Re-take classes, or new upper division biology?

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Tayne

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Hi everyone,

Should I re-take all of my C's? Or would I better be served to just take NEW (i.e. I haven't taken them yet) upper level biology courses that I feel I can do well in? What would look better to an SMP (or med school)?
 
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Someone answer him. I kinda wanna this too 🙂
 
I should clarify:

I got C's in several science classes. My plan was to re-take "C" courses. My thinking was that I can prove that I am competent in those subjects and also it'd help with the MCAT.

Should I devote my energy more towards classes I haven't taken? Will it be helpful to my resume to re-take those classes?
 
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If you are not opposed to going the DO route you could repair your GPA twice as fast by retaking the pre-req courses in which you received worse than a B (3.0) (capitalizing on their grade replacement policy).

If you are adamant about pursuing an MD then it would be in your best interest to stick to new upper-level science coursework. Since MD schools don't participate in grade replacement, a 3 credit gen-chem class will simply be added to your transcript, along with a retake 3 credit gen-chem class or a 3 credit immunology course (or any subsequent coursework).

I've heard (though this is simply hearsay) that AdComs are not terribly impressed by applicants who retake pre-reqs after they've taken a bunch of upper-level classes because they're no longer on a level playing field with the people who have no background knowledge (so it's less of an apples-to-apples comparison).

However, if there are pre-reqs in which you received worse than a C (2.0) then you must retake them, as you would be required to do so by all med schools. A 3.0 cumulative GPA is a decent benchmark to consider yourself ready to apply to SMP programs (as that's the cut-off for many programs).
 
If you are not opposed to going the DO route you could repair your GPA twice as fast by retaking the pre-req courses in which you received worse than a B (3.0) (capitalizing on their grade replacement policy).

If you are adamant about pursuing an MD then it would be in your best interest to stick to new upper-level science coursework. Since MD schools don't participate in grade replacement, a 3 credit gen-chem class will simply be added to your transcript, along with a retake 3 credit gen-chem class or a 3 credit immunology course (or any subsequent coursework).

I've heard (though this is simply hearsay) that AdComs are not terribly impressed by applicants who retake pre-reqs after they've taken a bunch of upper-level classes because they're no longer on a level playing field with the people who have no background knowledge (so it's less of an apples-to-apples comparison).

However, if there are pre-reqs in which you received worse than a C (2.0) then you must retake them, as you would be required to do so by all med schools. A 3.0 cumulative GPA is a decent benchmark to consider yourself ready to apply to SMP programs (as that's the cut-off for many programs).

If I do well in re-takes/new courses, will I stand a chance of getting into a good SMP program? Also, what MCAT score should I consider a "minimum" given my current situation?
 
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If I do well in those, will I stand a chance of getting into a good SMP program? Also, what MCAT score should I consider a "minimum" given my current situation?

Well, life happens. No reason to worry about things that are out of your control. Just do what you can for now (the more the merrier with the upper level science coursework). If you really want to show SMP programs that you're ready for med school, you might want to shoot for the national average MCAT for matriculants (just above a 31). Of course this number is not absolute, just a ballpark figure. With ~ 3.0 GPA / 31 MCAT I think you'll be in a reasonable position for a good number of SMP programs (of course you won't be on the higher end of the spectrum, but I think they'll take a serious look at you).
 
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