Post-Acceptance Undergrad Grades

[Semicolon]

Hey,

I just recently decided where I'll be going, so my mind started wandering to other things I might need to worry about.

Ever since I got my first acceptance in November, I have been desperately fighting the notoriously strong feeling of "senioritis". I know that all schools want you to send them your transcripts (with bachelor's degree conferral) in order to be properly matriculated.

To what extent will schools look at the grades you've received in classes AFTER you have been already accepted? Has anyone been in a situation where their acceptance had been taken from them due to worse grades? If so, how much worse?

I certainly don't plan on doing worse in my classes, but now that I have my acceptance, and senioritis is taking its toll, I'm paranoid about keeping it! Thanks!

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[Chocolate Bear]

C's in everything should keep you safe. At least you have to get C's in all pre reqs. They might not care about non pre reqs, but I personally wouldn't risk it for myself.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

I would think that as long as you got C's or better in any remaining prereqs and graduated, you'd be ok. That said, however, different schools are likely to have differing standards on this, so I would scour your acceptance materials for any additional details on the subject. I know that my UMDNJ materials essentially said that as long as you got Cs in the prereqs and graduated with a bachelor's degree you would be fine.

 

[Semicolon]

I would think that as long as you got C's or better in any remaining prereqs and graduated, you'd be ok. That said, however, different schools are likely to have differing standards on this, so I would scour your acceptance materials for any additional details on the subject. I know that my UMDNJ materials essentially said that as long as you got Cs in the prereqs and graduated with a bachelor's degree you would be fine.

Nothing in my acceptance materials (from either of three schools I was accepted to) stated anything about classes, except for the pre-req requirement, which I have already completed, so I was just wondering.

But really? Just C's? I was expecting AT LEAST B's or above. I figured that if they suddenly saw C's they'd start rethinking their decision, lol. I guess I'm just thinking too far into this.

Thanks for the replies, guys.

 

[engineeredout]

Your best bet is to probably study somewhat without doing the usual anal premed stuff. Shoot for Bs cause you don't want to be shooting for Cs but end up doing worse in a class than you thought.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

Oh yeah, you should also check the secondary application pages. You may have signed a page that includes performance requirements.

Also, check the technical standards form that you may have already signed. If not, they're sometimes online.

 

[dozitgetchahi]

Plus you have another semester to do better if things slide a bit too far anyway. I had lots of issues with profs not wanting to reschedule tests that coincided with my interview days, necessitating my withdrawal from two classes this semester. I'm not overly worried given that the classes weren't prerequisites, but still.

Get nothing lower than a C and I think you'll be absolutely fine. I don't see how any school could argue that by getting a C or two you haven't been "maintaining your performance" given that many of us have received a smattering of Cs throughout our undergraduate tenure...

 

[Semicolon]

Plus you have another semester to do better if things slide a bit too far anyway. I had lots of issues with profs not wanting to reschedule tests that coincided with my interview days, necessitating my withdrawal from two classes this semester. I'm not overly worried given that the classes weren't prerequisites, but still.

Get nothing lower than a C and I think you'll be absolutely fine. I don't see how any school could argue that by getting a C or two you haven't been "maintaining your performance" given that many of us have received a smattering of Cs throughout our undergraduate tenure...

You're right; I didn't think about it like that. I guess I have nothing to worry about.

Might as well try to relax and enjoy my year before med school.

I hope I'm not the only one suffering from senioritis, lol.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I hope I'm not the only one suffering from senioritis, lol.

There's an outbreak around this time each year.

 

[213965]

What about 4 C's in a grad program (SMP)? I'm going to be out of town a lot this quarter and with an exam every other week or so this may very well be the outcome. Or would it be better to just withdraw from the program at this point?

I know several of you who've posted on this thread have been accepted to one if not multiple places. Do any of your letters stipulate having to finish your (advanced) degree before matriculating, or just to have a bachelor's, to be specific?

Also, does it just say "pass" for all the classes, without any contingency of being subject for review again if receiving more than 1 C?

Thanks.

 

[Semicolon]

From what I've seen in my acceptance materials, they only state that a Bachelor's degree (or baccalaureate, if you will) is required before matriculation. I don't think you need to finish any further degrees, no.

And the most specific requirements I've seen in terms of classes is to get "C or above" in the pre-reqs. I assume you'd still need to pass all your classes.

If CBear and dozitgetchahi are right, then some C's shouldn't hurt you. But this is an SMP you're talking about, and I specifically asked about undergrad, so I really don't know.

Good luck!

 

[rkaz]

From what I've seen in my acceptance materials, they only state that a Bachelor's degree (or baccalaureate, if you will) is required before matriculation. I don't think you need to finish any further degrees, no.
Good luck!

