an A in orgo at UNC then I’m a little concerned that he only learned 60% of the material. Either the material was important to learn or it wasn’t.</p>
<p>awayfromitall - When S called and told my H that average, my H, a physician, had thoughts similar to yours about the teacher failing at his purpose.</p>
<p>Who ever told you that acing an Organic Chemistry exam is a full pre-requisite to being a competent doctor? Don’t make the mistake of thinking like that, b/c the one doesn’t follow the other. It can’t or we’d all be dead. </p>
<p>And, how can it be said that scoring a 42 on a test means you only learned 42% of the material, OR that you did not learn 58% of the material?</p>
<p>Look dude any professor out there can put up a test that you CANNOT do. It’s easily done. It happens all of the time. It doesn’t mean you don’t know the material! You, like everyone else virtually in the class, couldn’t do the test b/c it was chosen to be too hard.</p>
<p>It was by design.</p>
<p>Stick it out and study more and study harder. You will improve greatly as time goes on. Get some buddies together and study together and make that class your priority class. You wait and see. If you’re in that class, you’re going to get pushed and that’s ok, but won’t weasel out after one test or one class for that matter.</p>
<p>Suck it up and go on.</p>
<p>the kitesurfer.</p>
<p>My son is taking Chem101. He is telling me the same about the tests. He studies everything, old tests, class notes, the book, etc. He then finds that out of 20 questions, about 18 of them were not covered at all or very little in class. He is averaging a middle C and has been above the class average, but it has caused him to re-think his decision to follow the pre-med requirements. I told him to just do his best. He and I were told by a young lady that just graduated with a biology degree that the premed classes would get better.</p>
<p>Wow - this thread resonates so much with me. I graduated from UNC in May, and one of the reasons why I can’t say that I truly loved/enjoyed my undergrad experience was because science classes almost killed me. I started out as a Chemistry major (that seems hilarious now), and I quickly realized… wow. This sucks. So much. I can’t even begin to tell you how much time/effort I would put into studying only to take an exam and have it go like I hadn’t studied at all. This eventually became way too demoralizing and I switched to a Humanities major (something I really loved) to save my sanity/mental health. I still minored in Chem though. I had great science professors (Dr. Ashby, Todd Austell, etc), but it was just crazy intense. The tests were designed that way, in my opinion. Usually with curving, etc, everything came out fine in the end but I never knew what my final grade would be until the last dog had died (the kitesurfer is right about how they pick who gets an A, B, etc - it’s usually based off the average). The people I knew who actually got As in most of their science classes just had that psycho, wired, genius factor you need to have to do med school (imo). I feel like there has to be a better system/better way of teaching and testing…</p>
<p>If your kids are practically killing themselves to fulfill the pre-med requirements, I would encourage them to keep an open mind and look into other options too (like the School of Public Health, etc) - it just isn’t worth it to be miserable for 4 years in my opinion.</p>
<p>
Okay, so tell me what was the purpose of the test? I also think, except for Jambaby, that the posters on this thread are parents, not students. Are you a current UNC student who has studied your butt off to get a 42…and you feel good about it? I understand what a weeder class is supposed to do. What I don’t understand is why a professor would “put up a test that you CANNOT do” (to use your words). </p>
<p>SanfordDad - Good luck to your S. I think he’s doing well if he can keep himself above the average.</p>
<p>I’ve been in classes where the average was that low (not quite that low), and honestly I’m not feeling the problem. It just makes it a hard course. I’m assuming that some of the students did very well? So it’s not like the material is absolutely impossible.</p>
<p>“He then finds that out of 20 questions, about 18 of them were not covered at all or very little in class.”</p>
<p>Was the material in the books? Because if so then that’s fine - the idea that everything on a test should have been covered explicitly in class is a very recent one.</p>
<p>The prof has to keep the standard of the course relatively constant from year to year, so a grade means the same in 2011 as it did in 2010. Maybe this year the class is just not as smart, on average?</p>
<p>It does suck to be in that class, I’m sure, but it should be some prep for medical school at least…</p>
<p>There is a curve built into those tests. Again, my dad went to Duke and whatever the grade on the exams were (tough exams, tough school) that grade was a ‘B’; there is a good chance that that grade earned by the original poster will be a B. That’s just the way it is. The professor will see that the test was too hard and there will be much progress made on the next exam. Also, students will learn how to study better and more effectively, and they’ll put more effort in. Always keep in mind, however, that the professor is the boss and certainly, they can formulate a test too tough for even the brightest mind in the class (ie, one you CANNOT do). </p>
<p>I am trying to get in Carolina next year as a freshman.</p>
<p>Just b/c I’m not that parent doesn’t mean I can’t give an opinion; this is just common sense and I don’t think anyone should be afraid of a stupid test, or intimidated by one.
