F's on transcript due to missing chapel

[premed010101]

Hey everyone,

I'll try to keep this short, but basically I have 7 F's on my transcript due to failing the mandatory chapel "course" at the university I attended . The course counted for 0.5 credit hours each semester. I got an A in it my first semester, but I decided it made me really spiritually uncomfortable to attend, so I took the hit and stopped going.

Despite these 3.5 credit hours of F, My cGPA is a 3.77 and my sGPA is a 3.76

I'm sure seeing these marks on my transcript will raise some eyebrows. How should I handle inquiries about this?

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[desertdweller]

Hey everyone,

I'll try to keep this short, but basically I have 7 F's on my transcript due to failing the mandatory chapel "course" at the university I attended . The course counted for 0.5 credit hours each semester. I got an A in it my first semester, but I decided it made me really spiritually uncomfortable to attend, so I took the hit and stopped going.

Despite these 3.5 credit hours of F, My cGPA is a 3.77 and my sGPA is a 3.76

I'm sure seeing these marks on my transcript will raise some eyebrows. How should I handle inquiries about this?

This might be seen as a red flag. You will encounter uncomfortable situations as a doctor that you will need to handle, not run from.

 

[mk04447]

Well. I would ditch the uncomfortable answer, it's off putting. You'll have to do many things as a doctor that may make you feel "uncomfortable" and you can't bail then. If asked about this, I would simply say in hind sight you wish you'd made a different decision. I wouldn't make excuses. Obviously your GPA suffered less than your reliability will. I think it's a rough character spot to be in.

 

[Goro]

You knew what you were getting into.

 

[premed010101]

Well. I would ditch the uncomfortable answer, it's off putting. You'll have to do many things as a doctor that may make you feel "uncomfortable" and you can't bail then. If asked about this, I would simply say in hind sight you wish you'd made a different decision. I wouldn't make excuses. Obviously your GPA suffered less than your reliability will. I think it's a rough character spot to be in.

What do I ditch it in favor of? That's the truth. If anything I think the argument could be made that I was willing to forego an incentive in the form of a GPA boost to avoid compromising my spirituality. Heck, it could be spun as a positive.

 

[Goro]

The negative impression it could generate is someone who might say "I don't feel like doing that unpleasant thing, so I won't."

What were you doing at a religious school if their practices and requirements were already against your spirituality? Why didn't you transfer?

The F's aren't the issue, your motivations are.

 

[premed010101]

The negative impression it could generate is someone who might say "I don't feel like doing that unpleasant thing, so I won't."

What were you doing at a religious school if their practices and requirements were already against your spirituality? Why didn't you transfer?

The F's are the issue, your motivations are.

That's understandable. Thank you for your input.

I did attempt to transfer in between my junior and senior year because I was so miserable at that university, but being that I had amassed so many credit hours, most schools wouldn't accept me, and the ones that did gave me no financial aid, making it impossible. Is this something I should mention?

 

[Goro]

That might be worth mentioning in the "Anything else you want to tell us" prompt of the secondary.

I suggest that you don't apply to Loma Linda or LUCOM.

That's understandable. Thank you for your input.

I did attempt to transfer in between my junior and senior year because I was so miserable at that university, but being that I had amassed so many credit hours, most schools wouldn't accept me, and the ones that did gave me no financial aid, making it impossible. Is this something I should mention?

 

[premed010101]

That might be worth mentioning in the "Anything else you want to tell us" prompt of the secondary.

I suggest that you don't apply to Loma Linda or LUCOM.

I certainly won't.

 

[GrapesofRath]

What do I ditch it in favor of? That's the truth. If anything I think the argument could be made that I was willing to forego an incentive in the form of a GPA boost to avoid compromising my spirituality. Heck, it could be spun as a positive.

You need to ditch this attitude/mindset. Spinning this as you being some form of victim or martyr is about the worst thing you could do in any essay or when asked about it in an interview.

