Should I retake Orgo 1?

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smolovemily

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I have just recently decided that I would like to go to medical school. I'm a non-traditional student, taking about a year and a half off after withdrawing from a semester. I have received mostly A's and B's with a few exceptions. I plan to graduate in the Fall of 2016.

Current GPA before Fall 2014: 3.4

Previous bad grades: F in calculus and a D in Gen Chem 1 back in Fall 2010. This was my first semester away from home, and I was using it to run away from family issues. Was not in the right place at all, mentally. I have since retaken both classes and received A's.

Over summer 2014 I took Orgo 1+Lab in 6 weeks and ended with a C in lecture an a B in lab. I just finished Orgo 2 with solid A's in lecture and in lab. Should I retake Orgo 1 lecture to try to get an A?

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I'd re-take orgo 1. You're G.P.A is also going to need work. 3.5 for osteopathic medical school and 3.6 for allopathic, at the a low-end goal. People do gain acceptance with 3.2-3.4 for osteopathic and 3.4-3.5 for allopathic, but statistically it is unlikely. Especially if you are Caucasian. Do not assume you're going to do well above the norm on the mcat even with considerable preparation. Good luck.
 
I have just recently decided that I would like to go to medical school. I'm a non-traditional student, taking about a year and a half off after withdrawing from a semester. I have received mostly A's and B's with a few exceptions. I plan to graduate in the Fall of 2016.

Current GPA before Fall 2014: 3.4

Previous bad grades: F in calculus and a D in Gen Chem 1 back in Fall 2010. This was my first semester away from home, and I was using it to run away from home. Was not in the right place at all, mentally. I have since retaken both classes and received a B+ and an A, respectively.

Over summer 2014 I took Orgo 1+Lab in 6 weeks and ended with a C in lecture an a B in lab. I just finished Orgo 2 with a solid A in lecture and an 89.5 in lab (still waiting to see if he will round it up.) Should I retake Orgo 1 lecture to try to get an A?
Since you got an A in OChem II, provided you mastered the principles of OChem I well enough to do OK on the MCAT, there is no need for a retake for allopathic med schools. Getting As in some upper-level Bio will do just as well to improve your GPAs and will provide more positive impact about your current capability.
 
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Thank you for your responses. I'll definitely take them into consideration.
 
Catalystic, do you think taking Biochem and Advanced Biochem will be sufficient provided I get high enough grades in both courses? I also plan on taking Microbio, Cell Bio, Genetics, and possibly Cell Metabolism.
Since you got an A in OChem II, provided you mastered the principles of OChem I well enough to do OK on the MCAT, there is no need for a retake for allopathic med schools. Getting As in some upper-level Bio will do just as well to improve your GPAs and will provide more positive impact about your current capability.
 
Catalystic, do you think taking Biochem and Advanced Biochem will be sufficient provided I get high enough grades in both courses? I also plan on taking Microbio, Cell Bio, Genetics, and possibly Cell Metabolism.
You said you had a cGPA of 3.4 before beginning the fall term. What was your BCPM GPA? What is your (probable) GPA this term?

How many credit hours of A would you be adding prior to applying, if you took all the named classes plus other intended coursework?

Are you applying summer 2015 or summer 2016 (after you complete all the planned coursework)?

What do you expect your application cGPA and BCPM GPA to be? There are GPA calculators available for these calculations; let me know if you can't find one.

Do you intend to apply to DO, MD, or both types of schools?
 
You said you had a cGPA of 3.4 before beginning the fall term. What was your BCPM GPA? What is your (probable) GPA this term?

How many credit hours of A would you be adding prior to applying, if you took all the named classes plus other intended coursework?

Are you applying summer 2015 or summer 2016 (after you complete all the planned coursework)?

What do you expect your application cGPA and BCPM GPA to be? There are GPA calculators available for these calculations; let me know if you can't find one.

Do you intend to apply to DO, MD, or both types of schools?

My GPA for this fall term is 3.66.

I will probably apply MD and DO, and after looking at the numbers, it would seem DO would be my best shot. I was planning to apply summer 2016.

According to this calculator: http://prehealth.cas.nyu.edu/page/bcpmcalculator AMCAS and AACOMAS calculate the sGPA differently? Using this, my AMCAS BCPM gpa after this semester is a 3.19, and my AACOMAS BCP gpa is a 3.52.

I plan to take an additional 58 credit hours (61 if I retake Ochem1,) with 37 (or 40) of those credits going towards my BCPM gpa. I have not taken the MCAT yet.

I hope this helps.
 
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Try using the same calculator to add in the proposed 37 credits with a 4.0 for all, so we know what the best case scenario would be for your AMCAS application stats.

I agree that AACOMAS schools seem like your best shot right now, but having more than a year's worth of straight A credits could make you a viable MD candidate, too, particularly since you've already begun a steep uptick in GPA this term. The key would be not to bite off more than you can chew.

What is your home state?
 
If I receive A's in all future science classes, my BCPM gpa will be 3.52. I plan to take no more than 13 credits per semester, and my home state is Florida. I would prefer to go the MD route as I am looking to specialize (endocrinology and ortho/sports med are my top picks).

Thank you so much for taking the time to help me.

Try using the same calculator to add in the proposed 37 credits with a 4.0 for all, so we know what the best case scenario would be for your AMCAS application stats.

I agree that AACOMAS schools seem like your best shot right now, but having more than a year's worth of straight A credits could make you a viable MD candidate, too, particularly since you've already begun a steep uptick in GPA this term. The key would be not to bite off more than you can chew.

What is your home state?
 
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1) If I receive A's in all future science classes, my BCPM gpa will be 3.52.
2) I plan to take no more than 13 credits per semester,
3) and my home state is Florida.
4) I would prefer to go the MD route as I am looking to specialize (endocrinology and ortho/sports med are my top picks).
1) Looks good for MD or DO.
2) Good.
3) You are lucky to have some more lenient public med schools. And two DO schools as well.
4) With good to excellent board scores, either type of med school can get you where you want to go. And if test taking isn't your thing, don't forget that family medicine is a route to medical orthopedics.
 
Thank you for all of the feedback. I really appreciate it!
 
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D.O's can specialize too. It's just the more competitive residencies, such as orthopedics, will be hard to get into. They have an easier time getting into some of the less competitive specialties.
 
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