Got a D in a non-prerequisite course. (Calculus 2).

[Stephen Nguyen]

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It was my first semester of college. I done goof'd. Should I bother retaking it? I was planning on using calculus for life sciences to fulfill the math requisite

 

[487806]

It was my first semester of college. I done goof'd. Should I bother retaking it? I was planning on using calculus for life sciences to fulfill the math requisite

Yes you'd need to retake it.

 

[Jabawocky]

It was my first semester of college. I done goof'd. Should I bother retaking it? I was planning on using calculus for life sciences to fulfill the math requisite

Yes, definitely. I got a C in Calc one my first semester and its holding down my GPA Hard. Cant retake it either since I technically passed.

 

[papi89]

Yeah I'd probably retake since it will be one of your prereqs, so I'd think they'd probably take a closer look at those.

 

[deleted407021]

I would recommend retaking as well. Also, if that is you in your avatar pic, you may consider changing it to maintain anonymity.

 

[knv2u]

It was my first semester of college. I done goof'd. Should I bother retaking it? I was planning on using calculus for life sciences to fulfill the math requisite

Do you mean should you retake Calculus II generally (i.e .life science version) or do you mean should you retake the version that you received a D in (I am assuming that this is Calculus for non-Biology majors/engineering and physical science majors, correct?)? I think you should have a second Calculus II course, but a life science course sounds fine to me unless you are applying to a very tip top allopathic research school and research intensive track (e.g. Harvard HST, etc.). I'm not sure how D.O. grade replacement works, so it would be worth seeing whether the life science version could replace the non-life science version if you are applying to osteopathic medical schools.

 

[Euxox]

If you haven't/won't take any other math classes, you may have to retake the class. Most schools require a full year of math even if they don't specifically require calculus. If you are planning on using Calc II to satisfy the math requirement, you will have to retake it.

Make sure that you go for an A on the retake. Getting a bad or mediocre grade in a retake will make a stain on your transcript that will be hard to wash away.

 

[am0912]

The exact same thing happened to me my first quarter. Make sure you check your university's policy on retaking failed courses from freshman year. For example, my school allows forgiveness of a freshman grade as long as it is retaken within so many credit hours of completing the first course (still shows on the transcript, but doesn't affect my GPA). In my case I had taken an honors combined version of calc 1 & 2 but was able to take regular calc 2 for grade replacement.

 

[am0912]

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[am0912]

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[gettheleadout]

Do you mean should you retake Calculus II generally (i.e .life science version) or do you mean should you retake the version that you received a D in (I am assuming that this is Calculus for non-Biology majors/engineering and physical science majors, correct?)? I think you should have a second Calculus II course, but a life science course sounds fine to me unless you are applying to a very tip top allopathic research school and research intensive track (e.g. Harvard HST, etc.). I'm not sure how D.O. grade replacement works, so it would be worth seeing whether the life science version could replace the non-life science version if you are applying to osteopathic medical schools.

I interpreted his post to mean he took a straight up Calculus II course, but took in order to fulfill the math requirement for a life sciences major.

 

[Euxox]

For example, my school allows forgiveness of a freshman grade as long as it is retaken within so many credit hours of completing the first course (still shows on the transcript, but doesn't affect my GPA).

The original grade will still be factored into your AMCAS GPA.

 

[knv2u]

I interpreted his post to mean he took a straight up Calculus II course, but took in order to fulfill the math requirement for a life sciences major.

You're absolutely right. I misread his statement. I would recommend that the OP retake it.

 

[swolebrah]

It's ok brah. You can retake it and do better and as long as you do good in all your other classes you will be fine. Colleges understand that freshman make mistakes, it's all about how you react and learn from them.

keep husslin cuz, u aware?

 

[gettheleadout]

The original grade will still be factored into your AMCAS GPA.

This is true and also good to keep in mind, OP. Don't dwell on it though.

I think people reading your app may be more understanding given that it's Cal II as opposed to something like Chem I. Cal II is notorious for killing people. Heck, it's my lowest grade too. If you still have a respectable GPA at application then I wouldn't hold the D against you if I were reading your app, especially with a successful retake. That said, you need to retake and the D will mean you have to dig yourself out of a GPA hole.

 

[Stephen Nguyen]

The reason I took Calculus 2 in the first place was because I originally wanted to be a Chemistry major but after my first semester, I decided that chemistry was not right for me. So instead I want to be a Biology major and I plan on fulfilling the Calculus requirement through the Life Sciences Calculus course since it is required for my new major anyways. My question is that is it really bad if I dont retake it? Like would they hold it against me? Because at this point, It is essentially a non-required class since i'll be using another Calculus course to fulfill the requirements. Is it worth to pay extra money and spend time during the summer to retake for a GPA boost? Or would I be better off putting this in the past and doing my best to get straight A's from now on?

 

[NuttyEngDude]

The reason I took Calculus 2 in the first place was because I originally wanted to be a Chemistry major but after my first semester, I decided that chemistry was not right for me. So instead I want to be a Biology major and I plan on fulfilling the Calculus requirement through the Life Sciences Calculus course since it is required for my new major anyways. My question is that is it really bad if I dont retake it? Like would they hold it against me? Because at this point, It is essentially a non-required class since i'll be using another Calculus course to fulfill the requirements. Is it worth to pay extra money and spend time during the summer to retake for a GPA boost? Or would I be better off putting this in the past and doing my best to get straight A's from now on?

Take the life sciences calc course and Ace the rest of your classes from here on out. If you later decide you want to try to go DO then at that point retake the calc course you failed. You should be able to Ace it at this point if needed.

Use this as an opportunity to learn what went wrong and how not to go wrong in the future. Good luck.