Retaking classes and drops

[cubbbie]

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Anybody have a sense of how retaking classes is looked upon? I'm in a post-bacc program and I'm considering retaking some classes, mainly because they're sequence classes I didn't complete in my undergrad (gen chem and orgo) and I'm afraid if I skip the first half in my post-bacc, the continuity will be lacking. Does that make sense? In other words, I did orgo I in my undergrad but not Orgo II and I'm afraid if I start with Orgo II at a different school, there could be large gaps in what I'm learning because every school follows a different syllabus. In addition, I took the intro bio courses at my undergrad, but the intro bio courses at the post-bacc are much more in-depth and are actually 200 level courses.

So I don't mind retaking the classes, in fact I'm happy to do it because I think I can improve my grades and also it'd be better for me to take these classes closer to when I take the MCAT (otherwise it will have been 3 years in between when I took my core corses and when I take the test.) But how silly will it look for me to have all these classes on my transcript twice (and three times in the case of Orgo I)?

Lastly, I have another random question about drops. My undergrad had an extremely ungenerous policy regarding drops, where if you quit the class only two weeks into it, it's considered to be a Withdrawn and it shows up on your transcript. I have a few of these on my transcript (one in a science course). Am I screwed?

 

[salsita1421]

Retake those classes if you feel it will help you. Remember that medical schools are looking at you as a package and a whole-person. In essence they will want a complete picture and to move on, you will need those classes to make up for any lost recollection of concepts for these next postbacc classes. W's aren't good but they won't destroy your app. My friend had a W on his record and was accepted into UCSD. So best of luck to you.

 

[DrYo12]

Well, I haven't been accepted yet, but suffice to say that I have more repeats than probably anyone else in this forum and I've still managed to get a sizeable number of interviews. Its not the fact that you repeated it that will count against you as much as if you repeat it but you don't do any better than the first time. Retaking the classes before the MCAT is smart too, because it had been about 7 years since I took organic and there was NO WAY I was going to be able to hang with the MCAT without retaking some organic.

Just in case you're curious, we were on the quarter system, so organic was split into three quarters...I took organic A 4 times, organic B 3 times, and organic C twice. Don't even worry!

 

[AwaPremed]

I got a D in Calc 1, should I retake it ? Or just move on and go to the next Calc. I mean will med schools accept it?

 

[Rafael Cavalcan]

I would retake any class that I got a D. I'm pretty sure that if you keep that D it wont keep you out of med school, but improving that grade sure will improve your chances. I got a D on my calc3 class, and I took it again over last summer.