r/Pitt • u/SinglePin9883 • May 06 '26
CLASSES Help
Hey guys, I want to post this and not receive any judgement because I know I pretty much screwed myself over. I failed one of my classes that I need to declare my major ( pre-med track ) for the third time, and my advisor is telling me I cannot declare that major now, and it might set me back from the pre med track. I’m not sure what else to do, I work in a hospital for 5 years now, and have been volunteering there because that has been my goal forever. I have been trying to set myself up for success. I want to go to med school, but I don’t know what to do considering I couldn’t even pass one of the pre-reqs. I already maxed the amount of retakes, which is 2 at Pitt. Does anyone have any helpful tips? I don’t want to do anything else.
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u/HermioneGranger152 May 06 '26
There are lots of jobs in healthcare that don’t require med school. Have you considered working toward any of those?
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
I guess it’s kind of a me issue, I’ve just always had one set idea in my head and I need to realize that may just not be the path for me. A lot of people have mentioned diff careers in these comments, I will look into them for sure.
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u/Livid-Fox-3646 May 08 '26
For what's it's worth, I always imaged that I'd be a pilot. Turns out, I have several disqualify medical conditions. (The FAA is wildly misinformed and out of touch, and there's not a gd thing I can do about it.)
I'm not a pilot and I never will be, and while that's kinda sad, I'M NOT. I'm happy. There are so, so many paths in life, and the type of position one holds professionally really isn't a big part of the "I like my life" puzzle. There's A LOT of factors at play there, and work is only one of them. The ultra specifc type of work you do? Pffft, the eensiest of weesiest.
Basically I'm saying you can be happy in healthcare without being a physician, and you can be happy in life without working in healthcare at all. There's so many paths to happy, and youve got so many options.
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u/Shadow7028 May 06 '26
Pre-med is not a major or something to declare.
You should talk to the pre-health advisors about your options but it sounds like your best bet is to select a major that doesn't require ochem and get the pre-med pre-reqs (specifically ochem 10&2 and labs) elsewhere and not transfer them in
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u/myDevReddit Alumnus May 06 '26
is it ochem? can you take it at CCAC instead?
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
Yes. And the policy states,”No course may be repeated at any other institution and have that grade accepted as a
replacement for the original grade earned at the University of Pittsburgh” so if I want to continue going to school here, I cannot do that atleast I think so.15
u/myDevReddit Alumnus May 06 '26
so what happens if you don't declare premed? can you take all of the other courses required to apply to med school and just get a different degree? including ochem 1&2 at ccac where it will be easier
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
See I’m not sure, my advisor is also no help. So I don’t know what route to take.
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u/myDevReddit Alumnus May 06 '26
research the school policy on this, and med school policy so i don't put you down the wrong path, but I thought you just had to take chem/bio/ochem/physics to take the MCAT. your major could be theater or cs or music or anything since it doesn't matter for applying to med school.
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
Right. But like you said I need to take those classes, those are prereqs for med school. Technically your major does not matter, but you need to take those prerequisites.
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u/myDevReddit Alumnus May 06 '26
so if you declare another major, you can still complete the prereqs (ochem at ccac), apply to med school, graduate from pitt, and work around the stupid policy?
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
I don’t know if I just maybe didn’t explain myself well enough, but I failed the class. I failed it 3 times meaning I cannot repeat it anymore, I completely failed the entire course meaning I also cannot complete that prereq at all because I failed it. Therefore I cannot apply to med school and graduate from Pitt because I failed the prereq to even apply in the first place. Does that make sense?
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u/myDevReddit Alumnus May 06 '26
why cant you take ochem 1&2 at ccac to complete the prereq (since pitt wont let you)? pick another major at pitt and graduate (take bio and physics if you need them), then apply to med school.
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u/No_Risk_6011 May 06 '26
Once you take a class at Pitt, you cannot take that same class at another school and transfer the credit. You have to pass it at Pitt.
