2.3 sGPA first semester!

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XeReX

XeReX

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hey u guys i know i made a thread earlier about having a bad GPA, but i wanted your opinion on the matter that if i should retake Bio I and chem I, i have C+ in both courses with a D+ in english and an A in another 1 credit class. I know i screwed up this semester, but i am gonna work hard on improving my GPA from now on. I just wanted to ask if i should repeat Bio I or Chem I over the summer or stick with these grades and try to get A's in the remaining pre-reqs.
 
I wouldn't retake them, I'd just do better in courses from now on.

I had a freshman GPA much like that (except the D+ in english). It takes a lot to overcome it, but if you work hard it's still possible.
 
Your first step should be understanding what lead you to subpar grades. Cal Newport calls them Post Mortums.

Anyways... Allopathic medical schools take the average of repeated grades. So those C+(s) would be B+(s) if you got an A+. D.O. schools will take the replacement grade out right.

Now for the question. Should you retake the classes? I wouldn't if you plan on majoring in science or math. Your major course requirements would take care of any first semester shenanigans for your BCMP GPA. Though, you might want to consider retaking them if you don't plan on taking any more science courses beyond the bare minimum.
 
I'm not particularly sure whether an English course is a true pre-req as bio or chem. But many schools require you have an English course done and by done you need a C or higher. You might need to retake that course.

Also consider consulting ratemyprofessors.com for a better selection of teachers.
 
armybound said:
I wouldn't retake them, I'd just do better in courses from now on.

I had a freshman GPA much like that (except the D+ in english). It takes a lot to overcome it, but if you work hard it's still possible.
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So should i retake English to improve my grade? how would adcomms see it?
 
XeReX said:
So should i retake English to improve my grade? how would adcomms see it?
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well, you could just take a new english course and do better. I always think it's better to show that you can master a new course than do better when taking a course twice. you don't get 2 chances to pass med school classes (usually), so I would focus more on showing them you can do it the first time.
 
Negrodamus said:
Your first step should be understanding what lead you to subpar grades. Cal Newport calls them Post Mortums.

Anyways... Allopathic medical schools take the average of repeated grades. So those C+(s) would be B+(s) if you got an A+. D.O. schools will take the replacement grade out right.

Now for the question. Should you retake the classes? I wouldn't if you plan on majoring in science or math. Your major course requirements would take care of any first semester shenanigans for your BCMP GPA. Though, you might want to consider retaking them if you don't plan on taking any more science courses beyond the bare minimum.
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yeah i am doing a non science major prolly Philosophy, sociology or Psychology, but i am not sure which one to pick right now. But i am also thinking of doing a minor in Physiology & neurobiology and i have to take 15 credits to meet the minor requirement. So i guess i will be taking courses beyond the regular requirements.
 
armybound said:
well, you could just take a new english course and do better. I always think it's better to show that you can master a new course than do better when taking a course twice. you don't get 2 chances to pass med school classes (usually), so I would focus more on showing them you can do it the first time.
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Yeah there are two kind of english courses for freshman at my college, or u can call 'em basic english courses called English 1010 and 1011, both are pretty much the same but in 1010 we look at different kind of works like novels, poetry and stuff, 1011 is solely based on novels and then writing papers about them. I don't know why i picked 1011, i heard it was harder than 1010. So now i am thinking that i should take English 1010 during summer which is the exact same course as English 1011, but it has different material to meet my 1 yr english requirement.
 
XeReX said:
yeah i am doing a non science major prolly Philosophy, sociology or Psychology, but i am not sure which one to pick right now. But i am also thinking of doing a minor in Physiology & neurobiology and i have to take 15 credits to meet the minor requirement. So i guess i will be taking courses beyond the regular requirements.
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http://medschool.ucsf.edu/postbac/pdf/AMCAS GPA_Calculator Version 4 Final.xls

You should use the GPA calculator to fiddle with your grades so you can understand what you need to take to raise your GPA.
 
serenade said:
I'm not particularly sure whether an English course is a true pre-req as bio or chem. But many schools require you have an English course done and by done you need a C or higher. You might need to retake that course.

Also consider consulting ratemyprofessors.com for a better selection of teachers.
Click to expand...
I don't think english is being considered as a pre-req for majority of medical schools, as compare to Bio and chem. I checked it in MSAR and english course is checked as recommended not required in many medical schools.
 
Yeah I would retake all of the less then B grades if you can. You kind of have to retake the english. Get in the trenches and focus. You can fix this.
 
Better than my first semester. :meanie:🙁

Retake the D, study more, and take some other Biology and science classes.
 
