Will retaking classes give you a better chance at acceptances?

[browneyes124]

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Hey guys so I need some advice on my situation. I was a little hesitant to post this before I didn't want to sound like I was making excuses or be judged. I have been dealing with depression for a while now ( 8 years) but this semester has been super bad. I have finally begun to talk to a counselor and stopped ignoring the issue.
But basically since the beginning of this semester I had lost all motivation. I wouldn't go to half my classes and study enough because I was just like what's the point? Well because of that I failed a chemistry class and have a C+ in biology 3 and a C in behavioral neuroscience ( majoring in biology and behavioral neuroscience). In the past year I had a B+ and a B in biology 1 and 2 and a B+ in chemistry 1. I have never failed a college class especially not a science class except for this semester.
This is really worrying me because I know the science gpa is a huge deal so I'm afraid even if I try really hard the rest of the semesters and get my gpa up then I still won't get accepted because of the F in Chem 2 this semester. I am retaking the class next semester, and I am positive that I will pass the class and get a good grade. Will this make a difference ? If I get like a B+ or A in Chem 2 next semester to make up for this semester will it matter since the F will still show up when applying to medical school?
Also since the behavioral neuroscience class isn't a core class I am thinking about making it up in the summer through a summer class.

So I guess basically my question is if I retake the classes and ace them will it make a difference since the original grades will be calculated as well? Will a F in a science class deter you from acceptances to medical schools and will my only chance of getting accepted be for DO programs? Again like I said I'm not trying to make excuses for why I did poorly this semester, just trying to make it right.

 

[efle]

So what is your cGPA and/or sGPA currently at? DO schools will replace your original low grade with the retake, while MD schools will average the two. This is what makes DO so much more accessible for people with rough starts in the sciences.

 

[browneyes124]

So what is your cGPA and/or sGPA currently at? DO schools will replace your original low grade with the retake, while MD schools will average the two. This is what makes DO so much more accessible for people with rough starts in the sciences.

Last semester I had like a 3.9 and got deans list and my overall gpa is about a 3.2. I took dual enrollment classes in high school and did good for the most part but got a low grade in one gen ed class but I made but for it this summer and got like a B+ or A so my transfer gpa is lower than my college gpa. My college gpa without the transfer is like a 3.5. I graduate may 2018 so I still have time to make up for some gpa lost.
it seems like people look down on DOs and it's almost " not as good as MD", any insight to why this is?

 

[browneyes124]

Rule 1: Take A Breath

You are not quite in the same category of a typical under achieving freshman or sophomore and I could see a strategy where it may be useful to retake classes.
However, before that you must dig this hole any deeper. Until you get good control and mechanisms for dealing with your depression and stress yourself even more out by now believing you need to even be a higher achiever than you are, you may want to take a break.

Take a break like a semester off or like a light course load? Sorry I also like to be on top of things at all times and going from deans list last semester to a F and knowing it is totally my fault, it makes me anxious and feeling like I screwed stuff up to bad for it to be fixed.

 

[efle]

Last semester I had like a 3.9 and got deans list and my overall gpa is about a 3.2.

How many semesters into school are you ? A 3.2 is reparable if it's only after two or three semesters.

it seems like people look down on DOs and it's almost " not as good as MD", any insight to why this is?

DO schools are generally less difficult to be competitive for in terms of MCAT score and GPA and historically they were sort of a homeopathic offshoot of mainstream medicine. Nowadays a DO means an uphill battle if you want to pursue any competitive specialties/residencies (many selective programs simply won't interview DOs at all) but will let you practice identically to an MD in primary care or after getting such a residency.

 

[browneyes124]

Long historical and cultural bias between the two professions is the basis for that. Structures within each profession and the demographics of applicants to each school, and thus who enters each profession, have made some real differences in having MD as the "better" of the two. For the actual practice in the vast majority of clinical medicine, once past residency, there is little difference.

So basically in the long run it's just a matter of different intitals? I use to think surgeons could only be MDs but in the past year I've met many DO neurosurgeons and cardio people so I'm assuming that a DO can be in any specialty that a MD can ?

 

[browneyes124]

Yes, it is your responsibility to fix but it is your responsibility to take care of yourself first in order to fix it. Why was your long-term depression so bad this past semester? This is from someone who spent far too long in his own deep dark holes of depression

To be honest I think it also had to do with a mixture of health issues as well. Without going into a lot of detail in high school I'd spend hours on my bed hunched over my computer doing homework, research, etc. I noticed a year ago my regular headaches got to be excruciating. And my neck muscles literally felt like bodybuilder traps( not cause they were so muscular but because they were constantly stiff). No amount of massages or medicine helped. I went to a chiropractor in August and they said that I had lost all the curvature in my neck so it's putting a lot of stress on my neck muscles because it sets my head a little bit more forward then normal and that's where my headaches come from.
Financial aid also messed up my paper work so I didn't even get to move onto campus a week after classes started so I guess maybe with the constant body pain and the stressful start it was a recipe for disaster

 

[browneyes124]

Yes, it is your responsibility to fix but it is your responsibility to take care of yourself first in order to fix it. Why was your long-term depression so bad this past semester? This is from someone who spent far too long in his own deep dark holes of depression

How did you deal with yours?

