[ExI] Course advice needed

[Gabe Waggoner]

> On Jan 17, 2022, at 1:47 AM, Adrian Tymes via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
> On Sun, Jan 16, 2022 at 10:59 AM Gabe Waggoner via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:
>
>> I’ve already met all the prerequisites for the program, which doesn’t require organic chemistry.
>
> These are the facts as laid out by them. Everything else you're judging from is your own intuition and guesswork, which can interfere with the facts.
>
> The facts say, plainly, that you don't need it. Therefore, you don't need it.
>
>> Yet I feel guilty at the idea of entering this program without having taken organic chemistry, as though I’m cheating.
>
> That's imposter syndrome, particularly the part where you feel like you're cheating. It can be nasty and nerve-wracking, and do a number on your self-confidence, but it doesn't change other peoples' facts.
>
> That said, I echo the suggestion to, if possible, get a copy of the final exam from a prior year of the course you are worried about. If you can pass it, which it sounds like you can, then that's proof that you've learned the material outside the classroom and do not need to waste your university's time taking the course itself.

Imposter syndrome and I are longtime friends. This degree program isn’t focused on research but instead on application and lab procedures. So I should stop comparing myself to people who are striving to become PhD microbiologists, for whom organic chemistry would be essential.

Thank you both for your insights. I agree that getting a copy of an old exam would be helpful, but that’s not possible at my school. All exams, finals and otherwise, are kept by professors to prevent posting on the internet. But many organic chemistry exams are readily available online from other schools, so I may just do self-study and test myself over the coming months. Someone else told me that what’s important is being able to handle the coursework in the master’s program, not getting credit on my transcript for taking an unnecessary prerequisite.

Best wishes,

Gabe
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