Hi everyone,
I am currently taking a Bio D104 class and I was sick before the first midterm and did HORRIBLE. I took the second midterm and did decent, but still below the mean. I honestly have no justification for why as, although I did compact my studying to 5 days before the midterm, I had a good grasp of the material. I honestly felt that unlike most other Bio teachers, the professor just asked us to memorize random terms from the slide. In any event, not making up excuses as it was my fault for being a little disorganized this quarter especially with MCAT the week before the midterm.
I can no longer drop the course as UCI has the stringent two week drop deadline. A W is not an option either as I was not gravely sick and it would mean that I would have to drop out of the whole quarter according to the Bio department.
My GPA is very low 3.3 regular and 3.1 science. I have a downard trend this junior year due to the harsh grading of some of the labs and a bad quarter last. I know that even if I do really well on the final the best grade I will end up with is a B- or a C+. However, if I get a C- or lower I have the option of re-taking it in the summer. I know for a fact that I can get an A in the summer. I know for DO schools they will do the grade replacement but for MD schools they will see both grades and average them. But I was wondering, given the amount of C's that I already have (5-all in science/math classes! 🙁 )...would it be good to try and "save" my GPA by getting a C- and re-taking to get an A? Would that look any better to adcoms?
If I get a C or higher, I can't retake at all. Also, the course is Developmental Biology and I can't re-take it at CC as I have not been able to find a replacement/complement to it on assist.org.
As I am hopeful for a decent MCAT score (I'm waiting for them as I took it on 01/29/11), I was planning on delaying graduation till summer and starting an SMP or postbac/linkage program at a DO or MD school depending on the MCAT score. But the UGPA still matters and I want to try and get it as high as I can before I start any type of graduate level program in order to maximize my chances.
On another note, I'm really not sure what's going on with me. I am not any lazier than I was last year, and I took multiple science courses in one quarter and did fine. I swear, UCI's bio labs really bring out the true competition of Bio majors. The grading is BRUTAL and this is the one time when I wished I was not a Bio major (and it's my fourth year)!
Is anyone else noticing a decline in their performance in the Senior year?
Sorry for the weird questions and long post, but I would appreciate any help!
Thanks in advance!
I am currently taking a Bio D104 class and I was sick before the first midterm and did HORRIBLE. I took the second midterm and did decent, but still below the mean. I honestly have no justification for why as, although I did compact my studying to 5 days before the midterm, I had a good grasp of the material. I honestly felt that unlike most other Bio teachers, the professor just asked us to memorize random terms from the slide. In any event, not making up excuses as it was my fault for being a little disorganized this quarter especially with MCAT the week before the midterm.
I can no longer drop the course as UCI has the stringent two week drop deadline. A W is not an option either as I was not gravely sick and it would mean that I would have to drop out of the whole quarter according to the Bio department.
My GPA is very low 3.3 regular and 3.1 science. I have a downard trend this junior year due to the harsh grading of some of the labs and a bad quarter last. I know that even if I do really well on the final the best grade I will end up with is a B- or a C+. However, if I get a C- or lower I have the option of re-taking it in the summer. I know for a fact that I can get an A in the summer. I know for DO schools they will do the grade replacement but for MD schools they will see both grades and average them. But I was wondering, given the amount of C's that I already have (5-all in science/math classes! 🙁 )...would it be good to try and "save" my GPA by getting a C- and re-taking to get an A? Would that look any better to adcoms?
If I get a C or higher, I can't retake at all. Also, the course is Developmental Biology and I can't re-take it at CC as I have not been able to find a replacement/complement to it on assist.org.
As I am hopeful for a decent MCAT score (I'm waiting for them as I took it on 01/29/11), I was planning on delaying graduation till summer and starting an SMP or postbac/linkage program at a DO or MD school depending on the MCAT score. But the UGPA still matters and I want to try and get it as high as I can before I start any type of graduate level program in order to maximize my chances.
On another note, I'm really not sure what's going on with me. I am not any lazier than I was last year, and I took multiple science courses in one quarter and did fine. I swear, UCI's bio labs really bring out the true competition of Bio majors. The grading is BRUTAL and this is the one time when I wished I was not a Bio major (and it's my fourth year)!
Is anyone else noticing a decline in their performance in the Senior year?
Sorry for the weird questions and long post, but I would appreciate any help!
Thanks in advance!