 

[browneyes124]

How many semesters into school are you ? A 3.2 is reparable if it's only after two or three semesters.


DO schools are generally less difficult to be competitive for in terms of MCAT score and GPA and historically they were sort of a homeopathic offshoot of mainstream medicine. Nowadays a DO means an uphill battle if you want to pursue any competitive specialties/residencies (many selective programs simply won't interview DOs at all) but will let you practice identically to an MD in primary care or after getting such a residency.

This is my third semester in college but since I took a bunch of college classes in high school I'll be graduating a year early. So basically if you want to do any type of surgery or something that isn't primary care then DO would be a bad idea?

 

[efle]

So basically if you want to do any type of surgery or something that isn't primary care then DO would be a bad idea?

Generally if you want to specialize and especially if you're interested in surgery, MD is >> DO. If you are 3 semesters in with only 3 semesters left, you are looking at a best case scenario of a ~3.6 GPA, which is fine as long as you do well on the MCAT. You must retake any D or F grades in the prerequisite science classes (like that Chem 2 grade) because MD schools require a passing grade, but after that I would not retake old classes and instead focus on getting back to that 3.9 performance level for your remaining semesters.

 

[Lawpy]

So basically in the long run it's just a matter of different intitals? I use to think surgeons could only be MDs but in the past year I've met many DO neurosurgeons and cardio people so I'm assuming that a DO can be in any specialty that a MD can ?

This is my third semester in college but since I took a bunch of college classes in high school I'll be graduating a year early. So basically if you want to do any type of surgery or something that isn't primary care then DO would be a bad idea?

I recommend reading the following for more info: WedgeDawg's Summary of MD vs DO Differences

 

[browneyes124]

Generally if you want to specialize and especially if you're interested in surgery, MD is >> DO. If you are 3 semesters in with only 3 semesters left, you are looking at a best case scenario of a ~3.6 GPA, which is fine as long as you do well on the MCAT. You must retake any D or F grades in the prerequisite science classes (like that Chem 2 grade) because MD schools require a passing grade, but after that I would not retake old classes and instead focus on getting back to that 3.9 performance level for your remaining semesters.

Thanks for your answer. So you wouldn't reconmend retaking and classes that have a C? Except for this semester I think everything else looks pretty good. Obviously I haven't taken the mcat so I can't speak on that but I have a lot of volunteer and shadow hours and a lot of research experience

 

[efle]

Is the C in a prereq or a non essential course? If the latter, I think you are better off taking something new and getting an A instead. With good ECs and a good school list, the MCAT will be the only real hurdle if you can get the GPA back up towards a 3.6 with a strong upward trend!

 

[browneyes124]

Is the C in a prereq or a non essential course? If the latter, I think you are better off taking something new and getting an A instead. With good ECs and a good school list, the MCAT will be the only real hurdle if you can get the GPA back up towards a 3.6 with a strong upward trend!

It's not a medical school or science prerequisite. It's apart of the psych major that I'm doing. So I guess since it's not for medical school or a science it won't matter to much

 

[efle]

It's not a medical school or science prerequisite. It's apart of the psych major that I'm doing. So I guess since it's not for medical school or a science it won't matter to much

As long as your school will accept the grade for your major, I'd forget about it and take new things you can ace

 

[Goro]

In reality, this attitude is held mostly by ignorant pre-meds, elderly doctors, and a few dumba-ass residents.

The perception the DO grads are not as well trained as MD grads is somewhat justified due to a number of DO schools having more preceptor-based clinical rotations, rather than ward-based.

That said, DOs still can specialize, even in ACGME residencies, and even in competitive ACGME residencies. Yet some doors will be closed and there are uber-specialties that will not, or seldom, loo at DO graduates.

But the majority of DOs go into Primary Care (which is not the 7th Circle of Hell most pre-med meds make it out to be). About 40% of my grads specialize.

Last semester I had like a 3.9 and got deans list and my overall gpa is about a 3.2. I took dual enrollment classes in high school and did good for the most part but got a low grade in one gen ed class but I made but for it this summer and got like a B+ or A so my transfer gpa is lower than my college gpa. My college gpa without the transfer is like a 3.5. I graduate may 2018 so I still have time to make up for some gpa lost.
it seems like people look down on DOs and it's almost " not as good as MD", any insight to why this is?