Wife probably going to make a C in post bacc. Don't know what to do.

[premedBF]

I've posted several times over the last few years seeking advice for my wife. We've followed it closely, and she has been crushing it...until today. It feels like it's all crashing down, and I don't know what to do now.

She finished her undergrad with 2.5 sGPA. She was in a tough living environment, had long commutes from her rural home, 3 jobs, 1st gen of a Mexican immigrant, etc. She made Ds in 4 classes: both Ochems, physiology, and Calc.

Last summer she started her post bacc by retaking Ochem 1. She got an A+. One of only 3 students (out of 130) to do so. She made another A in Ochem 2. And A's in 5 new upper division science courses.

This summer we decided to have her take a medical physiology course. We struggled over this decision because the reviews and past grade distributions did not paint a pretty picture. Half the class usually drops or fails. But, the top 1/3rd or so usually get at least a B.

Sure enough, half the class did drop, and my wife is jostling for the top 3rd. But no one is on track to do higher than a C, my wife included. We thought she had a chance to pull herself up to a B, but she blanked on a question she knew this morning, and now I think that chance is gone.

I feel so bad for her. She has worked tirelessly. She has picked up great extra curriculars. She was so proud of her success in her other classes. She's within 1-2 semesters of pulling her sGPA up to a 3.0 even with this setback.

But I know how this looks. You really aren't supposed to get Cs when trying to do GPA repair in a PB. It also looks like she did poorly in a retake (even though this class ended up being way different than the one she took during undergrad).

It would feel so wrong to tell her she has to stop now, after all of this. All the effort and all of the success, that really just a couple of bad days are going to end her hopes.

Can we keep fighting?

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[Goro]

Yes. She needs to do well for the rest of her postbac.
She has a compelling story, which counts as an EC.

 

[DiveShallow]

One C won't ruin everything. If she's not competitive for USA MD but can self-teach, consider Caribbean. Find a school that offers a refund if she doesn't pass first semester.

Support her, and if necessary encourage her to be realistic, but I'd try to remind yourself this is her journey and not your place to insert yourself or suggest she is somehow doomed. Keep calm. Carry on.

 

[gyngyn]

If she's not competitive for USA MD but can self-teach, consider Caribbean. Find a school that offers a refund if she doesn't pass first semester.

There is no refund large enough to undo the damage that a Caribbean school can do.

She hasn't even applied once to US schools!

 

[premedBF]

Yes. She needs to do well for the rest of her postbac.
She has a compelling story, which counts as an EC.

Okay, if Goro says we can fight, then we will.

She's the most resilient person I've ever met, and I believe in her to bounce back

 

[Mr.Smile12]

...This summer we decided to have her take a medical physiology course. We struggled over this decision because the reviews and past grade distributions did not paint a pretty picture. Half the class usually drops or fails. But, the top 1/3rd or so usually get at least a B.

Sure enough, half the class did drop, and my wife is jostling for the top 3rd. But no one is on track to do higher than a C, my wife included. We thought she had a chance to pull herself up to a B, but she blanked on a question she knew this morning, and now I think that chance is gone.

I feel so bad for her. She has worked tirelessly. She has picked up great extra curriculars. She was so proud of her success in her other classes. She's within 1-2 semesters of pulling her sGPA up to a 3.0 even with this setback.

But I know how this looks. You really aren't supposed to get Cs when trying to do GPA repair in a PB. It also looks like she did poorly in a retake (even though this class ended up being way different than the one she took during undergrad).

It would feel so wrong to tell her she has to stop now, after all of this. All the effort and all of the success, that really just a couple of bad days are going to end her hopes.

Can we keep fighting?

Absolutely keep pushing, but I need to ask the typical questions for the record.

1) How accessible is the professor's office hours or beyond office hours? What other methods does the professor suggest students use to score higher on exams?

2) Has the professor allowed past exams to be available to students? Are there TA's who can teach the material to students for review sessions? Are there online resources that can help students master the physiology material?

Document or journal this experience. There may be a secondary question in your future where this experience may be inspiration (tried but failed).

 

[premedBF]

The professor does not have office hours or any other access really. No past tests have been made available. I don't think she's really given much advice for how best to study. She did mote they were going to try to change their teaching style for the final because the class jas been doing poorly, but that's about it.

The TA's have been more helpful. They host one of the classes, and have done some occasional zoom practices. Though I'm not sure how accessible they are for 1 on 1.

She has been using online resources from med school websites. They don't exactly match up one to one with her classes learning objectives, but there have been useful examples.

We certainly do see this as a learning experience and something to think about for both applications and how she studies in the future. I'm not sure how much opportunity she'll have to demonstrate that before applying, but we are thinking about it

 

[gyngyn]

Is there any chance that she could acquire an account to voice concerns in her own voice?
If nothing else, it's good practice.

 

[Hippocratesintraining]

I had a terrible gpa 2.8 ish first time around and 10 years later, wanted to do medicine. I was crushing my post bac and then covid hit and I made a C in orgo 2. A's in everything else. I'm in a stateside MD school now so I'm living proof that one C will not tank anyone's chances barring other setbacks or red flags.

 

[premedBF]

Is there any chance that she could acquire an account to voice concerns in her own voice?
If nothing else, it's good practice.

I think that would be a good idea if something else comes up. We were planning to at least have her post the WAMC after she takes the MCAT.

 

[premedBF]

Just an update for those interested, she crushed her final and pulled out a B-. Not what we were aiming for, but certainly better than things looked like they were going. Proud of her for having the toughness to pull that out

 

[chicandtoughness]

I had a terrible gpa 2.8 ish first time around and 10 years later, wanted to do medicine. I was crushing my post bac and then covid hit and I made a C in orgo 2. A's in everything else. I'm in a stateside MD school now so I'm living proof that one C will not tank anyone's chances barring other setbacks or red flags.

Exact same situation. 2.7 in undergrad. A’s in most post bacc courses with a C+ in orgo 1 and a few B+’s in upper level science classes (biochem being the major offender). She’ll be fine - make sure to beef up that app in other areas too (volunteer, clinical, etc)!!

 

[PikminOC]

One C won't ruin everything. If she's not competitive for USA MD but can self-teach, consider Caribbean. Find a school that offers a refund if she doesn't pass first semester.

Support her, and if necessary encourage her to be realistic, but I'd try to remind yourself this is her journey and not your place to insert yourself or suggest she is somehow doomed. Keep calm. Carry on.

Are there schools that offer refunds? Which ones and why?