Are A's Really Expected in Core Science Courses?

[somepremedkid]

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I recently looked up websites of prospective medical schools, Duke being of them (for various reason including the fact that is in NC, where I'm a resident and "Research Triangle," etc). I found this on Duke School of Medicine's website:

"What prerequisites do I have to have?

​

Almost every medical school requires the following courses, and though not explicitly stated, expect you to have obtained an A in each of them: Introduction to Biology (two semesters), General Chemistry (two semesters), Organic Chemistry (two semesters), and Physics (two semesters)."

Source: http://medschool.duke.edu/modules/som_education/index.php?id=6#Prerequisites

Is this true? Do medical schools, particularly schools of Duke's caliber, expect applicants to have received an A in all the core science courses? Or is this a way to intimidate applicants? This concerns me because I received a C+ in my first science course (biology; I just finished my first year of undergrad). Should I retake Biology for an A or just let it be?

 

[JoshuaGuit]

I also read this and am concerned...

I got an A in calculus 1 and calculus 2, an A in intro to cell bio, but a b+ in gen chem 1 and 2.

I didn't think that a b+ was bad or that you should retake it...

 

[cfx]

I recently looked up websites of prospective medical schools, Duke being of them (for various reason including the fact that is in NC, where I'm a resident and "Research Triangle," etc). I found this on Duke School of Medicine's website:

"What prerequisites do I have to have?

​

Almost every medical school requires the following courses, and though not explicitly stated, expect you to have obtained an A in each of them: Introduction to Biology (two semesters), General Chemistry (two semesters), Organic Chemistry (two semesters), and Physics (two semesters)."

Source: http://medschool.duke.edu/modules/som_education/index.php?id=6#Prerequisites

Is this true? Do medical schools, particularly schools of Duke's caliber, expect applicants to have received an A in all the core science courses? Or is this a way to intimidate applicants? This concerns me because I received a C+ in my first science course (biology; I just finished my first year of undergrad). Should I retake Biology for an A or just let it be?

If they say they expect it, I would say they expect it. More than an expectation, though, is probably that they receive thousands of applications--many of whom will have very solid science GPAs--and they have their pick of the litter. To be competitive, you're best off maximizing your grades. Just do your best. There are a lot of other factors that are considered, so I doubt too many schools are going to throw your application out because you got a C your freshman year.

 

[Jolt21]

No, but close.

 

[Jolt21]

Introduction to Biology (two semesters), General Chemistry (two semesters), Organic Chemistry (two semesters), and Physics (two semesters).

haha, this is BS. I only got an A in Orgo (both semesters) an A- in one of the two bio terms...everything else was B's.

that being said, if you're grades aren't all A's...make sure you make up for it in other areas.

 

[DrYoda]

It's not like a B in one is going to put you out of the running. But keep in mind that the average GPA for those who matriculate is about an A average.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table17-fact2009mcatgpa98-09-web.pdf

 

[tremulousNeedle]

This is school and applicant dependent, but schools will usually expect mostly A's (many adcoms understand that an occasional sub-A grade will be earned). If this school goes as far as to post that A's are expected they may be a school that is less forgiving.

 

[getright]

Getting an A in my physics 1 class...that's pretty hilarious because it is almost impossible. I was satisfied with my B+ tbh.

 

[MedAdComMD]

I am quite shocked to see this from Duke's website.

As an adcom member, the advice we give to students with low science GPA is to improve by taking upper-level courses, to demonstrate that you are capable of rigorous work.

If you spend 4 years in university, and only your freshman year was bad because you were still adjusting, we are very forgiving of this as long as your overall and science GPA are decent.

 

[Suenya]

Maybe they expect it. While I didn't get into them, I interviewed at a few top competitive schools including hms and I think my only A range prereqs were genetics (bio2) an orgo/gen chems 1.

It'll help but it isn't necessary.

 

[Electronegative]

Seeing how their median sGPA for matriculants on MSAR is 3.8 I'm not surprised.


EN

 

[4LoveoftheGame]

Necessary? No. Helpful? Certainly.

 

[LuciusVorenus]

Think of it this way:

Duke probably needs an average science gpa of 3.7 or higher right?
3.7 is the value given to an A-
So pretty much you are expected to score an A- or higher in all your science classes to have a competitive sGPA. Can you get a B+ or even a C+ and raise the average up to a 3.7 anyway? Of course. Especially if you've only taken 1 or 2 science classes and have tons more down the line.

 

[somepremedkid]

I am quite shocked to see this from Duke's website.

I was too. Especially since other medical schools' websites weren't as blunt and harsh.

Think of it this way:

Duke probably needs an average science gpa of 3.7 or higher right?
3.7 is the value given to an A-
So pretty much you are expected to score an A- or higher in all your science classes to have a competitive sGPA. Can you get a B+ or even a C+ and raise the average up to a 3.7 anyway? Of course. Especially if you've only taken 1 or 2 science classes and have tons more down the line.

I never thought of it that way. So, you'd think it would be silly to retake my biology class? I know I have to get much better (near perfect) grades in future science courses, but would this step also be helpful?

Thank you all for the encouragement!!!🙂

 

[LuciusVorenus]

I was too. Especially since other medical schools' websites weren't as blunt and harsh.



I never thought of it that way. So, you'd think it would be silly to retake my biology class? I know I have to get much better (near perfect) grades in future science courses, but would this step also be helpful?

Thank you all for the encouragement!!!🙂

If you just take ANOTHER biology class and get an A it'll have the same effect GPA wise. Remember that if you retake the bio class and get an A MD schools do not replace the C+ with an A, they average the gpa to a B+. Honestly, I wouldn't be worried about retaking a general bio class from freshman year. Especially if you think you learned enough to succeed in future classes and you just had a bad test day or something. It's freshman year, and if you continue getting As and A-s on the rest of your science classes, no one is going to care about this "outlier" :]

 

[SpaceDementia]

Average science GPA is about 3.8 at top schools like Duke, so it's not unreasonable to aim for consistent A/A- grades.

You don't necessarily have to retake the C+ if it's an aberration, but it would probably help. Your GPA would be higher and you'd be showing motivation. On the other hand, the caveat is that you'd be expected to do well anyway since it's your second time learning the material, and it would probably be higher-yield to take some upper-level course and get the A in that instead.

 

[deleted202457]

I don't think this means that they will completely dismiss your app if you have a B in a science course or something, but you should try your best to get A's b/c like others said, they probably get tons of apps with ppl making A's. They are a prestigious privat school that receives many apps.

If you are a science major I dont think it is as important to make all A's b/c other classes can help to bring up your sGPA. If your only taking what is required and want to be competitive at Duke (or other big, private schools), I suggest doing anything you can to keep A's.

 

[somepremedkid]

On the other hand, the caveat is that you'd be expected to do well anyway since it's your second time learning the material, and it would probably be higher-yield to take some upper-level course and get the A in that instead.

That's what I was worried about as well. I know I am capable of a better grade if I retake biology; however, I don't want to end up with a grade lower than an A-. I most likely will major in a science (particularly neuroscience and behavorial biology) so I guess I'll have many science courses to bring up my sGPA. My major is still up in the air though since I'm also considering psych/linguistics (joint major) and playwriting.

 

[AlexB]

you have to remember, a lot of it isn't just on you. You may be a stellar applicant with everything going for you except a good science gpa, but top med schools won't take you because they don't want to offset their statistics. IE you got a 35+ on the MCAT, are obviously smart enough to cut the work, but these schools would rather not sacrifice their US news rankings by accepting people with lower #'s.