are my pre-req grades good enuf

[mill_z]

---

Members do not see this ad.

Are these grades good or should I retake some?

Bio I - C
Bio II - B
Gen. Chem. I & II - B
O Chem. I & II - C
Biochem I - C
Biochem II - B
Physics I - C
Physics II - B
Anat. & Phys. I - B
Human Bio. - C-

These classes were taken awhile ago also....Thanks

 

[dr.z]

I think you should try to retake ones that you got C on.

 

[kaikai128]

I think that you are going to be fighting a battle with these grades. By just looking at the grades, it looks like you are going to be falling shy of the 2.5 mark for your science GPA (if these are all your sci classes). One or two C's is accptable with a good mixture of A's, but I definately think you need to do some work on the science classes.

I guess what is most disturbing to me is that there are NO A's in the mixture at all. If I were in your position, I think I would retake some of the Cs for As to help your GPA (I'd aim for that 3.0 mark at least for my science classes) and take some upper level science classes to prove my ability. Also, rocking the MCAT is a MUST! A really good MCAT score can go a long way (but not all the way) to make up for some bad grades.

 

[group_theory]

You will most likely have to retake some of these courses

With what you have posted, your science gpa would be around 2.50 - which won't even make the cutoff for secondary application for some schools (and barely making the minimum requirements for other schools)

EDIT: I forgot to factor in the C- in Human Bio. The recalculated GPA would be 2.475


Supplemental Requirements

Kirksville - Minimum cumulative and science GPA of 2.5
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/kcom.asp

Arizona - Minimum science and total GPA of 2.75
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/azcom.asp

Chicago - Minimum science and total GPA of 2.75
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/ccom.asp

Lake Erie - Cumulative GPA of 3.3; Minimum Science GPA of 2.7
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/lecom.asp

Michigan State - Cumulative and science GPA of 2.7
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/msucom.asp

New York - Cumulative and science GPA of 2.75
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/nycom.asp

Oklahoma State - Minimum GPA of 3.0
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/osucom.asp

New Jersey - Desired cumulative and science GPA of 3.0
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/umdnjsom.asp

New England - Minimum cumulative GPA of 2.7
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/unecom.asp

Western University/COMP - Average science GPA of 3.4, overall GPA of 3.5, average MCAT 9 (dunno what they are looking for here - this was taken directly from AACOM)
http://www.aacom.org/colleges/western.asp


Sure, you can apply to schools that don't have stated minimums for supplementals, but remember that you are competing against thousands of applicants for limited spots - you have to be competitive, not just barely making over the minimum.

 

[rjgennarelli]

I don't know why everyone is telling you to retake these courses. Adcoms would much prefer you (or one for this matter) to take more advanced classes and do well in them as opposed to retaking classes you have already taken.

What year are you? If you have already graduated, I would recommend pursuing an MA or a postbacc premed program. If you are still an undergrad (which I am assuming you most likely are given that you did not post your organic grades), just do really well in organic. Adcoms will look at that and say, "well, he did just marginal in gen chem, but he kicked ass in organic, which is a substantially harder course, so he must have some potential."

Anway, there's my two cents. Good Luck!

 

[espbeliever]

to answer strictly the question, yes your grades are good enough, i.e. passing, except your C- may be questionable at some schools.

to the point that others are reaching to, if these sum all of your science classes, then you will statistically not be accepted. if you have more science classes to bring up your science gpa, you may be fine.

good luck.

 

[group_theory]

I don't know why everyone is telling you to retake these courses. Adcoms would much prefer you (or one for this matter) to take more advanced classes and do well in them as opposed to retaking classes you have already taken.

The OP probably will have to take some advance classes (and do well in them) to show the adcom that he/she can handle the rigor of medical school.

To answer your question about why everyone is suggesting repeating these courses instead of taking advance courses - you get more bang for your buck thanks to a generous AACOMAS retake policy.

