Recent grades

[arrakis]

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Could anyone give insight into whether any/what D.O. programs focus especially, etc...on grades earned during the final 3-4 (3's ideal) semesters of college? Doing my own research but welcome suggestions. Thanks all.

 

[Shotapp]

The fastest path for you to become a doctor will be to retake all F/D/C science coursework, do well on MCAT, and apply to DO school

Do not apply until you have the best possible app. This is a marathon, not a sprint. Med schools aren't going anywhere, and, in fact, by the time you apply, several more schools will have opened their doors.

DO schools don't focus on a specific set of semesters or last credit hrs b/c of grade replacement...a select few MD schools do that. DO schools look at the overall trend in grades/package of an app. If you have an upward trend towards your final yrs in college then that's good. However, what is your science gpa? if it is a sub 3.0 or barely over 3.0 then you need to do grade replacement if that answers your question. The quote in the above (accredited to the legendary Goro) please try to follow it if you are in need of gpa repair.

 

[Goro]

Rising GPA trends are always helpful!

 

[medschoolplease123]

What about a relatively small drop (.1) in your last semester?

Rising GPA trends are always helpful!

 

[Goro]

Depends upon how everything else looks. But you really shouldn't be getting C's in anything in your last year.

What about a relatively small drop (.1) in your last semester?

 

[medschoolplease123]

Depends upon how everything else looks. But you really shouldn't be getting C's in anything in your last year.

Yes that's true. You mean everything as in other grades or as in mcat/overall gpa/PS etc..?

 

[Goro]

The whole app.

Yes that's true. You mean everything as in other grades or as in mcat/overall gpa/PS etc..?

 

[arrakis]

Does "retaking" and earning high grades in same-subject but higher level classes (topics similar, dissimilar, or comparable to those of first-attempt courses) confer advantage, in AMCAS admissions, beyond high grades in same-subject, same-level, same, similar, or different topic coursework (e.g., F in Eng 342: 19th Century Lit+ A in Eng: 365:Women Writers in 19th Century Lit v F in Eng 342: 19th Century Lit+A in Eng 453: American Novel v F in Eng 342: 19th Century Lit v A in Eng 434: Women Writers in 19th Century Lit v F in Eng 323: American Novel v A in Eng 424: Advanced American Novel)?

Does the "upper level" re-take guideline apply when applicants present with As and Fs in apparently equivalent courses?

Merci

 

[Shotapp]

@arrakis

If you are focused on becoming an MD (AMCAS app), take more coursework in the upper level sciences (retaking classes will not do you any good). You need multiple yrs (1.5-2 yrs) of full-time solid grades in mainly upper level courses. After that, you need to do an SMP (special masters program) affiliated with a MD school with strong linkage to their medical school. You need to crush the SMP >3.6, MCAT, and have all your ecs in a row. What is your science gpa b/c we can't keep dancing around the bush...if it is low do more research on the forum...there is no need to get really specific with the course work numbers/abbreviations you stated in your post. Also look into @DrMidlife she is an encyclopedia of knowledge in the low gpa department.

 

[DrMidlife]

Nobody in med school admissions cares which upper div English classes you took, other than being alarmed at the F's you got. Nobody is going to question whether upper div English replacement classes are actually equivalent or not. Generally I'd be annoyed as an app reviewer if I have to care about your upper div English more than very very briefly verifying your 2ry app explanation for bad grades that says "I succeeded in recent upper div English classes to amend for prior poor performance" etc.

And just work all this into your narrative - clearly (CLEARLY) lit isn't where you thrive and you're much happier and more productive in the life sciences as evidenced by your dramatically improved performance in your fresh science and math grades and in your solid MCAT score yada yada.

tl;dr: there are 5000 apps in the pile. make yours easy to digest. don't make the reviewer do work to understand you.

best of luck to you

 

[arrakis]

@Shotapp: I've taken no science or math courses, and I’m thinking in terms of career changer programs. I plugged things in for English class titles.

3 Fs, 1 D, 8 Cs, a couple of withdrawals, several incompletes, 1 B, 3B+s, 19 As+A-s. The GPA is a 2.8 something without re-takes/omissions.

@DrMidlife: This is specific and all makes sense. Thank you.

"Nobody in med school admissions cares which upper div English classes you took, other than being alarmed at the F's you got. Nobody is going to question whether upper div English replacement classes are actually equivalent or not. Generally I'd be annoyed as an app reviewer if I have to care about your upper div English more than very very briefly verifying your 2ry app explanation for bad grades"

Haha, I’d hope so, but I've lost the luxury of presumption.

Clarification: are strong grades in additional same-subject higher level or same-subject equivalent level (non-science) courses preferable to strong grades in equiv. or higher level courses in different (but still non-science) subjects?

Should someone who, pre-Waterloo, earned high grades in same-subject classes (at least comparable, in level, to subsequent C/D/F grade courses) take additional equiv. or higher level coursework in bombed subjects specifically rather than in at least comparable level courses in different humanities/social science subjects (e.g., in 13,' Eng 324: A, 14' Eng 342: F, 16' Hist 432: A v 13' Eng 324: A, 14' Eng 342: F, 16' F Eng 432/353, A)?

 

[arrakis]

.

 

[Shotapp]

Focus on the natural (biology, chemistry, physics, organic chemistry) and human sciences...DrMidlife just told you to move on from your bad performance in your non-science coursework cause no one cares (stop asking the same question. An answer has already been provided). Take pre-waterloo (your example), for instance who is going to care about you or anyone else taking more upper level/equivalent coursework related to that major to redeem your past grades? seriously? Go and find the low gpa thread in the post-bac forum and read...

 

[arrakis]

...DrMidlife just told you to move on from your bad performance in your non-science coursework

Nobody in med school admissions cares which upper div English classes you took....Nobody is going to question whether upper div English replacement classes are actually equivalent or not. Generally I'd be annoyed... if I have to care about your upper div English more than very very briefly verifying your 2ry app explanation for bad grades that says "I succeeded in recent upper div English classes to amend for prior poor performance" etc.

I'd been asking in the context of AMCAS (in addition to AACOMAS), in which questions about whether+what coursework should be retaken is perhaps less straightforward. I shouldn't have built on this pre-osteopathic thread, especially without clarifying things.