C in physics 1 and C+ in physics 2, do I retake any or just keep doing better in upper level bio?

[BeginAgain]

Hey guys, so I just got my grades for the semester and low and behold I got a C+ in physics II after getting a C in physics I. Pretty bummed about this, but I'm acing all my other classes and I have around a 3.6 gpa. Do I even bother retaking them? How terrible does this look if I'm already 1 semester away from applying to med school?

Any advice appreciated, thanks!

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[studpremed]

Not terrible at all. Crush the MCAT (which you should do above a 3.6 gpa anyway). You have a 3.6 gpa which is good enough for med school. By the way, either some people "get physics" and some people don't. Just like some people understand orgo and some people don't. As long as you feel you worked hard and did your best I would let it go.

 

[Robin-jay]

Not terrible at all. Crush the MCAT (which you should do above a 3.6 gpa anyway). You have a 3.6 gpa which is good enough for med school. By the way, either some people "get physics" and some people don't. Just like some people understand orgo and some people don't. As long as you feel you worked hard and did your best I would let it go.

It seems to me that people don't either "get physics/orgo or they don't", its that they "get physics/orgo sooner OR later".

As someone who has done their fair share in teaching/tutoring many lab courses, it was never really a question of "if" a student could learn a topic, it usually "when".

 

[Geo16]

DO NOT RETAKE A “C” as is does not impress an adcom and can in fact be a negative risk.

1) a retake does not somehow directly cancel out a previous C. All courses taken at all colleges will be part of the GPA calculation

2) with a second taking of a course an adcom would expect that you get an A. There is no way to get higher than that snd therefore impress

3) conversely, getting anything less than an A can raise the question “gee this kid cant even get an A the second time in a course?”

What if you fail the course and get a mildly 'okay' result like C+ to B ?

 

[campfiredoughnut22]

I do not think its necessary to retake. I received similar grades in Orgo and faired just fine in the medical school application process. Some schools had a section where you could explain why you received a low grade. I owned it and explained how I used that to do better in other classes. This shows in subsequent courses.

 

[HomeSkool]

What if you fail the course and get a mildly 'okay' result like C+ to B ?

If you fail a non-prereq, don't retake it.

If you fail a prereq, you must retake because a failed prereq is a no-go. A non-A grade would raise the question that gonnif posed ("this kid can't even get an A the second time?"). So the non-A wouldn't be good for you, but by definition it couldn't be as bad as failing and not retaking a prereq course.

 

[Geo16]

And that would impress an adcom how?

Tell them briefly about how your school has a tough Physics course for Engineers... so thus your F in Physics for Engineers is basically an A- in Physics for Life Sci... oops I meant: it won't impress them.
But really, I know few who took the 'Physics for Engineers' and expect to have more weight on their grades.🤣

 

[BeginAgain]

Not terrible at all. Crush the MCAT (which you should do above a 3.6 gpa anyway). You have a 3.6 gpa which is good enough for med school. By the way, either some people "get physics" and some people don't. Just like some people understand orgo and some people don't. As long as you feel you worked hard and did your best I would let it go.

Yeah this was a brutal subject for me, I'm just gonna try and move passed it because I definitely don't want to retake this. Thanks for the kind words, though!

 

[Whale2018]

I got an F in physics, you got a C. See the difference. I have to retake it and you don’t. No need to waste your time on a course just to impress the officials

 

[BeginAgain]

I got an F in physics, you got a C. See the difference. I have to retake it and you don’t. No need to waste your time on a course just to impress the officials

You're right, best of luck taking it the 2nd time! The subject definitely takes the cake for the most aggravating.

 

[DBC03]

Don’t retake. I have had fair success this cycle with Cs in physics. Just kill the rest of your classes and the MCAT. (It Should be noted that I got an A+ in my most recent upper level physics class this semester, so the Cs were more of an anomaly). Good luck!


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