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Too many retakes?

Started by FutureDrB
BU Medical Sciences
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FutureDrB

FutureDrB

Full Member
10+ Year Member
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Soooo.... I ended up with 31 retakes.

Too many you think? :laugh:

I basically retook 2/3 of my undergraduate degree from 10 years ago and raised my GPA from a 2.1 to a 3.5.

In all seriousness though, I have a really good reason for my lackluster performance when I was younger. Plus, I got good grades in all of my retakes, and have two graduate degrees now, both with 4.0s

Just wanted to get y'alls reaction to that many retakes. In my eyes, it just shows how dedicated I am to becoming a physician. Hopefully the ADCOMS will see that too.
 
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Holy balls. I retook 3. There are going to be a couple that may look down on it. DMU once told me they don't like to see more than 2 or 3 retakes but there are plenty of people who got into DMU with more than that. I can't speak for any other specific schools, just that it is relevant. That being said, I think the vast majority will look highly on it.
 
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FrkyBgStok said:
Holy balls. I retook 3. There are going to be a couple that may look down on it. DMU once told me they don't like to see more than 2 or 3 retakes but there are plenty of people who got into DMU with more than that. I can't speak for any other specific schools, just that it is relevant. That being said, I think the vast majority will look highly on it.
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Well darn. DMU is one of the schools my apply list.
 
Prereqs more than 10 years would have expired anyway, so retakes won't be looked at negatively for sure.
 
PhoenixFire said:
Prereqs more than 10 years would have expired anyway, so retakes won't be looked at negatively for sure.
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Well, I don't have any pre-reqs from that long ago...I took all of those in the past 2 years. I was just replacing random courses for my undergraduate degree that I did poorly in.
 
FutureDrB said:
Well darn. DMU is one of the schools my apply list.
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This was a couple years ago and I would still apply. That's what they told me, yet I have seen numerous people on here with 10 retakes or so be successful in getting accepted to DMU. 31 is the highest I have seen so I can't say anything with confidence. It is definitely worth applying.
 
FrkyBgStok said:
This was a couple years ago and I would still apply. That's what they told me, yet I have seen numerous people on here with 10 retakes or so be successful in getting accepted to DMU. 31 is the highest I have seen so I can't say anything with confidence. It is definitely worth applying.
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I'm really hoping to win an SDN Award for The Most Retakes 😀

Yeah, I'm definitely still going to apply to DMU.
 
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I guess I have a dumb question..


Since you are obviously only looking at DO....why not raise it to say 3.2 rather than 3.5 and save a couple of grand + another year of classes you could have devoted to EC's or working?
 
LifeTake2 said:
I guess I have a dumb question..


Since you are obviously only looking at DO....why not raise it to say 3.2 rather than 3.5 and save a couple of grand + another year of classes you could have devoted to EC's or working?
Click to expand...

Not a dumb question at all.

I'm actually probably going to do that. I'm sitting at a 3.2 right now with thoughts of not retaking these final few classes that would put me at a 3.5. But, I have nothing better to do in all honesty since I'm not applying until next cycle, so might as well bump it up some more to be on the safe side.

I work full-time as an EMT and my EC's are pretty good.
 
I retook 7 non-sci, luckily I only had two sci classes back when I was a less than stellar student. I somehow got B's in both those classes back then. I have over 200 (passing) undergrad credits right now.

You say that you have a really good reason for your poor performance in the past. I'm not sure how to approach this for my situation. What if you don't really have a good excuse? I plan on focusing more on changes that have allowed me to mature (marriage, age, etc). There is a clear upward trend from a sub 2 gpa after my first four years to a 3.5 gpa (3.93 sgpa) during my second 4 years at another (smaller) institution. Honestly, freedom led to partying, which led to lack of attendance, which led to poor grades. Should I look deeper than the no excuses attitude?
 
UpwardTrend said:
I retook 7 non-sci, luckily I only had two sci classes back when I was a less than stellar student. I somehow got B's in both those classes back then. I have over 200 (passing) undergrad credits right now.

