How many C's is too many?

[premedder123]

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I have 3 C's (2 in preqequisites and 1 in a non-prerequisite science class). Have I reached the limit? Should I retake them?

 

[Whack Get Out]

I probably had 6, just do well from here on out

 

[premedder123]

Wow how did you get in?

 

[Whack Get Out]

Strong upward trend, good mcat, ECs, personal statement, interview skills. A few Cs won't leave you dead in the water

 

[lovesickwalrus]

as long as you show an upward trend in harder classes, they will see that you can excel in difficult coursework. In terms of GPA, I have always thought the MCAT held more weight so you can excel on that. There's much more wiggle room on GPA (do not need a 4.0 to get in).

 

[premedder123]

My trend looks like a parabola. I started high, dropped, and then shot back up. Do you think that will be considered inconsistent?

 

[lovesickwalrus]

I think they call it a sophomore slump for a reason. 🙂 at least, im assuming soph year

 

[premedder123]

Yeah it was around that time. I don't really have any good excuses though. I just basically screwed up.

 

[lovesickwalrus]

Well you can always say you just did not think those classes would require that much studying, or something of that nature, but then say "but as you can see....my grades in much higher level classes above those are great!"

Can't argue with that.

 

[lovesickwalrus]

I mean, if you are dead set for harvard or hopkins, then yeah it might be an issue, but public schools are forgiving as long as you improve

 

[premedder123]

Yeah I just want to get in somewhere. So as long as my science and cumulative gpa are above 3.5, retaking them isn't necessary? Also, would you guys recommend an SMP or grad school before applying?

 

[theseeker4]

Yeah I just want to get in somewhere. So as long as my science and cumulative gpa are above 3.5, retaking them isn't necessary? Also, would you guys recommend an SMP or grad school before applying?

Don't retake anything that is a C or better; getting an A in your first attempt on an upper-level course looks a LOT better than getting an A on your second attempt of a pre-req, and has the same impact on your GPA. As long as your GPA is OK, a handful of C's won't keep you out.

SMPs are for people with poor GPAs but good MCAT scores. If your GPA is in the mid 3.0s or better, or you can reasonably get it to that range by taking more undergraduate classes, an SMP is pointless and an unnecessary risk (if you have a bad course/semester in your SMP, med schools will see that as proof you cannot handle med school curriculum, while if you have a bad course/semester in med school, you get a chance to do better before you are dropped). Grad school aside from SMPs is generally viewed as nothing more than a nice EC; taking additional upper-level sciences at the undergraduate level will help you a lot more.

 

[Jabawocky]

I probably had 6, just do well from here on out

This is good to hear. I only had 1 C in a non-prerequisite class (calculus) but it was 5 hours and I mourn every time I look at my degree audit.