The bane of my existence....the C in Biochemistry

[shikki79]

Hi Everyone,
I need a brutally honest reply. I am a chemistry major and this semester I made the horrible mistake of taking 20 credits. I did this in a semester when I was taking Biochemistry,Physical Chemistry and Differential Equations in addition to three other courses. Plus I also work part time.
Needless to say, overloading was a bad idea and I ended up with four A's , a B in Physical Chemistry and a big fat ugly C in Biochemistry of all classes!!!!!!!!!! This dropeed my cumulative GPA down to a 3.7.
I have not taken the OATs yet but I won't waste my money if there is NO chance of me getting into optometry school.
This is my first C ever, but it is in a course that kinda reflects my ability to handle optometry school since it is an optometry school class. I'm so disappointed in myself for overloading and messing myself up.
Please let me know if there is still hope.If there is, what type of OAT scores do I need to compensate for my GPA dropping and the C in Biochemistry.
Please be brutally honest. Real life experiences to back up your opinion will be greatly appreciated.

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[TPMOH]

Don't sweat the "C" in biochem, esp since your cumulative GPA is a 3.7 (which is above average for even the best OD schools). I received a C in the third qtr of general chem, a C in the 2nd qtr of general biology, a C- in the 1st organic chem, and a D+ in Microbiology (had to retake, and got an A), and a C in the 2nd calculus class as an undergrad, but was still accepted to NOVA the 1st time I applied a couple of yrs ago, and was accepted to OSU for this year (on my 4th attempt) and have just completed my first qtr of OD school. My cumulative GPA as an undergrad was a 3.36, while my OAT scores were 360 academic ave and 370 total science. The bad grades I've mentioned above all occurred my first couple yrs of college when I was immature and did stupid things like skipping alot of class. All of my recent grades before applying were A's. My screw-ups when I was young did hurt me getting in my first-choice OD school (OSU) on the 1st attempt, but your GPA is much higher and I really don't think it will hurt you at all when you reply. If anyone asks during the interview, just explain that you had a heavy load while working a part time job. I don't even think it will come up, unless you start getting alot more C's in the future. In my case, even though I had a high OAT and alot of recent "A's" in science and business courses, the admissions committee at OSU did have some doubts on whether or not I could handle the OD coursework b/c of my mistakes when I was younger and like I said it cost me admittance a couple of times. I got a 3.50 my 1st qtr in OD school, so I guess they no longer have those doubts. Like I said, in your case it should have little bearing on your acceptance and if you get a 320-340 on the OAT you should be ok. Good luck.

Tim
OPT I
OSU College of Optometry