Continue to Retake Classes?

[ugotismail]

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I am in need for some advice, I dunno if I should continue to retake classes, or do a post bacc

Bio 1- C, then got an A my 2nd time
Bio 2- C, then got a B+ my 2nd time
Chem 2- C, but haven't taken it again
Ochem 1- C, but haven't taken it again
Ochem 2- C, but haven't taken it again
Anatomy- C+, B my 2nd time
Genetics- C, A my 2nd time
Microbio- C, B my 2nd time

Instead of retaking my chemistrys, should I go for a post bacc instead? My Cul. GPA is about a 3.19, I know some schools count the last 60 hours of school instead, for those schools my GPA would be about a 3.44, but I don't want to really rely on that, and want to improve my total gpa (all years of college)

 

[nicolej5]

How are you getting c's the first time around and then getting a's the second time? Do you not study at all or get tutoring help the first time around? It gets to a certain point where you start retaking every class and admissions people have to be asking, "what is this person's deal? Do they need to learn everything twice to grasp it? Do they slack off a lot?"

 

[situational]

How are you getting c's the first time around and then getting a's the second time? Do you not study at all or get tutoring help the first time around? It gets to a certain point where you start retaking every class and admissions people have to be asking, "what is this person's deal? Do they need to learn everything twice to grasp it? Do they slack off a lot?"

I remember taking linear algebra (don't ask me why I took it, I don't know either) in undergrad. The first attempt, I got a D. Second attempt, I got an A. It basically came down to me having more time to process the information. The first time around, since all the terms and vocabulary for linear algebra was new to me, I spent so much time learning what they all meant instead of learning the actual concepts. The second time around, I already had a foundation and could focus on learning the material instead. It's sort of like trying to read an article in another language that you barely understand. You don't know any vocabulary, so it's like

"X jumped over the Y while Z was Aing" and you spend all this time having to look up what X Y Z and A mean that you're so far behind by the time you finish.

Of course for biology majors, biology courses should eventually become easier as you see the same words over and over again.

 

[nicolej5]

I remember taking linear algebra (don't ask me why I took it, I don't know either) in undergrad. The first attempt, I got a D. Second attempt, I got an A. It basically came down to me having more time to process the information. The first time around, since all the terms and vocabulary for linear algebra was new to me, I spent so much time learning what they all meant instead of learning the actual concepts. The second time around, I already had a foundation and could focus on learning the material instead. It's sort of like trying to read an article in another language that you barely understand. You don't know any vocabulary, so it's like

"X jumped over the Y while Z was Aing" and you spend all this time having to look up what X Y Z and A mean that you're so far behind by the time you finish.

Of course for biology majors, biology courses should eventually become easier as you see the same words over and over again.

Yea I can understand that, but at the same time we're talking about admission to pt school. You can't retake every class you fall below expectations on just because you need to hear it three times. Just saying that op's grade trend will be alarming to some admission committees. He/she may need to focus on different study strategies, etc. in pt school.

 

[NewTestament]

You can retake every class and get accepted at some schools, but I every school is going to be at least concerned. You need to explain why you have to retake every pre-req. I retook several, but not all of them, and my undergraduate GPA was pretty high. If you're sincere, and tell them how you fixed your mistakes, then you should be fine.

Kevin

 

[ugotismail]

Honestly, it was because I wasn't prepared for college. I went to a pretty easy high school, was a typical A, B AP kid and came to a big university. I was immature and naive and thought I could get away with studying only a couple days. I eventually found out this was not to be the case, and I had to learn the proper way to...learn. My latter years of college were a lot better in terms of GPA, and I was actually taking harder classes too. Basically I just wasn't prepared going from high school straight to university, but I feel I have matured a lot and have a grasp on what works for me as a learner since I started college.

 

[okramango]

I would say that you really need to get A's on your retakes. It doesn't look good when you retake a class you got a C in, and still only get a B. If you have mostly A's on your retakes and other prereqs, and explain in your application how you've changed since you got those C's, then you definitely have a chance, depending on your overall and prereq GPAs and other application materials. Looking at your list, this is definitely possible, because it looks like you still haven't taken Physics or Physiology, and still have Chem to retake. You can do it!

Also, OChem and Genetics are not typically prereqs for PT school, so the only reason to retake those is to raise your overall GPA if you do really well in them.

As for your question, it doesn't matter to most schools if you retake classes at a community college or in a postbacc program (though a few PT programs do want at least some prereqs at a university, so check with the programs you are interested in). The grades will affect your GPA in the same way. PT programs like to see an upward grade trend in science classes, but this can be done either at a CC or in a postbacc.

 

[ugotismail]

I would say that you really need to get A's on your retakes. It doesn't look good when you retake a class you got a C in, and still only get a B. If you have mostly A's on your retakes and other prereqs, and explain in your application how you've changed since you got those C's, then you definitely have a chance, depending on your overall and prereq GPAs and other application materials. Looking at your list, this is definitely possible, because it looks like you still haven't taken Physics or Physiology, and still have Chem to retake. You can do it!

Also, OChem and Genetics are not typically prereqs for PT school, so the only reason to retake those is to raise your overall GPA if you do really well in them.

As for your question, it doesn't matter to most schools if you retake classes at a community college or in a postbacc program (though a few PT programs do want at least some prereqs at a university, so check with the programs you are interested in). The grades will affect your GPA in the same way. PT programs like to see an upward grade trend in science classes, but this can be done either at a CC or in a postbacc.

The reason I didn't mention physics or physiology is because I got B's in them and got an A in physiology lab, so I did not want to retake those (physics was killer). I need to take one more psychology and a communications class, which, now that I think about it, I can take at a community college, and I do have an upward trend in my science classes.