How bad is a C-?

[patrick1674]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

delete

 

[orthomyxo]

It's obviously not good, but it's not the end of the world. I'm sure you have at least one exam left, not counting the final. You could have a good chance of raising that grade. As for dropping, you could, but I think schools have deadlines for that sort of thing. I know mine does, so it could be too late.

 

[GlamDoc]

One or a few bad grades on your transcript probably won't kill you (at least I seriously hope it doesn't for my sake 😀), but if the trend continues, then most definitely it won't look good to med schools. Many people don't do well in their classes freshman year due to a combination of factors, but as long as you have a strong upward trend from now on, the consensus on here is that it should be ok. And I believe a C or above is required in all pre-reqs.

There's still a big chunk of the semester left. Buckle down and you might be able to pull it up to a B. Try to gain a firm understanding of gen chem because other courses will rapidly start to build up on this knowledge.

Best of luck to you! You can do it! 👍👍

 

[patrick1674]

So if I work my tail off and snag a B that is still good for most of the top med schools?
I know an A for me is totally out of range...

 

[jturkel]

So if I work my tail off and snag a B that is still good for most of the top med schools?
I know an A for me is totally out of range...

a B in chem is fine. and meaningless. dont get Cs. they dont look good. from speaking with Deans of Admissions, not all schools even look highly on straight A's. They apparently make an assumption that you had no life and all you did was study.

I have a couple B's and my GPA is still fine. And actually, I have two in chemistry. Besides, if you do well on the MCAT, it could help counteract a bad grade on that section. I know mine will/did.

GL and work your tail off.

 

[chman]

La registrar funcion.

 

[lord_jeebus]

OP: withdraw if possible and try again. One W will not cause a problem and is much better than any flavor of C (or even a B).

from speaking with Deans of Admissions, not all schools even look highly on straight A's. They apparently make an assumption that you had no life and all you did was study.

Having been on an adcom, this sounds odd. We had no shortage of applicants with straight A's and interesting lives (and boring applicants with B's and C's). Certainly we wouldn't jump to conclusions based on grades alone. We didn't make "assumptions" about anything.

 

[jturkel]

OP: withdraw if possible and try again. One W will not cause a problem and is much better than any flavor of C (or even a B).



Having been on an adcom, this sounds odd. We had no shortage of applicants with straight A's and interesting lives (and boring applicants with B's and C's). Certainly we wouldn't jump to conclusions based on grades alone. We didn't make "assumptions" about anything.

i understand. and again, all schools are different. i am simply stating what i have heard from several deans and some of my relatives on several adcoms at different schools.

 

[LiveUninhibited]

Schools do care more about trends and the big picture (overall GPA) than whether or not there is a C early on in your college career, but I do take some exception here since this is a prereq... FWIW I got a C- in organic chemistry that I later retook for an A and got in this cycle (overall GPA was 3.7).

OP: withdraw if possible and try again. One W will not cause a problem and is much better than any flavor of C (or even a B).

I can see a W being better than not passing, but a B?... I think I agree it's better than a C because it doesn't affect your GPA, so if the OP was confident they would not get a B I'd withdraw if possible. Else I'd shoot for the B and if I still got a C+ or worse, take it again ASAP armed with the experience of going through the course once. If you do retake it try to do so at the same institution, contingent upon retake policy of course.

 

[cubssox2000]

Check my sig for an answer.

 

[jvesco22]

i understand. And again, all schools are different. I am simply stating what i have heard from several deans and some of my relatives on several adcoms at different schools.

lol...

 

[flip26]

Hey Everyone,
I am new here and I am a freshman in college. Currently I am not doing too good in my chemistry 101 class. I have about a C- which is equal to about a 1.7
How bad is something like that on a transcript?
Do medical schools take into account the fact that, we as freshmen are still trying to get into the swing of things and that chemistry itself is a very difficult subject??

Or should I drop the course and try to take it somewhere else?

A C- in a prereq is de facto 'bad' simply for the reason that most/all med schools will not accept it - you will have to retake.

Drop it, get your **** together, and do better next time.

 

[WatchMeRise]

I am in the same situation as the OP, but with calculus I.

However my college is on a quarter system.
If I got a C- in my first quarter, and got two A's in the second and third quarter, should I retake my first quarter again?

 

[Jfz]

OP: withdraw if possible and try again. One W will not cause a problem and is much better than any flavor of C (or even a B).



Having been on an adcom, this sounds odd. We had no shortage of applicants with straight A's and interesting lives (and boring applicants with B's and C's). Certainly we wouldn't jump to conclusions based on grades alone. We didn't make "assumptions" about anything.

