Not doing well in calc the first time

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nfarstad18

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Hey everyone,

This fall semester I took calc 1 on top of o chem 1 and analytical chemistry (with lab). Needless to say, I am not as good at math as I am in science - I did not do well in calc, I ended up getting a D.

I am a transfer student who will be going to the U of M, and there are some things I am worried about.

I am going to retake calc 1 over the summer as to replace that D with an A hopefully, but I'll have to sit with that D in my GPA till the summer and the D will be what shows up on my transfer application.

Has anyone else gone through the same type of situation where they did terribly in calc, and it hasn't really affected their GPA after they retake it? How big of a deal is not doing well in calc the first time? Will there be any sort of negative consequences of retaking calc?

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How far along are you in school? Are the rest of your grades good?

MD schools don't do grade replacement so they will still see the D and calculate it into your GPA. If your GPA is still otherwise solid and you do well in your classes from here on out you still have a chance if your app is strong in other areas.
 
How far along are you in school? Are the rest of your grades good?

MD schools don't do grade replacement so they will still see the D and calculate it into your GPA. If your GPA is still otherwise solid and you do well in your classes from here on out you still have a chance if your app is strong in other areas.
Why wouldn't MD school do grade replacement? If I took the class over again over the summer and got a B for instance, wouldn't the B be what is contributing to my GPA, but the D will still show up on my transcripts? My GPA before the D was a 3.90 and this D brought it to a 3.59. I will be entering the spring of my sophomore year in January.
 
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that's just how the AMCAS application calculates GPA.
if you end up with a B in calc the second time, both grades will be counted in your GPA calculation, counting as a 2.0 (C)

where for DO schools, your D will be replaced by the newest grade (in this case, B), giving you a 3.0 (B)
Why wouldn't MD school do grade replacement?
 
3.9 is awesome and 3.59 is still pretty good, I'm sure you'll be fine stats wise if you keep working hard.
Have you taken a summer class before? They have a reputation for demolishing GPAs. Unless you are 100% sure you can slay a summer calc course, I'd hold off.

that's just how the AMCAS application calculates GPA.
if you end up with a B in calc the second time, both grades will be counted in your GPA calculation, essentially giving you a C average.
Basically what they said. It is visible to AdComs and both are calculated into GPA. They will probably ask you to explain the D and ask questions about it. However as a sophomore, you have time to make lots of awesome grades and show how smart you really are.
DO schools do grade replacement. I think your GPA is still competitive for MD, though. MD schools can be kind of hard core when it comes to grade replacement. The website for one school I was looing at basically said that retaking a class and doing well will not impress them because anyone should be able o get an A in a class if they take it twice.
 
that's just how the AMCAS application calculates GPA.
if you end up with a B in calc the second time, both grades will be counted in your GPA calculation, counting as a 2.0 (C)

where for DO schools, your D will be replaced by the newest grade (in this case, B), giving you a 3.0 (B)
Oh okay, so if I were to retake it over the summer and get an A, the GPA would be recalculated for that classs as a 3.0 (B)? So if it is 5 credits, instead of using the D or the A, they would use the B to calculate how much calc affects my GPA?

Fall
O chem 1 A
A chem A
A chem lab A
Calc D

if I retook it over the summer and got

Calc A

when calculating my GPA when being considered they average the two grades I got, then use the 5 credits with that average (B)?
 
Using your example with assumed credit hours (in bold)

Right now,
your GPA is 11 * 4.0 (A) + 5 * 1.0 (D) over 16 credit hours is ~3.06
If you retake that D and got an A,
MD schools: 11 * 4.0 (A) + 5 * 1.0 (D) + 5 * 4.0 (A retake) over 21 credit hours = ~3.28 (basically average to a 2.5 and counting both, so 10 cr)
DO schools: 11 * 4.0 (A) + 5 * 4.0 (A retake) over 16 credit hours = 4.0 (replace 1.0 with 4.0, only counting 1, so 5 cr)

Fall
O chem 1 A 5 cr
A chem A 5 cr
A chem lab A 1 cr
Calc D 5 cr
 
You are also assuming you'll do well in a summer calc class. Do you feel you understand the material? Have you taken a summer class before?
 
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You are also assuming you'll do well in a summer calc class. Do you feel you understand the material? Have you taken a summer class before?
Yes I do think I understand the material, it was just this professor did a HW quiz every week on like 3 sections and I had o chem and a chem tests and stuff to worry about, so the only reason I got a D was because I didn't have the time to study for those every single week. Very frustrating and I feel like I shot myself in the foot with that D and I'm super pissed but I'm not trying to count myself out yet haha

Do you think the D was enough to count me out of certain med schools, regardless if I take it again and get an A or a B?
 
go to your schools tutor sessions; thats what helped me
 
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