Oh my god, I just got a 'D'

[VeganChick]

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I just got a 'D' in this semester's Biochemistry class. Has anyone ever gotten into vet school with this dismal grade on their transcript? I hope someone can cheer me up. I feel sick.

 

[msmrtrthnyllb]

There's always some chance you can get in with it. I'm not sure if Biochem isn't a prerequisite anywhere, but all the places where I applied required it. Moreover, everywhere said that you must have a minimum grade of a C on all prerequisities. =/

 

[chris03333]

I just got a 'D' in this semester's Biochemistry class. Has anyone ever gotten into vet school with this dismal grade on their transcript? I hope someone can cheer me up. I feel sick.

I got a F in a prereq, turned around the next quarter and got an A, so you jsut gotta retake it and don't give up!

 

[msmrtrthnyllb]

I got a F in a prereq, turned around the next quarter and got an A, so you jsut gotta retake it and don't give up!

That's definitely a possibility as far as I know Fs are concerned. I know some schools do "F forgiveness" but I've not heard of the same possibility with Ds.

 

[LynnKat]

I got a D first Semester of Freshmen year in Calc II , and later got and A in Calc and got into 4 out of 6 schools.

 

[critterfixer]

You'll just have to retake it this summer, get an A, and then have a good explanation on your VMCAS application. It's not the end of the world, but you do need to deal with it. I don't think you can apply successfully with just the D and no effort to retake the class.

So find a summer biochem class and get cracking! 🙂

 

[Sweetcaroline14]

I just got a 'D' in this semester's Biochemistry class. Has anyone ever gotten into vet school with this dismal grade on their transcript? I hope someone can cheer me up. I feel sick.

Hey VeganChick...I'm sorry to hear that! I know you are probably beating yourself up over it, but don't. I'm sure you did your absolute best, and Biochem at each college is not created equal. I took it at my undergrad, Ohio State and it was pretty easy. Go Bucs! Then years later, I took it because it had been so long here in Cali and it was unbelieveably hard, so don't think that it'll end your chances! Nope! You'll be fine. It's def. not the end of the world, but should be taken over the summer, before your new VMCAS is turned in, and get a tutor or whatever you need to make it a good A or B. I actually got into 4 schools with a flaming "F" on my transcript. I took the class over and got an A and addressed it. It truly is not the end of the world. Biochem is hard and sometimes really,really hard if you have a difficult professor, so get back in there. 👍 P.S: Go onto Amazon and look in the review section of biochem books for anything that will help you simplify the material! I find reviews on books really help me pick out good ones. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you need some help! Good Luck!

 

[DrKsomeday]

VeganChick,
So sorry to hear about the grade. It does give you a swift kick in the pants and if you are like me send you into total panic mode. However, learn from all of us on SDN and sign up to repeat it this summer. It will keep you out of consideration at most schools if you do not address it before the cut off for the next application cycle. Depending on the school that is August or the end of Fall semester, check with each school for confirmation.

PLEASE NOTE: I would never say that this crappy turn of events will define your future and you should make a point to remove the sting by doing something about it.

I would also like to suggest an online version I took through Kansas State University. It is offered this summer. Here is the link to find out more about it: https://eis.dce.ksu.edu/CreditReg/CourseSearch/

Once to the site go to the summer 08 option and then type in Biochemistry it should bring up BIOCH 521. You have the option to take this as an undergrad or a graduate course. I took it as an undergrad course, kind a wish I had done the grad part, but hind sight and all.

Anyway, the course is hard but very doable. The professor is rather nice although picky. All of the exams are take home, but don't let that fool you on their level of easy. You have to do weekly posts on random biochem topics that are insane. Lectures are video taped from a previous year so you have the PP and the teacher speaking you just sit back and watch and take notes. The prof also offers a weekly chat that you can participate in. Oh, and on your transcript it doesn't say Online Biochem it just says Biochem.

You can fix this!!! Good luck let me know if you take the course I still may have the book.

 

[zpinkpanther]

Once to the site go to the summer 08 option and then type in Biochemistry it should bring up BIOCH 521.

This will show you how great a professional I will make...

I totally just did a double-take when I saw "BIOCH 521" in your post- I thought it said "BIOTCH 521." God, I'm so immature. 🙄

Anyway, in response to VeganChick: I'm sorry about your D in biochem, but I think it'll be okay. Taking it online, like the one that DrK suggested, sounds like a good plan. Having a different professor and differently structured class may help you do better.