You are going to be asked about why this made you uncomfortable in every single interview. And it'll go further than that. You are going to have to prove and show yourself as someone who isn't rigid, who doesn't cripple at what makes them uncomfortable and who keeps an open mind.

The argument I tried transferring before senior year doesn't exactly let you off the hook either; you got your first F in this class freshmen year(which is a must more appropriate transfer time) and it's pretty rare to try and transfer with 1 year left in school anyway.

In short your success addressing this will be how well you elaborate and talk about why this made you "very spiritually uncomfortable" and the experiences you learned from this and how you grew as a person being at a school like this. You have to sell to an ADCOM that your consistent choices to take F after F after F isn't due to stubbornness, rigidity and afraid of being things that make you uncomfortable. Why was this lack of comfort you felt so strong that it was worth ignoring the class and taking the F for?

Talking about all the diverse experiences you have participated and been exposed to is the type of thing that can help ease concerns about your potential rigidity or unwillingness to be around things that make you uncomfortable.

Practice Practice Practice interview type questions about this. Get feedback from people. Have as many eyes as possible look at your secondaries that address this. Keep an open mind. Listen to criticisms or concerns people might have about your responses. While this in itself will by itself hardly keep someone out of med school, it does raise greater issues about a person that most certainly can. It's a delicate balance and subject. The more you realize this and are equipped to talk about it the better off you'll be.

 

[mk04447]

What do I ditch it in favor of? That's the truth. If anything I think the argument could be made that I was willing to forego an incentive in the form of a GPA boost to avoid compromising my spirituality. Heck, it could be spun as a positive.

When we are young we make mistakes and sometimes we're asked about them. Not because anyone wants a legitimate answer, but because whoever is asking wants to know if you've learned anything from the ordeal.

While not a great answer, I think the best you've got... my family is poor, the college offered financial assistance and while I was initially apprehensive about their expectations I thought I could meet them. I didn't handle the religion as well as I could have. I tried and I received an "A" the first semester, but I underestimated the commitment they asked of me... if I had another chance I would have done things differently. I feel badly about these choices and hopefully my experience helps someone else avoid a similar outcome.

 

[premed010101]

When we are young we make mistakes and sometimes we're asked about them. Not because anyone wants a legitimate answer, but because whoever is asking wants to know if you've learned anything from the ordeal.

While not a great answer, I think the best you've got... my family is poor, the college offered financial assistance and while I was initially apprehensive about their expectations I thought I could meet them. I didn't handle the religion as well as I could have. I tried and I received an "A" the first semester, but I underestimated the commitment they asked of me... if I had another chance I would have done things differently. I feel badly about these choices and hopefully my experience helps someone else avoid a similar outcome.

I like this approach a lot. Thank you

 

[premed010101]

You need to ditch this attitude/mindset. Spinning this as you being some form of victim or martyr is about the worst thing you could do in any essay or when asked about it in an interview.

You are going to be asked about why this made you uncomfortable in every single interview. And it'll go further than that. You are going to have to prove and show yourself as someone who isn't rigid, who doesn't cripple at what makes them uncomfortable and who keeps an open mind.

The argument I tried transferring before senior year doesn't exactly let you off the hook either; you got your first F in this class freshmen year(which is a must more appropriate transfer time) and it's pretty rare to try and transfer with 1 year left in school anyway.

In short your success addressing this will be how well you elaborate and talk about why this made you "very spiritually uncomfortable" and the experiences you learned from this and how you grew as a person being at a school like this. You have to sell to an ADCOM that your consistent choices to take F after F after F isn't due to stubbornness, rigidity and afraid of being things that make you uncomfortable. Why was this lack of comfort you felt so strong that it was worth ignoring the class and taking the F for?

Talking about all the diverse experiences you have participated and been exposed to is the type of thing that can help ease concerns about your potential rigidity or unwillingness to be around things that make you uncomfortable.

