bad physical sciences grades

[djess11190]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I have A's in upper level bio classes such as genetics and cell biology, A's in both semesters of organic chemistry and biochemistry. However I have a c+ in gen chem 2 and c+ in both semesters of physics. My overall science GPA is still a 3.5. I'm hoping I still have a shot at med school if I do well on the MCAT.

Is it necessary for me to re-take physics? How heavily do adcoms weigh physics? Physics was really tough for me. I also took it with organic chemistry which in retrospect was a bad idea.

 

[Mavs88]

You'll be fine since you did well on the upper levels and sGPA is decent. Do well on the MCAT and you'll be golden...especially the PS part lol. Consider DO schools as well if not already.

 

[gettheleadout]

Your GPA is still fine, which is surprising, but C's in gen chem and physics suggest that you should be wary of PS on the MCAT.

 

[djess11190]

Your GPA is still fine, which is surprising, but C's in gen chem and physics suggest that you should be wary of PS on the MCAT.

yeah the reason why I still have a 3.5 science GPA is because I'm a bio major and have taken a ton of upper div science classes and got an A in pretty much every single science class I've taken other than gen chem 2 and physics 1&2 lol (well I did also get one B in a really tough anatomy class but other than that straight A's)

I am very scared of PS on the MCAT but I know I need to master it. Do you have any advice for mastering the PS section?

My problem with physics wasn't with the concepts, I would always get conceptual questions right on exams, it was the math I had trouble with. To be honest I don't know why it was so difficult for me because I did get a B+ in calculus and an A in statistics so I'm not that terrible with math, but it is definitely my weakest subject. With the C+ in gen chem 2, I honestly think it was because I just overloaded myself. I did well in gen chem 1 but then I took gen chem 2 over the summer while also taking a bio lab and the class moved so quickly. In retrospect I should have dropped it. I tried to redeem myself by getting A's in orgo and biochem. I don't know if that means anything to med school adcoms though

 

[aesculapian]

Don't lose all hope for PS on the MCAT if you got low grades in physical sciences in college. I didn't do super well in those classes either and PS ended up being my highest section on the MCAT (better than BS, which was surprising). Know that it's a weakness going in, study really hard for it to make up for that (lots of practice questions, especially because you seem good on the concepts), and things will be fine.

 

[C.glabrata123]

Did you take Biochem and do well? That would show improvement on some chemistry knowledge. Study hard on the PS section for the MCAT and you can argue that you had some trouble, but were able to work and improve upon your ability in those sections.

Ask your pre-health advisor for advice though. There is only so much we SDNers know. My prehealth advisor told someone that their C in O-Chem would be a huge red flag in their application. I don't know if this applies to Physics and Gen Chem.

 

[acceptedMD18]

yeah the reason why I still have a 3.5 science GPA is because I'm a bio major and have taken a ton of upper div science classes and got an A in pretty much every single science class I've taken other than gen chem 2 and physics 1&2 lol (well I did also get one B in a really tough anatomy class but other than that straight A's)

I am very scared of PS on the MCAT but I know I need to master it. Do you have any advice for mastering the PS section?

My problem with physics wasn't with the concepts, I would always get conceptual questions right on exams, it was the math I had trouble with. To be honest I don't know why it was so difficult for me because I did get a B+ in calculus and an A in statistics so I'm not that terrible with math, but it is definitely my weakest subject. With the C+ in gen chem 2, I honestly think it was because I just overloaded myself. I did well in gen chem 1 but then I took gen chem 2 over the summer while also taking a bio lab and the class moved so quickly. In retrospect I should have dropped it. I tried to redeem myself by getting A's in orgo and biochem. I don't know if that means anything to med school adcoms though

yea the math on the mcat is not hard, PS is about timing and being confident that you are manipulating the numbers the right way. With your gpa and good ECs, you should be fine if you pull a 10 on PS (assuming other sections are that good as well)

 

[FedExDoctor]

As everyone has said, do well on your MCAT and make sure you don't get any other C's in anything. If you do, not only will it bring your GPA down, but it will also make you look inconsistent. Best of luck!

 

[djess11190]

Did you take Biochem and do well? That would show improvement on some chemistry knowledge. Study hard on the PS section for the MCAT and you can argue that you had some trouble, but were able to work and improve upon your ability in those sections.

Ask your pre-health advisor for advice though. There is only so much we SDNers know. My prehealth advisor told someone that their C in O-Chem would be a huge red flag in their application. I don't know if this applies to Physics and Gen Chem.

yeah I got the c+ in gen chem 2, then I took orgo 1 and 2 and biochem 1 and got A's in each of those classes. I took physics 1 and 2 while I was taking orgo 1 and 2 and got A's in orgo but c+'s in physics. I've taken tons of upper division bio classes and got A's in every bio class.

My prehealth advisor is not the best source/known for giving out false information, which is why I came to SDN. I hope it's not a huge red flag, but I guess there's nothing more I can do at this point even if it is, so I'll just focus on the MCAT and hope for the best.

I appreciate everyone's comments and advice