Suck it up and go on.</p>
<p>the kitesurfer.</p>
<p>My problem with the system is this - if you’re studying/learning/understanding the material and getting help from the professor whenever you have a question, then it seems like your test grades should reflect that you understand and have studied/learned the material, and that is not always the case. It is an incredibly frustrating process to live through. kitesurfer, I was thinking you were a freshman this year… it gets pretty hard to “suck it up and go on” when you’re putting 200% into everything you’re doing and you get nothing back. I think you have the right mentality/attitude about it, but when this system starts applying to you and your grades year after year it is a little harder to take. If you do get into UNC, I hope you can stay positive! </p>
<p>My advice for students: work hard, try your best, don’t panic, try to aim for test grades that are a little higher than the average, and develop a relationship with your professors so they know who you are and what’s going on. Everything generally comes out fine with curving, etc.</p>
<p>Stepping off the soapbox now! ; -)</p>
<p>in your second paragraph. That’s gotta be the way of the world. I wouldn’t sweat that grade AT ALL. Keep going.</p>
<p>the ks.</p>
<p>Guess you folks haven’t figured out that the fraternities have all the exams and you just need to join a frat and get the benefit.</p>
<p>“Just b/c I’m not that parent doesn’t mean I can’t give an opinion; this is just common sense and I don’t think anyone should be afraid of a stupid test, or intimidated by one.
Suck it up and go on.”</p>
<p>Wow…kitesurfer…you have to be male (no denigration meant to males who actually have feelings 
). I suggest you don’t go into Psychology. Because giving your patients advice that their feelings are stupid and they should just suck it up and go on would probably not be very helpful. :-)</p>
<p>It would be nice if it was that easy to intellectualize away all one’s feelings.</p>
<p>placido240…honor code?</p>
<p>There are quite a few test banks on campus if you know where to look… I know sororities/frats have them and some of the pre-health clubs. Someone once told me the Honor Court allows this, but I don’t know the protocol behind it… I will say that finding tests that are relevant/recent and then having professors who actually recycle tests from past semesters is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. You’ll probably have better luck taking classes that your friends have taken and then using their old tests (if they’ll let you).</p>
<p>kitesurfer - I welcome your opinion, but I think it’s easy to say “suck it up and go on” when you’ve not had the experience. I think it’s also hard for students to not know where they stand in a class. My question about the test was not about the curve, but was more directed to the material that the professor wanted the students to learn. More than half the students in the class didn’t know most of the material presented on the test. Is it their fault for not studying enough, or his/her fault for not teaching them enough? My S was well above the average, so I am not questioning this to make myself feel better about his score.</p>
<p>^^^^^^^^^^^^I believe you are missing the point.</p>
<p>1) Just b/c the average was a 42 does not mean that ‘over half the people in the class’ didn’t understand the material.</p>
<p>That could be the best-educated class at Carolina. They probably understood the material quite well going into the test.</p>
<p>THE TEST WAS FORMULATED TO BE REALLY HARD. THE PEOPLE WHO WROTE THE TEST WROTE IT TOO HARD.</p>
<p>There must be a disconnect from a) knowing the material and b) getting a 42 on the exam. IF the mean was a 42, then the test was waaaaaaaay too hard for anyone to really show what they know. </p>
<p>This shapes the professor and the students for the next exam.</p>
<p>I really believe this. </p>
<p>Just keep going is all I’m saying. Your son knows that stuff well and he’s going to do well on the next test and he’s going to do well in the class.</p>
<p>the kitesurfer.</p>
<p>kitesurfer, it’s easy for you to think you know what it’s like in an orgo class, but trust me, you don’t. you make some good points, but you don’t know what it’s like to have the average of a test be less than 50. just wait two years</p>
<p>the kitesurfer.</p>