Practice Practice Practice interview type questions about this. Get feedback from people. Have as many eyes as possible look at your secondaries that address this. Keep an open mind. Listen to criticisms or concerns people might have about your responses. While this in itself will by itself hardly keep someone out of med school, it does raise greater issues about a person that most certainly can. It's a delicate balance and subject. The more you realize this and are equipped to talk about it the better off you'll be.

where are you getting the martyr/victim thing from? Saying I knowingly took a hit to my GPA because I wanted to feel more at ease in school is neither of these. At least I dont think it that does. In any case. Thank you for the response. I do appreciate your precautionary advice.

 

[GrapesofRath]

where are you getting the martyr/victim thing from? Saying I knowingly took a hit to my GPA because I wanted to feel more at ease in school is neither of these. At least I dont think it that does. In any case. Thank you for the response. I do appreciate your precautionary advice.

Your post above "If anything I think the argument could be made that I was willing to forego an incentive in the form of a GPA boost to avoid compromising my spirituality. Heck, it could be spun as a positive" says it all

If you go with the idea of sacrificing GPA to avoid compromising my spirituality that will absolutely be spun by a number of people as you trying to play the role of a victim/martyr.

 

[MrLogan13]

Why did you choose to attend this university if their theology did not align with yours? Surely you must have known that chapel was required. Not only does 7 F's look bad, you know this is probably something someone will ask when you give your reason why you skipped chapel even though it was required at your school.

 

[deleted480308]

If hearing things you don't agree with for an hour per week compromises anything about you, med school will be hard. Work on that...

 

[carpediem22]

I would go with @Goro 's advice since he's clearly the most informed of us, but I will say that I personally don't see this as a terrible thing you did. I'm agnostic, and I certainly would be infuriated if my GPA rested on my observance of a religion that I don't believe in. Sortof violates the sanctity of education and religious freedom in my opinion.

However, this was a private college, so they can mandate whatever they want. Your mistake was in attending this college in the first place knowing what it required, and not getting out when you could. In the very least you could have tried to obtain a waiver from having to attend. So yeah I'd try to find a different excuse.

 

[texan2414]

I see lots of people bashing the OP-
The way I see it, OP went for the first semester and got an A (wonderfully I might add).
This experience caused OP to realize something more meaningful and significant, and thus added to OP's perspective. In the end, the decision was made to not attend based on rational thought.

To me - that speaks volumes. As an adcom, I wouldn't hold that against an applicant because they have demonstrated maturity by making an informed decision.

 

[candbgirl]

Really? The mature thing would have been to transfer between Freshman and Sophomore year since the Chapel requirement wasn't going away. Then OP would have only had one F and not seven. And that one F could have been easily explained away. Seven Fs is going to be interesting...

 

[ChrisMack390]

So if your medical school has mandatory PBL sections, but those make you uncomfortable because you'd rather be studying your material, are you just going to skip them?

 

[22031 Alum]

I see lots of people bashing the OP-
The way I see it, OP went for the first semester and got an A (wonderfully I might add).
This experience caused OP to realize something more meaningful and significant, and thus added to OP's perspective. In the end, the decision was made to not attend based on rational thought.

To me - that speaks volumes. As an adcom, I wouldn't hold that against an applicant because they have demonstrated maturity by making an informed decision.

As someone who could be, yet isn't, an adcom, in no way does this demonstrate maturity. It demonstrates the opposite. Maturity would be making the realization you allude to, and either working to change the requirement, or acknowledging the mistake of attending this particular school and transferring. "Nope, I'm just not going to go anymore" and taking the hit of all those F's is the most immature, head-in-the-sand reaction one could have. Not a good look for an aspiring medical professional. Extrapolating into medicine, it leads one to think that should a practice recommendation come down that causes this person mental angst, they'd just ignore it, possibly to the detriment of patients.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I see lots of people bashing the OP-
The way I see it, OP went for the first semester and got an A (wonderfully I might add).
This experience caused OP to realize something more meaningful and significant, and thus added to OP's perspective. In the end, the decision was made to not attend based on rational thought.

To me - that speaks volumes. As an adcom, I wouldn't hold that against an applicant because they have demonstrated maturity by making an informed decision.

