Anyone Else Retaking Prereqs?

[mshheaddoc]

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Ok ... I'm deciding on what I should take for pre-reqs which will determine what school I go to (because of scheduling reasons).
Did anyone retake prereqs they took in undergrad?

I was a chem major for the first 2 years. I took gen chem, quant chem, and ochem. I AM NOT retaking quant chem (which was a D - don't ask most of us got D's or F's) and I got like a B- in chem. Ochem I'm going to repeat regardless.

Also, I took Calc II in college which I did bad in C-.

Anyone else in my boat? At first I was going to just take Bio/Physics/Ochem/Upper level bio, but now I'm contemplating since DO schools replace grades maybe that might help me a little bit. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

~M

 

[r_salis]

Ok ... I'm deciding on what I should take for pre-reqs which will determine what school I go to (because of scheduling reasons).
Did anyone retake prereqs they took in undergrad?

I was a chem major for the first 2 years. I took gen chem, quant chem, and ochem. I AM NOT retaking quant chem (which was a D - don't ask most of us got D's or F's) and I got like a B- in chem. Ochem I'm going to repeat regardless.

Also, I took Calc II in college which I did bad in C-.

Anyone else in my boat? At first I was going to just take Bio/Physics/Ochem/Upper level bio, but now I'm contemplating since DO schools replace grades maybe that might help me a little bit. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

~M

I retook just about everything -- I'd been out of school for 12 years, so part of it was that I just didn't remember anything, but part of it was that I wanted to replace some grades. 😉 I didn't retake Chem I, but that was about it.

 

[sidewalkman]

Hey, mushy, I will be retaking Physics, but that's because I last took the first semester of it back in 2000! I used the "Open a Book and See if I Remember It" test. Since nothing could be remembered from the prereqs I did take, all of them have been or will be retaken.

If I were going DO, I would retake most anything I got a C+ or lower in, especially classes you know would be easy now, but for whatever reason you screwed up the first time around (like me being a psych major, yet getting a C in intro to psych). I'd also search and post this question seperately in the pre-osteo forum, since I'm no expert.

 

[junebuguf]

I really think you ought to decide which route you want to pursue (DO or MD) before starting on post-bacc. If you're thinking MD, it might not make much of a difference and since you were a chem major, retaking Gen Chem probably wont teach you a whole hell of a lot and will be a lot of busy work. I would retake Orgo and maybe take both Biochem I and II (assuming you havent already taken it), just to prove you can handle upper level Chem. Also, adcoms love Biochem and many schools require at least 4 credits. So I would think that would be a very beneficial class. Although Orgo is a pre-req, you may be able to take it simultaneously since you already, technically, have credit for it. And I didnt really think Orgo was neccessary for Biochem anyway. As long as you know the basic functional groups, you'll be fine.

I wouldnt retake Calc. Thats in your previous academic career. You're starting a new one and dont need it, unless you decide to take Physics w/ Calc, which you should not. I took calc based physics as an undergrad because it was required for my major and did not understand the concepts well. I took algebra based calc in post-bacc and did very well. Its just easier to grasp the concepts when you dont have to worry about calculus.

 

[MHC]

I just retook orgo 1 and aced it. It had been 12 years since I took it last. I also took other bio and chem undergrad courses (some repeats and many not) and raised my gpa considerably. Last year I got waitlisted and lots of rejections. With these changes I've been told by various DO adcoms that I am now VERY competitive, and that my gpa improvement makes the difference (4.0 in last 30 units of sci- all undergrad). So go for it! And of course do well on the MCAT. Good luck.

 

[exigente chica]

I plan on retaking the following:

Physics I and II
Orgo I and II

And adding some upper levels..like :

Micro
Biochem

Hopefully that will be enough

Exigente

 

[Roman]

My Bio I & II are 6 years old and from a community college but I think it'd be a total waste of time and money retaking those classes. Wouldn't it be better to review and take an upper level class? Biochem?

 

[MedSchoolHopefu]

I am a senior this year and freshman year I got a D+/C in bio for 1st and 2nd semester, Are there any post-bacc programs that will let me retake bio? Thanks

 

[Roman]

I am a senior this year and freshman year I got a D+/C in bio for 1st and 2nd semester, Are there any post-bacc programs that will let me retake bio? Thanks

In your case any formal post-bacc program would probably make you retake bio. You should retake it at your school before you graduate - make your post-bacc life a little easier and shorter.

 

[MedSchoolHopefu]

In your case any formal post-bacc program would probably make you retake bio. You should retake it at your school before you graduate - make your post-bacc life a little easier and shorter.

I'm graduating this semester, so I cannot take a course here. I thought post bacc programs will only let you retake a class if it's been 5 years since you first took the class.

 

[Roman]

I'm graduating this semester, so I cannot take a course here. I thought post bacc programs will only let you retake a class if it's been 5 years since you first took the class.

I don't think there's any "cooling off" period for retaking classes.