If the OP were to take 1 advance course and get an A, the GPA would go up from 2.475 (see edit on my above post to see why I recalculated the GPA) to 2.59. If the OP were to retake Human Bio (C-) and get an A on the retake, according to AACOMAS policy, her new GPA would be 2.67

If the OP were to take 2 advance courses and get As in both, the new GPA would be 2.69. If the OP were to retake 2 courses (Human Bio and Bio 1) and got As in both, her new GPA would be 2.83

And while AACOMAS calculated GPA is nice,- the adcom will see these grades as repeats (along with the original grade) and will want to see advance courses in which the OP did well (the first time)

So repeating some courses is desirable - but taking additional advance courses (and doing well) is also a must

 

[cosmo]

I don't know why everyone is telling you to retake these courses. Adcoms would much prefer you (or one for this matter) to take more advanced classes and do well in them as opposed to retaking classes you have already taken.

What year are you? If you have already graduated, I would recommend pursuing an MA or a postbacc premed program. If you are still an undergrad (which I am assuming you most likely are given that you did not post your organic grades), just do really well in organic. Adcoms will look at that and say, "well, he did just marginal in gen chem, but he kicked ass in organic, which is a substantially harder course, so he must have some potential."

Anway, there's my two cents. Good Luck!

I would think it would be hard to do well in upper level courses without a solid foundation in the basics. I guess that's why they're recommending retaking. I don't think a C shows a strong grasp of the material, though it may have just been a rough class.

 

[MHC]

You definately need some As in science courses to be competitive. Most adcoms will just look at that sci gpa and put you in the "no" pile immediately. If you retake some of those classes, particularly ochem and get As, this will look good. Especially if you got these grades a few years back. This will also raise your sci gpa significantly. I had old C's, replaced them with A's, took some extra courses in Patho, Anat, etc. and raised my sci gpa by 0.5 points in 1 year. It can be done! You've decided to go to med school and don't let anything stop you!!!

 

[rjgennarelli]

The OP probably will have to take some advance classes (and do well in them) to show the adcom that he/she can handle the rigor of medical school.

To answer your question about why everyone is suggesting repeating these courses instead of taking advance courses - you get more bang for your buck thanks to a generous AACOMAS retake policy.

If the OP were to take 1 advance course and get an A, the GPA would go up from 2.475 (see edit on my above post to see why I recalculated the GPA) to 2.59. If the OP were to retake Human Bio (C-) and get an A on the retake, according to AACOMAS policy, her new GPA would be 2.67

If the OP were to take 2 advance courses and get As in both, the new GPA would be 2.69. If the OP were to retake 2 courses (Human Bio and Bio 1) and got As in both, her new GPA would be 2.83

And while AACOMAS calculated GPA is nice,- the adcom will see these grades as repeats (along with the original grade) and will want to see advance courses in which the OP did well (the first time)

So repeating some courses is desirable - but taking additional advance courses (and doing well) is also a must

Sorry, i just became aware of the fact that when applying to DO schools retaking classes doesn't average with your previous grade, but it replaces it. (i believe?)

 

[USCtrainer]

I don't know why everyone is telling you to retake these courses. Adcoms would much prefer you (or one for this matter) to take more advanced classes and do well in them as opposed to retaking classes you have already taken.

What year are you? If you have already graduated, I would recommend pursuing an MA or a postbacc premed program. If you are still an undergrad (which I am assuming you most likely are given that you did not post your organic grades), just do really well in organic. Adcoms will look at that and say, "well, he did just marginal in gen chem, but he kicked ass in organic, which is a substantially harder course, so he must have some potential."

Anway, there's my two cents. Good Luck!

I think rjgennarelli's right. I went to the dean of my school (allopath) with a similar plight, and he told me not to go back and take those courses again, but take more difficult courses such as genetics, biochem etc. Of course if you don't feel that you can do well in these courses then you should just retake the former. I just was lazy for those courses during my undergrad, for me, the material was not difficult; and now in graduate school I'm A'cing these upper level science courses. The bottom line is you need A's in science courses...and yeah, you need to rape the MCAT! 😀

 

[blessed1]

Are these grades good or should I retake some?