OP got 7 F's on purpose. If the requirement was to be passionately involved in church activities, maybe you'd have a point. He could have just sat there quietly for an hour a week. He also could have worked to get a religious exemption of some sort, perhaps by getting involved in community service or something instead of going to the mass. He could have gotten 1 or 2 Fs while mounting a successful campaign to get rid of an arcane requirement. Instead he did nothing and belligerently got an F every single semester.

 

[Grace184]

OP got 7 F's on purpose. If the requirement was to be passionately involved in church activities, maybe you'd have a point. He could have just sat there quietly for an hour a week. He also could have worked to get a religious exemption of some sort, perhaps by getting involved in community service or something instead of going to the mass. He could have gotten 1 or 2 Fs while mounting a successful campaign to get rid of an arcane requirement. Instead he did nothing and belligerently got an F every single semester.

Agreed. He is going to have to explain that he childishly rebelled (and recently too) an agreement that was part of university policy. This is a big red flag because adcoms may see it as a lack of maturity or compliance to given university standards. I have many friends who go to universities with this policy and they miss a few times here and there but they go (even though they hate it) because it's required. I don't see this being explained away.

 

[premed010101]

Really? The mature thing would have been to transfer between Freshman and Sophomore year since the Chapel requirement wasn't going away. Then OP would have only had one F and not seven. And that one F could have been easily explained away. Seven Fs is going to be interesting...

Transferring isn't so simple when money is a huge factor. The school I attended gave me a very large scholarship. Transfers usually dont get large scholarships at most schools.

 

[MrLogan13]

To me - that speaks volumes. As an adcom, I wouldn't hold that against an applicant because they have demonstrated maturity by making an informed decision.

I'd say the opposite. I'd see that he chose to attend a university that had a chapel requirement, a requirement he was aware of, and purposely not meeting that requirement and earning 7 F's in the process. OP had several choices he could have made that would have been better and demonstrated more maturity. He could have sought a waiver, transferred schools, or bite the bullet and attend chapel. Instead, OP just chose to ignore the requirement even though he knew it would have a negative consequence.

 

[premed010101]

I'd say the opposite. I'd see that he chose to attend a university that had a chapel requirement, a requirement he was aware of, and purposely not meeting that requirement and earning 7 F's in the process. OP had several choices he could have made that would have been better and demonstrated more maturity. He could have sought a waiver, transferred schools, or bite the bullet and attend chapel. Instead, OP just chose to ignore the requirement even though he knew it would have a negative consequence.

I didn't really choose to go there. My parents wouldnt support me financially if I had gone to the school I preferred, additionally, this school granted me a very large scholarship that made attendance almost impossible to turn down.

 

[premed010101]

As someone who could be, yet isn't, an adcom, in no way does this demonstrate maturity. It demonstrates the opposite. Maturity would be making the realization you allude to, and either working to change the requirement, or acknowledging the mistake of attending this particular school and transferring. "Nope, I'm just not going to go anymore" and taking the hit of all those F's is the most immature, head-in-the-sand reaction one could have. Not a good look for an aspiring medical professional. Extrapolating into medicine, it leads one to think that should a practice recommendation come down that causes this person mental angst, they'd just ignore it, possibly to the detriment of patients.

You could extrapolate any perceived lack of judgment as far as you like.

"OP got a speeding ticket"
"OP doesn't respect the law"
"OP would not be afraid to murder"
"OP is a murderer"

A line has to be drawn somewhere in that thought process or it quickly deteriorates into absurdity. I would appreciate a constructive response if you have one though.

 

[blackroses]

I'm not sure why you keep arguing with the many people who've already told you that they don't think this looks good. You're not going to change anyone's mind.

 

[deleted480308]

I didn't really choose to go there. My parents wouldnt support me financially if I had gone to the school I preferred, additionally, this school granted me a very large scholarship that made attendance almost impossible to turn down.

So despite being paid handsomely to go this religious school...you couldn't muster the fortitude to meet their stipulations?

