C in O Chem-- Twice.

[Z-123]

Hi,

So I'm a very math-based person, and much more logical than conceptual. I took Organic this year and struggled beyond belief, but busted my butt to try to do well.

First semester, I got a C and I was super upset over it, but i tried a lot more this semester and still got a C. How detrimental is this to my applications? My school has a retake policy ONLY if your average falls below a C-, and mine never did; I have had a flat C both semesters. My cGPA is a 3.41, my sGPA is a 3.14-- both will go up after this semester is over.

It's not that I didn't put in the work, it just isn't my best subject. I have tried so hard to do well in it. How poorly does this reflect on me?

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[acslater99]

In my opinion, I think it could be detrimental.

That is why people on this website say religiously never to retake a C because one might get the same grade or worse, something lower.

All I can say, keep taking upper level science courses and ace every single one of them.

 

[2019App]

The overall affect of having 2 Cs on your transcript is certainly detrimental to your GPA, but hopefully you can balance it out with A's as mentioned above. I've always wondered about this though - is getting 1 C and 3 As worse than getting 2 Bs and 2 As, as in both cases your GPA is 3.5?

I suspect Orgo is commonly the lowest science grade for many pre-meds, but do be aware that some schools specifically ask you to explain any grade below a B in their secondary applications so be prepared for that.

 

[HomeSkool]

Hi,

So I'm a very math-based person, and much more logical than conceptual. I took Organic this year and struggled beyond belief, but busted my butt to try to do well.

First semester, I got a C and I was super upset over it, but i tried a lot more this semester and still got a C. How detrimental is this to my applications? My school has a retake policy ONLY if your average falls below a C-, and mine never did; I have had a flat C both semesters. My cGPA is a 3.41, my sGPA is a 3.14-- both will go up after this semester is over.

It's not that I didn't put in the work, it just isn't my best subject. I have tried so hard to do well in it. How poorly does this reflect on me?

Don't do this to yourself. Asking this question is harmful and beyond useless. What's done is done, and self-recrimination today isn't going to change things. The only sensible thing to do now is to learn from your mistakes and do the best you can going forward. Don't waste your energy and undermine your happiness and productivity by kicking yourself now. Pick yourself up and drive on with confidence and optimism.

 

[Balo]

The overall affect of having 2 Cs on your transcript is certainly detrimental to your GPA, but hopefully you can balance it out with A's as mentioned above. I've always wondered about this though - is getting 1 C and 3 As worse than getting 2 Bs and 2 As, as in both cases your GPA is 3.5?

I suspect Orgo is commonly the lowest science grade for many pre-meds, but do be aware that some schools specifically ask you to explain any grade below a B in their secondary applications so be prepared for that.

Getting 1 C would look a bit worse, yes, but it's not going to kill you unless you can't show a good upward trend in your remaining classes. Even multiple C's won't kill you, though, but it heavily depends on your GPA by the time you apply, if only because many adcoms use GPA cut-offs and take it into consideration.