Bio I - C
Bio II - B
Gen. Chem. I & II - B
O Chem. I & II - C
Biochem I - C
Biochem II - B
Physics I - C
Physics II - B
Anat. & Phys. I - B
Human Bio. - C-

These classes were taken awhile ago also....Thanks

Mill_z, my grades were pretty similar to what you have posted so I did a mixture of what the other posters have suggested to you. I have retaken C or less grades making A's thus far (one B). In addition, I have added a couple of upper level science courses that I didn't earn in my bachelors degree ten years ago (Biochem, Genetics, Cell Biology). I was a Biology major in undergrad so I have a lot of coursework in the sciences, however, I did not ace them. I got by with mostly B's, C's, one D and a few A's, which just was not good enough. I also am close to finishing a Master in Healthcare Admin degree as well (I am praying that it works in my favor). AND, as the others have stated, you must NAIL the MCAT!!! This is something that I have to do as well (plan to take the August '05 exam).

 

[FutureDocDO]

Hi Blessed. I noticed that you mentioned your major in undergrad was Biology and that you are doing a Master in Healthcare Administration. I am thinking of doing a MHA, also. My major in undergrad was the same as yours, Biology. My question is how much math or economics are involved in this master? How are you doing, GPA-wise, in your master as a biology major? I want a MHA but I also don't want to get anything below a 3.5 as I might have to depend on it to get into medical school. Any information would be greatly appreciated! I was initially split between MHA and MPH but decided with MHA because there's more financial stability with MHA than MPH. Sorry, I'm shallow but I need to support myself and my family (in the future).


I am sorry to have taken this thread in a different direction as originally intended by intial poster. 🙂

Mill_z, my grades were pretty similar to what you have posted so I did a mixture of what the other posters have suggested to you. I have retaken C or less grades making A's thus far (one B). In addition, I have added a couple of upper level science courses that I didn't earn in my bachelors degree ten years ago (Biochem, Genetics, Cell Biology). I was a Biology major in undergrad so I have a lot of coursework in the sciences, however, I did not ace them. I got by with mostly B's, C's, one D and a few A's, which just was not good enough. I also am close to finishing a Master in Healthcare Admin degree as well (I am praying that it works in my favor). AND, as the others have stated, you must NAIL the MCAT!!! This is something that I have to do as well (plan to take the August '05 exam).

 

[mx_599]

Are these grades good or should I retake some?

Bio I - C
Bio II - B
Gen. Chem. I & II - B
O Chem. I & II - C
Biochem I - C
Biochem II - B
Physics I - C
Physics II - B
Anat. & Phys. I - B
Human Bio. - C-

These classes were taken awhile ago also....Thanks

I think everyone has good advice and my opinion would be a mixture of things. I wasn't even going to post, but... I was thinking about the comments of "rocking the MCAT" or "nailing it", etc 😀 .

Holy smokes. What an incredible burden to put on your shoulders and the let down could be tremendous. If you bomb thinking you needed to "rock it"....well, you might as well jump from a tall building window!!

I guess it depends on how you define "blowing the MCAT out of the water"? To me, that is like low to mid 30s. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to go into the test with that on my mind. I think if you improved the other areas and got around a 25-30 you would be fine.

This was kind of a pointless response on my part. I guess I just didn't want you thinking you need to score like a 35...that would truly suck. I would have nightmares too.

 

[JohnDO]

I think you really only have two options if you want a decent shot.

A) Retake courses with a C, get an A.
B) Pile on the upper level science and ace them.

Some have stated that you could possibly make up for the grades with a good MCAT score. Maybe. I think you'd need to do very well, like 38+ well. That's a huge burden. Further, your sciGPA might STILL be below cutoffs for secondaries (from what you've posted, you're below the cutoffs for any school).

So what do you do? Figure out if you want to follow A or B, and go for it. Don't rely on a killer MCAT score to carry you, because you can't control the MCAT as well as you can control your grades. You could know the MCAT material cold and still wake up on the wrong side of the bed and get a hard test form.

Good luck!

 

[Kazema]

My suggestion is to retake the upper version of each class if you got a C in it. It's kind of pointless to retake Bio I when you've already taken and gotten a B in Bio II, but with AACOMAS's retake policy I think it's worth it to retake like O Chem II and Human Bio and get A's in them. But you have to realize that you pretty much HAVE to get an A if you retake a class. Retaking and getting a B is not going to look good at all.