You aren't rosa parks, you were a pouting undergrad......just apologize if it gets brought up and say you were being a dumb kid but you learned your lesson

 

[premed010101]

So despite being paid handsomely to go this religious school...you couldn't muster the fortitude to meet their stipulations?

You aren't rosa parks, you were a pouting undergrad......just apologize if it gets brought up and say you were being a dumb kid but you learned your lesson

I can see why people find this website to be cancerous.

 

[Grace184]

I can see why people find this website to be cancerous.

Because your anger grows and spreads when you don't hear what you want?

 

[premed010101]

Because your anger grows and spreads when you don't hear what you want?

lol case in point.

 

[MrLogan13]

You could extrapolate any perceived lack of judgment as far as you like.

"OP got a speeding ticket"
"OP doesn't respect the law"
"OP would not be afraid to murder"
"OP is a murderer"

A line has to be drawn somewhere in that thought process or it quickly deteriorates into absurdity. I would appreciate a constructive response if you have one though.

That's not an appropriate analogy. A single speeding ticket is a mistake. A pattern of several speeding tickets and a suspended license is a different story, that reveals a pattern of behavior.

But we are not talking about a single incident. Receiving a single F is a mistake. Disregarding a university requirement and earning 7 F's is a pattern of behavior and, like it or not, says something about you. And whether it is true or not, it says something negative. You asked how it may be perceived, and you've received your answer. You may not like that answer, but what are you going to do? What's done is done. I'm not sure you can spin it in a positive way if you're asked about it in an interview.

 

[Grace184]

lol case in point.

This makes no sense.

But see the above answer. Others are trying to help you spin this positively.

 

[MrLogan13]

I can see why people find this website to be cancerous.

You asked how your actions may be viewed, you're receiving honest answers. Instead of being offended by the honesty, you should use them to your advantage and start preparing for what you know is the inevitable questions regarding your 7 F's that doesn't sound like, "I didn't like what I was hearing, so I didn't go."

 

[Grace184]

Interviews aren't a walk in the park. We're just trying to forewarn you that you answer may not bode well. Be prepared to be grilled on this. It's all constructive criticism- no one wants you to think an interviewer will say, "that sounds good," and continue. They're going to want to know more about this pattern.

 

[URMD]

He's stuck between a religious rock and a financial hard place. He would have to practice alot on how he words it, but I think it will be understandable to some people, especially since he couldn't transfer out due to financial reasons.

OP practice on making it sound positive, but don't neglect to understand how it could be viewed negatively to and try to address that. most importantly, focus on what you learned from the ordeal.

Good luck!

 

[premed010101]

You asked how your actions may be viewed, you're receiving honest answers. Instead of being offended by the honesty, you should use them to your advantage and start preparing for what you know is the inevitable questions regarding your 7 F's that doesn't sound like, "I didn't like what I was hearing, so I didn't go."

If you go back through the thread, I've thanked and agreed with all of the posts that have offered me some sort of meaningful advice, including several that have told me what I have done is stupid. I'm not looking for this thread to be an echo chamber, but I find it mind boggling and humorous that I am being demonized for disagreeing with the responses that exclusively call me dumb/immature and dont offer input.

 

[mk04447]

Transferring isn't so simple when money is a huge factor. The school I attended gave me a very large scholarship. Transfers usually dont get large scholarships at most schools.

You're playing the indigent card too passionately and it's fueling the fire. I said fall on a sword and use the money as the reason you attended... if asked. I did not say that you should beat this like a drum. See SBs comment, that's what I want you to do and I think you'll get farther.

 

[MrLogan13]

If you go back through the thread, I've thanked and agreed with all of the posts that have offered me some sort of meaningful advice, including several that have told me what I have done is stupid. I'm not looking for this thread to be an echo chamber, but I find it mind boggling and humorous that I am being demonized for disagreeing with the responses that exclusively call me dumb/immature and dont offer input.

You're receiving a dose of Internet tough guy and ribbing. It's the nature of anonymous posting. Disregard those and take the good advice you've received.

