I'm seriously scared for my recent failure in Physics I.

[Ziggy213]

I just got back my Physics I grade and I got a D+. But that's not the major problem here.

The major problem is that this is actually my retake course grade and my school only allows taking a course twice in their policy. I fear med schools will simply throw away my application since every school only accepts higher grades in each pre-req. And this is a major pre-req i didn't do well in at all, I fear my chances are done. Even if i do well in the MCAT.

Is there ANYTHING i can do here to fix this? What will med schools(MD or DO) think of this?

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[Goro]

You're going to have to figure out what you deficit is and fix it.

Otherwise it's not looking good. Many schools (but not all) require a C or better in the pre-reqs. One could theoretically aim for those schools that don't have pre-reqs.

How's the rest of your sGPA???

I just got back my Physics I grade and I got a D+. But that's not the major problem here.

The major problem is that this is actually my retake course grade and my school only allows taking a course twice in their policy. I fear med schools will simply throw away my application since every school only accepts higher grades in each pre-req. And this is a major pre-req i didn't do well in at all, I fear my chances are done. Even if i do well in the MCAT.

Is there ANYTHING i can do here to fix this? What will med schools(MD or DO) think of this?

 

[GrapesofRath]

Take it at another school perhaps locally

 

[SPDF]

Getting a D+ in a retake is a pretty huge red flag for MD schools. I'm not positive, but a second retake should be okay with DO schools (I think they still only consider your most recent grade?).

Regardless of MD/DO, you are going to have to figure out what's wrong and retake your course. If your school only allows one retake, you should probably look at a DIY post-bacc after you graduate (or during a summer, since don't you need to pass this pre-req to complete your major?).

 

[625233]

@Goro may be of greater assistance (DO adcom)

 

[Goro]

IF OP can retake and do better, then for DO schools, only the higher grade will count.

I've seen people fail Orgo 3x until they finally got it right on the 4th try. I had a GF who bombed it 2x and finally ended with a C. She was a goddess, but dumb as a post.

@Goro may be of greater assistance (DO adcom)

 

[Ziggy213]

IF OP can retake and do better, then for DO schools, only the higher grade will count.

I've seen people fail Orgo 3x until they finally got it right on the 4th try. I had a GF who bombed it 2x and finally ended with a C. She was a goddess, but dumb as a post.

But my problem is that my school won't allow me to do another retake. And i graduate next May and my courseload is too much to allow me to take Physics.

 

[IlyaR]

But my problem is that my school won't allow me to do another retake. And i graduate next May and my courseload is too much to allow me to take Physics.

Anyway you can appeal? I think the bigger problem is why you got the D+ on a retake in the first place

 

[Ziggy213]

Anyway you can appeal? I think the bigger problem is why you got the D+ on a retake in the first place

It's my professor in particular. He's the only one actively teaching Physics courses while the other ones are in research. And this professor is known to be very tough and he knows it. He even told us that he is not interested in giving out grades to those who abosulutely don't understand what he lectures.

3 years ago he failed almost an entire 9am class because he didn't at least be a little more lenient to get the concepts right.

 

[Goro]

You can retake anywhere! it doesn't have to be at the same school. Go for a CC.

But my problem is that my school won't allow me to do another retake. And i graduate next May and my courseload is too much to allow me to take Physics.

 

[itsogre]

And this professor is known to be very tough and he knows it

It's unfortunate, but be sure to avoid this professor! It's not a good idea to take notoriously difficult professors for pre-reqs: you often end up with lots of unnecessary stress due to strict grading or unhelpful teaching. You could take Physics II locally at a community college, or at a different college in the area. Physics II shouldn't be a class that pre-meds fail twice, so it might be the teaching style of the professor, or your learning style.

 

[md-2020]

I don't think failing/almost failing a class twice should be blamed on the instruction...


If in fact a professer "failed the entire 9am class" they would be under academic review/probation by school administration. Unfortunately chances are plenty of the people in your class did fine, OP. When someone says "man I failed" don't correlate that with a D/F grade. Plenty of people over exaggerate.

Also isn't Phys I pretty much AP Physics...no reason you should be failing that.

 

[Strudel19]

IF OP can retake and do better, then for DO schools, only the higher grade will count.

I've seen people fail Orgo 3x until they finally got it right on the 4th try. I had a GF who bombed it 2x and finally ended with a C. She was a goddess, but dumb as a post.

"But dumb as a post". Laughing.

 

[mimelim]

I don't think failing/almost failing a class twice should be blamed on the instruction...


If in fact a professer "failed the entire 9am class" they would be under academic review/probation by school administration. Unfortunately chances are plenty of the people in your class did fine, OP. When someone says "man I failed" don't correlate that with a D/F grade. Plenty of people over exaggerate.

Also isn't Phys I pretty much AP Physics...no reason you should be failing that.

I agree.

OP, the issue is that you failed a class, twice. I don't know about your institution, but many will have rules about retakes because people who fail things twice are most often not ready for that class. Physics I is not a difficult class. Challenging for people without a background in it? Sure. Time consuming for people who don't have a foundation in algebra/trig etc? Sure. But, nobody should be failing Physics I giving it an earnest try. I TAed Physics I and II for 3 years. If I could get the 'posts' through, I'm sure that virtually anyone with high school mathematics background can get through.