Other than that, just make sure you don't get anything less than a B from now on, and actually you want almost all A's. You haven't put yourself out of the running yet but you've made it harder on yourself. You need to show a strong upward trend, and if you continue to get mostly B's and C's you'll probably be looking at having to do a post-bac, because even doing well on the MCAT won't cover up for an academic career of B's and C's from start to finish. A strong MCAT score will get adcoms to check out your GPA in more detail, and if they see a nice upward trend (with mostly A's at the end) they'll probably believe that you started out your career not working too hard but that you've learned your lesson and are now ready for medical school.

If you get the same mediocre grades from start to finish and kill the MCAT they may be likely to believe that you're a smart guy but are just lazy and will not be a good candidate for medical school. And of course, if you don't kill the MCAT then they'll just figure that you're not ready academically.

So it's really, really important to start bringing up that GPA. DO schools may have lower stats on average than MD schools but are still very competitive - you're not going to get in with a science average of 2.5.

 

[mill_z]

Thanks for the replys...the advice puts things perspective.

My problem with retaking classes is that I have so many credit hours (200+) and it would take forever to raise my GPA even a little bit.

I recently spent a year and a half at a chiropractic college and withdrew because I didn't like it. Since I hated it there, my grades suffered and I ended up basically with all C's by the time I withdrew. How bad will this effect my chances?

Should I still retake some courses or just go for a master's or post-bacc. program? Should I go into a PA program, do well, and then apply to med. school? I'm 25 right now and if I have to start all over again I'll probably be 35 before I even get in or make any kind of a living.

Keep up the good advice...you all rock!!! 🙂

 

[mx_599]

Thanks for the replys...the advice puts things perspective.

My problem with retaking classes is that I have so many credit hours (200+) and it would take forever to raise my GPA even a little bit.

I recently spent a year and a half at a chiropractic college and withdrew because I didn't like it. Since I hated it there, my grades suffered and I ended up basically with all C's by the time I withdrew. How bad will this effect my chances?

Should I still retake some courses or just go for a master's or post-bacc. program? Should I go into a PA program, do well, and then apply to med. school? I'm 25 right now and if I have to start all over again I'll probably be 35 before I even get in or make any kind of a living.

Keep up the good advice...you all rock!!! 🙂

Don't do PA school!!! You will look like you don't know what you want?! 😀 Who cares how you did in chiro school. Tell them it wasn't for you and so your grades suffered.

I wouldn't commit to anything long term. Take a semester or two and re-take some of the basic science C's or maybe an upper division science you have not had yet. Get some A's..tell them you are refocused now in your life. They'll forgive you.

You can even for THIS year possibly. I didn't even do everything until after the new year and still got in. This means you have all Fall top load up on science and maybe you can still get in for 2006. If not just wait till next year.

By the way, I went back for a Masters and do not feel it was advantageous. That is why I suggested not to commit to anything long term. Then you will have to do a freakin' thesis....

 

[C8H10N4O2Junkie]

I just wanted to second that you should definitely NOT do PA school if you are seriously considering a medical education. Not only will you look indecisive, but some physicians are very against PAs. (Maybe because they see them as a potential threat???) I understand that others routinely utilize PAs, so this is in no way intended to be an inflammatory remark. Trust me when I say that I considered doing this myself. It was my Plan B. Plan A was to apply to med school, and then a master's program if necessary. You just need to figure out what you will be happy doing, and then put everything you have into achieving that goal. Do you want your career to be a job or a lifestyle? How much responsibility/liability do you want to have? Do you consider a career as a physician to be worth the time and $? If you decide that med school is the route you would like to take, I would encourage you to begin taking an active interest in learning as much as you can about the schools in which you are interested. Visit the schools (if possible) and speak with the admissions reps. Many times (not always), a member of the admissions staff is available to field any questions you may have concerning their institution. (All of my experience is with osteopathic schools.) Let them know that you are a serious student. Many schools respond favorably when you take the time and initiative and to learn more about their school. You might be surprised how often people remember you. All this being said, you have to meet them halfway and have the numbers--gpa, mcat, etc. It is still a possibility. Best of luck. 🙂

 

[DocGina]

I recently spent a year and a half at a chiropractic college and withdrew because I didn't like it. Since I hated it there, my grades suffered and I ended up basically with all C's by the time I withdrew.

