Got a D in anatomy, am I doomed for pharm school?

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megan2011

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I received a D in organic chemistry before for getting the final time mixed up, I had an A up until the point of the final, but the instructor did not let me retake the final. Since pharm school will not accept such a bad grade for OCHEM, I retook it, and got an A.

However, last term I received another D! This time in anatomy lab, this time there are no excuses! I did really bad on the first quizzes and the midterm, next thing I knew it was too late to do anything to make-up for the bad grade.

Right now I have a 3.62 GPA.

I have a few months of experience working as a pharmacy tech.

Basically my transcript is messed up because of the 2 "D's" I received, what are my chances of getting into pharm school if I retake anatomy lab?
 
Don't "Retake it", just take a higher level to show them that you are capable of learning new material, at a higher level. I think you will be just fine if you get a high grade.
 
I am in a similar situation. I got a C in Principles of Chemistry II. However, I just finished taking Organic Chemistry I and I received an A both the lab and lecture. I am debating whether or not I should go back and redo Principles of Chemistry II. What do you guys recommend for Megan and me?
 
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I am in a similar situation. I got a C in Principles of Chemistry II. However, I just finished taking Organic Chemistry I and I received an A both the lab and lecture. I am debating whether or not I should go back and redo Principles of Chemistry II. What do you guys recommend for Megan and me?

I was in a similar situation also. C in chem 101 and A's in everything else after that. I think some schools will not allow you to retake a class if you have a C since technically a C is passing. So find that out and then consider it.

The of my post is that many people maye have small stain on their transcript.no student is perfect. Make sure you kill that section on the PCAT. You have already proved yourself with the tougher courses. AdCom should notice that you hit a bump on the road but you shifted, and adapted to the road and you mastered the sections that should be "harder."
 
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I don't think a "D" is considered even passing. I also know schools like the Univeristy of Arizona wil not take a Anatomy or OChem grade below "B" or any class below "C." I would contact the schools you are interested in. My guess is you will probably have to retake Anatomy.



I received a D in organic chemistry before for getting the final time mixed up, I had an A up until the point of the final, but the instructor did not let me retake the final. Since pharm school will not accept such a bad grade for OCHEM, I retook it, and got an A.

However, last term I received another D! This time in anatomy lab, this time there are no excuses! I did really bad on the first quizzes and the midterm, next thing I knew it was too late to do anything to make-up for the bad grade.

Right now I have a 3.62 GPA.

I have a few months of experience working as a pharmacy tech.

Basically my transcript is messed up because of the 2 "D's" I received, what are my chances of getting into pharm school if I retake anatomy lab?
 
I don't think a "D" is considered even passing. I also know schools like the Univeristy of Arizona wil not take a Anatomy or OChem grade below "B" or any class below "C." I would contact the schools you are interested in. My guess is you will probably have to retake Anatomy.

By the way, a D is definitely a retake I was referring to the post of SODIUMD. Most schools if not all will not accept any grades under 2.0.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I will retake it again for sure, but since I got a "D" the first time, will that still affect my application greatly?
 
It really depends on how many other class you take and how well you do in everything else. If you go on and do well in everything from here on out, I think you will be fine. Especially if you show an upward trend--I think that would demonstrate you know how to learn from your mistakes. Most importantly, don't let this ruin your future courses. You still have a chance.
 
Many pharmacy schools require you to make a C or better in all your pre-req courses, so if you got a D they will not give you credit for that class. If you're applying to a school like this then you have to retake it.
 
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I was in the exact same situation as you. I got a D+ in anatomy last fall 2010. I was also applying to pharmacy school that year and as soon as I updated my transcript with the D I was basically rejected from every school I applied to. I don't mean to scare you or anything but even Worchester denied me after they seen the D in anatomy and its not even a pre-req in there school. I think it was worse because I was applying to schools at the time with only pre-req's so it looks like I'm not that stable plus my gpa was a bit lower than yours so maybe that was a reason also. I am going to retake the class, and I would recommend you do the same because there not going to accept a D anyways.
 
Many pharmacy schools require you to make a C or better in all your pre-req courses, so if you got a D they will not give you credit for that class. If you're applying to a school like this then you have to retake it.

This^

You can always take an upper division course to show that you can learn new material, as one user suggested, but if this Anatomy lab is a requirement at a school you are applying to, then you'd have to retake the course. I don't think they would make any exceptions regarding this.
 
You must retake anatomy lab or you will be doomed. There's no way around that because a D is a big red flag to AdCom.
 
So if I retake anatomy and got a good grade, I still have high chances of getting into pharm school?
 
Yeah my school said the same thing to me, I definitely have to retake it again!
 
Yea man, you're def gonna have to retake it.
 
So if I retake anatomy and got a good grade, I still have high chances of getting into pharm school?

I'd suggest posting in the WAMC thread so someone can give you a better opinion than just based on GPA. If you're asking if the 2 Ds are a killer - not necessarily, but try not to get any more & try to ace your anatomy retake.

For PharmCAS GPA calculations, they will take into consideration every course. I am assuming both your attempts (original & retake) show up on your transcript with credits earned. In this case, O Chem with a D & then with an A would "offset" to impact your calculated GPA as if you received a 2.5 GPA grade in the class. Not nearly as bad as 1.0 GPA from a D.

Apologies if that last bit wasn't very clear. Also, caveat, each school may have its own method of calculating GPA.

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I talked to my advisor today. She said the "D" in anatomy definitely has an impact on my application, but also said there were people who retook this course twice and still got in. Her attitude was sort of neutral.
I cannot tell whether she was just encouraging me or that I really do still have high chances of getting in.
Should I still apply for pharmacy?
 
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