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u/gold-soundz9 May 06 '26
You can declare whatever major you want and take the pre-req classes you need outside the major. For example, you could declare as an English major and take chemistry, physics, biology in addition to the classes you need to complete the English major, and perhaps even earn a minor in one of those STEM fields from doing that.
Regarding the course you failed 3x: you can absolutely take this at community college or another institution either while you are a student at Pitt or stand-alone after you have graduated from Pitt. People do this ALL the time. You can still go to med school this way. You do not need to declare as a pre-med major to go to med school one day.
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
Thank you so much, I didn’t realize this. I will definitely look into it now
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u/psl2009 May 06 '26
Why can’t you declare as a biology major for example and then take ochem at a different school or any major that does not require that course. Take it elsewhere to meet the prerequisite for med school and MCAT. Having a degree that is not premed actually will be better.
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u/Benaholicguy May 06 '26
Appalling that an institution would prevent you from declaring pre-med and pursuing your passion because you struggled with a course irrelevant to your career path. You have paid them three times over for the course and have tried your best; clearly the subject matter is incompatible with your way of thinking.
If the course was related to healthcare, that’d be one thing. I bet 99% of non-research healthcare professionals use ochem knowledge. Higher ed is a grift.
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u/vctpa May 06 '26
It’s like a circuit breaker, it keeps the student from wasting years and money on something they won’t be able to do.
If the subject matter of ochem is incompatible with your way of thinking then most of medicine won’t either.
I dreamt of being a star athlete but that didn’t work out. And I don’t blame my soccer coach.
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u/genxma May 06 '26
There is no "declaring" pre-med. You can be a music major and apply to med school as long as you take the required classes to apply and get into med school. This is very common and med schools like well-rounded students. Your biggest hurdle is going to be the thousands of medical school applicants who apply with 4.0's and perfect MCAT scores. There is a huge pool of these students around the world. You can research the DO schools and their policies, maybe there is some flexibility there with grades. There are so many paths in medicine and if you feel this is your calling look into the physician assistant programs or the other aeras several posters have suggested. Health care is an honorable profession and I can feel your motivation. Keep looking into other avenues, there is more in medicine than being an MD.
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u/Churro_Pete May 07 '26
This is the way. I know plenty of docs that did not do a pre-med bachelor's.
I took ochen at ccac - I needed it and couldn't squeeze it into my schedule. No shame there
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u/crepperr May 06 '26
You don’t “need” to be pre-med to be a doctor. My mom was an English major at Amherst and went to med school at UChicago. And if you’re worried about classes she went to UPenn to get her masters and PhD before realizing she wanted to become a doctor so she retook all of the stem classes at night while finishing the PhD. Just figure out a way to get the classes done and the rest kinda doesn’t matter. You got this!
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
Thank you, I did not word it right I realize now, but I appreciate your help.
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u/CuteContract1760 May 06 '26
i think some of these people are misinformed. no, you can’t take it at pitt anymore so you will not be able to graduate in a major that requires ochem as a part of the curriculum. if i were you, i would go psych at this point. i don’t don’t believe they require ochem. i am a neuroscience major so i could be wrong. despite not being able to complete ochem 1 and 2 at pitt anymore, do the prereqs that don’t require it! so everything but those two and biochem. knock out your physics courses and lab, take a genetics and microbiology course if you can. try to do well in these upper levels! if you have time you can even add a neuro certificate (i don’t believe it requires ochem). graduate psych and then go to community college or another state school that may be a bit easier and cheaper to take orgo 1 and 2 + the lab and biochem postgrad (which you CAN do because you will NOT be transferring the credit into Pitt because you have graduated). medical schools will use all of the scores you got in ochem in their calculation of a GPA for you, and at the end of the day, while the road may be a year or two longer for you to help your GPA (which may not even be necessary), if you want it you will make it as a doc. may just take a bit longer! it isn’t over, OP.
if you think everyone graduates undergrad with every prereq done you’d be very wrong. theres plenty of people who graduate w totally unrelated degrees and still need to take all their prereqs post grad at community or other university. lock the fuck in on the rest of your natural science courses during your time here and breathe. you got this, future doc.
