2 C+ in sophomore year; Will they be noticed?

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

Hello, I'll keep this short,

Up until now I have gotten a B in almost all of my science classes leaving my sGPA at 3.0. I am a rising junior and my 2nd semester as a sophomore I received a C+ in Microbiology and in Anatomy and Physiology 2. One of my professors told me that medical schools will most likely not look at individual grades but another told me that no one gets into medical school with a grade lower then a B.

My question is, if I start receiving A's in my sciences from now on, will those C+'s likely be ignored? Is there something I can do to make them look less bad? I asked to be a lab assistant for Microbiology next year, will this help?

Thank you!

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[Elevencents]

Most applicants have a C or two on their transcript. Don't worry about it.

 

[NontradCA]

Quit fussin', you're fine.

 

[Hakuna Matata]

2 C's are fine. But you can always retake them to boost your gpa. Your sgpa is a bit low too, focus on trying to get A's from now on to bring that up.

 

[shim0shim]

You are fine. Don't listen to whoever said you can't get into medical school with lower than a B. Almost all applicants have at least 1 bad mark on their transcript. School are not going to look at every course individually and judge you based on that. They will look at your overall academic performance since they have thousands of applicants to consider.

 

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

Thank you all for your responses! I know I definitely need to raise my sGPA

And thank you shim0shim, I agree with you but when your adviser says something like that to you a few times it starts to get to you; sometimes you forget to see the big picture.

 

[shim0shim]

Thank you all for your responses! I know I definitely need to raise my sGPA

And thank you shim0shim, I agree with you but when your adviser says something like that to you a few times it starts to get to you; sometimes you forget to see the big picture.

I know exactly what you mean. One day I met with my school adviser. He looks at my transcript, and the first thing he says is, " So, do you really want to go to med school? I don't know about that.."! It surprised me. Then, he kept going onward telling me how there is so much more out there and that being a doctor may not be the best career choice that you choose. He was telling me about how I will be wasting my young years studying in medical school. That happened during my first semester in university. But, I didn't let him discourage me.

Bottom line is, although you may trust them as professionals, they do not know what your passions and capabilities are. They have not seen your fullest potential or everything else that you portray in your application. So, don't let what people say get to you.

 

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

I know exactly what you mean. One day I met with my school adviser. He looks at my transcript, and the first thing he says is, " So, do you really want to go to med school? I don't know about that.."! It surprised me. Then, he kept going onward telling me how there is so much more out there and that being a doctor may not be the best career choice that you choose. He was telling me about how I will be wasting my young years studying in medical school. That happened during my first semester in university. But, I didn't let him discourage me.

Bottom line is, although you may trust them as professionals, they do not know what your passions and capabilities are. They have not seen your fullest potential or everything else that you portray in your application. So, don't let what people say get to you.

You have no idea how much what you just said means to me! The irony is that I just sent out an email to my professor/adviser who I have been having a very similar conversation with. He has been telling me to consider other things such as PA or Occupational therapist. He never directly told me to quit (yet) but it is definitely implied. He had me considering being a nurse pract. instead, only to realize the only proper path for me was a doctor. It is a damaging experience, but sometimes it can help you realize if you are really making the right choice.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I will think of you when I feel discouraged.

 

[LongTimeLurk]

C+ won't kill you but overall gpa 3.0 will hold you back. 2 years should be plenty of time to raise that up a bit. I would consider retaking those 2 courses if you have time for it and take advantage of grade replacement for DO.

 

[shim0shim]

You have no idea how much what you just said means to me! The irony is that I just sent out an email to my professor/adviser who I have been having a very similar conversation with. He has been telling me to consider other things such as PA or Occupational therapist. He never directly told me to quit (yet) but it is definitely implied. He had me considering being a nurse pract. instead, only to realize the only proper path for me was a doctor. It is a damaging experience, but sometimes it can help you realize if you are really making the right choice.

Thank you so much for sharing your story. I will think of you when I feel discouraged.

Glad I helped

 

[Goro]

Your second prof is rather on the mark. A 3.0 is make or break for most DO programs. If your GPA and MCAT scores are good, then if you apply broadly, you should get some decent IIs.

You would be best served to retake those Cs, though.