It's interesting that you say you'd rather take a W than a B.

Physics is really screwing me right now, I have a very heavy course load, and will probably end up with a B in it. Was wondering if it would be better to drop and retake during the summer. Thoughts? I am SURE I could get an A, what really messed me up was no time to study for that midterm among all my others. I didn't manage my time well and have learned my lesson.

 

[jturkel]

lol...

im sorry. did i make a joke? i don't see humor in my post. please enlighten me.

 

[Mike7704]

im sorry. did i make a joke? i don't see humor in my post. please enlighten me.

I think he laughed because he doesn't believe you have "several" relatives on admission comm at different schools. Honestly, I don't either. It is unlikely to have a single relative on an admission committee for medical school nevermind more than one at many different schools. Unless you come from a dynasty of doctors who happen to be on admission committees, but this is the internet and I'm sure you are going to tell me about your uncle stan and aunt betty who are on ad comms.

 

[jerew]

When I was a freshman, I started heading towards a C- in an important math class (I was an aspiring physics major). At the time, I was crushed, and spent all my time thinking how bad my life would be with a C-, instead of working to bring that grade up: I never did. When it came time to start thinking about getting the ball rolling on declaring a major, I was flat out rejected from physics, as the administration pointed to my poor performance in math (and probably a fair rejection at that!).

What was so weird was that I sailed through math in high school, and had never had any trouble anywhere else. I remember having incredible feelings of self-doubt, and as I thought math was my one thing, I let my poor performance spiral me into depression. I almost transferred out of my dream school, figuring that it was a mistake for me to think I could cut it.

As it turned out, I wasn't bad at math, but I was bad at dealing with setbacks. As I recall now, I began at the mean, and doubted myself to a D on the next two exams. It was all in the attitude, and I learned a big lesson the hard way: don't take it personally.

Now what you probably wanted to hear: I made it. After an attitude readjustment, I rediscovered my talents that were always there. Instead of focusing on setbacks, I focused on what went right. My next semester back, I took an even harder series of courses in physics and math, because this time, I had something to prove to me and the school. I ended up with a 4.2 that semester, my best over all 4 years. When I went to reapply for my major, they looked at my freshman year grades, chuckled, and said "welcome aboard!" I just graduated with a physics major and a 3.9, and today have great offers from top med schools. I actually wrote a secondary essay on the lessons I learned, and as evidenced by my acceptance + mega scholarship, it worked!

The point is that, yes, a C- is bad, but only if it continues, and there is NO reason why it has to. Figure out what went wrong, take a deep breath, and get back on the horse. This is so standard for freshman, who get thrown in with people with all different types of education and training. I don't know what your situation is, and it is probably different than mine. But for any freshman, if someone tells you that you can't do something, or that med school is out of reach, it's just way, way too early to tell! Fixing the problem will make this a non-issue in admissions (I sometimes think I am helped by my story), but you have to fix the problem! Good luck and get back to studying!

PS Aside from my little story about attitude, as a TA of 3 years, I can almost guarantee you that your best bet is to do problems again, and again, and again. When you run out, redo past ones. Reading the book will get you 10% of the way there. Problems: 90%

 

[lord_jeebus]

It's interesting that you say you'd rather take a W than a B.

Physics is really screwing me right now, I have a very heavy course load, and will probably end up with a B in it. Was wondering if it would be better to drop and retake during the summer. Thoughts? I am SURE I could get an A, what really messed me up was no time to study for that midterm among all my others. I didn't manage my time well and have learned my lesson.

Seriously, if you've never taken a W before, it won't hurt you. Taking the course when you are in the best shape to do well is best for both your GPA and your learning of the material.

Obviously a B is not a disaster when applying to medical school but you may as well optimize things as much as possible.

As for the OP, given that a B is the best case scenario, and that this course is going to be fundamental to future chemistry courses, withdrawing and retaking the course seems very prudent to me.

 

[Sammich117]

There are like 85 threads on C's and their effect on admissions.

 

[Jfz]

Seriously, if you've never taken a W before, it won't hurt you. Taking the course when you are in the best shape to do well is best for both your GPA and your learning of the material.

Obviously a B is not a disaster when applying to medical school but you may as well optimize things as much as possible.

As for the OP, given that a B is the best case scenario, and that this course is going to be fundamental to future chemistry courses, withdrawing and retaking the course seems very prudent to me.

Thank you for the reply. I'm going to talk to my prof about how this could possibly curve in my favor and if there's a chance i can get my A. I have until the 18th to take a W.

 

[jturkel]

.