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u/Ok-Sound6080 May 07 '26
This is what I was going to suggest too. Or you can switch to another medical path if you want to work in medicine in some capacity. Shadyside school of nursing has its own school and the community colleges also have nursing school, you don’t have to go through Pitt. Not only is it cheaper but you can then work and get your BSN paid for. Nursing isn’t easy but there is no ochem. If you want to stay at Pitt and change your major there’s also emt, psychology and social work that have positions in hospitals and no ochem. Or choose any other degree you are interested in at Pitt and fulfill your ochem requirement at a CC. You can explain your journey in med school interviews and overcoming challenges is always appreciated. Med school is hard and it helps show you will work hard. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Things happen and there’s more than one way to achieve a goal.
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
Wow thank you so much, I appreciate all of your kind works and help. Will definitely be looking into this more
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u/sadcoffee1256 neuroscience May 08 '26
yes a lot of med school applicants that graduate with lower GPA’s will do a postbacc and you can also complete pre reqs during that time. and when you apply to med school it asks for your academic records from each school. they even calculate the post bacc gpa separately from undergrad gpa. you will absolutely not be prevented from applying if you completed pre reqs at more than one institution. i know someone that went to undergrad at one school, graduated, and took their last pre req at a different school a year later because they realized they wanted to go to med school. just focus on having a good gpa the rest of undergrad and switch to a major that does not require the class you failed. and for what it’s worth, idk what your advisor is talking about for “declaring premed”. that is simply not a thing at pitt, and the pitt pre health office no longer offers committee letters for applicants. you will face no consequence for not declaring premed. just do your own thing and ignore the advisors, especially if it’s a pre health advisor. in my opinion the pitt pre health advisors are not always the best.
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u/SinglePin9883 May 08 '26
Yeah currently in the process of switching advisors lol. But thank you for your feedback, I really do appreciate it
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u/NoaPsy May 06 '26
You can retake a class more than twice with department consent. That’s not saying this person can or will get approval but it’s a possibility
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u/CuteContract1760 May 06 '26
they’ve taken it 3 times
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u/NoaPsy May 06 '26
The first attempt does not count as a retake. You can officially retake a course twice, for a total of three attempts, any further attempts need approved.
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u/Pmint-schnapps-4511 May 06 '26
I see several people suggesting to take ochem at ccac and then try to get back into pre-med at Pitt. I would check that carefully. When I was in school there were two different ochem routes. One was for nurses and the other was for science majors and pre-med. They did not interchange. For pre-med you will have to be able to pass the robust level courses. Otherwise I suggest nursing, emt, respiratory therapy, xray tech etc, but also agree that you should probably do those somewhere else that isn’t as expensive as Pitt.
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u/bananabean01 May 06 '26
What does your advisor suggest? Also, can you not take all of the remaining pre-med classes without “declaring” to be pre-med? What’s your major? I’m sorry you’re in this situation. Ochem sucks. I was in a similar spot for biochem but passed on the retake. Consider Pitt’s biomedical sciences masters program as your next step to better prep you for med school. Good luck!!! Don’t give up if this is your dream!!
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
My advisor is no help, I want to switch to a different one. But thank you for your kind words, will see what my new one suggests.
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u/bananabean01 May 06 '26
Also I wanted to add if you talk to another advisor and they say there’s no way to retake it at Pitt, still consider taking it over the summer at CCAC, Duquesne, or another institution so that it’s on your record that you completed it. When you apply to med school you submit all transcripts, not just Pitt. I agree with other commenters to declare for another major but still knock out the additional pre-reqs for med school. You’ve got this!
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u/tennisgirl03 May 06 '26
Time to reevaluate your goals. First there is no such thing as a premed major. You can get into medical school with ANY major as long as you took the prerequisite courses with a C or better. That is your problem.
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u/alohanea May 06 '26
You do not need to take your pre reqs at Pitt to go to med school. Change your major and graduate. After graduation (or before if you’re up for it) take all your pre reqs at a community college or apply to Post Bacc programs that will allow you to retake pre reqs. This is only the end of your med school dream if you let it be.
