Retaking undergrad classes...HELP!!

[AnnaB]

I was wondering if anyone out there could please clarify something for me. I am an adult student, now taking pre med classes...and am doing very well. However, my undergrad GPA is less than stellar and I want to retake a few classes to get that GPA up. My question is: HOw does this work??? Do I retake a the SAME class I did poorly in...and the new grade gets substituted when I calculate my cum GPA on med school apps??? OR...I just take ANY class at all and do well...and just average it in with the old??? HELP!!!! Any help would be appreciated!!! thanks!!

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[Pilot Guy]

From what I've read, but I'm sure others know more, retakes do not replace the previous grade. They're treated like a seperate class, in terms of science GPA on the AMCAS. Here's a link with more detail on that:
http://services.aamc.org/amcas2002/Help/WebHelp/coursework/Course_Type.htm

Look under the "repeat" section for all the details. Apparrently, even if only one attempt shows up on your transcript, you have to report both attempts to AMCAS.

 

[E'01]

I retook a whole bunch of classes (year of bio, year of chem and first semester physics) during my post-bac years. ALL grades get entered and factored in on the AMCAS. No substituting. I also took some upper-level bio classes to prove that I could handle the sciences. It hasn't hurt me to do the above as far as I know. I've gone on 6 out of 9 interviews and have had one acceptance. It has come up in every single interview though - basically interviewers wanted to know why I did so poorly in undergrad. But then they all focused on the upward grades trend thereafter and that was that. Good luck! One suggestion: I would not recommend re-taking your classes at the same school you originally took them in. Also, you might want to consider taking them at an academically rigorous institution - just to prove to adcom that you can manage the work.

 

[kjm]

E'01

Hi. I was wondering why you suggested not to take the classes over again at the same school that you took them at.

Sorry, that sounded wordy

Thanks

 

[E'01]

It was based on advice I was iven before I graduated from undergrad. Also, I figured a change of professor, student body and overall atmosphere would make a difference...and it did! Plus, if you were to take it at the same school and got anything less than an A, maybe med schools would see that as odd, considering that you saw the material beforehand when you took it for the first time. Every premed course is slightly different at various schools - at least in the manner that it is taught, I think.

 

[vixen]

E '01
Were all of your grades stellar when you took them over...I am retaking one class now (Organic), and also taking microbio and biochem (new classes for me). In organic and microbio I am doing well, but after our first test in biochem, I only got the average...have any tips on how you made things better the second time? And also, did you have all A's when you took your postbacc classes? Thanks

 

[madball]

I know that this is the pre-allopathic (MD) forum and not the pre-osteopathic (DO) forum, but does AACOMAS count only the MOST RECENT grade if a course is retaken? I have heard this several times but do not know where I can confirm it.

Thank you!

madball

 

[E'01]

Originally posted by simseema17:
•E '01
Were all of your grades stellar when you took them over...I am retaking one class now (Organic), and also taking microbio and biochem (new classes for me). In organic and microbio I am doing well, but after our first test in biochem, I only got the average...have any tips on how you made things better the second time? And also, did you have all A's when you took your postbacc classes? Thanks •••

Not at all - I certainly didn't get straight A's during my post-bac. Actually orgo killed me
(B-). I took each semester condensed into 4 weeks during the summer.

In terms of what I did differently, the second time around, I had a study group that met every week to go over concepts/prolem sets for physics. We were adamant in doing them on our first then coming together to go over ones we couldn't get. The nice thing about the dynamics of the group wass that we still maintained a certain level of distrust (for lack of a better word) and didn't just merely accept each others ideas about how to solve a particular problem. Many times we'd meet, go home and stew over it more, and sometimes meet again before the weekly set was due. I went to office hours and discussion sections - and not just the one I was assigned to. It was nice to get a different perspective on concepts. I would read and type my notes from the textbook before each lecture for each class so that I wouldn't be scrambling to write everything the professor said. For bio, orgo and physio, I read other textbooks and regular books to supplement and get a diferent viewpoint. For phsics I got this excellent book that had about 11 exams from all different colleges and I completed about 9 of those for the final - which significantly helped! Everyone is different in the way they learn; for me I have to write everything down - sometimes 2-3 times. Lastly, I wrote up cheatsheets for myself for each subject using no more than 5 pages per subject. I wish I had gotten all straight A's during my postbac but I was working partime then shifted to full-time work and was doing research at the same time. Good luck with everything!