need some advice from med school students...

[aye]

i did not do very well during my sophomore year of college. i got a handful of C's. some people tell me that i should retake the class and others tell me that i should take a higher level course and do well in there.

i'm asking you as med school students what you think since you've been through the whole app process.... which one should i do??? btw here's my grades from sophomore year... don't laugh too hard... thanks and any info would be much appreciated!!!

Fall:
Genetics - C
Orgo I - B
Orgo I Lab - C
Physics I - C

Spring:
Orgo II - C
Orgo II Lab - C
Physics II - B
Cell Bio - W

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[mpp]

I think it is up to you. If you feel that you can do well in other upper level classes, then take those. If you feel you can retake the classes for which you received a 'C' and can get an 'A' then do that. If you think you might not be able to get an 'A' then I wouldn't retake any classes. It would look much worse to get a 'C' and then a 'B' or 'C' on a retake then to just leave the 'C'. The admissions committees at allopathic schools will see all your grades including grades for classes that you retake (I don't think that is the case with osteopathic schools). I would leave the classes for which you received 'B' as is...do not retake those.

 

[Diogenes]

I don't want to be a prick, but are you going to be able to get better grades during your junior/senior years? I think you need to be honest with yourself. Are you planning on taking more time to graduate, taking summer classes, or taking an overloaded schedule -- how will you retake these courses? And will you really do better while also doing better in the courses you are taking for the first time? I'm not trying to be sarcastic here -- these are serious questions that only you can answer, and you need to be honest with yourself -- don't answer how you want it to be, answer how you honestly predict it will be. That will tell you what to do.

 

[DoubleDoctor]

How did you let this go on. You obviously had problems in O Chem Lab and lecture first semester and then we didn't improve any second semester. Did you go to the profs for extra help or get a tutor or join a study group? If not then you should have done all of this. If you did, and still couldn't pull your grades up then there is a problem somewhere. Did you have a solid gen'l chem foundation before you started O Chem? Is something going on in your personal life? Did you socialize too much? There is more to the story than you are presenting so it's hard to give advice. Sometimes, it's just hard to get in the groove of college. I had a friend that had similar problems so he took a couple of years off and did a little growing up and made great grades when he went back to school. If you've been out of school for a while, then maybe you should just ease yourself back by taking some easier classes until you get used to it again. Good luck!!

You also may want to buy the answer books (I know a lot of Chem and Physics series sell the solution guides to the problems at the end of the chapter and back of the book. Do all the problems yourself first then check your answers with the answer guide so that you know you are doing it correctly before test time.

I second the suggestion that you only retake the courses if you are sure that you can get A's the next time. Nothing looks worse to med schools than a pattern of mediocre grades.

 

[great north]

Firstly, doubledoctor's post touchs on some very important issues which you must consider and reflect on. My first year in engineering was a disaster as I lacked university level calculus and physics and the engineering courses were needless to say consequently very difficult for me... I only survived by the aid of a tutor/mentor/dear friend/genius in mathematics who had to teach me calculus from the basics while my engineering mathematics class was moving on to triple integrals...while I survived my cGPA was so dessimated that to bring in back to a level of respectability took years, and still while doing well in the subsequent years I was refused an acceptance everywhere I applied as that first year was never overlooked. Please do not allow this to dishearten you, perhaps you shall be more fortunate.

Most of the courses that you listed are mainly problem solving courses and you must adapt to analytical thinking and problem solving. Questions, questions and questions done and answers checked ARE A MUST, and you must understand underlying theories. GET OLD EXAMS, from your faculty of science student union or other sources and practice these questions after you have understood the theory. Not that these exact same questions will appear again; however, at least you will see HOW questions are asked and you can practice your problem solving skills while timing yourself...preparing for exams is like preparing for a battle...generally (no-pun intended) during the all important mid-terms and finals you don't have time to think and ponder the universe of the theory required to put down the correct answer...all that thinking MUST be done before the exam. Also in doing many high quality questions you will catch silly errors you may make and be able to flag them such that when you are doing your exam you shall be able to recall to be cautious at this or that step as you know where you tend to make errors.

As far as retaking certain classes...only if it will strengthen your foundation otherwise you may repeat the same errors...difficult to say