Salvaging B grades?

[datsa]

---

Members do not see this ad.

I am in my 3rd year of a self-made post-bacc. Things went well at first, but have been going down hill for a while. The problem is that I cannot seem to get A's no matter how much I study, practice, get tutoring, etc. My problem is not necessarily a knowledge problem; I am able to do the problems quite well on my own, but not under test circumstances. Interestingly, I routinely ace my lab tests, but NOT my lecture tests. In some cases, I have failed the lecture test, but aced the lab test on the exact same material. My lab averages are~ 99%, but my lecture averages are around ~70-80% or less. As a consequence, I am getting B's rather than A's, and my post-bacc GPA is rather poor (< 3.4). I've already gotten B's in Gen Chem II, O'Chem (both parts), PChem (part I), Physics (I, got an A in part II), as well as some other upper division bio-related classes (Molecular Cell Biology, Biostats). All B's. 😱

I am not sure what to do. The student learning center and counseling center have not been able to help. Any ideas?

Also, what should I do about the B's that I've gotten in my pre-reqs? I've already blown my pre-req GPA. Masters? That will take more time, and I'm already more than twice as old as the typical med-school applicant.😕

 

[njbmd]

I am in my 3rd year of a self-made post-bacc. Things went well at first, but have been going down hill for a while. The problem is that I cannot seem to get A's no matter how much I study, practice, get tutoring, etc. My problem is not necessarily a knowledge problem; I am able to do the problems quite well on my own, but not under test circumstances. Interestingly, I routinely ace my lab tests, but NOT my lecture tests. In some cases, I have failed the lecture test, but aced the lab test on the exact same material. My lab averages are~ 99%, but my lecture averages are around ~70-80% or less. As a consequence, I am getting B's rather than A's, and my post-bacc GPA is rather poor (< 3.4). I've already gotten B's in Gen Chem II, O'Chem (both parts), PChem (part I), Physics (I, got an A in part II), as well as some other upper division bio-related classes (Molecular Cell Biology, Biostats). All B's. 😱

I am not sure what to do. The student learning center and counseling center have not been able to help. Any ideas?

Also, what should I do about the B's that I've gotten in my pre-reqs? I've already blown my pre-req GPA. Masters? That will take more time, and I'm already more than twice as old as the typical med-school applicant.😕

The only masters that will be helpful for you is a SMP (such as Georgetown's) where you essentially take the same coursework as first year medical students. The big problem for you is that you have to do very well in this program in order to gain admission into medical school. The other problem is that these SMPs are usually very expensive with little opportunity for financial aid.

Retaking prereqs with B grades is not going to do much for you at this point. Depending on what you have as an overall uGPA will determine how much "damage control" you need in any future postbacc work. You may be at a point where you can cut your losses, take the MCAT and apply with what you have if your overall uGPA is competitive.

Will a mediocre post bacc performance hurt you? Yes but it will hurt less if you have a strong MCAT and a good uGPA in your previous degree. If you were doing the post bacc for uGPA "damage control" you may face an extreme uphill battle trying to get into medical school.

 

[gman33]

If you think you understand the material, you need to better simulate test conditions when working on problems. If possible get old test versions and take them under timed conditions. This will give you a better idea of what areas you need to focus on.

How many classes are you taking at a time?
Maybe you need to cut down your course load. You need to work on getting A's even if this means taking only one or two classes at a time. It's true that some schools like to see "full" courseloads, but if your gpa isn't up to par it won't matter what you did.

The strategies for excelling in each subject varies. Do a search and you should find some good tips.

One general tip is to realize that there is a big difference between recognizing and recalling information. Make sure you are able to recall information from memory. If you can do that, you should have most of the skills needed to do well.

