Are Bs in premed prereqs bad?

[lonesomefish]

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I have a B in gen chem 1, orgo 1, and physics 1, and a B+ in physics 2. but this is at a more rigorous institution. would it be overlooked, especially if I get As in my other pre med classes and do well on the mcat? or should I retake these classes

 

[paradoxic_toxic]

Don't retake anything less than a C.

Do well in the rest of your courses, score high on the MCAT, take upper level sciences to boost your sGPA if anything.

Edited: "C," not "C-"

 

[Talldoctor96]

Accepted at a solid MD school. B minus in gen chem 1 and 2, b in physics b minus in phyics 2, B in orgo 1 c plus in orgo 2. Chill the list goes on. As long as you make up for it in other classes you will be fine. I have a 3.55 gpa just gotta get about that 3.5. You would be a maniac for retaking anything above a C

 

[DNAJB6]

B = Bad
Yes when you have no A grades in prerequisites.

 

[deleted972488]

would it be overlooked, especially if I get As in my other pre med classes and do well on the mcat?

It will not be completely overlooked. You need to try really hard to get only As from here on out. For what it's worth, I had mostly Bs in the prereqs and As in upper-level science courses and I still think my GPA held me back a little.

 

[Talldoctor96]

It will not be completely overlooked. You need to try really hard to get only As from here on out. For what it's worth, I had mostly Bs in the prereqs and As in upper-level science courses and I still think my GPA held me back a little.

Yeah it depends on your perspective. My goal was to get into A MD SCHOOL. if your goal is to get into a specific high ranked Med school it’s different.

 

[Moko]

Is it recommended that you don't retake classes, that you've earned below a C in, because AMCAS takes the average of both your grades and it doesn't significantly increase your gpa?

I'm in a similar GPA position, and am curious as to what my options are. When it comes to taking upper-division science courses to help boost your cGPA and sGPA, would you recommend:
1) applying/attending a post-bacc/SMP (high risk, high reward)

or

2) taking upper-division CC science classes (something that I'm looking into given it's very low costs, but I do not know if this is a viable option)

- if you retake a class, the expectation is that you will get an A. As long as you have passed the class (hence the C cutoff), it will be more informative to know that you subsequently did well in rigorous upper division science classes.
- the answer to upper division classes at a 4-year college vs SMP vs community college will depend very much on your current GPA, rationale for pursuing classes at a community college, etc. Many medical schools will not consider CC courses. CC courses also suffer from the perception that they are less rigorous. All else being equal, it would be more beneficial to do post bac courses at a 4 year college. If an applicant had a 3.0 GPA in college, and immediately did post bac courses in a CC with a 4.0 GPA there, I would wonder whether the student is now a 4.0 student, or if it's simply because the CC was not as rigorous. Of course, for many people, taking classes at a CC are their only option, due to cost and/or geographic limitations. If this is the case for you, then I would pursue the CC option as it would at least give you a pathway to an acceptance, as long as you are okay with the associated risks above. For applicants who are several years out from college (ie nontrads), CCs carry less of a stigma. Just my thoughts