Does getting a 'C' in a Science class destroy your chances?

[singlaa]

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My premed mentee is a freshman and she got a C in chemistry. Her GPA is otherwise fine but does getting the C alone in chemistry destroy her chances for med school? I don't know how to advise her. If maybe you guys can share your personal experiences or advice, that would be great.

 

[UCLAstudent]

One C won't destroy her chances, especially if it was in freshman year. If she can show improvement, then it is still possible for her to have a shot at med school.

 

[Allygator89]

NO, no, no no it doesn't destroy your chances as long as you aren't getting multiple C's in chem... I got a "C" in one of my pre-reqs as an undergrad but ultimately retook it 6 years later and got an "A". No one even questioned it.

I wouldn't worry too much.. the only time I would worry is if your friend did not know the material to take further classes in Chemistry. If they don't feel they know it well enough to do well in a higher level class, have them retake it.

 

[camstah]

nooooo, one C is nothing to worry about...i got 2...it didn't seem to have much of an effect, because i did well in all my other chem classes...the two were in chem btw....and i've never heard anyone say a thing about it....

 

[MichiMO]

I don't think so. I got a C in Org. I after getting really sick in the middle of a summer school class. I did better in Org. II and did well on my MCAT. No one has ever mentioned the C. Things like this happen. Especially in Chemistry 😀

 

[daktar]

What about a D in org chem?

 

[Allygator89]

A prof that I had as a post-bac mentioned that he had written someone a letter of rec for a student that had gotten a "D" in O-chem... and the student got into medical school

 

[abw]

I'm sure as long as you can prove yourself otherwise you'll be fine. The good thing about a D is that you can retake it and show the adcoms that you can succeed in that class.

Although it doesn't make your transcript spectacular, it might not be all that bad. At one of my interviews, The first thing interviewer said was - "After looking at your grades I know you'll be interesting to talk to, not like those others out there with 4.0's and 38's (rolling his eyes)." (We had both been surprised that I had gotten the interview at the timing I did, but you could tell that he wasn't impressed by the great scores of everyone else) There are many people on SDN who have great stories of overcoming bad grades for an acceptance.

 

[MD2b06]

According to a recent AAMC study, 85% of medical school applicants with a C on their transcript in one the pre-reqs do not get into medical school on their first try. But wait, it gets worse. Further analysis uncovered that of the select 15% that do get somehow manage to sneak in with a C, that 80% of them do not end up matching to one of their top 3 residency choices.

 

[fun8stuff]

Just to confer with MD2b06, I have known 2 different people within the last 3 years and heard of one other guy from a friend who all had a C in organic. One even had a C in one other course... like calc or something. They all got into med school, however it took two of them 2 years and the other one 3 years to get into med school. The two I knew also did not have that stellar of MCAT physical and bio scores (around 8s +-1) The two that I knew did a lot of extra things to get in. Duirng the year they were off they both got jobs as orderlies at a hospital and one also did research. The other did a crap load of volunteering at a bunch of different places: about 20 hours a week for 10 months! They also both told me that they had to learn interview techniques.

To summarize: a C won't hurt you as long as you don't have a C in any other subject, however, you better make up for it on the MCAT and through your extracurricular activities- if not by retaking the class. If I got a D in soemthing, I would definately retake it. No doubt about it!

 

[tufts02]

i think the stat of 85% not getting on the first try w/ a C in one premed class is kinda high. and i DEFINITELY don't see how a C in college correlates to your residency by any means.

my take on this. i got a C in physics 1 mostly due to personal issues however, it was still a C. I got by this by 1. making sure i did esp. well on the physical science section of the mcats, 2. not f'ing up any other premed classes, and 3. by explaining my personal issues in my personal statement. showing improvement over the 4 years is key as this matters a lot. it also doesnt hurt to have lots of ECs to go along w/ your gpa.

so far this has worked for me cuz ive been accepted to multiple schools and hopefully one more to come...good luck

 

[MD2b06]

Originally posted by tufts02
i think the stat of 85% not getting on the first try w/ a C in one premed class is kinda high. and i DEFINITELY don't see how a C in college correlates to your residency by any means.

sarcasm my friend.

 

[steve007]

Originally posted by MD2b06
sarcasm my friend.

whew, good thing, i was heading for the window. now, what to do about all that arsenic i already swallowed??

 

[ShortStuff]

tell her to relax ...orgo was no good for me either and it worked out fine. I did well in biochem and I am accepted....Tell to relax and instead of spending all the time freaking out think about how she can round out her application so that C isnt' the focus....

