Taking upper level science courses?

[CornellMan]

Hey Guys,

So where I stand now, I have an alright GPA (good, but not yet as competitive as I would like it to be) and have not taken the MCAT yet. The biggest issue I have is that I have two C+'s on my transcript. One is Calc II and the other is my first semester of organic chemistry. With orgo, I got a B (the course median) my second semester and an A- in the lab. Clearly, these grades pose a bit of a problem, and my question is whether or not I should take an upper-level course in the same dept. and hope that doing well would outshine whatever slips I had as an underclassman or should I just bite the bullet and take the grades they are? If I were to take a higher level math course, I would take either calc III (multivariable) or linear algebra (which i hear is easier than calc III). With the orgo, the next level orgo course is at a master's level, so that is out of the question. What my options are with chemistry would be either take a similar level introductory orgo course (similar material that I had before, so chances are I could do well in it) or take introductory physical chem. For what it's worth, I am a biology major, and have been doing extraordinarily well in biochem so far. Any tips on which courses (if any) I should take? Thanks in advance for the advice!

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Hospitalized]

You should focus on raising your GPA as much as possible, and do really only the minimal to get into medical school. Calc III and linear algebra are entirely unnecessary, especially for a biology major. Focus on getting all of your major credits out of the way, then tack on electives that you know you can get an A in. It's odd none of the classes you mentioned apply to your major (or at least they wouldn't at my school) -- Why won't you look at more biology related electives? Plenty of those can help you prep for the MCAT. Genetics, cell biology, microbiology, anatomy, physiology, anything like that. These are not necessary by any means, but I think they would be more applicable then something like calc III, P chem, or linear algebra.

 

[Catalystik]

Bite the bullet and take the grades as they are. Get a string of As in other subjects to raise your GPA before you apply, as Hospitalized suggested.