I'm completing an MPH program, and have had some secondary applications that state that final transcripts need to be sent before matriculation. One school I interviewed at told me that if I get accepted, it will be a conditional acceptance pending final transcripts showing that my MPH is complete. I don't know if the same is required of other post-bacc programs or not, but for my master's, some schools require me to have obtained my graduate degree before matriculating. So walking away from my graduate program really isn't an option.

 

[scpod]

Somewhere, maybe in the school catalog or hanbook, there is a little line that says something like "acceptancesd are conditional on maintaining excellent academic standing." It doesn't have to be explicitly written on something you have signed because you agreed to follow school academic policies when you signed your acceptance.

You know that students can pull out of any school right up until the last moment...well, the school can do the same thing to you. It's a two-way street, and in academic matters they always trump you.

I know people who have had acceptances withdrawn due to poor academic performance after acceptance. They ask for your final transcripts just to make sure that you don't give up and quit on things. If you have a 3.5 GPA and make all C's in your last semester, many schools will take that as a sign that you don't have the motivation to continue i medicine. Why? Because you will NEVER be able to stop studying as a doctor. Yoiu have CME's every year and have to re-take board certification examss in many fields.

That said, it is a very rare thing to have happen-- very, very rare. But, if your GPA is in the lower range and a bunch of C's pulls it down low enough....it could happen.

 

[213965]

Good to know. Thank you.

 

[Flushot]

I figured that you'd want to do as well as you can without the neuroticism like people have suggested. I know that even though it might not matter now, pumping out Cs would still hurt to see personally.

Somewhere, maybe in the school catalog or hanbook, there is a little line that says something like "acceptancesd are conditional on maintaining excellent academic standing." It doesn't have to be explicitly written on something you have signed because you agreed to follow school academic policies when you signed your acceptance.

You know that students can pull out of any school right up until the last moment...well, the school can do the same thing to you. It's a two-way street, and in academic matters they always trump you.

I know people who have had acceptances withdrawn due to poor academic performance after acceptance. They ask for your final transcripts just to make sure that you don't give up and quit on things. If you have a 3.5 GPA and make all C's in your last semester, many schools will take that as a sign that you don't have the motivation to continue i medicine. Why? Because you will NEVER be able to stop studying as a doctor. Yoiu have CME's every year and have to re-take board certification examss in many fields.

That said, it is a very rare thing to have happen-- very, very rare. But, if your GPA is in the lower range and a bunch of C's pulls it down low enough....it could happen.

Good post...you still have time in between your Surgical rotation? It must be tough! Thanks for stopping by

 

[thriftnuh]

What about 4 C's in a grad program (SMP)? I'm going to be out of town a lot this quarter and with an exam every other week or so this may very well be the outcome. Or would it be better to just withdraw from the program at this point?

I know several of you who've posted on this thread have been accepted to one if not multiple places. Do any of your letters stipulate having to finish your (advanced) degree before matriculating, or just to have a bachelor's, to be specific?

Also, does it just say "pass" for all the classes, without any contingency of being subject for review again if receiving more than 1 C?

Thanks.

I'm also in a SMP and was wondering if my acceptance was based on my getting the Masters. I emailed the dean and he said that my acceptance was not conditional on getting the degree - however at the Texas DO, a friend of mine in the program was told he had to get the masters degree....so if you're wondering, better to ask.

 

[Chocolate Bear]

I'm also in a SMP and was wondering if my acceptance was based on my getting the Masters. I emailed the dean and he said that my acceptance was not conditional on getting the degree - however at the Texas DO, a friend of mine in the program was told he had to get the masters degree....so if you're wondering, better to ask.

This is a great point. Very true. Many MD schools say that you have to complete your current degree program.

 

[Flushot]

I'm also in a SMP and was wondering if my acceptance was based on my getting the Masters. I emailed the dean and he said that my acceptance was not conditional on getting the degree - however at the Texas DO, a friend of mine in the program was told he had to get the masters degree....so if you're wondering, better to ask.

I think TCOM makes you finish their own SMP; I'm not sure about other ones. I would definitely contact the program before you go running for the hills after an acceptance.

 

[scpod]

....you still have time in between your Surgical rotation? It must be tough!....

Haha...sometimes it is. Wanna know how my half-day went Wednesday? Started pre-rounding on ICU patients at 6:45am. Got to the office at 9:30 and saw 15 patients before 11:30. Had lunch at the hospital and started rounding on the 18 patients we had admitted. The ED called for consults three times during rounds, so we saw those patients-- all needed to go the OR. We didn't get an OR room until after 5PM. After a perforated bowel, where we dug around pulling handfuls of feces out of the abdomen, an incercerated hernia that went pretty quick and a lap appy that we converted to open because the appendix fell apart when we touched it.....walked out of the OR after 11pm and there were two more new consults in the ED. This was on a day where I was hoping to get the afternoon off...haha! Up pretty much all night, then, we started all over again at 6:45 the next day.

