C in Lower Extemity Anatomy

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ZeroDark30

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Long time lurker, first time poster.

Anybody else end up missing a B in Lower? How did it play out for clerkship apps, interviews, etc.

I'm super disapointed. I'm not a bad student, usually at or on the right side of the class average for exams. I was sick towards the end of the semester, couldn't cram for an important exam, and bombed it. Anchored my grade. I had even gotten an A on one of my exams that semester, on a test most of my classmates bombed.

I expect a C in another class this semester, another B and one A. The good news is, we retake LEA at my school in the summer so I get another crack at it. Assuming a B or higher (I'll be gunning for an A for sure), am I still sort of doomed? Meaning, I can cross off residencies at the top of my list.

My thought (and hope) is that as long as I continue to perform at or better than my usual, this will be seen as it is- a misstep as opposed to a Red Flag.
 
@ZeroDark30 Getting a C in LEA can be a concerning thing but at this point all you can do is move forward and do your best in the remaining courses. Continue studying LEA and know it better than everyone else on clerkships. In your residency interviews be ready to discuss the grade and what you have done to rectify it and be ready for extra questions on the topic.

You can't change the past but you can still show programs that you are teachable and can learn from your mistakes.
 
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C's happen. When I was in college they were rare, when I got into pod school it was regular. Disappointment with my grades was something I became used to. It was by no means due to a lack of effort (seriously I tried soo hard), I honestly am just a miserable test taker which is unfortunate since tests are every damned week.

I ended up graduating pod school with a sub 3.0 and so many C's on my transcript it was embarrassing. How did I overcome that? I let my work ethic from my didactic years carry over to my clinical years. I studied constantly, something that many students surprisingly don't do years 3-4 because they aren't "graded" on externships. Well, guess what, you ARE given a grade in the minds of the residents and attendings you work with. If they give you an A in their mind then who cares about your C in LE anatomy as long as you do know your crap during externships. Be congenial, be kind, be helpful, be who you are, work hard, keep studying, review things you didn't know every single day.

I did these things and got killer letters of recommendation for residency. I impressed at interviews and I got my pick from a number of competitive residencies. I've worked hard at a great residency and I feel absolutely certain I'll be a confident, competent surgeon and clinician despite my abundance of C's in pod school.