You say that you have a really good reason for your poor performance in the past. I'm not sure how to approach this for my situation. What if you don't really have a good excuse? I plan on focusing more on changes that have allowed me to mature (marriage, age, etc). There is a clear upward trend from a sub 2 gpa after my first four years to a 3.5 gpa (3.93 sgpa) during my second 4 years at another (smaller) institution. Honestly, freedom led to partying, which led to lack of attendance, which led to poor grades. Should I look deeper than the no excuses attitude?
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Well, I wouldn't walk in and say, "I just partied too much." Haha. But if that's really the main reason, I would just try and rephrase it in an "intellectual" way. I assume the ADCOMS are human... Most young people get a little wild in college. Partying had nothing to do with my poor performance, in fact it was the complete opposite...had to be too responsible.

If I were in your shoes, I think I would simply highlight my upward trend. Say something to the effect of, "You know, the combination of being young and in college got the best of me and I let my priorities get out of hand. But, I quickly realized my mistakes and did the best I could to rectify them. By the way, I love your tie." Okay, I'm kidding about the last sentence.
 
FrkyBgStok said:
Holy balls. I retook 3. There are going to be a couple that may look down on it. DMU once told me they don't like to see more than 2 or 3 retakes but there are plenty of people who got into DMU with more than that. I can't speak for any other specific schools, just that it is relevant. That being said, I think the vast majority will look highly on it.
Click to expand...

This is definetly true, I was a reapplicant this year, and when I spoke to the adcom last year they told me that more than 4-5 sends up a pretty big red flag as far as retakes go.

31 is impressive though, shows that you are dedicated and willing to work towards your goal!
 
It wouldn't be an issue at our school, unless it was on the order of one class per year. The key this is to show us you can handle med school all at once, not in boluses. I've had students who basically went and got a second degree. So don't sweat it.

FutureDrB said:
Soooo.... I ended up with 31 retakes.

Too many you think? :laugh:

I basically retook 2/3 of my undergraduate degree from 10 years ago and raised my GPA from a 2.1 to a 3.5.

In all seriousness though, I have a really good reason for my lackluster performance when I was younger. Plus, I got good grades in all of my retakes, and have two graduate degrees now, both with 4.0s

Just wanted to get y'alls reaction to that many retakes. In my eyes, it just shows how dedicated I am to becoming a physician. Hopefully the ADCOMS will see that too.
Click to expand...
 
Goro said:
It wouldn't be an issue at our school, unless it was on the order of one class per year. The key this is to show us you can handle med school all at once, not in boluses. I've had students who basically went and got a second degree. So don't sweat it.
Click to expand...

Goro, I always took a full load each semester (15-18 hours), as well as summers, so I'm hoping it's not an issue.
 
FutureDrB said:
Soooo.... I ended up with 31 retakes.

Too many you think? :laugh:

I basically retook 2/3 of my undergraduate degree from 10 years ago and raised my GPA from a 2.1 to a 3.5.

In all seriousness though, I have a really good reason for my lackluster performance when I was younger. Plus, I got good grades in all of my retakes, and have two graduate degrees now, both with 4.0s

Just wanted to get y'alls reaction to that many retakes. In my eyes, it just shows how dedicated I am to becoming a physician. Hopefully the ADCOMS will see that too.
Click to expand...

I'm almost in your boat but I've retook 15 classes or so. All of these were from ~10 years ago as well. I've heard that as long as we haven't taken any recently we'll be alright.
 
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PhoenixFire said:
Prereqs more than 10 years would have expired anyway
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Not necessarily true. Many schools do not share the above viewpoint, assuming you have recent coursework consisting of upper level bio/chem. A dean of admissions I have been in contact with directly for some time says that they would much rather see new coursework than repeated pre-reqs (regardless of how long ago those pre-reqs were taken).
 
PhoenixFire said:
FutureDrB -- did you do all retakes at a CC?
Click to expand...

Yep, 90% of them. There were a few that I had no choice but to retake at the university level. I'm going to get drilled by the ADCOMS for this, but as I explained in another post. I've been a single dad, full-time student and full-time EMT. If they don't understand that or want to hold it against me that I only had the time/money to go to a community college, I don't think that's the school for me anyway.
 
