Retaking prerequisite science courses

[preMedFalcon]

How do medical schools view an applicant who first got a C in only one science course (organic chemistry in particular) and retook it and got an A? I've heard that getting a C and then retaking and getting an A is not impressive, but that does not make sense to me, especially considering it's only one course.

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[CliveStaples]

I got a C in an Organic Chemistry class. Continued taking more science classes, got better grades, had an alright science GPA, and nobody ever asked me about Organic Chemistry. Likely nobody even looked too closely at the transcript to even notice since overall my grades were not a "red flag" and I passed the course.

So do what you want in terms of taking classes and mastering the content, but I wouldn't really fret over whether retaking the class is considered "unimpressive" or not. It's very likely you may be the only person that notices.

 

[deleted1075353]

personally I wouldn't want to waste my time retaking a class on material I already know. Why not just take an advanced organic chemistry class? You'll learn more and it will look better!

 

[KnightDoc]

How do medical schools view an applicant who first got a C in only one science course (organic chemistry in particular) and retook it and got an A? I've heard that getting a C and then retaking and getting an A is not impressive, but that does not make sense to me, especially considering it's only one course.

What doesn't make sense? The problem is, you're expected to get an A on a retake, since you have a huge advantage over the rest of the class because it's a rerun for you. So no, an A is not impressive, and anything less is a bust. You have everything to lose and nothing to gain on a retake. This is why it's not recommended.

You're right -- it is only one course. Just do better going forward, and try to let it go. Retaking and getting an A doesn't fix it. Showing adcoms it's a one-off by doing better in upper level science classes does.

 

[Blueprint Med School]

How do medical schools view an applicant who first got a C in only one science course (organic chemistry in particular) and retook it and got an A? I've heard that getting a C and then retaking and getting an A is not impressive, but that does not make sense to me, especially considering it's only one course.

It's mostly a waste of time and money. Getting only one C in science does almost no determent to your record, life happens. And what if you got a C or C+ again, yikes. Not to mention they end up getting averaged anyway.

Not worth it.

David D, MD - USMLE and MCAT Tutor
Med School Tutors

 

[preMedFalcon]

What doesn't make sense? The problem is, you're expected to get an A on a retake, since you have a huge advantage over the rest of the class because it's a rerun for you. So no, an A is not impressive, and anything less is a bust. You have everything to lose and nothing to gain on a retake. This is why it's not recommended.

You're right -- it is only one course. Just do better going forward, and try to let it go. Retaking and getting an A doesn't fix it. Showing adcoms it's a one-off by doing better in upper level science classes does.

You're right, I didn't see it that way, that makes sense. However, getting a C in organic chemistry means you have not sufficiently learned important material for the MCAT, and although retaking and getting an A would not be beneficial in terms of being impressive, it will at least show that you did improve, and you will be better prepared for the MCAT.

 

[preMedFalcon]

personally I wouldn't want to waste my time retaking a class on material I already know. Why not just take an advanced organic chemistry class? You'll learn more and it will look better!

Well, if you got a C, then you most likely don't already know the material very well, and some colleges many not offer advanced organic chemistry courses, or they're kind of out of reach (e.g. meant for graduate students). For example, my college offers only a one semester advanced organic chemistry course, and in addition to organic chemistry II as a prerequisite, it also requires thermodynamics and spectroscopy (2 separate classes).

 

[KnightDoc]

You're right, I didn't see it that way, that makes sense. However, getting a C in organic chemistry means you have not sufficiently learned important material for the MCAT, and although retaking and getting an A would not be beneficial in terms of being impressive, it will at least show that you did improve, and you will be better prepared for the MCAT.

Nah. You show you are prepared for the MCAT by doing well on the MCAT. You show improvement by doing well in higher level courses. You're not showing anything by taking the same class again and doing better. Again, it's a no win situation. You are expected to get an A on a retake, so you can only go down from there. Honestly, just try to move on and use it as motivation to do better going forward.

 

[deleted1075353]

Well, if you got a C, then you most likely don't already know the material very well, and some colleges many not offer advanced organic chemistry courses, or they're kind of out of reach (e.g. meant for graduate students). For example, my college offers only a one semester advanced organic chemistry course, and in addition to organic chemistry II as a prerequisite, it also requires thermodynamics and spectroscopy (2 separate classes).

in that case i would teach yourself orgo (you'll need it for the MCAT anyway) and take thermo! thermo is a great class and will also help for the MCAT.

 

[preMedFalcon]

Nah. You show you are prepared for the MCAT by doing well on the MCAT. You show improvement by doing well in higher level courses. You're not showing anything by taking the same class again and doing better. Again, it's a no win situation. You are expected to get an A on a retake, so you can only go down from there. Honestly, just try to move on and use it as motivation to do better going forward.

I 100% agree with everything you're saying. Yes, you show you are prepared for the MCAT by doing well on the MCAT, but that requires you to have that prior knowledge to know how to answer the questions correctly.

And now that I recall, my main concern is actually retaking organic chemistry II. I would've had a C-, but because of the pandemic, I had the option to change it to Cr (for credit/pass) — I had to do it to prevent my GPA from decreasing too much. So technically I don't have to retake it anymore, but otherwise, I would have to. However, in order to be better prepared to improve in organic chemistry II, I have to first do better in organic chemistry I (I got a C+), because these courses are cumulative — at least at my college they are. And I know a C+ doesn't make it necessary to retake it, but the grading was heavily curved, so in reality, even though I have a C+, I have to improve myself in this material somehow. I see the best way in doing so is by retaking the class.

I would like to add — even though it's not important in this discussion — that the reason I didn't do well on my first attempt was due to personal difficulties making it very difficult for me to study effectively, but I digress (just something I'll have to explain in my application and interviews).

 

[KnightDoc]

I 100% agree with everything you're saying. Yes, you show you are prepared for the MCAT by doing well on the MCAT, but that requires you to have that prior knowledge to know how to answer the questions correctly.

And now that I recall, my main concern is actually retaking organic chemistry II. I would've had a C-, but because of the pandemic, I had the option to change it to Cr (for credit/pass) — I had to do it to prevent my GPA from decreasing too much. So technically I don't have to retake it anymore, but otherwise, I would have to. However, in order to be better prepared to improve in organic chemistry II, I have to first do better in organic chemistry I (I got a C+), because these courses are cumulative — at least at my college they are. And I know a C+ doesn't make it necessary to retake it, but the grading was heavily curved, so in reality, even though I have a C+, I have to improve myself in this material somehow. I see the best way in doing so is by retaking the class.

I would like to add — even though it's not important in this discussion — that the reason I didn't do well on my first attempt was due to personal difficulties making it very difficult for me to study effectively, but I digress (just something I'll have to explain in my application and interviews).

I totally understand everything you are saying. If your foundation in these important classes sucks, you need to supplement it somehow -- MCAT prep class, YouTube videos, retaking the class, whatever.

What you are not understanding is that retaking the class is a risky option. Getting As will help your GPA a little, since they'll be included, but, other than that, you get no benefit. You're expected to get As, so getting them doesn't impress anyone. Anything lower kills you, even a B, since it's a retake. Why risk the downside when there is no upside????