But also be aware that if you retake the class at a different school, it may not replace the old grade on your transcript and in your GPA. I don't know if your school will accept it as a transfer credit and erase the old grade or what. But it would still show an improvement and you'll have taken care of getting the prerequisite. I just don't know how retaking classes at other schools work; I retook one Bio class and one chem class (slacked off during freshman year 🙄), but it was the same school so they just pretty much erased the old grade and put in the new.

Well, whatever you decide to do, good luck! And don't get discouraged, we all make mistakes sometimes- what matters is what we do with them! 🙂

 

[adOggy07]

I got a F in a prereq, turned around the next quarter and got an A, so you jsut gotta retake it and don't give up!

I did the same... 😛

 

[chris03333]

That's definitely a possibility as far as I know Fs are concerned. I know some schools do "F forgiveness" but I've not heard of the same possibility with Ds.

Not a possibility...it happened. I did not get any "forgiveness" (that F is still on my transcript, and I take responsibility for it.) I just repeated the class the very next quarter and got an A. I was asked about it in a couple of my interviews, they did not have a problem with my explaination.

 

[projekt]

That's definitely a possibility as far as I know Fs are concerned. I know some schools do "F forgiveness" but I've not heard of the same possibility with Ds.

Either way, the D has to be listed on your VMCAS and will probably count in a science GPA. I can't imagine a school wouldn't let you retake the class, but they might not take the D off your official GPA. Mine did, but I still had to put low grades on the VMCAS. (And the crazy school still let me in 🙂 ).

 

[Gordo]

I just got a 'D' in this semester's Biochemistry class. Has anyone ever gotten into vet school with this dismal grade on their transcript? I hope someone can cheer me up. I feel sick.

I know how you feel. I just got my grades yesterday and ended with a D+. I am so sick to my stomach its not even funny. I dont even know were to begin. This semester was a really bad semester but there is nothing that can be done about it know. I would retake but they dont offer it over the summer and I am crammed on time. It has come to a reality that the idea of vet school is slipping away so I have looked into other graduate programs but I am afrai this grade is really going to kill me. Anyways I terrible as it sounds I am glad that some one has had to deal with this(and that I am not the only one) but on the other hand I am not becuase I know how terrible it feels. Good luck and you will be fine.

 

[VeganChick]

Thanks so much to everyone for the encouragement. I am a little bit settled down now so a lot more clear-headed about thinking about options. The school where I took the class does offer in the summer, but I have some really good opportunities for animal experience this summer that I need that time for. However, I plan on retaking it in the fall. Hopefully that will be okay on my application, but I think most schools look at fall grades before final acceptance. Or I might try the online class. In any case, thanks again and I feel for everyone else in this situation.

 

[critterfixer]

I'd reconsider taking the summer session. You want this fixed before you apply. It won't matter what the fall grades are if the schools you apply to take you out of the running on the front end. I am not trying to sound harsh, just telling you that I think it is important you take the class now. I think you can still get some valuable experience in while taking just one class. Summer sessions are usually over in just one month anyway.

 

[twelvetigers]

Yeah, this is probably more important to take care of than getting animal experience. Certainly try to balance the two, but if it comes down to one or the other... I'd pick re-taking the class. Just my opinion, though. It's true that VMCAS wants a GPA at time of application, so if the D brings you down, you'd want it to go back up again before you submitted the app at the end of September.

Edit: In case you aren't sure what we mean by "take you out of the running on the front end," I should point out that (most) schools do an initial sort by GPA/GRE. So a lower GPA could get you in the "pbbt" pile. And they wouldn't look at the rest of your application at all. Of course, maybe your GPA is still pretty good and you wouldn't need to worry about it - that might be a different situation.

 

[chris03333]

Yeah, this is probably more important to take care of than getting animal experience. Certainly try to balance the two, but if it comes down to one or the other... I'd pick re-taking the class. Just my opinion, though. It's true that VMCAS wants a GPA at time of application, so if the D brings you down, you'd want it to go back up again before you submitted the app at the end of September.

Edit: In case you aren't sure what we mean by "take you out of the running on the front end," I should point out that (most) schools do an initial sort by GPA/GRE. So a lower GPA could get you in the "pbbt" pile. And they wouldn't look at the rest of your application at all. Of course, maybe your GPA is still pretty good and you wouldn't need to worry about it - that might be a different situation.

Actually most schools will cut you out even without looking at you total GPA, because you did not pass a prereq (not sure about them considering you having it listed as a fall class to take). In my situation, it was my first quarter in college, and I had repeated the class long before applying.

