justify bad grades

[anaiq]

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What are some good ways to justify a few Cs and a D? I am an undergraduate (junior) right now and want to go to medical school. I basically did bad on these classes because I took too many credits in a semester and didn’t really ask professors for help and didn’t really push myself too hard to get good grades. Can I say financial situation of my family caused these grades. Maybe that my dad lost his job, so I had to work and go to school (it is actually true that my dad lost his job and I had to work, but to be honest that’s not why my grades were low). I got Cs in organic chem I although I got an A in orgo II. I got Cs in biology in freshmen year, C in physiology, C in microbiology, B in microbiology lab, dropped calc once, got D in calc I the next time I took it and now I am taking Calc I again and I am pretty sure that I will definetly get an A if not a B+.

So what are some good reasons for getting bad grades?

How did you justify your bad grades?

 

[Slack3r]

What are some good ways to justify a few Cs and a D? I am an undergraduate (junior) right now and want to go to medical school. I basically did bad on these classes because I took too many credits in a semester and didn’t really ask professors for help and didn’t really push myself too hard to get good grades. Can I say financial situation of my family caused these grades. Maybe that my dad lost his job, so I had to work and go to school (it is actually true that my dad lost his job and I had to work, but to be honest that’s not why my grades were low). I got Cs in organic chem I although I got an A in orgo II. I got Cs in biology in freshmen year, C in physiology, C in microbiology, B in microbiology lab, dropped calc once, got D in calc I the next time I took it and now I am taking Calc I again and I am pretty sure that I will definetly get an A if not a B+.

So what are some good reasons for getting bad grades?

How did you justify your bad grades?

Say that. Don't lie.

 

[J ROD]

I f*cked up,

 

[caseofthemndays]

Say that. Don't lie.

Word. I think the adcomms can see through it.

 

[oaklandguy]

Not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think there are any excuses for 5 C's and a D. I mean, thats just rough, but it is good that you got an A in orgo II. Hopefully these grades haven't absolutely demolished your overall GPA and your science GPA.

 

[BlitzSleep]

So what are some good reasons for getting bad grades?

How did you justify your bad grades?

My answer:

"I wanted to see what it felt like to be "average""

 

[apumic]

My answer:

"I wanted to see what it felt like to be "average""

...And in the process, I got a bit carried away and overestimated how much my peers actually partied and got smashed every morning and every night.

 

[chman]

I find that people respect you for fessing up to something that is not easy to admit. Show that you have a new dedication and tell the truth. If you have to, take extra classes to bump up your GPA.

 

[anaiq]

Thankyou all of you for your suggestiosn/advice.

Another question. Should I mention in my personal statement about why I got such low grades in these classes? or should I only discuss this at the interview if the interviewer questions me about the grades?

 

[loveoforganic]

LizzyM (a school admin who posts here) generally advises not to bring up any of your negatives in the personal statement. There's a section in applications for "other" things such as this, and it's better not to call attention to it repeatedly. Your personal statement should highlight your positives.

As far as your grades, you could try to retroactively withdraw from those classes and retake them (I'm not sure how this process works), or you can just retake them. If you don't have a ton of other science classes under your belt though, you would probably need to heavily consider DO schools. DO schools will take your most recent grade for retakes, while allopathic schools will average.

 

[roseglass6370]

I'm gonna be honest. I don't think 5 C's and a D are gonna get you many acceptances if you keep them as they are.

I'd definitely retake and apply to both DO and MD schools.

Good job for trying to patch things up and improve, though. Schools always like to see strong upward trends. 👍

 

[iatros]

I f*cked up,

that's pretty much what i said.... i f*cked up pretty hard core. i withdrew from an entire semester of easy **** just cuz i didnt feel like going to class.

no need to lie. if you think lying is the way to go, maybe consider GROWING UP. you're not 5.

people f*ck up and get sidetracked. i'd say probably the vast majority of physicians personally understand this. admitting your weaknessses and learning from them is a sign of maturity.

 

[Ask]

I'm actually trying to avoid a similar situation: all advice is welcome
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=676599

 

[dingyibvs]

Not trying to be the bearer of bad news, but I don't think there are any excuses for 5 C's and a D. I mean, thats just rough, but it is good that you got an A in orgo II. Hopefully these grades haven't absolutely demolished your overall GPA and your science GPA.

I had 8 C's, 2 W's, and 1 F, in roughly that order for a nice little downtrend GPA. But I did have the MCAT score to make up for it.... I guess my point is that it isn't impossible, but you'll have to really shine in some other areas to make up for it.

 

[oaklandguy]

I had 8 C's, 2 W's, and 1 F, in roughly that order for a nice little downtrend GPA. But I did have the MCAT score to make up for it.... I guess my point is that it isn't impossible, but you'll have to really shine in some other areas to make up for it.

Very formidable MCAT 🙂 👍. You still have a manageable GPA, and your science GPA is good too. The reality is that the OP will need to either retake classes or take more classes to compensate and or make up for the grades with MCAT and EC's. It's not impossible for acceptance, you just are not putting yourself in the best position possible. Rather than justifying the grades why not work hard at something like the MCAT or EC's that would make up for the grades?

 

[dingyibvs]

Very formidable MCAT 🙂 👍. You still have a manageable GPA, and your science GPA is good too. The reality is that the OP will need to either retake classes or take more classes to compensate and or make up for the grades with MCAT and EC's. It's not impossible for acceptance, you just are not putting yourself in the best position possible. Rather than justifying the grades why not work hard at something like the MCAT or EC's that would make up for the grades?

Formidable advice, for once I agree with you

 

[CoolWhipp]

...it is actually true that my dad lost his job and I had to work, but to be honest that’s not why my grades were low...

I like the honesty. The MCAT can save you.

 

[njbmd]

What are some good ways to justify a few Cs and a D? I am an undergraduate (junior) right now and want to go to medical school. I basically did bad on these classes because I took too many credits in a semester and didn’t really ask professors for help and didn’t really push myself too hard to get good grades. Can I say financial situation of my family caused these grades. Maybe that my dad lost his job, so I had to work and go to school (it is actually true that my dad lost his job and I had to work, but to be honest that’s not why my grades were low). I got Cs in organic chem I although I got an A in orgo II. I got Cs in biology in freshmen year, C in physiology, C in microbiology, B in microbiology lab, dropped calc once, got D in calc I the next time I took it and now I am taking Calc I again and I am pretty sure that I will definetly get an A if not a B+.

So what are some good reasons for getting bad grades?

How did you justify your bad grades?

If asked about your grades in an interview, state the truth. To use valuable personal statement space to address why you showed poor judgement on multiple occasions, is not a good idea. In short, don't use your personal statement to address poor academics. One sentence that states you learned from your early academic mistakes and then move on. Anything more comes off as a whine.