I am not trying to discourage you here- However, just going on the information you provided, it seems that you are not interested in science! Maybe you didn't put much effort into your undergrad science classes because you didn't have much interest in them! And as you stated, you hated chiropractic school.

You should do some deep soul searching and ask yourself, is this really what I want to do with my life? Did you achieve better grades in any other subjects? If so, I would look towards those subjects for career ideas. If you don't like science, don't torture yourself! It's a little scary, but it's never too late to change your career path, especially to one that you'll enjoy much more. Best of luck to you in making your decision!

 

[blessed1]

I think everyone has good advice and my opinion would be a mixture of things. I wasn't even going to post, but... I was thinking about the comments of "rocking the MCAT" or "nailing it", etc 😀 .

Holy smokes. What an incredible burden to put on your shoulders and the let down could be tremendous. If you bomb thinking you needed to "rock it"....well, you might as well jump from a tall building window!!

I guess it depends on how you define "blowing the MCAT out of the water"? To me, that is like low to mid 30s. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want to go into the test with that on my mind. I think if you improved the other areas and got around a 25-30 you would be fine.

This was kind of a pointless response on my part. I guess I just didn't want you thinking you need to score like a 35...that would truly suck. I would have nightmares too.

Mx_599,

I agree with your analysis of the MCAT scores. The 25-30 was what I had in mind as well when I mentioned "nailing it". 😀

Or at least that's going to be it for me. 😉

 

[blessed1]

Hi Blessed. I noticed that you mentioned your major in undergrad was Biology and that you are doing a Master in Healthcare Administration. I am thinking of doing a MHA, also. My major in undergrad was the same as yours, Biology. My question is how much math or economics are involved in this master? How are you doing, GPA-wise, in your master as a biology major? I want a MHA but I also don't want to get anything below a 3.5 as I might have to depend on it to get into medical school. Any information would be greatly appreciated! I was initially split between MHA and MPH but decided with MHA because there's more financial stability with MHA than MPH. Sorry, I'm shallow but I need to support myself and my family (in the future).


I am sorry to have taken this thread in a different direction as originally intended by intial poster. 🙂

FutureDocDo,

I pm'ed you.

 

[nico05]

Are these grades good or should I retake some?

Bio I - C
Bio II - B
Gen. Chem. I & II - B
O Chem. I & II - C
Biochem I - C
Biochem II - B
Physics I - C
Physics II - B
Anat. & Phys. I - B
Human Bio. - C-

These classes were taken awhile ago also....Thanks

I wouldnt waste time and take these courses over again...scenario: you take the courses over in which you received a C and you get a B...not a significant difference. What if you get into a masters program or even take some other Bio and Chem courses (upper level)? It may help your GPA, you can convey a positive message by showing an upward trend in some more difficult courses. Just a thought. Best of luck.

 

[mill_z]

I recently spent a year and a half at a chiropractic college and withdrew because I didn't like it. Since I hated it there, my grades suffered and I ended up basically with all C's by the time I withdrew.

I am not trying to discourage you here- However, just going on the information you provided, it seems that you are not interested in science! Maybe you didn't put much effort into your undergrad science classes because you didn't have much interest in them! And as you stated, you hated chiropractic school.

You should do some deep soul searching and ask yourself, is this really what I want to do with my life? Did you achieve better grades in any other subjects? If so, I would look towards those subjects for career ideas. If you don't like science, don't torture yourself! It's a little scary, but it's never too late to change your career path, especially to one that you'll enjoy much more. Best of luck to you in making your decision!

I love science especially A & P. The reason I struggle in chiro school wasn't because I didn't like the classes I was taking, but it was the direction (or lack thereof) the profession was going in general. Not only do most chiros not get along with other healthcare professionals, they don't get along with themselves which made it very difficult to focus on the long term. I just couldn't deal with commotion and didn't want to bring that into practice. That's why I lost a lot of motivation to study for good grades.