C's and W's on transcript

[NH12]

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I have 2 C's on my transcript (both in the same semester). How bad will that look?

Also I have 2 W's on my transcript. Abnormal Psych (3 credits) and a 1 credit honors thesis presentation class. I didn't need them to graduate and due to family problems I needed a job ASAP so I dropped those two classes (4 credits) and started to work. I still graduated that spring.

I retook Abnormal Psych last year when I made the decision to apply for med school and got an A-.

Sadly because I already graduated I can't retake the honors thesis presentation course.

Is any of this going to be a big deal?

 

[Mobius1985]

What were the Cs in and how long ago did you gt them? What is your science/chem/physics/math and AO (all other classes) GPA?

The Ws need a good explanation, if you're asked, and you have one. A lot of folks here have Fs and many Ws and they still can do fine in the application process.

Not doing the Honors thesis presentation thing isn't a big deal.

Your total GPA is a big deal.

 

[NH12]

Thanks for the reply. My overall GPA is a 3.60. My science is a 3.50.

The two classes were physical biochemistry and biochemistry and they were about 3 years ago.


I finished up my undergrad in 3 years with some stray night classes my senior year while I worked. So I had a pretty heavy course load the whole time and was working a lot that last year that I went full time as well.

I'm a non-traditional student and graduated 2 years ago. Last year I went back to school for a semester to do some prerequisites for med schools and earned mostly As. Think that's enough to balance out that bad year?

 

[MilkmanAl]

Your GPA is just fine. One of these days, I'm going to get a copy of my transcript, scan it, and post it so people stop feeling like they're scraping the bottom of the barrel.

 

[Mobius1985]

I have friends who got Cs in Biochem and they were questioned about it at interviews, so have a good answer. Personally, I think it's essential to understand Biochem well, as it's a class you'll have in med school (and a later Pharmacolgy class builds on that material). If you didn't "get" the material, consider repeating the class. It is a huge advantage to have that under your belt, as a med school may spend as little as 6 weeks teaching the same material you had a year to learn in undergrad. If you choose not to do this, though, I think you'll likely still be fine in the application process with what you have.

 

[NH12]

Just an update. I am now 3 years out of college. I'm thinking of taking a few classes to bump my science GPA over 3.5. However, that's an expensive task and my concern right now is that I've been out of school for so long that my prerequisites will no longer be valid if I apply next year. I started undergrad in 2002 and finished all my prerequisites by 2004. Do prerequisites expire?

 

[emno]

Your GPA is just fine. One of these days, I'm going to get a copy of my transcript, scan it, and post it so people stop feeling like they're scraping the bottom of the barrel.

MilkmanAl,

After reading your profile, I am getting a bit confidenance. I am a jr and I have 3.3 GPA. I am planning to take MCAT in August.

Thanks for the post

 

[Brent8927]

Just an update. I am now 3 years out of college. I'm thinking of taking a few classes to bump my science GPA over 3.5. However, that's an expensive task and my concern right now is that I've been out of school for so long that my prerequisites will no longer be valid if I apply next year. I started undergrad in 2002 and finished all my prerequisites by 2004. Do prerequisites expire?

As far as I know, prerequisites generally do not expire, though it is sometimes recommended if it has been ten or so years since you took the course to retake the courses. In you situation it sounds like it has been less than ten years, but it might be valuable to retake the prerequisites for MCAT review, if you feel an MCAT refresher course and/or self study won’t be sufficient to refresh your memory. As far as I know the new grades do not replace the old grades at MD schools, but I've heard at DO schools they take the most recent course grade.

FYI, I had two C-'s on my transcript (including one in physics) as well as three W's and a NR. My interviewers didn't seem too concerned about the grades, possibly because I finished the physics sequence four years later and got an A, then TA'd the course, and did very well on the physical sciences portion of the MCAT. In my interviews I explained this and I was able to show how much I had grown and how hard I was willing to work to become a doctor (I wasn't pre-med in undergrad, when I got the low grades).

While it might have possibly made it a bit harder to get interviews (my GPA was a 3.48, even after a very good post-bac performance), once I got in the door my story seemed to actually help me, especially at Loyola where they really care about the personal characteristics of the applicant. My Loyola interviewers were particularly impressed, but my UCLA interviewer was as well. Interviewers are people too, and I think they respond to people who went through tough times then succeeded against the odds.

 

[Stratego]

I've red here on SDN that there are a few schools where prerequisites expire. They are in the minority. Just be sure they aren't your state schools, and you'll be fine. So check the website or call.