What about the "D+"

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Ausmil

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I was just wondering. I was going to apply to medical schools this coming year. My GPA is at about a 3.5. The only problem is that though my science GPA is above a 3.0, I do have one D+ in my first gem chem. Is there anyway to still apply with this D+, or do I have to re-take it before I can apply? I would prefer not to, but if I have to I will.
 
You will need to retake it. General Chemistry is a prereq and in order to fulfill the requirement, you must pass the course with a C or above (for most schools)

Now whether you can apply before finishing the retake - I don't know. Schools will definately know you are lacking since the AACOM profile (your primary apps) will flag any prereq courses that falls below a 2.0. Some schools might still look at your application. Others might file your application as incomplete and won't look at it.
 
Ausmil said:
I was just wondering. I was going to apply to medical schools this coming year. My GPA is at about a 3.5. The only problem is that though my science GPA is above a 3.0, I do have one D+ in my first gem chem. Is there anyway to still apply with this D+, or do I have to re-take it before I can apply? I would prefer not to, but if I have to I will.

How did you take gen chem II, org chem I and org chem II without passing gen chem I?
 
exlawgrrl said:
d's passing. just barely, i know, but it's still passing. 🙂

At the school I attend you cannot progress to II unless you get a C or better in I. This is true for both G. Chem and O. Chem (which are the only ones I've looked at). Which is what I think someone up above was getting at-- I'm sure it varies from (undergrad) school to school though.
 
exlawgrrl said:
d's passing. just barely, i know, but it's still passing. 🙂

If schools require one to retake a class because of a D then a D is not a passing grade. Neither my undergrad institution nor VCOM will accept a D as passing.
 
exlawgrrl said:
d's passing. just barely, i know, but it's still passing. 🙂

Where I come from, you need a 70 to pass. Our school counted a D as 60-69.
 
what's the point of having a distinction between D and F is D is not passing? i know with med schools 70% is usually passing, but i've never gone anywhere where a D wasn't passing. again, i've never made a D, so i don't know what the consequences are aside from screwing your gpa.
 
exlawgrrl said:
what's the point of having a distinction between D and F is D is not passing? i know with med schools 70% is usually passing, but i've never gone anywhere where a D wasn't passing. again, i've never made a D, so i don't know what the consequences are aside from screwing your gpa.

Well at my school a D might be passing, and even count towards a degree, but one consequence of it (at my school) is what I said earlier. You can't take part II of certain classes...I took this straight from the course description (Chem 103 is General Chemistry I at my school).

"Chem 106-5. General Chemistry II. Lect. and Lab. This is the second course of the General Chemistry sequence. Emphasis is on acid-base and solution chemistry, equilibria, kinetics, redox chemistry, transition metal chemistry, nuclear chemistry and organic chemistry. Counts towards fulfillment of the LAS natural science area requirement. Prer., Chem 103 with a grade of C or higher. Frequency: Every semester."
 
Ausmil said:
I was just wondering. I was going to apply to medical schools this coming year. My GPA is at about a 3.5. The only problem is that though my science GPA is above a 3.0, I do have one D+ in my first gem chem. Is there anyway to still apply with this D+, or do I have to re-take it before I can apply? I would prefer not to, but if I have to I will.


Just try to do extra well on the rest of your classes and study hard for the MCAT, I got a few Ds on my transcript my freshmen year and I think even failed a math course, or withdrew, forget which, but finish strong and get a high score and you'll be ok. 🙂

good luck. 🙂
 
All 5 of the colleges, undergrad and medical, I've attended have required a 70% to progress to the next class in the sequence and earn credits.
 
(nicedream) said:
All 5 of the colleges, undergrad and medical, I've attended have required a 70% to progress to the next class in the sequence and earn credits.

maybe the op goes to a school like portland state where no one verifies anything, and you can sign up for whatever you want online. here, i think a person could conceivably like up for gen chem 2 without even taking or testing out of gen chem 1.
 
exlawgrrl said:
maybe the op goes to a school like portland state where no one verifies anything, and you can sign up for whatever you want online. here, i think a person could conceivably like up for gen chem 2 without even taking or testing out of gen chem 1.

Perhaps you're right but it is irrelevant to the whole discussion here. A "D" in a non science, non prereq course is one thing & I can see where it could possibly be overlooked by a few adcoms but unless everything else in the app (MCAT, GPA, experience) is stellar, then a D in a core science, gen chem, pre req course seems like a death nail to an app. But hey, if you're willing to fork out the dough to see where it gets you then by all means, fork away!! I had a (1) weak spot in my app, and it was overlooked but you have to be strong everywhere else. Be prepared for questions about it.
 
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