Retake O chem and take a risk or take an upper class?

[archonsbk]

I got a C in o chem I and II and am debating whether I should ratake O chem this coming fall semester or take an upper bio class instead.
I feel like I can get a B, but I am not confident to get an A in o chem even if I am retaking it. Should I just take upper bio class or research class instead?
Does a lot of C's in pre-req affect on my chance for dschools or as long as I do well on DAT, it can be forgiven..?

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[OneThree]

I'm sure someone else will chime in and give you more specific advice for your situation, but from my knowledge generally Cs in pre-reqs aren't ideal mostly because they will drag down your sGPA. If you have a sub 3.0 sGPA you really need to try to take upper level science courses and do well to bring it up over a 3.0 to become competitive, the DAT doesn't always save a bad GPA.

 

[bing12]

I got a C in o chem I and II and am debating whether I should ratake O chem this coming fall semester or take an upper bio class instead.
I feel like I can get a B, but I am not confident to get an A in o chem even if I am retaking it. Should I just take upper bio class or research class instead?
Does a lot of C's in pre-req affect on my chance for dschools or as long as I do well on DAT, it can be forgiven..?

Yes, if you think you are better than your grade, do well on the Orgo section on the DAT ( if that makes you feel better). dont retake anything that is a C or above.

 

[txaggie03]

as long as I do well on DAT

If you got a C in both ochems, and if you retake them you feel all you can do is get a B, then you are in for a treat on the DAT.

 

[dentalWorks]

I got a C in o chem I and II and am debating whether I should ratake O chem this coming fall semester or take an upper bio class instead.
I feel like I can get a B, but I am not confident to get an A in o chem even if I am retaking it. Should I just take upper bio class or research class instead?
Does a lot of C's in pre-req affect on my chance for dschools or as long as I do well on DAT, it can be forgiven..?

For admission purposes, taking upper level bio is more important than retaking 2 chem courses.

GPA and sGPA are important indicators of your chances than a few Cs here and there. The major downside to alot of Cs is it drags the sGPA down.

 

[Dentyte]

When I was in school, if you got a C and then retook the class and got an A, they averaged it to a B. Is that still the case? (This was back in 1997). The pre dental grades (even on retakes) were calculated into the gpa. Wonder if this has changed... FYI, half of my class (including me) never took the 2nd half of OChem or the Lab portion. You have to call each school and ask what the required classes are. I was ticked because I took a whole year of Physics and found out most of our class hadn't taken that either! Good luck!

 

[Pennywisdom]

No need to retake. Do well on your DAT, take an upper-level Biology course and try to ace the course.

 

[Lunasly]

I think I will have to take a different approach on this and say to retake O-Chem. It will be your second time taking it so everything will come a lot easier for you. If you work hard, then you should be able to obtain an A which will raise your sGPA. Another added bonus is re-learning the material for a second time will only benefit you for the DAT.

 

[ramseszerg]

If you got a C in both ochems, and if you retake them you feel all you can do is get a B, then you are in for a treat on the DAT.

I felt the DAT orgo was much much much easier than my undergrad orgo courses.

Edit: But if it was up to me and I got 2 C's in the 2 orgo courses, I would want to retake them just to prove to myself that I can do it (get A's that is). That would also look good for the application as it would show that you are persistent.

 

[archonsbk]

I am just not confident to get an A in organic chemistry. Because another option if I don't take o chem is an easy science course, instead of worrying about getting a good grade in o chem, I can improve my science GPA and overall GPA.

But again I am worried about whether dental schools just don't accept me because of Cs in pre-req courses

 

[Lunasly]

I am just not confident to get an A in organic chemistry. Because another option if I don't take o chem is an easy science course, instead of worrying about getting a good grade in o chem, I can improve my science GPA and overall GPA.

But again I am worried about whether dental schools just don't accept me because of Cs in pre-req courses

I see where you are coming from, but I think you should do what would benifit you the most. I don't know you and I don't know your study habits, but I am sure that if you really apply yourself then you can receive an A in organic. The benefit of this is that your sGPA will increase, it will provide you with a better understanding of the subject which is good when studying for the DAT, and it will ultimately look better on your transcript even if it only an average of the two grades. Now if you take the upper level course it is true that you will also raise your sGPA, but you might find that this upper level course is more difficult then you thought. Then you have to study extra hard and you might not make the grade you want. Also, it ma not help you for the DAT.

I personally see a better gain in the end by re-taking O-Chem.

 

[archonsbk]

I see where you are coming from, but I think you should do what would benifit you the most. I don't know you and I don't know your study habits, but I am sure that if you really apply yourself then you can receive an A in organic. The benefit of this is that your sGPA will increase, it will provide you with a better understanding of the subject which is good when studying for the DAT, and it will ultimately look better on your transcript even if it only an average of the two grades. Now if you take the upper level course it is true that you will also raise your sGPA, but you might find that this upper level course is more difficult then you thought. Then you have to study extra hard and you might not make the grade you want. Also, it ma not help you for the DAT.

I personally see a better gain in the end by re-taking O-Chem.

I see your point. I actually have been studying organic chemistry and I understand things much better (but still I am not confident lol). Well for upper level bio course is the reserach credit (which you will get an A as long as you do the work and research credit is under biology, so it counts toward my sGPA). I am almost 100% positive that I will get my sGPA up if i am taking that reserach credit, but yes you are right about understanding things better. I am so indecisitve right now lol

 

[notin]

It will be your second time taking it so everything will come a lot easier for you.

this is exactly the reason why he should not re-take it. since it is expected that you'll get an A in a re-taken class, you can't possibly impress anyone by doing so, and getting a B or another C becomes a disaster. all of that is avoided by just taking a new class.

 

[Mr. Thirsty]

Retaking a class to prove that you can do better is not a bad thing. It shows dedication, and It will only benefit you on the DAT. And don't say you are not confident in getting an A, or else you wont get an A! If you retake it you need an A though for it to be worth it.

 

[ramseszerg]

Orgo is simply about putting in the time.. consistently. Practice until you are comfortable and you will get an A. Not go to class, and not keep up and cram it into the last couple of weeks before exams because that works for other classes and you will get.. a C or less.

 

[Maygyver]

If you have already taken a class, you have already seen the material, you should not feel like you can't succeed in the class when you retake.