 

[ChrisMack390]

You could extrapolate any perceived lack of judgment as far as you like.

"OP got a speeding ticket"
"OP doesn't respect the law"
"OP would not be afraid to murder"
"OP is a murderer"

A line has to be drawn somewhere in that thought process or it quickly deteriorates into absurdity. I would appreciate a constructive response if you have one though.

If you got 7 speeding tickets for driving the exact same speed on the exact same road over and over and over again, it would be equally ridiculous and immature.


EDIT: Not to mention, you blew off a chance to have a free A added into your GPA, just for sitting on a wooden bench for 1 hour per week.

 

[Dormouse]

If anything I think the argument could be made that I was willing to forego an incentive in the form of a GPA boost to avoid compromising my spirituality. Heck, it could be spun as a positive.

It comes across as you being a little too unwilling to compromise on your own beliefs, which is what turns people off. So to compensate, as others have already mentioned, perhaps you can add into the explanation how you HAVE indeed learned to compromise and find commonality and acceptance, how you can follow the system, i.e. joining the school's community service organizations, finding lasting friends with different religious beliefs who inspired you, etc.

The situation is different depending on whether you and your family follow the same religion of this school or if you follow a different religion entirely but attended out of financial incentives. The first can come across as an immature rebellion, the second as an somewhat irksome exploitation of the scholarship that was given to you, such that you took the spot of someone who could have taken advantage of the religious opportunities provided, but your choice to not attend service is more understandable. How you phrase the explanation for the Fs depend on which of the scenarios it is. I think it always helps in an application statement to tell in more detail why you stopped attending, beyond just the vague words of "it made me spiritually uncomfortable", which I understand you cannot do in an online forum. The more you show, the more likely someone is to be able to empathize with you. Did you feel not genuine when you attend before you were pretending to be someone you're not, and the feeling of deception made you feel uncomfortable? Was there a specific aspect of what the course taught that you disagreed with but didn't want to bring up with the administration?

Some people will always disagree with whatever you do, but there will always be people out there too who see from your perspective.

 

[22031 Alum]

You could extrapolate any perceived lack of judgment as far as you like.

"OP got a speeding ticket"
"OP doesn't respect the law"
"OP would not be afraid to murder"
"OP is a murderer"

A line has to be drawn somewhere in that thought process or it quickly deteriorates into absurdity. I would appreciate a constructive response if you have one though.

As was already said, if you had a pattern of getting speeding tickets over and over it would absolutely be considered in a similar light. I wouldn't carry it out to being a murderer, but a disregard for the safety of others? Absolutely.

Your problem is you are overestimating the uniqueness of your situation and the nobility of your reasons. Plenty of people have spiritual crises of all sorts when they get to college. Plenty of people have to make very difficult, sometimes life-changing decisions related to those crises. Do you honestly think you are the first person ever to face being cut off financially because of beliefs their parents didn't support? The first person to ever decide whether to give up generous financial benefits in order to be true to what they believe? If you do, that just shows me how very immature you are. You took the path of absolute least resistance, hurt your GPA in the process, and expect to be applauded for it. We're just giving you the reasons you won't be.

 

[Vespasian]

Two med school faculty members, some medical students, and some pre-meds have pointed out why your 7 F's are a problem and how they are a result of a poor decision. They've also indicated it could cast a pall over your application.
vs.
Some pre-meds who have argued the opposite, that those 7 F's could actually be a positive and are demonstrative of a backbone.

I would put more stock in the former.

BTW, I wouldn't describe a website which allows you to get free advice from matriculated med students, attendings, faculty and ad-coms as cancerous.

 

[sliceofbread136]

So if your medical school has mandatory PBL sections, but those make you uncomfortable because you'd rather be studying your material, are you just going to skip them?

That's not even remotely the same and you know it...

Also it's not really 7 Fs, it is 3.5 credits of Fs, which is more like 1 F

 

[Vespasian]

That's not even remotely the same and you know it...

Also it's not really 7 Fs, it is 3.5 credits of Fs, which is more like 1 F

OP: "The course counted for 0.5 credit hours each semester."

