W or C (at best)

[DrNunes]

Advertisement - Members don't see this ad

So... where to start... well please don't kick me (hard anyways) since I'm already down. OChem I is doing the backside attack hardcore.

Ok so in short I am thinking about taking a W in OChem because honestly I think a C is the highest grade I will be able to pull in the class.

The dilema is that I already have 3 W's and 4 Repeats on my transcript 😱 . I am stuck and don't know what to really do. I am thinking that taking a W is the best thing, but I already have 3! One W was this semester (Spanish), and the other two are over 6 years old.

As of right now my gpa's are as follows:

AACOMAS
-CGPA - 3.39
-NonSGPA - 3.41
-SGPA - 3.35

AMCAS
-CGPA - 3.22
-NonSGPA - 3.31
-SGPA - 3.03

I made a gpa calculator on excel and attached it to this post. The courses are not listed in chronological order, but are listed under the school which I completed the course at. I have over 7 years in college transcripts.

I have not taken the MCAT

I have strong ec's, but non in research.

I am only interested in DO, or SMP -->DO

Thanks!

 

[rafman]

Since you are going DO, AACOMAS does grade replacement. So, go ahead, try your best to finish out O-Chem (even if C is the highest you can get). At least you will kinda be prepared to study for the o-chem material for the mcats. Then later on, re-take O- Chem and kick its ass. Just my two cents.

 

[UpwardTrend]

If I were you I would finish it out. If you ever have to retake it, use the professor rating sites to find an O-Chem course that has a higher probability of awarding higher grades/curves. You really need to do this for O-Chem II also. You're not doing so bad. Not understanding Organic Chemistry is somewhat understandable but whats with Spanish? Make sure that you continue an upward trend. You can't change whats in the past but you seriously need to show that those little blemishes were the old you. Buy Organic Chemistry as a second language and also watch supplemental youtube lessons by freelanceteach. Good luck

 

[jinobi]

I would say finish it and retake it later.

It's not a matter of finding an "easier" professor through those subjective review sites - it's a matter of you recognizing what you need to improve on (i.e. more tutoring, more time devoted to studying) and working on that. You can't pick your professors in medical school. I don't know when you took it, but reflect back and see why you got a F in Eng 1A (because I've taken it, and it's not bad...just gotta put time into your assignments). Take those lessons learned and apply it to your future classes.

I don't know how your trend works semester-wise, but you need to start getting those straight As to show schools that you're serious about handling their curriculum. MCAT will determine a lot of your fate too. DO schools take more consideration into ECs, but you don't want to rely on that "lucky" factor as compared to hard scores.

P.S. I lived in Salinas, took classes at Hartnell too.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Nope. Take that W. Do whatever it takes to protect your GPA. You don't know if down the line you won't be able to retake the course.

 

[Iliketoytles]

Nope. Take that W. Do whatever it takes to protect your GPA. You don't know if down the line you won't be able to retake the course.

I typically advise against taking W's, especially since you already have 3. Are you absolutely certain a C is the highest you can make in Ochem? Or are you underestimating? If you can work your butt off and pull a B, it may be worth it to stick it out.

If I were in your position, I'd talk to my Ochem teacher and ask what my chances are. If a B is out of sight, and a C is possible but not definitive, then I agree with Triage. Just take the W.

 

[DrNunes]

Thanks for the advice everyone. To answer a couple of your questions:

The F in English 1A was a long time ago. I took that class when I was still in high school. I retook it for a B while also still in high school.

The F in Chemistry I was a couple years ago and I had a medical emergency. Retook that course for a B+ in lecture and A in lab.

The two of the three W's that I had were also from a long time ago, over 6 years.

I took a W this semester in Spanish because I needed more time to study for OChem. I know OChem is hard, but I put in the time. I study, and study and study some more. It isn't the subject that gets me its the teachers grading. It's not just me that's sucking wind in his class, more than 50% of the class has dropped already.

It makes me upset because I've worked hard to bring my GPA back and this teacher takes pride in his drop rates. I am also taking Genetics and have a very strong A. Took Human Biology last semester and received an A as well.

A C is the best that I can do. So I think I am just going to take a W for the class. I'll retake the class next fall semester and keep an upward trend with no further W's for the next three semesters.

 

[TriagePreMed]

A C is the best that I can do. So I think I am just going to take a W for the class. I'll retake the class next fall semester and keep an upward trend with no further W's for the next three semesters.

This is the best choice you can make.

 

[Goro]

Hang in there and take the C. Is this your first semester at it? If so, do try to do better in Spring. What's vastly more important is that you show us on the AdCom that you can do better with your other coursework. So far, what I see from your background isn't good.

Let me play devils advocate and ask: if such a rigorous course in a undergraduate setting (13-17 credit hours, max) is giving you trouble, how can you survive medical school, which will be on the order of 40-50 credit hrs??? And that's EVERY semester!

Good luck.

So... where to start... well please don't kick me (hard anyways) since I'm already down. OChem I is doing the backside attack hardcore.

Ok so in short I am thinking about taking a W in OChem because honestly I think a C is the highest grade I will be able to pull in the class.

The dilema is that I already have 3 W's and 4 Repeats on my transcript 😱 . I am stuck and don't know what to really do. I am thinking that taking a W is the best thing, but I already have 3! One W was this semester (Spanish), and the other two are over 6 years old.

As of right now my gpa's are as follows:

AACOMAS
-CGPA - 3.39
-NonSGPA - 3.41
-SGPA - 3.35

AMCAS
-CGPA - 3.22
-NonSGPA - 3.31
-SGPA - 3.03

I made a gpa calculator on excel and attached it to this post. The courses are not listed in chronological order, but are listed under the school which I completed the course at. I have over 7 years in college transcripts.