Hello, I'll keep this short,

Up until now I have gotten a B in almost all of my science classes leaving my sGPA at 3.0. I am a rising junior and my 2nd semester as a sophomore I received a C+ in Microbiology and in Anatomy and Physiology 2. One of my professors told me that medical schools will most likely not look at individual grades but another told me that no one gets into medical school with a grade lower then a B.

My question is, if I start receiving A's in my sciences from now on, will those C+'s likely be ignored? Is there something I can do to make them look less bad? I asked to be a lab assistant for Microbiology next year, will this help?

Thank you!

 

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

C+ won't kill you but overall gpa 3.0 will hold you back. 2 years should be plenty of time to raise that up a bit. I would consider retaking those 2 courses if you have time for it and take advantage of grade replacement for DO.

Thank you, I do know it needs to be raised. I will consider retaking them but they are both only offered in the spring and I only have 1 spring semester left (summer courses junior year have me graduating a semester early). Should I retake them or expand my horizons with another biology class?

Your second prof is rather on the mark. A 3.0 is make or break for most DO programs. If your GPA and MCAT scores are good, then if you apply broadly, you should get some decent IIs.

You would be best served to retake those Cs, though.

It is good to hear an opposing argument. I am only a sophomore so I still have time to raise my sGPA higher, and I plan to. I'd like to ask you the same thing I am asking LongTimeLurk, "I will consider retaking them but they are both only offered in the spring and I only have 1 spring semester left (summer courses junior year have me graduating a semester early). Should I retake them or expand my horizons with another biology class?"
Thank you for your advice!

 

[Goro]

You don't have to retake them at your school; any other college will do.

Thank you, I do know it needs to be raised. I will consider retaking them but they are both only offered in the spring and I only have 1 spring semester left (summer courses junior year have me graduating a semester early). Should I retake them or expand my horizons with another biology class?



It is good to hear an opposing argument. I am only a sophomore so I still have time to raise my sGPA higher, and I plan to. I'd like to ask you the same thing I am asking LongTimeLurk, "I will consider retaking them but they are both only offered in the spring and I only have 1 spring semester left (summer courses junior year have me graduating a semester early). Should I retake them or expand my horizons with another biology class?"
Thank you for your advice!

 

[Dreamstoo]

Most applicants have a C or two on their transcript. Don't worry about it.

I've also seen it for MD acceptees usually over classes like advanced calculus.

 

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

You don't have to retake them at your school; any other college will do.

I know A&P II is available at a local community college, would taking it there or online look worse than taking it at say, a state university? The community college lists it as a 100 level class but my college lists it at the 300 level. Thanks in advance.

I've also seen it for MD acceptees usually over classes like advanced calculus.

That is probably more understandable to medical schools than having one in a biology course, especially a pre-req. Thank you for your input!

 

[Goro]

I think you might be OK with it at the CC. I've never been a fan of online coursework.

I know A&P II is available at a local community college, would taking it there or online look worse then taking it at say, a state university? The community college lists it as a 100 level class but my college lists it at the 300 level. Thanks in advance.

 

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

I think you might be OK with it at the CC. I've never been a fan of online coursework.

I know A&P II is available at a local community college, would taking it there or online look worse then taking it at say, a state university? The community college lists it as a 100 level class but my college lists it at the 300 level. Thanks in advance.

Very many thanks, I will follow your advice.

 

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

I understand this is the DO part of the forum but I do not want to repeat the thread by copy pasting it into the MD forum. I am still between MD/DO. My question is, if I were to apply to allopathic schools should I retake them?

 

[shim0shim]

I understand this is the DO part of the forum but I do not want to repeat the thread by copy pasting it into the MD forum. I am still between MD/DO. My question is, if I were to apply to allopathic schools should I retake them?

If you retake a class, AMCAS will take the average of the two. In other words, both classes will be considered the GPA calculation. But, AACOMAS will only consider the most recent mark. So, retaking a class is more advantageous if you are applying to DO. If you are applying to MD, I suggest taking other science classes and demonstrating your skills.

 

[Stubbornly Pre-Med]

If you retake a class, AMCAS will take the average of the two. In other words, both classes will be considered the GPA calculation. But, AACOMAS will only consider the most recent mark. So, retaking a class is more advantageous if you are applying to DO. If you are applying to MD, I suggest taking other science classes and demonstrating your skills.

Thank you. That clears things up.