I'm really glad you brought up this subject. I made the mistake of attempting a business degree (that I didn't want to do in the first place but was pressured into by my previous employer). I did poorly in several of the classes and decided to just retake them at our local university, so I have several retakes already and I'm only in my second year of my bachelors. I hope that ADCOMS will see that I'm trying to remedy the mistakes I made in the past by doing well in those classes now. We shall see.... =)
 
Wow, OP! That's some major dedication to retake 31 classes. I have eight classes I have lined up to retake that I received C's as a lazy undergrad, and I feel like that's a lot. I may retake some B's if I don't apply for the 2013 cycle thanks to motivation from you haha. Have you taken the MCAT, yet?
 
sylvanthus said:
Ehhh you'll be fine, I had 14 withdrawals and probably 20+ retakes all together and it never came up in interviews either for DO school or PA school.
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That's reassuring, as I have a few W's on my undergrad transcript. Were you able to secure any MD interviews as well, or did you just go for DO?
 
Socalpremedguy said:
Wow, OP! That's some major dedication to retake 31 classes. I have eight classes I have lined up to retake that I received C's as a lazy undergrad, and I feel like that's a lot. I may retake some B's if I don't apply for the 2013 cycle thanks to motivation from you haha. Have you taken the MCAT, yet?
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Thanks Socal. MCAT in March. :xf:
 
I think the vast majority will look highly on it. 👍
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sylvanthus said:
I just went DO as I foolishly bought into the philosophy (which is largely BS I might add).
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I'm thinking about taking my chances and applying to both DO and MD schools. It won't hurt to try, though I think I'll be shut out of CA unless I get a >35 on the MCAT.
 
Hey OP. I have 11 retakes. Have fun filling out AACOMAS. It was a b****.
 
Isoprop said:
Hey OP. I have 11 retakes. Have fun filling out AACOMAS. It was a b****.
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I haven't even gotten around that, yet. Is it true that you have to list EVERY class you've taken??? I have so many classes it's not even funny. Would I also have to list an intermediate algebra class (lower level math)? It's the class before taking college algebra. Congrats on med school, isoprop-yl. 😀
 
Socalpremedguy said:
I haven't even gotten around that, yet. Is it true that you have to list EVERY class you've taken??? I have so many classes it's not even funny. Would I also have to list an intermediate algebra class (lower level math)? It's the class before taking college algebra. Congrats on med school, isoprop-yl. 😀
Click to expand...

Yes, every single class. And if there's repeats, you have to designate it as a repeat class.

For instance, let's say you have taken Chemistry 1 twice and Biology 2 three times.

Spring 98
Chemistry 1 - C - Repeat 1
Biology 2 - D - Repeat 2

Fall 98
Chemistry 1 - A - Repeat 1
Biology 2 - C - Repeat 2

Spring 99
Biology 2 - A - Repeat 2

Only the last repeats will be counted towards GPA calculations but all the classes need to be reported.

You can imagine how frustrating this gets when you have a lot of repeats. You have to keep track of which classes were repeats.

So yes you have to report every college class, even if it's a college arithmetic classes from 1966.
 
Isoprop said:
Yes, every single class. And if there's repeats, you have to designate it as a repeat class.

For instance, let's say you have taken Chemistry 1 twice and Biology 2 three times.

Spring 98
Chemistry 1 - C - Repeat 1
Biology 2 - D - Repeat 2

Fall 98
Chemistry 1 - A - Repeat 1
Biology 2 - C - Repeat 2

Spring 99
Biology 2 - A - Repeat 2

Only the last repeats will be counted towards GPA calculations but all the classes need to be reported.

You can imagine how frustrating this gets when you have a lot of repeats. You have to keep track of which classes were repeats.

So yes you have to report every college class, even if it's a college arithmetic classes from 1966.
Click to expand...

I can't believe intermediate algebra is counted toward my sGPA. I got a B, but still. Brings it down a little. Would I be able to work on inputting all my classes in now and save it on AACOMMAS and AMCAS, or do I have to do it all when I submit my application to school? I want to get a rough estimate where my GPA is right now, because I have classes at 5 different schools.
 
