Poor A&PII grade - I had mono, should I mention that?

[WannabePT25]

Hi All, I could use some advice on filling out the PTCAS application. I had a bad case of mono my 2nd semester freshman year. I missed about 3-4 weeks of school on a medical LOA and ended up getting a C in A&P II. I'm trying to answer the question "does your academic record accurately reflect your capabilities?"

On the whole I think it does but I'm guessing A&P grades are an important consideration. Should I say that I would have done much better that semester had I not missed a third of it due to illness?

Thanks for the advice!

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[starrsgirl]

I would! Maybe not specifics but just say the medical LOA part!!

 

[a7rcana]

I guess I would wonder why since it was so long ago you didn't retake the class for a higher grade - even at a community college or something. A C can be debilitating on your science GPA which is for better or worse the number one most important thing when applying to PT schools

 

[Watson27]

I would be wary about blaming a single poor grade on an illness. It would be worth mentioning if you did poorly in all your courses that semester. But if you did fine in your other classes, it could seem like a bit of an excuse. It also depends on your institution's medical leave of absence policy. Were you given extra time to complete assignments, or offered the option of taking an Incomplete for the course?

I had to withdraw from school and take a year off due to an illness. But I'm not mentioning any of that in my application. I didn't do so hot the last semester before taking time off, but I don't feel the need to blame my illness. If a program asks about it in an interview, I'd be more than happy to explain. I repeated the classes I needed to and moved on. But luckily my GPA is 3.85, so I don't think they will worry about it.

It's all personal preference though. I would die before touching the "reflect your capabilities" section and I think it's weird that anyone would. Doesn't it just draw attention to the weak parts of your transcript? But others feel it's perfectly fine to tell them about how your dog died or how you were an irresponsible party-crazed freshman or how you had to work three jobs while going to school. Whatever floats your boat.

 

[NewTestament]

Regardless the reason why you withdrew from the course, you need to retake A&P. You need to do well in both those classes. Most schools won't even look at you if you don't have at least a B in both levels. If you can't handle A&P at a community college, you definitely won't be able to handle it in graduate school.

I'm going to disagree with Watson and say you should mention your illness in your application. It might sound like an excuse, but if it's true, then write it. If you did well in your other classes, however, why did you only do poorly in A&P?

 

[WannabePT25]

Regardless the reason why you withdrew from the course, you need to retake A&P. You need to do well in both those classes. Most schools won't even look at you if you don't have at least a B in both levels. If you can't handle A&P at a community college, you definitely won't be able to handle it in graduate school.

I'm going to disagree with Watson and say you should mention your illness in your application. It might sound like an excuse, but if it's true, then write it. If you did well in your other classes, however, why did you only do poorly in A&P?

Thanks all this really does help! Granted I wish I'd asked 1 semester ago so I could retake it before I apply. So I ended up with mostly B's in my other classes that semester as I was able to make up late assignments. In A&P there's no way to make up missed labs and so that's what dragged me to a C.

I'll be taking 1-2 more classes in the fall, so here's another question: would it be worth it to retake it then? Even though I likely won't have any grade for it while I'm being considered for schools?