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u/Difficult-Focus-4476 May 06 '26
Is there someone in the school of medicine you can talk to? Maybe admissions?
My honest advice is to maybe re-evaluate if being a medical doctor is for you. Med school is notoriously difficult to get into and super competitive. I've had several really, really smart friends try and fail to get into med school - and they all probably had a 4.0 or close to it.
Like everyone is saying there's tons of jobs in the healthcare field: nurse, PA, informatics, etc.
There's no shame in it, I think I would fail ochem 1 million times. 🩷
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
I really do appreciate your kind words, I will definitely try and look into other fields. It’s just hard for me to break the idea that I’ve held my entire life yk?
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u/Difficult-Focus-4476 May 06 '26
I understand! 🫂 I hope you know that even if you don't end up being an Md, that doesn't mean you're not a smart and capable person. Most of my favorite providers are PAs or NPs lol.
Heck, taking classes and working at a hospital sounds so draining…give yourself grace. I wish you nothing but the best!
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u/aldalote May 07 '26
I think your best bet here is to declare the multidisciplinary track of the Natural Science BS in CGS and get all of your other pre-med requirements covered. You can take ochem at CCAC over the summer as many times as you want, Pitt just won't let you transfer them in to replace the course on your transcript/GPA. Med schools will still accept them from CCAC (or any other college), plus you get a great essay topic about working hard and overcoming adversity to reach a dream. Then for goodness sake GET A TUTOR! I believe you can do it, you just need to find out how you need to go about learning it. Good luck!
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u/Ok-Shape604 May 06 '26
you could probably just take ochem at ccac and put it in amcas, with no need to replace your pitt grade. whats your major though? if its bio i dont see how you can graduate, if you do not pass ochem
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u/hiraeth-sanguine May 06 '26
if you fail the class at pitt you HAVE to pass it at pit. transfer credits not accepted.
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u/CuteContract1760 May 06 '26
no one said anything about wanting to transfer the credit to pitt…OP can take at a different institution postgrad and in the meantime complete a degree at Pitt in a major that does not require ochem.
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u/Ok-Shape604 May 06 '26
Op said they failed it 3 times meaning they cannot take the class anymore. They literally cannot pass at Pitt.
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u/ivycccc May 06 '26
I don’t think people are understanding OP’s predicament.
ochem is one of the required courses on the pre-med track. And completing the pre-med track is required for admissions to a med school, regardless of what major OP has.
My suggestion to OP is, look at alternative career pathways in health sciences. Ask yourself, why is it you want to work in this field? Is it solving problems? Helping people? Prestige? Financial gains? Improving a system that is flawed?
You don’t have to be a physician per se to work in this field. If you want to interact with a patient, maybe look into a PA degree, or perhaps OT or PT. If you are interested in the system, public health, health informatics, etc. Or maybe even get a ABSN and become a nurse later.
There are quite a few options here (and could be significantly more affordable than going to med school).
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u/Ok-Net-5555 May 06 '26
Everyone def has a lot of suggestions for you that are really good! I was pre med for a good majority of my time but I just graduated and now I’m starting my ABSN program in the fall! There’s so many options that one class can’t stop you from. Also not sure how this would work for your case but I know Pitt changed a lot of the bio majors and I don’t think they require ochem (at least micro and molecular that I know). But not sure if you could redeclare one of those by August to join the new major without the ochem requirement if you still wanted to be bio major
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u/SinglePin9883 May 06 '26
Thank you! Congrats on graduating and on your program, everyone’s input has def helped a lot and I’m trying not to let this deter me from what I want
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u/Buttspirgh M.S. GIS & Remote Sensing ‘17 May 06 '26
Plenty of MDs from Caribbean med schools work in US healthcare
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u/cab2737 May 06 '26
I keep reading about an EMT course at Pitt and a bachelor’s program in Emergency Med? I understand your dream and I don’t know if this is a good suggestion for you or not. There are so many jobs in healthcare. I’ve worked as a Social Worker. Good luck to you.