Pass/Fail Organic Chem 5 years ago - retaking a course

[historystudent]

I completed my bachelor's degree in 2006 and majored in bioethics, also completing the requirements for biology. My senior year, I decided that I did not want to pursue a premed track and decided that to complete the final biology requirement - one semester of organic chemistry - I would take it pass/fail.

Five years, later, I remember none of the organic chemistry material and am retaking it (and will later take 2nd semester organic chemistry). My question is - if I apply to an MD program, am I going to be docked for having taken organic chem 5 years ago pass/fail? I do not remember the material from that long ago, and I wasn't even considering premed then. Any help would be greatly appreciated!!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Lefty Doodle]

I am no expert but I really doubt you should be worrying about this. We all have things we would have done differently if we'd "known" but we didn't. I got a B in Bio I 7 years ago, retook it just now, got an A+ (I didn't remember anything so I felt the need to retake it) and I'm not too worried about what they think about what I did in the past.

 

[drimpossible]

You cannot take any MD pre-reqs pass/fail if I recall correctly.

As for a retake, I took Gen Chemistry I twice (once at a CC, once at top post bacc program - the difference in the two courses was significant). It's on my transcript/AMCAS app, and it hasn't come up in an interview so far. I'm not sure that this alone will hurt you.

Good luck!

 

[mspeedwagon]

I was basically in exactly your shoes and called up a number of schools and was told "You cannot take any pre-reqs pass/fail. We would require you to re-take o-chem I for a grade." And that is exactly what I did and am glad I did because I would have failed o-chem II taking it off the bat since I barely remembered how to name a compound.