 

[jtheater]

I got a C+ in an orgo class and B's or B+'s in all the other chem classes. I never got an A in chemistry and I got into UCSF. In my interview, I talked about how much I hated chemistry and how I almost dropped being pre-med as a result. But then, I found something I was passionate about... infectious diseases (yeah yeah, no joke) and that brought me back on course. All the interviewers laughed and agreed when I said I hated chemistry. "Most people do."

 

[daktar]

I just keep hearing conflicting advice. Some tell me I don't have to worry since I have an A in all my other pre-req classes, inlcuding a B+ in biochem. They say if i explain the reasoning behind my org chem grades ( two ppl who were very very close to me died withing 5 months of each other that year, and that shook me to the point where i literally stopped caring about classes, exams, and school in general.I'd reached a point where in some tests, i would just go to class, put my name on a paper{the prof gave extra credit, like 2 points, for just putting your name}, and turn it in blank, coz i just didn't care. That year my GPA dropped from a 3.92 to 3.3. I'd also all together given up on the idea of med school).

Anyway, managed to get myself out of that. Still managed to reach my goal of completing my degree in 3 years. (started summer of 2000, graduated this month). But, like someone else said, it would probably be good insurance to retake org chem. Just a little bit worried coz i'd have to take org 1 and 2 this summer-5 weeks for each. That's going to be hard. Esp since I also have to work and study for the Aug MCAT.

Anway, thanks all for the advice. By the way, i'm new here 🙂

 

[Karina]

and we are all allowed to our moments of...I dunno if I should call it "failure"...but that seems to be the definition that most people have of a C in a transcript. I just got my first C...Orgo II ...and I'm not too happy with it myself...but I know that there's more to me than just that. I know that I got a C, because I was going through a tough time, and could not prepare for the first exam..which really set me up for the rest of the course, even though I did better on the other exams. I know that I work, and that for 24+ hours/week I have to be somewhere else besides school and do something other than studying. I know I know...will adcoms know that I know? I don't know 😛

I actually went numb after that C and I am not even thinking abouy taking the class over. My GPA didn't suffer at all (it actually stayed the same) since I got A's in all my other classes, including Physics. So, adcoms know I can do it. One C doesn't kill your chances...I am confident...I know I sort of have to prove myself with the MCAT...and I'll do it if that's what I have to do...one C ain't gonna stop me! and it should not stop your friend either
I think that C makes me human! 🙂
Peace out!
Karina

 

[beboo]

hi,

you can check my thread ('D/f') posted earlier to see how people get out of the abyss with grades even worse than C.

 

[antiveggies]

i had a C- in physics I, C+ in gen.microbiology (one of my majors lol), D in physics II (retook and got an A), and a C+ in philosophy. i was accepted, so its not the end of the world. just tell her let it be youthful indiscretion and do better next time

 

[carrigallen]

I got a B in ochem I and C in ochem II. Never got asked about it in interviews, it was never an issue.

Science gpa is important though. You'll get in the groove eventually.

 

[GoodMonkey]

no.
unless you kill someone and are convicted, nothing is going to flat-out "destroy" your chances. especially something as little as a C.

why? because you can retake, redo and retry. if you fail out of school completely... you can go back and do it again and better. if your GPA is on the lower range ... you can kick a$s on the mcat to show you have the intellectual capacity to handle the volume of material. if you fail a class, you can retake it and work harder and do better to show that you really learned the material the 2nd time around. one of the beauties of this process (there are few, by the way 😉 is that people from all walks of life do it - and that's what makes it interesting.

if we were all straight-A science major premeds who were 21 years old, wouldn't med school be a boring place? and wouldn't we have absolutely zero conversation fodder during interviews?

tell your mentee to relax. she'll be fine and get her groove eventually.

 

[cracker69]

its a "c" for gods sake, not that big of a deal. it doesnt look good on the app, but it DEFINATELY doesnt destroy your chances. i got a c+ in orgo I and got in to med school. Tell her to relax, especially since its summer.

69

 

[asu03]

Just reiterating what others have said...

It's not uncommon to be accepted with a C. I had a B in Org. I and a C in Org II. But I made sure to brush up for the MCAT and was able to redeem myself by doing well on that section.

Please please don't advise her to retake the course - there are other ways to prove that she's still "worthy," like doing well in biochem or on the MCAT, or just maintaining herself in the rest of the pre-req courses.