 

[tdittyx2x3]

Haha...sometimes it is. Wanna know how my half-day went Wednesday? Started pre-rounding on ICU patients at 6:45am. Got to the office at 9:30 and saw 15 patients before 11:30. Had lunch at the hospital and started rounding on the 18 patients we had admitted. The ED called for consults three times during rounds, so we saw those patients-- all needed to go the OR. We didn't get an OR room until after 5PM. After a perforated bowel, where we dug around pulling handfuls of feces out of the abdomen, an incercerated hernia that went pretty quick and a lap appy that we converted to open because the appendix fell apart when we touched it.....walked out of the OR after 11pm and there were two more new consults in the ED. This was on a day where I was hoping to get the afternoon off...haha! Up pretty much all night, then, we started all over again at 6:45 the next day.

God this is gonna be so much fun.

The whole feces in the abdomen and split appy don't sound peachy tho. They must have put those patients on crazy antibiotics afterwards.

 

[Flushot]

Haha...sometimes it is. Wanna know how my half-day went Wednesday? Started pre-rounding on ICU patients at 6:45am. Got to the office at 9:30 and saw 15 patients before 11:30. Had lunch at the hospital and started rounding on the 18 patients we had admitted. The ED called for consults three times during rounds, so we saw those patients-- all needed to go the OR. We didn't get an OR room until after 5PM. After a perforated bowel, where we dug around pulling handfuls of feces out of the abdomen, an incercerated hernia that went pretty quick and a lap appy that we converted to open because the appendix fell apart when we touched it.....walked out of the OR after 11pm and there were two more new consults in the ED. This was on a day where I was hoping to get the afternoon off...haha! Up pretty much all night, then, we started all over again at 6:45 the next day.

Wow, that sounds relentless...what keeps you going? Coffee? Redbull?

Also, what happened in between lunch and waiting for the OR? Did you just round again?

Sorry for being OT so, I'll bring it back.


The SMP is variable, but I know that at AZCOM (where I am doing my SMP), they don't care if you leave the program if you are accepted midway. When I interviewed there back in Sept, my interviewers didn't even know I was in the program (it was on my secondary), although I made sure to tell them during the interview.

Several people in my program have made arrangements to leave after their acceptances, so they probably made sure.

As for undergrad, you never know what could happen. I regret my first 2 academic years in undergrad, so even if it was settled before I graduated, I'd still try to do the best I could.

 

[ModernChemistry]

It's the last month of classes, so I thought it'd be nice to resurface this topic.

Dealing with an annoying bio class and this is very related to my interests.

Everyone else doin ok?

 

[coffeeeandtea]

a month and a half (approximately) left to go until graduation, and apparently i've come down with a severe case of senioritis... luckily i only have one more pre-req to finish and all the other classes i'm taking are just requirements to graduate with my major... eagerly counting down the days till i don't have to deal with these classes anymore

 

[Bacchus]

It's the last month of classes, so I thought it'd be nice to resurface this topic.

Dealing with an annoying bio class and this is very related to my interests.

Everyone else doin ok?

I just about failed an exam in a 400 level biology class. I'm hauling ass to stay afloat in it. PCOM says to maintain the same academic level of performance so I'm scared to get all C's. Sigh.

 

[Semicolon]

I'm still suffering from senioritis. I can't focus at all on my classes, but I still seem to be doing pretty well. Just hoping that nothing goes horribly wrong and bites me in the ass.

Through every european culture and native american lecture I can't help but daydream about med school and how none of what I'm currently learning has anything whatsoever to do with the rest of my life. Damn this American education system.

However, at least cell bio is keeping my mind on the sciences.

 

[Dissected]

Senioritis is kicking my ASS.

I can't focus.

Its getting worse by the day.

Must.....finish...

 

[StrivingSurge13]

Well I'm glad I saw this thread. I just got accepted at Lecom Seton Hill, and although I am not sure of their exact standards, after reading through this thread I feel pretty safe. I'm in a master's program now (smp sort of thing) and havent even sent in my first semester grades for it (A-, B+, 2 B's) and so I got accepted based off my undergrad coursework... However, personally I can't help to feel bad this semester with my grades. Mainly because I feel I've been slacking off in the extreme. But even still worse case scenario I'll have 1 C, and 3 B's and I was getting paranoid about it. But I suppose if I get over the personal disappointment and just took time to think about it rationally, 3b's and a C shouldn't harm my right to matriculate. Anyhow, just looking at this thread and seeing others in the same boat helped... A classmate of mine got accepted into Lecom-B and then dropped out of our masters program, so I'm not even sure how much Lecom cares... but I decided not to risk it, and decided not to be the idiot who gave a poor impression by asking if it was ok to drop out of the program... lol.