Grade question

[jofrbr76]

My freshman year i screwed up, mostly in my general chem 2 class (C-) but ever since i've averaged a gpa of 3.85 for an overall 3.38, which will be going up after this semester also. I'm retaking the chem 2 class for a better grade. I've heard i have to report both grades in the class to med schools even though the original C- won't show on my transcript. How are schools going to react to this? Do they only take the original grade? Or Average them together when refiguring my Gpa? help me out here.

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[Toran]

That depends greatly on the school, but if you think about it you can see figure out that of course they are going to approve of going back to raise your previous score. This might even work in your favor over the long run.

Toran
just be ready for an explanation about the first time around, and how you "learned" from the experience

 

[WestGirl]

I did the same thing, got a C in first year chemistry (5 units!) It was Freshman year before I was premed. I re-took the class to replace the grade, and it doesn't show on my transcript but I guess there is a code on the transcript that shows you've taken it again, and what the previous grade was. I will tell you that AMCAS DOES average the grades, therefore you will have a lower GPA than what your transcripts say, and this is what the school gets. It really hurt me because I was not a science major and I had minimal sciences classes to offset that C. It really lowered my BCPM GPA. I don't think it will hurt you much though. Most schools look at the trend in grades, as long as you've steady improved. I've never been asked about my C during my interviews, but I've heard that many do get asked about it, so be prepared to explain it without making excuses.
Good luck!!

 

[gower]

If you earned a C- or better, and especially if you are already in, completing or have completed organic chemistry, you wasted time money, energy and more to be repeating. In the aggregate of about 90 credits when you apply and about 24 or more credits in math and science, the GPA/science GPA is affected little by repeating. You were ill-advised, if you sought advice at all, to repeat a course you passed, unless your chem department required C (not C-) or better before you could take organic. Now, you damn well better earn an A; a B or B+ for a repeated course does not LOOK good, no matter what the effect on the calculation of your science GPA. It is assumed, even if not true, that you had the same professor giving the same lectures and giving essentially the same exams. You will not be asked to provide an affidavit to the contrary from the chemistry dept, and even you had one, they will not care. The band-aid for that poor grade, if you are not already a chemistry major, is to to take biochemistry, A COURSE YOU NEVER HAD BEFORE, and earn an A.

 

[lilycat]

Even if your transcripts don't show the first grade, most of them report the final grade with some sort of indication that it was a repeated course. AMCAS asks you to report BOTH grades, even if the original isn't on your transcript, and then both grades are averaged for your AMCAS GPAs.

By the way, if it makes you feel any better, I really screwed up my freshman year, but then really ramped up after that (averaging I think a 3.6 and then 3.8-3.85 in the following years), and I've had fairly good success with the application process. I think some schools just saw the final GPA and weren't impressed, but other schools definitely noticed the big improvement, esp. as my classes got more difficult, and commented on it positively in interviews.

[This message has been edited by lilycat (edited March 25, 2001).]

 

[jofrbr76]

Thanks everyone for your thoughts and advice.

 

[Toran]

Don't worry too much, you'll do fine.

toran