I have not taken the MCAT

I have strong ec's, but non in research.

I am only interested in DO, or SMP -->DO

Thanks!

 

[TriagePreMed]

Let me play devils advocate and ask: if such a rigorous course in a undergraduate setting (13-17 credit hours, max) is giving you trouble, how can you survive medical school, which will be on the order of 40-50 credit hrs??? And that's EVERY semester!

You act like DO isn't famous for grade replacement and there isn't a single doctor out there that didn't earn anything less than an A or B in every class, even at your "prestigious" D.O. that you never name.

 

[jinobi]

You act like DO isn't famous for grade replacement and there isn't a single doctor out there that didn't earn anything less than an A or B in every class, even at your "prestigious" D.O. that you never name.

Oh stop it, that's not even what the important point of Goro's statement was.

DO has grade replacement, but AdComs will start being hesitant if you have a consistent record of retaking too many classes. What you're trying to show in your undergrad transcript is that you have some ability to handle the rigors of medical school. You can get a C here and there, but don't make it a habit to rely on grade replacement.

Like Goro said, the amount of material you have to learn is heavily amp-ed up once you get here. And there is no retaking - fail a class, and you retake it in the summer during remediation. Fail enough classes, and you get kicked out.

With so many other qualified applicants out there, you have to present yourself in the best light possible. Keep up that upward trend, and don't use a W as a crutch if you're feeling pressure - instead, get other sources of help, like tutoring or such.

 

[TriagePreMed]

Oh stop it, that's not even what the important point of Goro's statement was.

DO has grade replacement, but AdComs will start being hesitant if you have a consistent record of retaking too many classes. What you're trying to show in your undergrad transcript is that you have some ability to handle the rigors of medical school. You can get a C here and there, but don't make it a habit to rely on grade replacement.

Like Goro said, the amount of material you have to learn is heavily amp-ed up once you get here. And there is no retaking - fail a class, and you retake it in the summer during remediation. Fail enough classes, and you get kicked out.

With so many other qualified applicants out there, you have to present yourself in the best light possible. Keep up that upward trend, and don't use a W as a crutch if you're feeling pressure - instead, get other sources of help, like tutoring or such.

I think a "W" is a lot better to see than a "C" in a class. That's the point. You never know if you'll be able to retake that "C," whereas a "W" you must retake if it's a prerequisite course.

 

[DrNunes]

Decided to take the W. Sorry to disappoint those who were rooting for me to stick it out and hope for a C.

It wasn't a matter of studying more. I studied several hours a day, at least. I also took advantage of office hours and tutoring. I don't know what else I could have done. Not going to make any excuses.

I'm going to finish up my prereqs, take the MCAT, and apply to SMP's this upcoming October (2012).

 

[Iliketoytles]

Decided to take the W. Sorry to disappoint those who were rooting for me to stick it out and hope for a C.

It wasn't a matter of studying more. I studied several hours a day, at least. I also took advantage of office hours and tutoring. I don't know what else I could have done. Not going to make any excuses.

I'm going to finish up my prereqs, take the MCAT, and apply to SMP's this upcoming October (2012).

Good; glad you didn't waste time taking care of this. Best of luck brah. 😎

 

[DrWily]

Decided to take the W. Sorry to disappoint those who were rooting for me to stick it out and hope for a C.

It wasn't a matter of studying more. I studied several hours a day, at least. I also took advantage of office hours and tutoring. I don't know what else I could have done. Not going to make any excuses.

I'm going to finish up my prereqs, take the MCAT, and apply to SMP's this upcoming October (2012).

Which SMPs are you applying to? SMP applications open up soon (Nov-December) and run until about May for the following August.. if you want to be in an SMP in October 2012, then you need to apply this December. Also, I wouldn't take an SMP unless it had a guaranteed linkage. Otherwise, don't do it.. just beef up your app with retakes and additional upper level science courses.

 

[DrNunes]

Which SMPs are you applying to? SMP applications open up soon (Nov-December) and run until about May for the following August.. if you want to be in an SMP in October 2012, then you need to apply this December. Also, I wouldn't take an SMP unless it had a guaranteed linkage. Otherwise, don't do it.. just beef up your app with retakes and additional upper level science courses.

Not planning on apply this cycle to SMP's going to apply next cycle.

 

[DrWily]

Not planning on apply this cycle to SMP's going to apply next cycle.

I still don't even see why you need to do an SMP. Your GPAs look fine. Get a good score on the MCAT and you'll be set to get into a DO school.

I applied SMP last year and got accepted to Boston U's MAMS program. However, I decided not to go, as I didn't want to add $60,000 to my medical school debt and applied D.O. this cycle. Got accepted to AZCOM with less than stellar stats. Saving grace was my MCAT, but if you get a ~27 on the MCAT, you're golden.

2.96 sGPA, 3.14 cGPA, 33Q MCAT

Only do an SMP if you're hardcore about going MD (which you said you're not).

 

[DrNunes]

Thanks for the advice and inspiration Dr.Wily it is greatly appreciated.

I still don't even see why you need to do an SMP. Your GPAs look fine. Get a good score on the MCAT and you'll be set to get into a DO school.

I applied SMP last year and got accepted to Boston U's MAMS program. However, I decided not to go, as I didn't want to add $60,000 to my medical school debt and applied D.O. this cycle. Got accepted to AZCOM with less than stellar stats. Saving grace was my MCAT, but if you get a ~27 on the MCAT, you're golden.

2.96 sGPA, 3.14 cGPA, 33Q MCAT

Only do an SMP if you're hardcore about going MD (which you said you're not).