So, the issue is more, why are you failing this class? As @Goro points out, you can take it anywhere, but that doesn't help much if you are at high risk of failing it again.

 

[Lawpy]

Also isn't Phys I pretty much AP Physics...no reason you should be failing that.

AP Physics C is a lot harder (equivalent to engineering calculus-based physics in college). I would wager that AP Physics B (the algebra-based version) is still harder than Physics I, since that is what high school students take if they want to pursue physical sciences/engineering majors.

You can retake anywhere! it doesn't have to be at the same school. Go for a CC.

I'm glad to see that more medical schools are becoming increasingly receptive to CC credits, as they should. Spares the applicants from having to waste more money taking/retaking courses at traditional universities.

It's my professor in particular. He's the only one actively teaching Physics courses while the other ones are in research. And this professor is known to be very tough and he knows it. He even told us that he is not interested in giving out grades to those who abosulutely don't understand what he lectures.

3 years ago he failed almost an entire 9am class because he didn't at least be a little more lenient to get the concepts right.

Yeah that is a bad excuse. Physics I is basically mechanics using only algebra. That right there severely constrains the professor in making ridiculously difficult problems. The problem here is that you didn't understand the concepts well or you didn't work hard. Failing a retake is a significant red flag. My only advice is to save it for later and try to ace the other prereqs and coursework.

 

[beeboops]

OP, does your school offer different physics classes, by any chance? My undergrad offered "university physics", which was taken by physics majors mainly and was calculus-based, as well as "college physics", which was taken mainly by pre-meds and was algebra-based. Both count towards the physics requirement for med school. If your school offers something like this, take the algebra-based physics course. I'm horrible, horrible at math, and I did well enough though I did have to put quite a bit of time into it, but it's doable if the math is your biggest downfall.

 

[RubicStorm]

There's a lesson here, premeds. Avoid impossible to please professors like the plague. It's a simple cost-benefit thing. It's not worth the cost to you to take those courses.

Plenty of local/directional schools where you can take classes a la cart. These schools will often have the med pre-reqs since they know they are the most popular ones and easy money makers.

 

[Goro]

Imagine that. You don't get a grade if you dont' understand the material! The nerve of the guy!

Note: That's sarcasm.

He even told us that he is not interested in giving out grades to those who abosulutely don't understand what he lectures.

3 years ago he failed almost an entire 9am class because he didn't at least be a little more lenient to get the concepts right.

The trouble with this is that we're wise to the idea of you trying to avoid your University's weeding courses. You're also doing yourself no favors. Med school is harder, a LOT harder, than anything your UG school can throw at you. Don't you think it's a good idea to see if you can stand the heat in the kitchen?

There's a lesson here, premeds. Avoid impossible to please professors like the plague. It's a simple cost-benefit thing. It's not worth the cost to you to take those courses.

Plenty of local/directional schools where you can take classes a la cart. These schools will often have the med pre-reqs since they know they are the most popular ones and easy money makers.

 

[Lawpy]

Med school is harder, a LOT harder, than anything your UG school can throw at you.

I mean, given the context for OP, it's definitely true that medical school is way harder than any combination of prereqs. But I'm pretty sure that physics and engineering majors can be more difficult than medical school, simply because of lots of very difficult material thrown at you for short periods of time. Even worse, memorizing is the direct route to failure, and the problem sets are very difficult and time-consuming. I think medical school is hard because of the volume of material, not necessarily because of its content (which is basically memorized).

But yeah, for biology-related majors and premed route, medical school is by far very difficult and not for the weak heart/mind. No doubt about it.

 

[NontradCA]

I mean, given the context for OP, it's definitely true that medical school is way harder than any combination of prereqs. But I'm pretty sure that physics and engineering majors can be more difficult than medical school, simply because of lots of very difficult material thrown at you for short periods of time. Even worse, memorizing is the direct route to failure, and the problem sets are very difficult and time-consuming. I think medical school is hard because of the volume of material, not necessarily because of its content (which is basically memorized).

But yeah, for biology-related majors and premed route, medical school is by far very difficult and not for the weak heart/mind. No doubt about it.

Difficulty in terms of content is subjective. Some are more mathematically inclined than others. Volume is objective, so, inherently, medical school is more difficult.

 

[W19]

I agree.

OP, the issue is that you failed a class, twice. I don't know about your institution, but many will have rules about retakes because people who fail things twice are most often not ready for that class. Physics I is not a difficult class. Challenging for people without a background in it? Sure. Time consuming for people who don't have a foundation in algebra/trig etc? Sure. But, nobody should be failing Physics I giving it an earnest try. I TAed Physics I and II for 3 years. If I could get the 'posts' through, I'm sure that virtually anyone with high school mathematics background can get through.

So, the issue is more, why are you failing this class? As @Goro points out, you can take it anywhere, but that doesn't help much if you are at high risk of failing it again.

Disagree!

 

[Lawpy]

Difficulty in terms of content is subjective. Some are more mathematically inclined than others. Volume is objective, so, inherently, medical school is more difficult.

Ah but even then, the mathematically-inclined engineering/physics majors still do poorly in these courses, which is why we see threads about their having low GPA but really high MCAT scores. Also, the volume of content is usually comparable.