Socalpremedguy said:
I can't believe intermediate algebra is counted toward my sGPA. I got a B, but still. Brings it down a little. Would I be able to work on inputting all my classes in now and save it on AACOMMAS and AMCAS, or do I have to do it all when I submit my application to school? I want to get a rough estimate where my GPA is right now, because I have classes at 5 different schools.
Click to expand...

Socal, I'm not sure about calculating them on the actual AACOMAS application, but just download the GPA calculator below and enter them in there. That way you'll always have a record and can easily change things.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=839864
 
FutureDrB said:
Socal, I'm not sure about calculating them on the actual AACOMAS application, but just download the GPA calculator below and enter them in there. That way you'll always have a record and can easily change things.

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=839864
Click to expand...

Sweet, good looking out. So, intermediate algebra, astronomy, and geography would be considered under my sGPA? I'm thinking about retaking some B's as well, just in case.
 
You'll be fine. The fact that you went back and retook all of those classes is a testament of your dedication. Adcoms of any school that you'll want to go to will have lots of questions, but with your story I am sure they will be impressed and you'll have lots to talk about during your interviews. Good luck to you!
 
shaggybill said:
You'll be fine. The fact that you went back and retook all of those classes is a testament of your dedication. Adcoms of any school that you'll want to go to will have lots of questions, but with your story I am sure they will be impressed and you'll have lots to talk about during your interviews. Good luck to you!
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Thanks shaggy. Good luck to you as well!
 
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Socalpremedguy said:
Sweet, good looking out. So, intermediate algebra, astronomy, and geography would be considered under my sGPA? I'm thinking about retaking some B's as well, just in case.
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The astronomy and geography will go under science, but D.O. does not calculate math under your science GPA...although I think M.D. does. See the attached course guide for a better breakdown of classes and how they are classified.
 

Attachments

Do you guys know if nationally accredited (as opposed to regionally) undergrad grades are taken into account in the GPA calculation process? None of my transfer credit was applied at my new undergrad because of this, and I was wondering if MD or DO schools even care about those grades.

It sucks though because technically I'm retaking a whole years worth of classes even though the credit never even transferred in the first place... 😕
 
Jnet389 said:
Do you guys know if nationally accredited (as opposed to regionally) undergrad grades are taken into account in the GPA calculation process? None of my transfer credit was applied at my new undergrad because of this, and I was wondering if MD or DO schools even care about those grades.

It sucks though because technically I'm retaking a whole years worth of classes even though the credit never even transferred in the first place... 😕
Click to expand...

Yarp, you list everything as it appeared at the school where you physically took the classes. Whether or not another undergrad accepted those credits is (as I understand it) inconsequential. You don't have to list whether or not your current undergrad accepted the credits, nor what they accepted them as actually. I had credits from 4 schools, not all of which transferred to the school I graduated from. It sucks being a transfer student 😉 If it's college credit, AACOMAS needs to know and you'll also need to track down transcripts (from 4 schools in my case...).
 
FutureDrB said:
The astronomy and geography will go under science, but D.O. does not calculate math under your science GPA...although I think M.D. does. See the attached course guide for a better breakdown of classes and how they are classified.
Click to expand...

The PDF placed geography as a non-science. I don't know. I'll have to get all my things sorted out over the winter break, and figure out if I should hold off applying for the 2013 cycle.
 
Socalpremedguy said:
The PDF placed geography as a non-science. I don't know. I'll have to get all my things sorted out over the winter break, and figure out if I should hold off applying for the 2013 cycle.
Click to expand...

Na, normal geography (often called Earth Science) is under Other Science. See below. You might've been looking at "Cultural Geography" which is under Non-Science. Cultural Geography are classes that have to do with population, etc. and aren't really science-e. 🙂

Other Science
Agricultural Science
Astronomy
Chiropractic
Electronics
Engineering
Epidemiology
Geology
Kinesiology
Medical Technology
Meteorology
Nutrition
Pharmacy
Physical Anthropology
Physical Geography 👍
Physical Science
Physician Assistant
Radiology
 
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