 

[LynnKat]

My class was also first quarter freshmen year, but I didn't repeat it until the fall I applied and it wasn't a problem. I think it was only a prereq for one or two schools though (I got into them), and I technically failed a level beyond the pre-req (Basic Calc; I got the D in Calc 2), but I placed in from high school, so that was the only College Calc I had. Also I didn't apply to Vet School straight from undergrad. You might be okay, but taking the class at your college might be your best bet, because you'll show you can definitely do the work at the same level.

 

[adOggy07]

Let me explain my situation... to give you some hope! I got a C in first semester of o-chem at a community college... I went onto second semester of o-chem with a really shaky foundation (also not a very mature student at the time) and ended up getting an F. I was so frustrated that I actually asked him to change my first semester grade (same teacher) to an F so that I could just retake the entire o-chem series. Well, I didn't retake the series at the community college as I just barely scraped by in terms of transferring. Stupid idea on my part to ask him to do that unless I planned to stay another year at community college... which I didn't. OY!

I finally transferred to Cal Poly and got my butt into gear. Took the entire o-chem series there (this time in quarters and not semesters).. got a B, A, A.

Once I transferred I was definitely a more motivated student and had a 3.8 GPA at Cal Poly. But because of my poor grades from community college, my overall GPA was a 3.3. I was still able to raise it though... I was at Cal Poly for 2 years.. and I raised my overall GPA from a 2.7 to a 3.3.

I used the "explanation section" of my VMCAS application to explain how I matured as a student... This was my first app cycle for vet school. I applied to 8 schools, interviewed at 3 and was accepted at 2.

So definitely keep your hopes up!! If I made it, you can make it too! I hope that gives you some hope and lifts your spirits up a little! 🙂

 

[Pennvet]

I dropped Biochem before ever going to a class, then found out at the end of the semester that my name was still on the roster. My prof. wouldn't let me drop, and I pulled a miracle D-. Took it again and got a B+.

Bottom line, you need to retake the class and do well.

 

[VAgirl]

VeganChick, I'm sorry to hear about your Biochem issue. 🙁 That's really hard. I just wanted to offer another thought on the matter. While I agree that it would be tricky to apply with the D in Biochem while retaking it in the fall (putting you posssibly on shakier ground in the first cycle of admissions), I'm not sure launching straight into it this summer is necessarily the answer, either. If you know what went wrong for you, have a solid plan, and know that you can attack the class and pull out an A this time, then great, go for it.

But the downside is that 1) summer classes start soon (giving you not very much time to re-evaluate why the class went poorly for you, how to fix it for next time, etc.) and 2) summer classes are generally faster paced than Fall or Spring courses, perhaps adding additional complications if you're struggling with the material.

Not trying to be negative. This is just my 2 cents saying be sure you know what your game plan is to ace the course next time around. If the next time you can take the course is happening too soon for you to be able to identify and fix what was wrong the first time, then I think you'd be doing yourself a disservice to just jump into it anyway.

 

[Moonpaw]

I dropped Biochem before ever going to a class, then found out at the end of the semester that my name was still on the roster. My prof. wouldn't let me drop, and I pulled a miracle D-. Took it again and got a B+.

Bottom line, you need to retake the class and do well.

Wow...I'm sorry that happened to you. I can't believe the professor wouldn't let you drop the class!

 

[VeganChick]

I really wish I could take it "in person" this summer, but in my case, the experience is pretty important too. One of the Directors of Admission, after I was turned down, told me that I really need to expand my animal experience from small animal and I am going to be able to do that, so...

But, I am going to take that online course, so much thanks for pointing it out, DrKsomeday! Question though...why do you wish you had taken the graduate instead of the undergraduate version? Aren't they the same (except for the cost?)

Hope springs eternal!!

 

[sheep girl]

Do you have an IS school? I would think a D would hurt more if you were applying to OS schools. But, I got in 4 out of the 4 schools I applied to with an F in Organic II WITHOUT retaking the class... But that was one of the four classes that I took that I had anything lower than an A (including undergrad and graduate school). Good luck>

 

[JustCats]

I just found out I got a C in O. Chem II. 🙁 Plus, I'm a non-traditional student (post-Bac pre-Vet), so while many people get their O. Chem grade as a sophomore, I will be applying to vet school this fall so it will be a really fresh C. Anyway, I know exactly how you feel. I can't decide whether to retake over the summer or just retake it if I don't get accepted this time around. Any advice would be appreciated.

