To retake, or not to retake orgo?

[Dige747]

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I took organic chem and after earning an A the first quarter, I had difficulty with the new material and received a C+ in both the lab and the second quarter.

My cumulative GPA is 3.7, and my science is 3.85. I will take the MCAT in April. Hundreds of hours of exposure and volunteer time, and great LORs. These are the only Cs on my record, but my advisor referred to them as "black spots that may grab attention."

Should I retake these, or just study the material and show my knowledge on the MCAT?

Thanks for the input!

 

[climberchick]

If I were you I wouldn't retake them. There is no garuntee that your'll do better the second time around, and other than that your application is in great shape. I wouldn't be worried. There are a lot of people that make C's in ochem and still get into medschool! But if you are uneasy and it's keeping you up at night, then take them again.... but I know alot of adcoms advise not to retake courses that you've already passed. Maybe you should look into an upper level ochem course, or a biochem course, to prove that you can handle the material. Although I think this is already evident by your steller academic record!!

Good luck on the MCAT!!! ANd I hope you figure things out!

 

[Amy B]

To take again.... NO. There is no reason to take these again. What's done is done. Move on and don't worry about it. Your GPA wasn't affected very much so don't worry about it. I think both grades would go on your AMCAS appl anyway.

 

[PrincetonRocks]

I don't think you can retake a course if you have passed it with at least a C. You need a D or an F in order to have that option. Anyhow, to be honest with you. I think it's going to be hard to get into the bigger schools with a C in O-Chem because it's one of the pre-req classes. It shows your foundation in the Basic Sciences, an essential criteria for success in medical school. However, if you managed a 13-15 on the BS section of the MCAT this April, then disregard my previous statement.

There are more to medical school admissions than GPA and MCAT. We all know that, but most applicants also have strong extracurriculars! I think in the end, it's how strong your desire is to become a doctor that will shine through. It's not the quantity of extracurriculars, but it's the quality...what did you get out of it.

Well, that's more than my 2 cents. Good luck on the MCATs.

 

[Cerberus]

You have great grades, a C wont kill you.

 

[Catalyst]

Your science GPA is only 3.85? You're screwed, I'd suggest either retaking, doing a post-bac program, or applying to DO programs.. 🙄

No but seriously, just get a a decent MCAT score (30 or above) and you'll be golden

Sachin

 

[Lux Aeterna]

Don't retake! Just crush the bio sciences part of the MCAT. I have 2 C's in Intro Bio, and a C in another class, and I have 10 interviews thus far, with one at a top 10 school, and one at a top 20 school. Granted I'd be thrilled to go to my state school, but it's a nice to see that the process is going much better than I expected.

 

[Cerberus]

Originally posted by Lux Aeterna
Don't retake! Just crush the bio sciences part of the MCAT. I have 2 C's in Intro Bio, and a C in another class, and I have 10 interviews thus far, with one at a top 10 school, and one at a top 20 school. Granted I'd be thrilled to go to my state school, but it's a nice to see that the process is going much better than I expected.

Care to tell more about your application? Lotsa volunteer work? killer MCAT score?

 

[thackl]

I had a C from gen chem back in HS and a 3.85GPA. No one gave a crap and I'm in.

 

[Lux Aeterna]

Originally posted by Cerberus
Care to tell more about your application? Lotsa volunteer work? killer MCAT score?

Hey Cerb, my MCAT score isn't that high (less than 35), but I do have some interesting activities/personal statement stuff [international experiences] which I think are helping me out. PM me if you are interested in the details.

To further my claims, the top tier schools that have invited me for an interview are schools that have essay secondaries (i.e. Michigan and Chicago) where I can explain myself better, versus, say, Cornell, where my grades are probably hurting me. Ah well, ya win some, you lose some!

 

[alibai3ah]

It barely hurts your GPA, you DO NOT need to retake, trust me. Try to aim for a 11 or higher on the BS section, a 12 would look great. But it doesnt' really matter, the BS section barely has any O chem anymore anyways. As long as you do well on the MCAT sciences (both of them), a C or two won't hurt you

 

[Y88]

holy thread revival...

 

[Caesar]

This thread is from 2003. Odds are the OP is either no longer around or not needing of any more advice on this topic. I am closing this thread.