If there is any way you can get those grades removed - I had a friend who failed and got a psychiatrist to write a note sayiing he had a mental breakdown , the grades were changed to W's or something - a W is way better than a D or C in Bio or Chem

Just saying - if it's at all possible - I'd do it
 
Premedapplicant said:
If there is any way you can get those grades removed - I had a friend who failed and got a psychiatrist to write a note sayiing he had a mental breakdown , the grades were changed to W's or something - a W is way better than a D or C in Bio or Chem

Just saying - if it's at all possible - I'd do it
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I don't think I can get them removed at this point! I talked to my advisor and he said that I should go on with taking chem & bio II and see how I do in these courses before retaking bio and chem I. So as of now I am gonna work my ass off to ace the next semester and then retake English in summer.
 
If you plan to go on to bio2 and chem2 you may want to retake the "1" classes. If 2 builds on 1, you may continue to struggle and have to go back and relearn things you didn't learn the first time. That's not going to help you get an A. As for English, just take a higher level class and kill it. If you are going to have trouble, consider spreading things out over an additional year and decrease your load. This is the wake up call for you. Get your act together now or medicine's going to stay a dream. You have not even hit the hard classes yet. Bio and chem1 are not Pre med killers.
 
IlDestriero said:
If you plan to go on to bio2 and chem2 you may want to retake the "1" classes. If 2 builds on 1, you may continue to struggle and have to go back and relearn things you didn't learn the first time. That's not going to help you get an A. As for English, just take a higher level class and kill it. If you are going to have trouble, consider spreading things out over an additional year and decrease your load. This is the wake up call for you. Get your act together now or medicine's going to stay a dream. You have not even hit the hard classes yet. Bio and chem1 are not Pre med killers.
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Well i have to take bio II and chem II in spring semester now, its too late to drop those classes and retake Bio I and chem I first. I know what went wrong this semester and i will fix it coming semester and i am pretty sure i will ace bio II and chem II as i have heard that bio II is completely different as compare to Bio I, if i stay focused and do what needs to be done i will be able to get an A in those courses.
thanks for the advice though! appreciate it 👍
 
XeReX said:
Well i have to take bio II and chem II in spring semester now, its too late to drop those classes and retake Bio I and chem I first. I know what went wrong this semester and i will fix it coming semester and i am pretty sure i will ace bio II and chem II as i have heard that bio II is completely different as compare to Bio I, if i stay focused and do what needs to be done i will be able to get an A in those courses.
thanks for the advice though! appreciate it 👍
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As long as you have a decent understanding of genetics and the cell you'll probably be fine in biology 2 ( Evolution and Ecology). Chemistry 1 and chemistry 2 have very little relation to each other. Chem 1 is dimensional analysis and intro concepts of chemistry, more or less you learn a lot of this stuff in high school chem. Chem 2 is much more mathematical and logic basis chemistry, which unless you've taken AP chem it'll all be new stuff. You do things like titration, kinetics, acid-base, nuclear chemistry, more hardcore thermochem, and explore 2 way chemical questions. All I can say is if you had trouble with chem 1 you need to study a lot in chemistry 2. It is significantly harder in my opinion.
 
Here's another couple tips for you. Some schools, my alma mater for example, offered 2 different courses for essentially the same class. One was geared more for the math/engineering crowd, the other was not. It was recommended that the premeds take the "engineering" class. Don't do it. Take the easy class and laugh all the way to the bank. I'm not sure how many schools offer this for chem, physics, calculus, etc. It sounds like you had this with English.
Also, never never never take a language class. They are usually ridiculously hard, because of the very large time commitment.
Bio and Chem classes tend to be simple memorization. Just memorize. Done. I never had any problem with that.
Math and physics classes, and some ochem, are problem based. Do all of the problems at the end of the chapters, all homework problems from the notes, maybe even office hours. If you can do the problems at home without looking at the text, the tests are an easy A.
 
Memorization is only good for biology. If you do not do practice problems for chemistry you will not get above a D.
 
haha well I did every single practice problem from chapters 1-19 for my chemistry final, and there wasn't one problem that was very similiar, it was a really hard final. I got a C but it curved into a B+ so i was very happy.
 
I'm in the same boat, my first semester GPA is a 2.13. It's shame because I knew my problem before I even started college, and yet I did nothing to fix it. I gotta work on my study habits, these grades aren't good. Even to someone who's not going to medical school, my grades are atrocious..we live and learn I suppose. 🙁
 
iqe2010 said:
I'm in the same boat, my first semester GPA is a 2.13. It's shame because I knew my problem before I even started college, and yet I did nothing to fix it. I gotta work on my study habits, these grades aren't good. Even to someone who's not going to medical school, my grades are atrocious..we live and learn I suppose. 🙁
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yep this is a wake up call of us and we need to buckle up and rock the remaining semesters. dude time management is really really important. Well that's what i learned from this semester that if you don't manage ur time wisely it gonna hurt ur grades really bad. So i am gonna work on that and of course my study habits, as they say study smarter not harder!
 
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