Class retake advice?

AspiringDoctor0 · Apr 29, 2012

So I'm graduating this July with a BS in biology from a private liberal arts college. My overall GPA is not great (3.56), and my BCPM is even worse (3.45). My junior year, I got a C in gen physics 1, so I was wondering if it would be worth it to retake it over the summer at another school to get an A? It would bring my bcpm up to a 3.56, which seems nice, but from anyone's experience, would it be wiser for me to just focus on doing well on the physical sciences portion of the MCAT (which I will be studying for over the next month and a half)?

Doing some searching on these forums, I'm really starting to worry about how my below average bcpm will affect my chances, even if I get a 30-33 on the MCAT. My ECs are not stellar--I have done all the "prerequisites" for applying to medical schools including shadowing 4 doctors, 1 year of research at my college (no publications), writing tutor for a year, volunteered at a food pantry and set up a food drive for them through my church, and 100 hours volunteering in the ER last summer. My overall GPA is slightly below average for a lot of state schools on the east coast, but the B+s, Bs and couple Cs (1 C minus) in some biology and physics classes have brought my bcpm well below average. Taking all of this into consideration, would it be worth it to retake the physics class to get the better grade?

Thanks

Catalystik · Apr 29, 2012

AspiringDoctor0 said:
So I'm graduating this July with a BS in biology from a private liberal arts college. My overall GPA is not great (3.56), and my BCPM is even worse (3.45). My junior year, I got a C in gen physics 1, so I was wondering if it would be worth it to retake it over the summer at another school to get an A? It would bring my bcpm up to a 3.56, which seems nice, but from anyone's experience, would it be wiser for me to just focus on doing well on the physical sciences portion of the MCAT (which I will be studying for over the next month and a half)?

Doing some searching on these forums, I'm really starting to worry about how my below average bcpm will affect my chances, even if I get a 30-33 on the MCAT. My ECs are not stellar--I have done all the "prerequisites" for applying to medical schools including shadowing 4 doctors, 1 year of research at my college (no publications), writing tutor for a year, volunteered at a food pantry and set up a food drive for them through my church, and 100 hours volunteering in the ER last summer. My overall GPA is slightly below average for a lot of state schools on the east coast, but the B+s, Bs and couple Cs (1 C minus) in some biology and physics classes have brought my bcpm well below average. Taking all of this into consideration, would it be worth it to retake the physics class to get the better grade?

Thanks

For AMCAS, retaking the Physics class and getting an A would have exactly the same effect as earning an A in a new class, as AMCAS does not replace grades, even if your college does so. I would retake it only if you did not master the material on the first round and want to ensure a good MCAT PS subscore. Alternatively, consider taking more upper-level Bio and Biochem, and earning As.

For AACOMAS DO med schools, retaking for the same credits or better WOULD replace the original grade when your application GPA is calculated, but your stats are already quite competitive for DO schools. I would retake the C- only if it were in a prerequisite.

Class retake advice?

AspiringDoctor0

Full Member

Catalystik

A Gimlet Eye

Similar threads