is it stupid to retake an honors class?

[Chelslen]

---

Members don't see this ad.

i screwed up sophomore year.

• first semester i took honors organic I and made a C, with an A- in lab.
• second semester i continued with honors organic II, decided to withdraw (WP) in the middle of the semester.

now i'm retaking organic I in the fall and then doing organic II right after to prove myself on my transcript. when retaking a class at my school, you don't have to take the lab again if you don't want to or if you made a good grade... so i asked my advisor if i could get permission to retake organic I, but I was going to take the regular version this time.

she said i would HAVE to take the lab if i do regular organic I (not honors) because the classes are far different.

i didnt know this and i'm afraid that if i retake now i have to retake honors. its not taking the lab that i'm concerned with... i dont mind.

1) is it gonna look really bad (considering the screwups ive already done with organic) if i retake but take the regular version instead of honors? will it show i couldn't handle it or something?

2) is it going to be a problem if the classes don't technically count for the same... will med schools KNOW its a RETAKE, or will it look like 2 different classes like my advisor suggested they were?


i just want to show on my transcript that i know i screwed up and i want to give it another try and score an A both semesters. i don't want it to look bad if i drop the attempt at honors, but i want it to look like a retake and not like just another class.

which would look best application wise? really can't afford any more screwups.

 

[bucks2010]

Adcoms will see it's a retake on your transcript and both the original and retake grades will be used in your GPA.

Getting an A in non-honors will look better than getting another C in honors.

 

[CurrySpice]

I don't think it's common to have a separate, honors section of Organic Chemistry.

If I were in your situation, I would be tempted to just take the regular class. The honors class probably covers more material (so faster paced) and the regular section will prepare you just as well for med. school. Unless you have some undying love for the subject (which it sounds like you don't), then the regular section will be just fine.

Do well in the rest of your pre-reqs and this blip in your record will be mostly ignored!

It probably doesn't count as a retake for applying to DO schools, so if you're interested in grade replacement you may want to take the honors section. Whether it counts as an official retake doesn't really matter when applying to MD schools. The grade will simply be averaged in with the rest. (caveat: I may be wrong about the MD info)

 

[Chelslen]

It probably doesn't count as a retake for applying to DO schools, so if you're interested in grade replacement you may want to take the honors section. Whether it counts as an official retake doesn't really matter when applying to MD schools. The grade will simply be averaged in with the rest. (caveat: I may be wrong about the MD info)

Yeah I thought about the DO thing but I'm really not planning on applying DO... even if I changed my mind down the road, the improvement to my sGPA i'm planning on doing in the next year should be good enough even without grade replacement i'm hoping.

My only concern was that I'd be frowned upon for screwing up honors ochem and then taking regular the next year.. like as an easier version.. but yeah, regular is a lot more stable (test questions and lab lessons that aren't completely crazy and ridiculously hard.. so I'd be a LOT more confident in getting an A if I study hard), so i really want to take regular this time. thanks!

 

[13132]

I avoid honors classes. I have always thoughts it is better to get an A in regular than even a B in Honors. That being said, I would retake.