I have a BA and an MBA, both with over a 3.9 gpa. But my science gpa (which is all post-bac work) is more like a 3.3 I think. I'm not positive. I'm scared to factor this C in and see what happens.

 

[critterfixer]

Justcats, I had a C in both semesters of Organic. Those were my only C's and I, too, wrestled with whether I wanted to retake it. But I believe most schools will not substitute the grade, even if you retake it, if you earned at least a C.

I just wrote something on my VMCAS about how I figured out what I needed to do differently and obviously mastered the material because I earned A's in Biochem and Cell and Molec, both of which required a good grasp of Organic. My last 45 units were all A's, so I never really looked back after the semester from hell (organic with physics was a really stupid idea) I got into 3 schools, so I say take the C and then just kick butt next semester in your science classes.

For the record, I am very non-traditional, at 42. 🙂

 

[DrKsomeday]

I really wish I could take it "in person" this summer, but in my case, the experience is pretty important too. One of the Directors of Admission, after I was turned down, told me that I really need to expand my animal experience from small animal and I am going to be able to do that, so...

But, I am going to take that online course, so much thanks for pointing it out, DrKsomeday! Question though...why do you wish you had taken the graduate instead of the undergraduate version? Aren't they the same (except for the cost?)

Hope springs eternal!!

The only reason I wish I'd done the graduate version is now I am applying to grad schools and it would be nice to carry this credit with me to grad school. The grad version just adds on a more technical final paper (if memory serves).

However, in your case and probable in my own if I thought about it awhile, the course needs to be an undergrad level to count as a pre-requisite typically. To be certain check with the vet schools.

Let me know if you have questions about the course, need the book, etc…

GOOD LUCK!

 

[VAgirl]

However, in your case and probable in my own if I thought about it awhile, the course needs to be an undergrad level to count as a pre-requisite typically. To be certain check with the vet schools.

I took graduate biochem and it counted. One of the courses from my masters also counted as my microbio, so grad courses do count. (Though, it's always a good idea to call the schools you'll apply to just to double check.)

 

[futrdvm]

I'd reconsider taking the summer session. You want this fixed before you apply. It won't matter what the fall grades are if the schools you apply to take you out of the running on the front end. I am not trying to sound harsh, just telling you that I think it is important you take the class now. I think you can still get some valuable experience in while taking just one class. Summer sessions are usually over in just one month anyway.

i tend to agree... i was denied admission my first round, then i called and asked what i could do to improve my chances and turn in a stronger application. aside from not giving a clear answer on the "what do you want to do as a vet" (which i think is a little unfair anyway because we have 4 years to decide and change our minds, but i digress), the only other compaint that the admissions committee had was that they'd like to see me retake biochem and get a higher grade. i got a "c" the first time and with 3 majors didn't have the time to re-take it at the time. my other science grades were high enough that it didn't affect my gpa very much, but they wanted to see the EFFORT, not necessarily the result. i decided to make vet school a priority and take it over the summer and i got in to my very first choice thanks to a better grade the second time around.
if i'd have known then what i know now, i'd have re-taken it right away and not had to wait an additional cycle to start school.

 

[lailanni]

I just want to chime in and say don't worry, you're not screwed. Biochem can be a huge pain in the arse, but you can do it.

I was doing about average in my 2nd qtr of biochem. It was a huge class, 550ish people (down from 600+ the first qtr). Pretty much everyone was pre-med, pre-dent, etc. So it definately wasn't a pansy class.

After I had my interview, I was told I needed to get a 3.0 or higher in any remaining pre-reqs (just biochem for me) or they could withdraw the admissions offer 😱

That really freaked me out, since I was doing around average and average is set to 2.6-2.8 at my school. Despite my good GPA and science GPA, just get below 3.0 in this one biochem and bye-bye vet school (they would let me retake it over the summer, but I had it up to *here* with biochem and just didn't want to see it anymore. Stupid, stupid rule.

Anyhoo, so I really had to crank up the biochem. I got an awesome study partner - who I actually found on SDN. (Thanks CwazyCatLady! 😀 You rock!!) I was studying 30-40 hrs a week just doing biochem. I probably made great progess on an ulcer too. But I got above a 3.0, all is well, and I have a passionate dislike for biochem. It can be done!

And if you search this forum there's a thread about helpful ways to study biochem. Good tips!

So do not worry, you can do it. It can take a lot of time and effort but it is certainly possible. And as others have suggested, I would recommend re-taking it over the summer.

Biochem haters unite! (Yeah, I suppose it's cool and interesting, but putting that much pressure on just that one class made me never want to hear about amino acids ever again)