Drop Anatomy or accept a C?

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Tamu2016

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I am taking the first Anatomy over the summer currently. I study 8+ hours a day, but I am just not seeing to do very well in the class. The way our class is divided is lecture is 50% of our grade and lab is 50% of our grade. I am doing fine on the lecture portion of the class, its just lab that is killing my grade. My big question, would it look better to withdraw from the class or have a C? I have already withdrawn from a class before. I am just not certain if I will even get the C. How bad does a C look for Anatomy? I know it will look really bad, but what would be the best option for me at this point? I have until Monday to decide.

Thanks.
Also, please be kind in your responses. 🙂
 
How are your scores comparing to the rest of your class?
 
Tamu2016 said:
I am taking the first Anatomy over the summer currently. I study 8+ hours a day, but I am just not seeing to do very well in the class. The way our class is divided is lecture is 50% of our grade and lab is 50% of our grade. I am doing fine on the lecture portion of the class, its just lab that is killing my grade. My big question, would it look better to withdraw from the class or have a C? I have already withdrawn from a class before. I am just not certain if I will even get the C. How bad does a C look for Anatomy? I know it will look really bad, but what would be the best option for me at this point? I have until Monday to decide.

Thanks.
Also, please be kind in your responses. 🙂
Click to expand...

I would drop. PreMeds seem to think that Ws are the end of the world. They're not. One or two aren't going to be a deal breaker. W looks better than C IMO.
 
Compared to the rest of the class I am doing about average. the Average for the first test was an 88 I got a 90. The second test average was an 80 I received a 76. The first lab practical average was a 68 and I did not get the class average. I have calculated my grade and the highest I could possibly get is a C in the class. Does it look bad to drop a summer class? And I know this is dumb, but I'm freaking out about how to tell my parents that I might have to drop the class. This is a hard class and I don't know how they will react to me having to drop a summer class.
 
Depends. Do you think you can do better if you take it again? Is the class required or do you need the credits? Will it make your following semester too difficult? If you have the flexibility to take it again without delaying graduation and you are confident you can do better, then I would drop it. Make sure you figure out why you aren't doing well on the lab portion. Isn't that just a lot of memorization? 8 hours a day should be more than enough to get an A.
 
Are you sure the class isn't curved?
 
Next semester I will be taking OChem and was planning on take the second A&P along with two of my required nutrition courses. Going into the practical I knew all of the information, but I blanked. I'm not making up excuses I know I should do better, but I get really bad test anxiety. If I have to take it again it will most definitely delay graduation, but this is not an issue because I'm not certain I will be graduating on time in the first place, due to MCAT preparation and not having my prerequisite classes completed on time.

I just wasn't sure how a C would look in A&P vs a W.
 
claduva94 said:
Are you sure the class isn't curved?
Click to expand...

The class will most likely be curved, but I'm not sure if I want to risk it. I've calculated and the best I could end up with is a 75-78 in the class. I guess my best option should just be to talk with my prof and see what he recommends..
 
A C will not kill you. It really depends on what you want to do. If you already have a good GPA then you will likely be ok.
 
claduva94 said:
A C will not kill you. It really depends on what you want to do. If you already have a good GPA then you will likely be ok.
Click to expand...

I am wanting to pursue medical school, so this is why I wasn't exactly sure if it would hurt me. I currently have around a 3.4-3.5 (yes I know this is low for pre-med). I will be entering my junior year of college, so I have more than enough time to bring this up (I will not be applying for medical school this year, I am planning on taking a gap year following graduation). But I just don't know what to do.
 
Ok, in that case a C is less than ideal. If you can get all of your courses in before you graduate, and know you can get an A in this course when you retake it, I'd suggest withdrawing. But perhaps check with the professor so you know where your grade stands first.
 
Talk to the professor and ask explicitly how he'll curve your grade. Explain your concerns but be sure to explain your genuine interest in the subject so he doesnt think you're just after grades. worst case scenario: drop. I got a few Cs (both in physics) but I wouldn't want a C in anatomy bc of how important and relevant it is to med school.

Also dont do an incomplete because med schools count those as failures.
 
I would drop it... I think aamc asks written explanation for grade lower than B or something. Please double check
 
You should drop it like its hot and take it again during the fall or spring when you can devote more time to it and do well.
 
How bad would it be to drop anatomy while taking it during the gap year? I've already applied and just noticed that many schools discourage taking it, I thought it would be a good idea to take it and send the grade as an update to schools I'm wailisted at but I'm not sure if I can make an A in the course since it's hard to keep up with my traveling due to interviews
 
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I got a C in anatomy when I was an undergrad not planning on going to med school and I now have an acceptance. No one has ever asked me about it. As long as the rest of your GPA is good, a C won't kill you.
But if you have the time to drop and retake, then do it.
 
It's better to withdraw. I had 2 withdrawals in 2 different courses: Genetics and some rubbish history class . I have only been asked about my Genetics withdrawal maybe once in an interview. I have had 9 interviews. Admins don't know the reason you withdrew.
 
I had a c in anatomy, and a d in physiology. I also had other c's in other science classes.

I've had 3 interview offers (didn't take one since it was lower on my list than the one I had already been accepted to) and one acceptance.

My point is that 1 c in anatomy isn't going to kill your chances
 
jordansnfootbal said:
It's better to withdraw. I had 2 withdrawals in 2 different courses: Genetics and some rubbish history class . I have only been asked about my Genetics withdrawal maybe once in an interview. I have had 9 interviews. Admins don't know the reason you withdrew.
Click to expand...
Similar profile, 2 W's, one in a pre-req science; no one cared across any of my Top 10 interviews or whatever SDN benchmarks these days, and certainly didn't prevent me from getting in. There's plenty of more worthwhile factors for adcoms to subjectively discriminate applicants upon.

Vitani said:
I had a c in anatomy, and a d in physiology. I also had other c's in other science classes.
I've had 3 interview offers (didn't take one since it was lower on my list than the one I had already been accepted to) and one acceptance.
My point is that 1 c in anatomy isn't going to kill your chances
Click to expand...
C's aren't great. If your transcript is in fact as you describe above I'd say you're the exception rather than the rule--or of course maybe other circumstances were unique to your app
 
Fancy_Feast said:
I got a C in anatomy when I was an undergrad not planning on going to med school and I now have an acceptance. No one has ever asked me about it. As long as the rest of your GPA is good, a C won't kill you.
But if you have the time to drop and retake, then do it.
Click to expand...

what if i already applied? i'm the class now but I want to drop because i'm not sure if I can make an A due to traveling for interviews
 
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