Using COVID essay to explain bad grade?

[h23]

---

Members don't see this ad.

So I enrolled in an SMP and I still have 2 more classes to finish before I can get the degree. I believe I did alright so far, but I got a B- in my Gross Anatomy class. I'm grateful that I was even able to get a B, but I feel like around here, if you don't get a 99% or higher, the consensus is to just go ahead and pursue nursing or another career lol. I strongly believe that if my anatomy class was in-person then I could have done a bit better. Part of why I feel I didn't get an A in the class was because they had us use pictures when looking at the anatomical structures and especially in the first exam, it is incredibly difficult to tell where you are in the body when the picture is so zoomed in and you have no idea where in the body you're looking at (like the forearm be looking like the posterior leg at times is the level I'm talking about).
My question is that last year I believe certain schools had a COVID essay where you explain how COVID-19 impacted your pathway to become a doctor. Assuming that this essay is still a thing for this cycle, should I use this opportunity to explain my B- in my gross anatomy class or should I not even bring any attention to it. I'm not entirely sure if a B- is a death sentence. I truly hope it isn't cause I worked incredibly hard to get good grades in all of my classes, gross anatomy included. Would greatly appreciate some advice.

 

[LizzyM]

I generally think of a bad grade as a zit that shouldn't have attention called to it but that you should let the other, more positive, aspects of your application be highlighted. However, given that the prompt is specifically about COVID and given that anatomy is best taught in a very tactile way throug interactions with the cadaver/specimen, it is clear that taking an anatomy class that is taught entirely online with photographs (and perhaps drawings) is suboptimal and impeded your ability to learn the material. I think that it is legit to write that up in response to that secondary prompt.

 

[Goro]

So I enrolled in an SMP and I still have 2 more classes to finish before I can get the degree. I believe I did alright so far, but I got a B- in my Gross Anatomy class. I'm grateful that I was even able to get a B, but I feel like around here, if you don't get a 99% or higher, the consensus is to just go ahead and pursue nursing or another career lol. I strongly believe that if my anatomy class was in-person then I could have done a bit better. Part of why I feel I didn't get an A in the class was because they had us use pictures when looking at the anatomical structures and especially in the first exam, it is incredibly difficult to tell where you are in the body when the picture is so zoomed in and you have no idea where in the body you're looking at (like the forearm be looking like the posterior leg at times is the level I'm talking about).
My question is that last year I believe certain schools had a COVID essay where you explain how COVID-19 impacted your pathway to become a doctor. Assuming that this essay is still a thing for this cycle, should I use this opportunity to explain my B- in my gross anatomy class or should I not even bring any attention to it. I'm not entirely sure if a B- is a death sentence. I truly hope it isn't cause I worked incredibly hard to get good grades in all of my classes, gross anatomy included. Would greatly appreciate some advice.

If you were a UG student, I'd advise just ignoring the B-.

But for an SMP student, the prompt is reasonable for you to answer as you intend to.