Which classes: retake, upper level, low-level prereq?

[Whyevernot55]

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Hey folks. Looking for a bit of advice - as most of you know, I am applying (round two) this cycle. I'm trying to decide which classes are going to be most beneficial.

I am most likely going to do an Animal Nutrition online course, which has been discussed to death. Last semester I ended up with a C- in O-chem II, which I was pretty disappointed in and am thinking I'd like to retake. My other options are Animal Bio, which is a low-level bio class that tends to be a weed-out PITA lecture and lab, but is a prereq for some upper level classes; or an upper level bio class, likely Endocrinology.

Any thoughts on what would look strongest for my application? Personally, I'm thinking doing well in an upper level like Endocrine is probably best, as well as retaking and improving my Ochem II grade, but I wanted some outside input.

 

[VeganSoprano]

I don't know of any school that will accept a C- for a prereq so ochem will probably be a necessity. Beyond that, an A in endocrinology will definitely help you a lot more than an A in an introductory class. Furthermore, unless you plan to take classes that require Animal Bio as a prereq, it sounds like it won't be a great use of your time. PITA weed-out classes are, well, a pain in the @rse and it's not easy to do well in them. So if you'll be working equally hard either way, an upper-division class should give way more payoff for your work.

 

[BlacKAT33]

I got a C- in biochem: penn doesn't have biochem as a prereq, vmrcvm accepts the C- , hmm forgot about the rest of the schools I applied to. I'm sure i checked it out before i applied but who knows lol I got an interview at IL so I guess that means they also accepted it??

 

[RunTheWorld]

You're applying to Tufts again right? (yes, yes, yes!) Have you done biochemistry yet? If you work really hard and get an A, I think that would look really good. Our schedule at Tufts looks very p-chem heavy, so I think doing well in biochem would say a lot. But if you already did it and got a good grade, I would take another upper level bio instead of going backwards and re-doing orgo. I definitely wouldn't take the lower level class.

 

[Whyevernot55]

Thanks for the input - y'all pretty much confirmed what I was planning on. I've also confirmed I shouldn't do ANYTHING without double checking after spending 10 hours in the car - I go a C+ in Ochem. *headdesk*

Should I still consider retaking it? Should I maybe take something else? There's a chem-based pharmacology class being offered, which looks kind of scary. The only other upper level bio class has the Animal Bio as a pre-req, which I may be able to weasel around. Or maybe I should just focus on endo and animal nutrition instead. Geez.

 

[BlacKAT33]

endocrinology is awesome!! upper level and sooo interesting!

 

[purplesaurus]

Another vote for Endocrinology and Nutrition. Those were two of my favorite classes!

 

[that redhead]

I would quadruple-check that all of the schools you're applying to will accept the C- for Orgo II. If that isn't a problem, I would go for an upper-level that you feel confident in doing well in. I think getting an A in an upper-level is probably worth more than just repeating orgo II, but that's up to you.