Need some advice on a retake.

[moldovanits]

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My issue is i took a gen chem 1 course back in 2006. got a C grade. wasnt too happy so i recently retook it and got a B in lecture and B in lab. Now i have a similar case. i also got a C in Gen chem 2. should i retake Gen chem 2?
I got a B in ochem 1 and a B in ochem 2. c in physics 1 and an A in physics 2 etc..Please advice is needed opinions are appreciated!

 

[JaggerPlate]

My issue is i took a gen chem 1 course back in 2006. got a C grade. wasnt too happy so i recently retook it and got a B in lecture and B in lab. Now i have a similar case. i also got a C in Gen chem 2. should i retake Gen chem 2?
I got a B in ochem 1 and a B in ochem 2. c in physics 1 and an A in physics 2 etc..Please advice is needed opinions are appreciated!

In my opinion you should only really retake C- and lower, and make sure you get A's. I don't think going from a C to a B shows enough of an improvement to demonstrate to med schools that the grade was a fluke and that you can ace the material. Make up for these grades by doing well in similar upper div courses/nailing the material on the MCAT. Trust me, you are not alone ... there are a TON of classes I know I could do much better in now, but I don't want to basically retake pre-med, ya know.

 

[moldovanits]

In my opinion you should only really retake C- and lower, and make sure you get A's. I don't think going from a C to a B shows enough of an improvement to demonstrate to med schools that the grade was a fluke and that you can ace the material. Make up for these grades by doing well in similar upper div courses/nailing the material on the MCAT. Trust me, you are not alone ... there are a TON of classes I know I could do much better in now, but I don't want to basically retake pre-med, ya know.

still a b is better than a c...

 

[Powdermonkey]

still a b is better than a c...

Right, but it wont help your gpa as much as you think, especially when you start accumulating hours as a junior and senior. I finished with a 3.2 in engineering, took at least 20 more hours to finish my pre reqs, made an A in them all and raised my gpa a few tenths. So its just not really worth it unless you have either all Cs, or a C- or less as Jagger said. But if all your grades are that low... how hard are you really trying?

 

[gasapple]

Put it this way, if you have the time I say do it - especially if you are preparing for the MCAT. The extra chem exposure can't hurt and you'll be raising your GPA. Caveat: I'd only seriously consider it if the 'A' is possible. If you slide into that B, no big deal but obviously time not as well spent.

 

[slim78]

I got a C in my first semester of O-Chem so I retook it and got a B+.

No one ever asked me about it and I got accepted to a couple of places.
I wouldn't make a habit of doing this though (that was my only retake).

 

[moldovanits]

I got a C in my first semester of O-Chem so I retook it and got a B+.

No one ever asked me about it and I got accepted to a couple of places.
I wouldn't make a habit of doing this though (that was my only retake).

Thank for the response!

 

[RockfordWF]

My issue is i took a gen chem 1 course back in 2006. got a C grade. wasnt too happy so i recently retook it and got a B in lecture and B in lab. Now i have a similar case. i also got a C in Gen chem 2. should i retake Gen chem 2?
I got a B in ochem 1 and a B in ochem 2. c in physics 1 and an A in physics 2 etc..Please advice is needed opinions are appreciated!

As said above, don't waste your time retaking C's. Use that time to study for the MCAT or take an advanced course that will prepare you for medical school, such as human physiology, genetics, biochemistry, or microbiology.

 

[aliDO]

I had to retake some C's (three) to get my gpa up. I didn't have anything lower than that to retake but my gpa was still 2.9 and I wanted to be over 3.0 I don't know your gpa and what retaking chem II would do for it, but do not retake unless you will get an A. Medical schools know it's easier the second time and the rule of thumb is you need at least two letter grades of improvement or you really haven't done much better. Keep in mind that they see your transcripts, not just the gpa.

 

[NAVYLABTECH08]

You got B's in Orgo, but C's in iorganic chem. HoW??? My thing was to not get a C in any basic science prereq. I said that until my hell last semester ending with a C in physics. After that hard non-curving, non-formula sheet, not-sympathy teacher, I don't wanna retake it.

#1: Retake if your science GPA is < 3.0.
#2: Retake 1 or 2 classes is your have liek 4/8 Cs.

 

[RockfordWF]

You got B's in Orgo, but C's in iorganic chem. HoW??? My thing was to not get a C in any basic science prereq. I said that until my hell last semester ending with a C in physics. After that hard non-curving, non-formula sheet, not-sympathy teacher, I don't wanna retake it.

#1: Retake if your science GPA is < 3.0.
#2: Retake 1 or 2 classes is your have liek 4/8 Cs.

Orgo is easy---it's just basic memorization (no math or calculations.)

Inorganic is much more difficult, because it requires both a memorization of formulas AND the ability to make complex calculations.

I got an A in organic and a C in inorganic. I also got a C in physics, because I HATE MATH.

***Being that this is the pre-DO forum, it is much more important to get some medical experience and do well in other courses than spend time retaking classes----unless of course your GPA starts with a 2***