What does retaking a class say to admissions?

[Veillantif]

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Hey yall. So I really ****ed up last semester and I got a C- in my analytical lab. It is only 1 credit hour so it doesn't bring down my GPA by a lot but I am a chemistry major and this is one of my core labs. I know I can do better on a second try, but both grades will show up on my transcript. Does it look better to retake this class or to ace the **** out of the rest of my classes (I'm a sophomore)? Thanks ahead of time.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

Don't worry too much about it. If it were a prereq, the answer may be different, but getting a C- in a one hour credit class will not kill your GPA. If it isn't affecting your GPA too much, do not worry about it. Just get mostly As the rest of undergrad and you will be fine.

 

[MedPR]

Hey yall. So I really ****ed up last semester and I got a C- in my analytical lab. It is only 1 credit hour so it doesn't bring down my GPA by a lot but I am a chemistry major and this is one of my core labs. I know I can do better on a second try, but both grades will show up on my transcript. Does it look better to retake this class or to ace the **** out of the rest of my classes (I'm a sophomore)? Thanks ahead of time.

Since you've already done poorly in the class, retaking it (and doing well) can only help you.

Retake it and ace it (and the rest of your classes) imo.

 

[Veillantif]

Don't worry too much about it. If it were a prereq, the answer may be different, but getting a C- in a one hour credit class will not kill your GPA. If it isn't affecting your GPA too much, do not worry about it. Just get mostly As the rest of undergrad and you will be fine.

This lab is a prereq for another lab that I have to do. I still think it's bad to get a C- in a chemistry class as a chemistry major...lol.

 

[theseeker4]

Hey yall. So I really ****ed up last semester and I got a C- in my analytical lab. It is only 1 credit hour so it doesn't bring down my GPA by a lot but I am a chemistry major and this is one of my core labs. I know I can do better on a second try, but both grades will show up on my transcript. Does it look better to retake this class or to ace the **** out of the rest of my classes (I'm a sophomore)? Thanks ahead of time.

Does the analytical lab count as one of the two semesters of lab in non-organic chemistry required as a pre req, or is that already covered by other courses? If it counts as a pre req lab, check with med schools you want to apply to, they may require a minimum of a C in any pre req, in which case you would have to retake.

If you don't need to retake, I wouldn't personally. It is a one credit lab, not a full lecture section of a course. As long as your other grades in the sciences are good, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

 

[Veillantif]

Does the analytical lab count as one of the two semesters of lab in non-organic chemistry required as a pre req, or is that already covered by other courses? If it counts as a pre req lab, check with med schools you want to apply to, they may require a minimum of a C in any pre req, in which case you would have to retake.

If you don't need to retake, I wouldn't personally. It is a one credit lab, not a full lecture section of a course. As long as your other grades in the sciences are good, I wouldn't worry too much about it.

I haven't quite gotten there yet but I'll have more than enough general chemistry credit hours to fulfill their requirements by the time I finish my degree. I already have the 100 level chemistry classes (plus lab) covered by exam. Does that count?

 

[theseeker4]

I haven't quite gotten there yet but I'll have more than enough general chemistry credit hours to fulfill their requirements by the time I finish my degree. I already have the 100 level chemistry classes (plus lab) covered by exam. Does that count?

If the 100 level class is gen chem for chem majors, absolutely it should count. The course number varies school to school, so that itself doesn't mean much, but as long as it isn't a course for non majors, it usually counts.

 

[Chir0nex]

There is no need to retake the course as long as you are maintaining a B+/A- GPA (At least). If you do opt to retake the course it shouldn't hurt your app.

In general, try to think about the pattern of of grades in your app versus focusing on just a single class. One C grade in a non-core class is unlikely to be a major issue, but multiple low grades will. A single retake does raise any flags, but multiple retakes/withdrawals will be noted. It is not about being perfect, rather you need to show that, in general, you are intelligent, motivated in competent.

 

[ClemsonFirst]

There is no need to retake the course as long as you are maintaining a B+/A- GPA (At least). If you do opt to retake the course it shouldn't hurt your app.

In general, try to think about the pattern of of grades in your app versus focusing on just a single class. One C grade in a non-core class is unlikely to be a major issue, but multiple low grades will. A single retake does raise any flags, but multiple retakes/withdrawals will be noted. It is not about being perfect, rather you need to show that, in general, you are intelligent, motivated in competent.

👍

 

[Veillantif]

There is no need to retake the course as long as you are maintaining a B+/A- GPA (At least). If you do opt to retake the course it shouldn't hurt your app.

In general, try to think about the pattern of of grades in your app versus focusing on just a single class. One C grade in a non-core class is unlikely to be a major issue, but multiple low grades will. A single retake does raise any flags, but multiple retakes/withdrawals will be noted. It is not about being perfect, rather you need to show that, in general, you are intelligent, motivated in competent.

Yeah I gotcha. I've still got 2+ years to go, so I've plenty of room to recover.

 

[justhanging]

Hated that lab.

 

[mwall003]

As long as your sGPA is where it needs to be, I wouldn't worry about this 1-credit lab. Just make sure you continue to take the sequence of upper-level lab courses and excel in those to prove that you can do well in upper level lab course work, and to show that there may have been some extenuating circumstances that led to the C-.

 

[Veillantif]

As long as your sGPA is where it needs to be, I wouldn't worry about this 1-credit lab. Just make sure you continue to take the sequence of upper-level lab courses and excel in those to prove that you can do well in upper level lab course work, and to show that there may have been some extenuating circumstances that led to the C-.

Yeah I've got a 3.45 right now but that can go up to 3.64 if I go hard this semester.

 

[NuttyEngDude]

Yeah I've got a 3.45 right now but that can go up to 3.64 if I go hard this semester.

then you should ignore it, the past is the past.

 

[SeekerOfTheTree]

I had an F on my transcript. Don't worry. GPA is going up that's all that matters

 

[Euxox]

Since you've already done poorly in the class, retaking it (and doing well) can only help you.

Retake it and ace it (and the rest of your classes) imo.

I completely disagree with this advice. Rataking the class can only hurt you. If you do well on the retake, adcoms will be at best only slightly impressed. After all, you had already taken the class, so you had an advantage over every other student in the room.

If you don't improve, or you only improve slightly, then you're screwed because you've shown that you learned absolutely nothing about study habits, work ethic, and such from your first attempt.

 

[Veillantif]

I completely disagree with this advice. Rataking the class can only hurt you. If you do well on the retake, adcoms will be at best only slightly impressed. After all, you had already taken the class, so you had an advantage over every other student in the room.

If you don't improve, or you only improve slightly, then you're screwed because you've shown that you learned absolutely nothing about study habits, work ethic, and such from your first attempt.

Yeah to be honest anal lab was a pain in the ass and the thought of having to do that over again really gives me pause.

 

[Marika11]

Yeah to be honest anal lab was a pain in the ass and the thought of having to do that over again really gives me pause.

Yeah man, anal lab sounds like a bunch of crap.