Some discouraging news about old transcript. How to handle?

[Jay_son]

Hi all,

I am a 34 year old non trad currently in the process of creating my application with AMCAS. As a 19 year old, I simply was too immature and unfocused to excel in the college environment and as a result, ended up withdrawing from courses at a few different community colleges. Or so I thought. It turns out that in one of the courses I was enrolled in, I received an F. It was in an introductory math course, and mostly due to the fact that I probably just stopped going to class and didn't realize I hadn't withdrawn from the course. Interestingly enough, when my transcripts were submitted to my current university, the course with the F was not included (not sure why), so thats why I'm just learning of this now, but I digress.

Having this fall into my lap as I'm about to finish my bachelors degree with a 3.85 and am preparing to take the MCAT is pretty discouraging to be honest. I am ashamed of my conduct as a teenager and sometimes cannot believe how foolishly I acted. But the past is the past and I've taken enormous strides to move forward in my life.

So I guess my question is how will this affect my current application, and is there anything I can do prior to applying to make up for it? I suppose retaking the course might help, but it was an introductory course and I have completed math courses through Calc 2 with all A's, so not sure if its necessary.

Aside from my GPA and hopefully strong MCAT, I am a paramedic with years of clinical experience in the prehospital and in-hospital environments. I teach CPR to the members of the community and have some shadowing opportunities planned.

Thank you in advance for your time.

 

[M&L]

Non traditional as well . Had F from my previous degree from 2008, they didn’t really care . It’s embarrassing, but you will be fine . Since you already have more advanced courses that you got As for , you don’t need to retake .

 

[JanetSnakehole]

Hi all,

I am a 34 year old non trad currently in the process of creating my application with AMCAS. As a 19 year old, I simply was too immature and unfocused to excel in the college environment and as a result, ended up withdrawing from courses at a few different community colleges. Or so I thought. It turns out that in one of the courses I was enrolled in, I received an F. It was in an introductory math course, and mostly due to the fact that I probably just stopped going to class and didn't realize I hadn't withdrawn from the course. Interestingly enough, when my transcripts were submitted to my current university, the course with the F was not included (not sure why), so thats why I'm just learning of this now, but I digress.

Having this fall into my lap as I'm about to finish my bachelors degree with a 3.85 and am preparing to take the MCAT is pretty discouraging to be honest. I am ashamed of my conduct as a teenager and sometimes cannot believe how foolishly I acted. But the past is the past and I've taken enormous strides to move forward in my life.

So I guess my question is how will this affect my current application, and is there anything I can do prior to applying to make up for it? I suppose retaking the course might help, but it was an introductory course and I have completed math courses through Calc 2 with all A's, so not sure if its necessary.

Aside from my GPA and hopefully strong MCAT, I am a paramedic with years of clinical experience in the prehospital and in-hospital environments. I teach CPR to the members of the community and have some shadowing opportunities planned.

Thank you in advance for your time.

Your success in upper-division math courses will demonstrate that you can handle the work. You won’t be the first person to apply to medical school with an F in intro math, and you certainly won’t be the last.

You might be asked to explain sub-par grades on some secondaries. You’ll just find a professional way of stating exactly what you told us here. Adcoms were 19 once, too - they’ll understand. This isn’t a dealbreaker by any definition. Good luck.

 

[hamiltonnyc]

I think a concern is that the bad grades will bring down your GPA, and might make you fall below the threshold for schools. I'd contact them beforehand to explain the situation and see if they can manually review your app to avoid the GPA screen.

 

[JanetSnakehole]

I think a concern is that the bad grades will bring down your GPA, and might make you fall below the threshold for schools. I'd contact them beforehand to explain the situation and see if they can manually review your app to avoid the GPA screen.

OP reported a GPA of 3.85, so unless I’m missing something, they’re going to be fine in terms of autoscreening. A single F grade isn’t going to tank that GPA below autoscreen thresholds.

 

[curbsideconsult]

I had more than a few horrible undergrad grades with an overall GPA worse than yours. I'm going to be an intern in a few short weeks (yay!/yikes!). Provided everything else is in order, you'll be fine.

 

[bears1992]

If you have a 3.85 with an early F, then your transcript probably reads something like:
A
A
A
F
A
A
A
A
A
B
A
A
A
A
A
A
B
A
A
A
A
A
A
A
That F isn't going to stop you from getting in. You'll be fine.

 

[augeremt]

I had more than a few horrible undergrad grades with an overall GPA worse than yours. I'm going to be an intern in a few short weeks (yay!/yikes!). Provided everything else is in order, you'll be fine.

Ditto to what everyone said. I also had an F in undergrad along with every other grade my school offered, including a D- (who the hell gives a D-?!). Rocked the post-bac 5 years later and brought my GPA up to a cGPA and sGPA still much worse than yours. I am now a resident.

I wouldn't even mention the F unless someone specifically asks. Your GPA is awesome and I doubt it'll be brought up. If it is, then tell them what you told us. Also, no need to retake it. Your excelling in higher level classes speaks for itself.

 

[Goro]

Hi all,

I am a 34 year old non trad currently in the process of creating my application with AMCAS. As a 19 year old, I simply was too immature and unfocused to excel in the college environment and as a result, ended up withdrawing from courses at a few different community colleges. Or so I thought. It turns out that in one of the courses I was enrolled in, I received an F. It was in an introductory math course, and mostly due to the fact that I probably just stopped going to class and didn't realize I hadn't withdrawn from the course. Interestingly enough, when my transcripts were submitted to my current university, the course with the F was not included (not sure why), so thats why I'm just learning of this now, but I digress.

Having this fall into my lap as I'm about to finish my bachelors degree with a 3.85 and am preparing to take the MCAT is pretty discouraging to be honest. I am ashamed of my conduct as a teenager and sometimes cannot believe how foolishly I acted. But the past is the past and I've taken enormous strides to move forward in my life.

So I guess my question is how will this affect my current application, and is there anything I can do prior to applying to make up for it? I suppose retaking the course might help, but it was an introductory course and I have completed math courses through Calc 2 with all A's, so not sure if its necessary.

Aside from my GPA and hopefully strong MCAT, I am a paramedic with years of clinical experience in the prehospital and in-hospital environments. I teach CPR to the members of the community and have some shadowing opportunities planned.

Thank you in advance for your time.

The whole point of academic reinvention is showing that the you of now is not the you of then