Do adcoms specifically look at pre-req grades?

[Latteandaprayer]

My sGPA is 3.7, but I got a couple B’s in pre-reqs, with A’s from other classes drowning them a little. Will it raise a red flag if I have a few B’s in pre-reqs?

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[Kardio]

B's in prereqs???

I think it's time for Plan B, buddy.

 

[LizzyM]

I always looked at physics and organic chem but a B or higher in those courses (and/or labs) is fine as long as the GPA is 3.8 or higher. Frankly, some people won't worry at all about individual grades as long as the GPA is high and you haven't completely padded your GPA with "Rocks for Jocks" and other easy A's.

 

[Goro]

My sGPA is 3.7, but I got a couple B’s in pre-reqs, with A’s from other classes drowning them a little. Will it raise a red flag if I have a few B’s in pre-reqs?

Take two of these:

 

[Latteandaprayer]

Take two of these:
View attachment 262757

Fair

 

[Skeletorr]

I always looked at physics and organic chem but a B or higher in those courses (and/or labs) is fine as long as the GPA is 3.8 or higher. Frankly, some people won't worry at all about individual grades as long as the GPA is high and you haven't completely padded your GPA with "Rocks for Jocks" and other easy A's.

Just out of curiosity, why those two specifically?

 

[907914]

Just out of curiosity, why those two specifically?

I am going to throw out a guess and see if it sticks: Ochem tests your ability to understand difficult and novel concepts as well as visualize things in your head. Physics tests your ability to memorize a bunch of stuff you are never going to use and plug-and-chug.

 

[LizzyM]

I am going to throw out a guess and see if it sticks: Ochem tests your ability to understand difficult and novel concepts as well as visualize things in your head. Physics tests your ability to memorize a bunch of stuff you are never going to use and plug-and-chug.

Long ago a dean of admissions claimed that physics I and II were the best predictors of success in M1 year. So we were told to focus on those classes. Later, I noticed that o-chem I and II tended to be the lowest grades one would earn -- it is also something that everyone takes so I found it useful to compare students in o-chem.

 

[Goro]

Long ago a dean of admissions claimed that physics I and II were the best predictors of success in M1 year. So we were told to focus on those classes. Later, I noticed that o-chem I and II tended to be the lowest grades one would earn -- it is also something that everyone takes so I found it useful to compare students in o-chem.

Was it indeed a good predictor?

 

[LizzyM]

Was it indeed a good predictor?

I don't know because I've never had access simultaneously to admissions/matricualtion data at that granular level and M1 grades. And as we've moved to an average GPA of almost 3.9 up from 3.67 a few decades ago, there is less variability in grades in a single course.

 

[907914]

GPA of almost 3.9 up from 3.67 a few decades ago

HoLIsTiC

That makes sense though, rampant Grade inflation and availability of online resources for MCAT prep and studying would indicate that there are plenty of applicants who are both well rounded AND high stats.

 

[907914]

Half of all freshmen are Pre-med. By graduation, maybe 2% actually apply to med school. Thanks physics.

 

[Osminog]

My sGPA is 3.7, but I got a couple B’s in pre-reqs, with A’s from other classes drowning them a little. Will it raise a red flag if I have a few B’s in pre-reqs?

You got a couple of B's? You know what else has a couple of B's? "Caribbean." Pack your sunscreen.

 

[ApplyingThisCycleBurner]

Half of all freshmen are Pre-med. By graduation, maybe 2% actually apply to med school. Thanks physics.

I do wonder what percentage, across maybe all state schools and top 100 privates, of premeds enter and apply. 50 and 2 you think?

 

[deleted972488]

Oof.. I got a C in one of the prereqs (and still finished with an A- cGPA and sGPA) so I really hope “a couple of Bs” doesn’t constitute a “red flag.”

 

[907914]

I do wonder what percentage, across maybe all state schools and top 100 privates, of premeds enter and apply. 50 and 2 you think?

