C's in O-Chem, any hope?

[Grand mal]

Had the long heart to heart with my O-Chem prof today and it doesn't look good. I was really looking forward to applying this June, but now I am not so sure. Anyone ever get accepted with 3.2 gpa and 2 (count em' 2) C's in O-chem? The big unknown in this whole thing is the MCAT which I will be taking in August. Assuming I score 30+ does that make my chances any better?

Any wisdom would be appreciated.

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[Nuclearrabbit]

•••quote:•••Originally posted by Grand mal:
•Had the long heart to heart with my O-Chem prof today and it doesn't look good. I was really looking forward to applying this June, but now I am not so sure. Anyone ever get accepted with 3.2 gpa and 2 (count em' 2) C's in O-chem? The big unknown in this whole thing is the MCAT which I will be taking in August. Assuming I score 30+ does that make my chances any better?

Any wisdom would be appreciated.•••••I don't think getting a C in a class is going to disqualify you from being a viable candidate for medical school. However, you should realize that 3.2 gpa is significantly below the mean for medical schools. Although medical schools may weight the degree pursued, and institution you are coming from, for example, nuclear engineering at MIT, vs. sociology at a tier III school,...
You are going to need to bring up that GPA for sure. A stellar MCAT would help too.
I know that medical schools look for upward trends and place more weight on your junior and senior years in your undergrad. So don't give up hope. Also realize, even if you aren't competitive for medical school, improving your grades towards the end will help you in any professional endeavor that you may pursue.

I know this from personal experience, i wasn't the greatest student when i first started college...but now i'm headed somewhere that i'm very excited about. The best of luck!

 

[izz-ay]

Do not Despair Grand Mal.
I got seriously burned by O-chem II ( i think a C+ maybe), and still got multiple acceptances. Granted, it was important that i made up for it with the rest of my classes. So, if the rest of your academic record is good, a blemish is not the end of the world. Couple that with SOLID MCATs and you'll be okay. Important thing is to show that you learned something from it all.
In the words of my NYMC interviewer as I tried to explain O-chem II away:
"it doesn't matter. Everyone comes across some material that doesn't jive. You wouldn't be here if you weren't academically solid."
Just work hard on everything still to come; the things you CAN change.
Good Luck

 

[Rezul]

Grand Mal,

I was in the same boat as you. I had 2 C's in BOTH organic chemistry semesters. I still was accepted to medical school. Just try to take other upper level science courses and do well. You can definitely get in with those stats!! No need to worry. Please feel free to PM me.

Rezul

 

[Dr. Kermit]

I received a C+ in Orgo my second semester freshmen year. (Our first semester is P/F.) It's the first grade that appears on my transcript. Don't despair, I ended up being a chemistry major and actually spent a year in Orgo research.

Try to do well on the MCATs. I had a 9/11/10 and was never asked about my C+ at any of my interviews this past cycle. I brought it up as a "red flag" at my NYMC interview and my interviewer, like Cleopatra's, did not think it was a big deal.

I will be attending a top-30 medical school this fall. So, hold your head high and rock the MCAT. Good luck!

 

[banannie]

Take time off!
Seriously, there is no reason to rush into medical school right now.
Generally, a lowish GPA and an August MCAT are disadvantages, and combining the two could really hurt you.

Here are all of the advantages to waiting another year to apply:
1) MCAT won't be late. In fact, if you don't like your score in August, you can retake it next April.
2) Your senior year classes will be factored into your GPA, so you can really raise it a lot.
3) In your year off you can do something totally awesome. Apply for fellowships! Travel! Get some work experience! Take up a new hobby! Learn a new language! The possibilities are endless.
4) It never hurt anyone to get outside of the college bubble and get some real world perspective. You'd be surprised at how much you can learn.

I am currently taking time off and I couldn't be happier. 99% of people who take time off before med school are happy they did. So just consider it.

 

[Grand mal]

Thanks for all of the feedback. On the day of my post I must admit I was feeling pretty low. Now that I have had a chance to hear some of your experiences I can honestly say that I feel a little better. I am still undecided about if I am going to apply this June or not, but at least now I know that there is hope.

I guess my next task at hand is to try and put this semester behind me and focus on the August MCAT. Will the MCAT show me the love that O-Chem did not? Only time will tell.

 

[SMW]

Grand mal, welcome to SDN! Your C's in O-Chem will not necessarily keep you out of med school (I also had a C, in biochem, and was not asked once about it in a dozen interviews), but that 3.2 might, unless you really rock the August MCAT and have a fantastic app in other respects (LOR's, EC's, personal statement). Given the importance of applying early, and the fact that you can't really predict now what your MCAT will be (unless you know that you're a fantastic test taker, and aren't worried about it, but your 2nd post didn't sound that way), I would recommend against applying this year. In order to have a realistic chance of getting in, you would have to apply to LOTS of schools (I'd say 30+ with that GPA), have a fantastic personal statement and the whole app ready to go the minute you can file AMCAS, and then be prepared to spend full time preparing for the MCAT, dealing with AMCAS, chasing down LOR's and transcripts, and writing secondaries all summer. And you wouldn't know if there was any reslistic chance until you got your scores back in mid-October. At which time you would already have invested an incredible amount of time and energy. It would seem like quite a gamble.

Take the August MCAT and plan to bring up that GPA next year . That way you still have the option of re-taking it next April (or even August). I took the August MCAT the summer after I graduated (planned on April, but wasn't ready), and it was wonderful not being in school during the fall when I was dealing with AMCAS (had to threaten legal action to get them to process my app) and finishing up secondaries and in the winter and spring when I was flying around the country like a madwoman on interviews. The process is long and gureling, so you really don't want to have to do it more than once. Best of luck to you!!