How badly do F's affect one's chances at DO schools?

[pancakesyrup]

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If someone got a few F's, and has retaken them since then and done well (which presumably means they don't count in the GPA), how badly will those original F's hinder the chances of being considered by DO schools? Does every single F need to be explained in the personal statement, even if they were replaced by A's?

 

[deleted357625]

retake all the F's and D.O schools replace those F's with whatever grade you get. plain and simple. easy bruh

if brought up then yes explain..but you redeemed yourself with an A so they know your capable of doing well. that's why D.O schools do grade replacement for people who can possibly get an A the 2nd time around

 

[pancakesyrup]

retake all the F's and D.O schools replace those F's with whatever grade you get. plain and simple. easy bruh

if brought up then yes explain..but you redeemed yourself with an A so they know your capable of doing well. that's why D.O schools do grade replacement for people who can possibly get an A the 2nd time around

I know that they replace grades, but they still see the original F's on the transcript and application, even though they are not calculated.

My question is, would that make a 3.4 GPA, for example, look much weaker if there are some hidden F's than it would otherwise be?

 

[DrMaximus]

I failed general chemistry my first semester when I was still in engineering. I came back as a premed the next year, focused, and pulled off an A. I was scared to death of it affecting me, but I honestly, I haven't heard about it once.

 

[ManBroDude]

I have a few F's on my transcript. Retook them all. Got asked about my awful grades / party years and answered by showing them 34 credits of post-bacc science classes at a straight 4.0. Be prepared to tell them what's different now, and the steps you've taken to show you're academically ready to take on medical school. Put your best foot forward, and don't look back!

 

[Goro]

They don't if you've done the grade replacement

If someone got a few F's, and has retaken them since then and done well (which presumably means they don't count in the GPA), how badly will those original F's hinder the chances of being considered by DO schools?

Nope! We know that people sometimes are not ready for college at age 18-19.

Does every single F need to be explained in the personal statement, even if they were replaced by A's?

 

[poopyhead]

Does every single F need to be explained in the personal statement, even if they were replaced by A's?

MCAT is the great equalizer; it can't be manipulated like GPAs can. Everyone's on the same footing in regards to the MCAT. A good score (30+) will be a very nice way of proving that those F's were a fluke.

 

[Prncssbuttercup]

I failed some stuff, and there were courses I never even retook, didn't matter, still have 2 acceptances...

 

[MrBird]

The beauty of grade replacement is that no, you won't have to worry about that if you can pull off a B or better.

 

[LieutenantDan]

Like others have said, yes the grades get replaced but be prepared to be asked about them in some interviews (I had one D, it was asked about in every interview so far). Definitely don't highlight your F's in your personal statement, or even explain them individually. Just focus on how much you have matured and how awesome you are now, and what you have accomplished, put it in a positive light. For example I had bad grades for a few years, but I wrote about how my experience with a doctor led me to want to pursue my dream that much more and so I redoubled my effort to succeed and excelled academically, finished strong etc.

 

[BatemanMD]

If someone got a few F's, and has retaken them since then and done well (which presumably means they don't count in the GPA), how badly will those original F's hinder the chances of being considered by DO schools? Does every single F need to be explained in the personal statement, even if they were replaced by A's?

My 2 cents: I got several F's (about 4 or 5) during undergrad, only 1 or 2 of which were repeated for a higher grade. Despite the remaining 2 or 3 F's not superseded by re-takes with higher grades, I received 3 interviews out of 5 completed apps, with 2 acceptances.

Granted that my experience may be unusual, I was able to redeem myself through a stellar performance in post-bacc (which, incidentally, was completed 7 years after I graduated undergrad) and by submitting a very well-written application. I believe that so long as you can convince a committee that the circumstances that lead to your past poor academic performance are no longer at play, you still have a strong chance. This is, of course, assuming that you have a very strong application in nearly every other aspect.