 

[finaaqua]

I am in my 3rd year of a self-made post-bacc. Things went well at first, but have been going down hill for a while. The problem is that I cannot seem to get A's no matter how much I study, practice, get tutoring, etc. My problem is not necessarily a knowledge problem; I am able to do the problems quite well on my own, but not under test circumstances. Interestingly, I routinely ace my lab tests, but NOT my lecture tests. In some cases, I have failed the lecture test, but aced the lab test on the exact same material. My lab averages are~ 99%, but my lecture averages are around ~70-80% or less. As a consequence, I am getting B's rather than A's, and my post-bacc GPA is rather poor (< 3.4). I've already gotten B's in Gen Chem II, O'Chem (both parts), PChem (part I), Physics (I, got an A in part II), as well as some other upper division bio-related classes (Molecular Cell Biology, Biostats). All B's. 😱

I am not sure what to do. The student learning center and counseling center have not been able to help. Any ideas?

Also, what should I do about the B's that I've gotten in my pre-reqs? I've already blown my pre-req GPA. Masters? That will take more time, and I'm already more than twice as old as the typical med-school applicant.😕

Dont worry too much about the Bs- I got two Cs in post bacc and am still starting med school in August (Yay Pitt!). My post bacc gpa was a 3.08 🙄

 

[RLTW75]

Hey FINAAQA, would it be possible for you to tell your story?? From what I can tell from a very short message you left, your story seems to epitomize all the nontrads here?? Just a thought.

THanks a lot

 

[datsa]

Thanks Dr. B. As usual, a wealth of advice and insight.

My uGPA was 3.5ish, but I did not take very many science courses. Some of the prereqs that I am taking now I took back in the 1980's, but at that time I was not premed. So some of the courses I am taking now are repeats of those courses (albeit, very different -- things have changed a lot in 25 years). My strategy now is to simply finish out my semester, and spend some time examining my test-taking skills. I am also going to start studying for the MCAT this summer. In the Fall, I plan on taking a few more upper division science courses, and work harder on getting A's by taking fewer courses.

 

[datsa]

You are right about the courseload, perhaps too many science courses.
I will be cutting back next semester to 3 science courses per semester.

 

[finaaqua]

Hey FINAAQA, would it be possible for you to tell your story?? From what I can tell from a very short message you left, your story seems to epitomize all the nontrads here?? Just a thought.

THanks a lot

okay- i didn't see this post until today, but here it goes-
i have an undergraduate degree in a social science major from a top 10 school and a masters degree from another top 10 school (not a science masters)-- postbacc went miserably because i was trying to work like 50 hours a week and take molecular bio, organic chem, chem lab, etc. i completed one of the most popular (and rigorous) postbacc programs in the country and was actually almost asked to leave at one point because my grades were so miserable. i got through basically by using a loophole. i just would not give up- i took the mcat 3 times. i got a 29 the first time, followed by a 29 the second time- i applied to med schools- was rejected- and then reapplied this application cycle with a new mcat score and two new grades in upper level bio classes.
i do have some compelling work experience- but i think the only reason why i got interviews this year and the only reason why i got in is because i would not let this process get me down. after investing a long time and alot of effort and money- i just was not going to quit. look a 32 MCAT and a 3.08 BPCM is not stellar- but in the end, i know that i am more than my numbers and somehow convinced these schools this year to see things my way.

 

[atomi]

If you were younger, I would just suggest starting at another school all over again and completely writing off the work at your current school.

As it is, I would suggest either trying to kill the mcat or going to a Caribbean school.

 

[rockmed]

Hi Finaaqua,

I have seen posts on the threads which say "Class of 2012".. does this mean that you will be starting med school in 2012? Just curious if you already got your admission into med school why wait until 2012? thanks for clarifying.

 

[Schmitty]

Hi Finaaqua,

I have seen posts on the threads which say "Class of 2012".. does this mean that you will be starting med school in 2012? Just curious if you already got your admission into med school why wait until 2012? thanks for clarifying.

'Class of' designates expected graduation year. This is even true for undergrad...e.g. I started at University of Toronto in 2003, in a HSc 4 year program, hence, I am considered 'Class of 2007'. Of course, this can always change....

 

[finaaqua]

Hi Finaaqua,

I have seen posts on the threads which say "Class of 2012".. does this mean that you will be starting med school in 2012? Just curious if you already got your admission into med school why wait until 2012? thanks for clarifying.

graduating in 2012