At least at my school it seems that way. We have 40 freshmen members of our premed club and 2 seniors.

 

[Cheeezcake]

.

 

[deleted972488]

Would there be issues with having 'easy' courses on your transcript if you're a non-science major, even if you got A's in orgo and physics?

What kind of question is this? Of course that isn’t an issue.

 

[Kardio]

What kind of question is this? Of course that isn’t an issue.

Cue peak neuroticism thread

 

[Cheeezcake]

damn okay, my bad

 

[Goro]

Oof.. I got a C in one of the prereqs (and still finished with an A- cGPA and sGPA) so I really hope “a couple of Bs” doesn’t constitute a “red flag.”

It's app season, so SDN is becoming soggy with angst and neuroticism.

You can have some Fs in the pre-reqs as long as your academic record records to demonstrate that you can handle med school.

 

[907914]

I do wonder what percentage, across maybe all state schools and top 100 privates, of premeds enter and apply. 50 and 2 you think?

Nationally there are around 2.4 million bachelors degrees granted annually and 50,000 applicants. So that is right at 2% with my half-assed calculation.

 

[907914]

that they didnt fill up all 15 work and activities and another worried that they did

It isn't a problem for many students, but I could understand being worried about which activities to highlight if you have far more than 15.

 

[deleted972488]

It isn't a problem for many students, but I could understand being worried about which activities to highlight if you have far more than 15.

I could have easily had more than 15, but I just grouped things into general categories (clinical volunteering, non-clinical volunteering, etc.) rather than making everything a separate entry.

 

[907914]

I could have easily had more than 15, but I just grouped things into general categories (clinical volunteering, non-clinical volunteering, etc.) rather than making everything a separate entry.

Same here. Of my 15 activities only 2 are individual activities, the rest are 2 or more combined in to one.

 

[deleted972488]

Same here. Of my 15 activities only 2 are individual activities, the rest are 2 or more combined in to one.

I only ended up with 12 categories, so I’m probably doomed.

 

[907914]

I only ended up with 12 categories, so I’m probably doomed.

12 combined item categories? That's gotta be less than 25 actual activities. Definitely doomed. /s

I have seen most applicants have something like 1 shadowing activity, 2 volunteering, a research activity, a posters/presentations activity, hobbies, and maybe a part time job. None of which are combined. If that is most applicants and they get in then I think we are good lol

 

[chemdoctor]

Which one did y’all find to be more difficult? I thought Orgo by far was the most difficult. Physics just seemed pretty straightforward

 

[seanm028]

Half of all freshmen are Pre-med. By graduation, maybe 2% actually apply to med school. Thanks physics.

I had an orgo professor who wore a custom t-shirt on the first day of every lecture: "Dream Killer". People definitely had some things to say about him on RateMyProfessor!

 

[DrStephenStrange]

Bs won't cut it buddy, Med schools only accept straight A students. You've done messed up A-aron.

 

[deleted972488]

Which one did y’all find to be more difficult? I thought Orgo by far was the most difficult. Physics just seemed pretty straightforward

I got As and in physics and Bs in organic AND I had to study more for organic, so I definitely found physics easier.

 

[ApplyingThisCycleBurner]

I got As and in physics and Bs in organic AND I had to study more for organic, so I definitely found physics easier.

I think orgo required the most work, but I actually really enjoyed all the prereqs. None gave me as many grey hairs as Upper div Chem classes or neurobiology, which took at least a couple years off my life.

 

[deleted972488]

I think orgo required the most work, but I actually really enjoyed all the prereqs. None gave me as many grey hairs as Upper div Chem classes or neurobiology, which took at least a couple years off my life.

I have a PhD in neurobiology, so I think it's safe to say I enjoyed that more than organic chemistry. But when I had to reteach myself everything for the MCAT, I actually enjoyed relearning organic chemistry. Something just didn't click when I took it the first time 10 years ago.

