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So. I have been working on figuring out this issue asking every person I know and asking all of my pre-prof advisors from college and I just don't know the best answer.
I went to a college that not many people have ever heard of, but is (to much surprise) actually quite a challenging school. It is also not primarily a science oriented school, but rather politics and humanities (why I went there is neither here nor there since I can't change that fact about my application). I worked very hard and graduated in 3 years at 20. My GPA was pretty sad (~3.3) because I really rushed myself, but i have taken post-bacc classes getting an MEng to try and improve that. My undergrad offered a calc-based physics and a non-calc phys. I took the first semester of the harder one (C-) and the easier one second semester (A+).
My question for you is: Should I retake Physics because I got a C-, since most med schools are saying that pre-req courses should be "8 credits Physics with lab and 2.0"? Obviously a C- is a 1.7 but I just want to know if I NEED to retake physics or if I will just be weeded out right away. All of my other pre-reqs are better than a 2.0.
I know this is a long shot, but if I had a really good MCAT score and lots of EC's, what are my chances they overlook this ONE flaw in my pre-reqs? If i re-take it, AAMC will just average my 2 grades and it will not make that much of a difference (literally 0.02 points). So I am not as concerned with the effect it will have on my GPA, as much as I am the effect it will have on my ability to have an application worthy to be looked at.
Honestly, I know that with that kind of a GPA and that pre-req grade, Im not really that strong or competitive of a candidate to begin with.
Some EC's:
- almost 100 hours of shadowing
- worked in a research lab for almost 200 hours
- volunteer as a med assistant in an ER for a semester
- teaching assistant for several science courses in college 100's of hours
- preschool teacher volunteer for 3 years
- tutor for math
Thanks for the help/advice.
I went to a college that not many people have ever heard of, but is (to much surprise) actually quite a challenging school. It is also not primarily a science oriented school, but rather politics and humanities (why I went there is neither here nor there since I can't change that fact about my application). I worked very hard and graduated in 3 years at 20. My GPA was pretty sad (~3.3) because I really rushed myself, but i have taken post-bacc classes getting an MEng to try and improve that. My undergrad offered a calc-based physics and a non-calc phys. I took the first semester of the harder one (C-) and the easier one second semester (A+).
My question for you is: Should I retake Physics because I got a C-, since most med schools are saying that pre-req courses should be "8 credits Physics with lab and 2.0"? Obviously a C- is a 1.7 but I just want to know if I NEED to retake physics or if I will just be weeded out right away. All of my other pre-reqs are better than a 2.0.
I know this is a long shot, but if I had a really good MCAT score and lots of EC's, what are my chances they overlook this ONE flaw in my pre-reqs? If i re-take it, AAMC will just average my 2 grades and it will not make that much of a difference (literally 0.02 points). So I am not as concerned with the effect it will have on my GPA, as much as I am the effect it will have on my ability to have an application worthy to be looked at.
Honestly, I know that with that kind of a GPA and that pre-req grade, Im not really that strong or competitive of a candidate to begin with.
Some EC's:
- almost 100 hours of shadowing
- worked in a research lab for almost 200 hours
- volunteer as a med assistant in an ER for a semester
- teaching assistant for several science courses in college 100's of hours
- preschool teacher volunteer for 3 years
- tutor for math
Thanks for the help/advice.
