Organic Chemistry Lab Grade

[rchaudh3]

I took Organic Chemistry 1 this last semester (with the lab) and received a D in the lecture component and a C- in the lab. I am re-registered for the lecture, but am wondering if it is really necessary to re-take the lab. While I understand re-taking it and getting any grade above the C- would be good, I'm wondering if I can focus all of my attention on getting a much better grade in the lecture and then doing well in the Organic Chemistry 2 lecture/lab, or if that would hinder my application prospects down the line.

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[Jdp00921]

I'm pretty sure most medical schools (if not all) require pre-reqs to be completed with a C or better. A C- is not sufficient, therefore, I'm thinking you would have to retake it. Do your own research as well, but I'm 99% sure that essentially every school I applied to wanted C and above. Now, I do remember some school websites specifying that a C- is not sufficient and some websites made no mention of this, but when I see C or better, I would think a C- isn't enough.

 

[RedPanda55]

Retake both.

 

[Force Healer]

I'm pretty sure most medical schools (if not all) require pre-reqs to be completed with a C or better. A C- is not sufficient, therefore, I'm thinking you would have to retake it. Do your own research as well, but I'm 99% sure that essentially every school I applied to wanted C and above. Now, I do remember some school websites specifying that a C- is not sufficient and some websites made no mention of this, but when I see C or better, I would think a C- isn't enough.

Where could one find the scale med schools use to convert 4.0-scale grades to letter grades? Thanks!

 

[SouthernGent]

Retake both. Most schools will specify on their website C or better.

 

[Sharknad0]

Remember this, since you're retaking the class med schools expect you to get an A. An A won't impress them, it'll make them think "good, he took it again and got what we expected him to."

 

[Jdp00921]

Where could one find the scale med schools use to convert 4.0-scale grades to letter grades? Thanks!

Honestly I'm not entirely sure; I'm sure a Google search would yield something useful though. I never really thought of converting from a 4.0-scale to letter grades, but only vice versa. I believe I'm correct in saying that an A is usually a 4.0, A- is a 3.6666, B+ is a 3.3333, B is a 3.0, B- is a 2.6666, C+ is a 2.3333, C is a 2.0, etc. Obviously, some schools do not have minus (-) grades and *maybe* some do not have + or -'s? I don't know for sure. I know of one school that had no minus (-) grades and therefore, their scale went: A = 4.0, B+ = 3.5, B = 3.0, etc.

Hope that helped at least a little bit!

 

[rdyotz]

The most common breakdown is, to put (+) as .3, and (-) as .7. IE: A+ is a 4.0 (exception to the rule). A would also be 4.0, and A- would be 3.7. B+ is 3.3, B is 3.0, B- is 2.7, etc... However, I am unsure if AMCAS requires you to change grades from a number (4.0, 3.9, etc) to a letter grade, as they just convert things to a number/GPA anyways. If they do, then I am unsure how say a 3.9 would work, as it is better than an A-, but lower than an A.

AMCAS Grade Conversion Chart

 

[chemphysicsinstructor]

I took Organic Chemistry 1 this last semester (with the lab) and received a D in the lecture component and a C- in the lab. I am re-registered for the lecture, but am wondering if it is really necessary to re-take the lab. While I understand re-taking it and getting any grade above the C- would be good, I'm wondering if I can focus all of my attention on getting a much better grade in the lecture and then doing well in the Organic Chemistry 2 lecture/lab, or if that would hinder my application prospects down the line.

Here is my advice: Retake the lecture and lab. You want to show the admissions committee that you can do the work and have mastered the material. In the winter (or summer) break before Organic Chemistry 2 starts, I would recommend pre-studying the material so that you have an edge (relative to the other students who are seeing the material for the first time). This last sentence is one of the major separators of successful vs. un-successful students.