If you were to look at OP's transcript you would see a .5 credit course one semester with an A, then you'd see a .5 credit hour course the next semester with an F, then another semester and another .5 credit hour course for an F, etc.

Overall GPA impact is negligible (3.5 credits worth of F's) but those are still 7 separate F's.

 

[philosonista]

There is a BIG difference between understanding/being open to religion vs. being preached at for hours and hours. The former is a great attribute for a doctor, the latter just seems torturous and undignified. I may join in some of the festivities of Ramadan when I visit a foreign country to understand it, but I'm not going to subject myself to preaching. And I approach much of what my Catholic university does with a raised eyebrow, just reminding myself that no other university is going to give me as good as a deal as they will. But this doesn't mean I can't respect the benefit patients get from their religion and tolerate it.

I'm sympathetic, OP. As an Atheist, the entire hour would be offensive to my ears, even if, as I do, I find religion interesting to view from the outside.

I originally went to fashion school, but stopped attending classes when I could barely stomach the thought of learning more marketing techniques to learn how to better exploit consumers. The key, of course, is that I withdrew from the courses and transferred. It's a similar thing that I'm ultimately proud of, and something that plays an integral part as to why I chose to pursue medicine. But honestly, I would have done something to entertain myself for an hour in the chapel if I knew this was a required long term commitment with a grade attached and an opportunity to avoid a red flag on my application.

Luckily, I think, correct me if wrong, many ADCOM's lean more toward the atheist/agnostic side than not. But you should still proceed with extreme caution. It might be helpful to make the distinction I made: that you're open to understanding religion, but draw the line at being involuntarily preached at. And of course, bring up the financial issues. This will make it understandable. But, ultimately, you'll have to go with the "I was a stupid kid" line at the wrap up at your answer to coo any reservations. It would come off understandable, but also as someone who matured. Do not show any signs of being indignent. You are a kind, little, submissive, apologetic thing when this comes up.

 

[premed010101]

Two med school faculty members, some medical students, and some pre-meds have pointed out why your 7 F's are a problem and how they are a result of a poor decision. They've also indicated it could cast a pall over your application.
vs.
Some pre-meds who have argued the opposite, that those 7 F's could actually be a positive and are demonstrative of a backbone.

I would put more stock in the former.

BTW, I wouldn't describe a website which allows you to get free advice from matriculated med students, attendings, faculty and ad-coms as cancerous.

I understand it more likely than not will be viewed negatively, or at least very critically. This is why I came here looking for advice. On the other hand, the responses have mostly been condescending and strewn with insults, as if some of the members here have a personal grudge against me, which is why I can see why this site has such a poor reputation. People come to this website looking for advice, not to be smacked around by a bunch of over-caffeinated pre-meds.

 

[premed010101]

As was already said, if you had a pattern of getting speeding tickets over and over it would absolutely be considered in a similar light. I wouldn't carry it out to being a murderer, but a disregard for the safety of others? Absolutely.

Your problem is you are overestimating the uniqueness of your situation and the nobility of your reasons. Plenty of people have spiritual crises of all sorts when they get to college. Plenty of people have to make very difficult, sometimes life-changing decisions related to those crises. Do you honestly think you are the first person ever to face being cut off financially because of beliefs their parents didn't support? The first person to ever decide whether to give up generous financial benefits in order to be true to what they believe? If you do, that just shows me how very immature you are. You took the path of absolute least resistance, hurt your GPA in the process, and expect to be applauded for it. We're just giving you the reasons you won't be.

First, take a deep breath and relax.

Does it matter if I'm the first person? I'm not trying to paint myself as a special butterfly. I'm just trying to provide a sound, logical explanation for what will be on my transcript and was looking for help formulating it.

Why are you so aggressive?

 

[efle]

Why did you even apply, let alone matriculate to, a university so clearly wrong for you

Anyways 3.5 credits does very little to your overall GPA, if they had been all A's your GPA would rise by 0.1