 

[ApplyingThisCycleBurner]

I have a PhD in neurobiology, so I think it's safe to say I enjoyed that more than organic chemistry. But when I had to reteach myself everything for the MCAT, I actually enjoyed relearning organic chemistry. Something just didn't click when I took it the first time 10 years ago.

Actin polymerization and the CREB transcription factor pathway still give me nightmares.

 

[907914]

Actin polymerization and the CREB transcription factor pathway still give me nightmares.

Was this stuff part of your Organic chemistry series....? That was cell bio for me.

Something just didn't click when I took it the first time 10 years ago.

Ochem is a weird one in that it can be extremely difficult to follow if one key component doesn't make sense in your head, but then once it 'clicks' it just becomes so easy and intuitive. I think for a lot of students that moment just doesn't come so they have to brute-force their way through the class.

 

[ApplyingThisCycleBurner]

Was this stuff part of your Organic chemistry series....? That was cell bio for me.

Ochem is a weird one in that it can be extremely difficult to follow if one key component doesn't make sense in your head, but then once it 'clicks' it just becomes so easy and intuitive. I think for a lot of students that moment just doesn't come so they have to brute-force their way through the class.

Was talking about neurobiology

 

[907914]

Was talking about neurobiology

My dumb ass over here....

 

[EdgeTrimmer]

My son tried self studying OrgoChem in HS (to compete in Chem Olympiad) but it didn't click for him. He did fine in college though, took Ochem 1 and Ochem2 and got As in both and labs.

 

[907914]

I wrote the below about taking Organic Chem in Summer

Organic in the summer is high on my not to do list. I did it, repeated it from many years ago and had a good chemistry background. it beat me like an I was egg ready to be scrambled. Didn't help that it started on the monday right after spring term ended I had 3 exams and a comprehensive final in 5 weeks! I found I needed two days (ie whole weekend) to successfully understand a chapter. At 2 to 3 chapters a week it was nearly impossible! Even squeezing in extra studying time as I work from home and even with the professor giving exam problems almost directly out of the book, it was a bitch and a half! I barely got an A- out of it! My experience is best captured by the following blues song I wrote about it

I got 15 weeks of schoolin' but I'm doing it 5!
I said, I got 15 weeks of schoolin' but I'm doing it 5!
I study so much that I feel more dead than alive.

I don't know my mechanisms; reactions are killin' me!
I said, I don't know my mechanisms; reactions are killin' me!
I study so much, my eyes they hardly see.

Alkenes and Alkanes! Alkynes and Alcohols!
Oh there so much to knows but I can't knows it all!

I said, I got 15 weeks of schoolin' but I'm doing it 5!
I study so much that I feel more dead than alive.

Can sympathize. Did 12 credits of Clinical Chemistry (Imagine applied organic/biochemistry) in 6 weeks. Would not recommend.

 

[dr_kateb]

Half of all freshmen are Pre-med. By graduation, maybe 2% actually apply to med school. Thanks physics.

AP credit master race.

 

[907914]

AP credit master race.

My parents made me pay for all my own AP tests so I only ended up with 35 AP credits instead of the 60 I should have (quarter hours). Stupid money.

 

[dr_kateb]

My parents made me pay for all my own AP tests so I only ended up with 35 AP credits instead of the 60 I should have (quarter hours). Stupid money.

Ironically I didn't even want to take many of AP classes, particularly physics, but my parents made me. I got pretty lucky too for how clueless I was in the class. I scored a 3 both years and that was the minimum my school was willing to accept, and then they increased the requirement to 4 the next year.

 

[907914]

Ironically I didn't even want to take many of AP classes, particularly physics, but my parents made me. I got pretty lucky too for how clueless I was in the class. I scored a 3 both years and that was the minimum my school was willing to accept, and then they increased the requirement to 4 the next year.

I forgot my calculator for the Calc based Physics exam(s). Ended up using a 4 function solar powered calculator for the whole thing. It was a beast of a test for a high school student. Thems were the days.