retake classes or just suck it up??!!

[heartsclovers]

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hi again,

so i am now planning on enrolling as a 2nd bachelor at cal state l.a. b/c i won't have a good chance of enrolling into their masters or pre-health certificate programs (2.87 overall gpa doesn't cut it). i will essentially be taking upper division science classes to raise my undergrad gpa and show dental schools that i have what it takes to do well when motivated.

my question: should i retake those lower division classes that i didn't do well in during my undergrad (mainly B's and C's) and then take upper division courses, or should i suck it up and just take the upper division science courses?

the advisor there recommended me to retake the classes so that i would feel ready for the upper division classes there. but if i just study on my own (from my college gchem, ochem, bio books and some random mcat/dat/ap books) for two months, do you think i can just start taking upper division classes at cal state l.a. and perform well? i really don't want to waste time/money by retaking classes, but if it's necessary, then i just might.

thanksss guys!

 

[onamission]

hi again,

so i am now planning on enrolling as a 2nd bachelor at cal state l.a. b/c i won't have a good chance of enrolling into their masters or pre-health certificate programs (2.87 overall gpa doesn't cut it). i will essentially be taking upper division science classes to raise my undergrad gpa and show dental schools that i have what it takes to do well when motivated.

my question: should i retake those lower division classes that i didn't do well in during my undergrad (mainly B's and C's) and then take upper division courses, or should i suck it up and just take the upper division science courses?

the advisor there recommended me to retake the classes so that i would feel ready for the upper division classes there. but if i just study on my own (from my college gchem, ochem, bio books and some random mcat/dat/ap books) for two months, do you think i can just start taking upper division classes at cal state l.a. and perform well? i really don't want to waste time/money by retaking classes, but if it's necessary, then i just might.

thanksss guys!

You may have to retake the pre-reqs anyway, depending on where you apply. Some schools have minimum cut-off grades for pre-reqs, regardless of how well you do on subsequent higher level courses. Others have very tight time limits on pre-reqs, i.e. no older than 5 years or 10 years etc. Research where you want to apply, that should help you make your decision.

 

[crrees]

what schools have cut off grades for prereqs? first ive heard of this, but its obviously possible.

 

[onamission]

what schools have cut off grades for prereqs? first ive heard of this, but its obviously possible.

Quite a few. You'll just have to research the schools you're planning on applying to. Some state it in the ADEA guide, others have it on their websites.

 

[heartsclovers]

well most of the dental schools i've contacted said that i would have to retake anything below a C (so i'm retaking my only C- class)... but other that, i meet the minimum requirements. many have also said that they would rather see you take upper division science classes rather than retaking classes i did poorly in.

but going back to my question, is it often difficult to do well in upper division science classes at cal state l.a. if i performed somewhat poorly in the lower division science classes (B's and C's) at a UC? or if i study on my own for the next two months, reviewing my old materials as well as mcat/dat prep books, would i be ready enough for the classes?

 

[samurai361]

well most of the dental schools i've contacted said that i would have to retake anything below a C (so i'm retaking my only C- class)... but other that, i meet the minimum requirements. many have also said that they would rather see you take upper division science classes rather than retaking classes i did poorly in.

but going back to my question, is it often difficult to do well in upper division science classes at cal state l.a. if i performed somewhat poorly in the lower division science classes (B's and C's) at a UC? or if i study on my own for the next two months, reviewing my old materials as well as mcat/dat prep books, would i be ready enough for the classes?

yeah you can be ready for anything mate. upper sci courses, man i dont even REMEMBER what was covered in bio 101/102, chem 101/102, etc and im a bio major and every class is different, unique, and always kinda starts with some basics. seriously. it all gets pretty repetitive after a while. i mean classes at undergrad are generally thought to be like that, nothing dives right into phD level, you know what i mean? youll be fine even if you dont review honestly. general bio is just that, general bio. it's required because it's general, covers the entire scope with a decent amount of detail, etc, so everyone has to take it. upper level sci courses are about the same, general in their field (like microbiology covers many broad topics, plant biology, animal biology, etc), and it really gets kinda repetitive.

just my 2 cents!

 

[heartsclovers]

thanx for the feedback 🙂 so are you talking about the classes specifically at csula or all schools in general samurai??

 

[I-Baby]

well most of the dental schools i've contacted said that i would have to retake anything below a C (so i'm retaking my only C- class)... but other that, i meet the minimum requirements. many have also said that they would rather see you take upper division science classes rather than retaking classes i did poorly in.

but going back to my question, is it often difficult to do well in upper division science classes at cal state l.a. if i performed somewhat poorly in the lower division science classes (B's and C's) at a UC? or if i study on my own for the next two months, reviewing my old materials as well as mcat/dat prep books, would i be ready enough for the classes?

Do you know if this applies only to the pre-reqs or is it for any class that you took?

 

[heartsclovers]

i'm pretty sure just the pre-reqs, but i'd check with the schools you plan on applying to.

 

[jessnonetheless]

Which schools said you had to retake prereq classes where you got a C or lower? I tried contacting some of the schools, but haven't had a reply yet.
Thanks!