Worth retaking prereqs with a B?

[SpiderPony]

I have a BCPM gpa of 3.35 and overall 3.47. Assuming I don’t get an acceptance for 2021 I’ll be taking courses to raise my last 45 (by far weakest part of application, somewhere around a 3.1-3.2). The only science I have a C in is Organic 2 (and two hours of lab credit that can’t be taken independently of a lecture). I don’t want to redo organic, but I will if I have to. But is it worth retaking sciences I have Bs in? I can raise that last 45 with easy As and I’m wondering if it’s worth

fwiw one of my IS schools doesn’t do grade replacement, and the other doesn’t look at grades after you pass the gpa cutoff

thanks!

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[CoffeeQuestionMark]

No and honestly doubt your school would even allow that? I have not heard of being allowed to retake a class for credit except if you originally got under a C

 

[battie]

Retaking a B would be a waste of time for the vast majority of schools. For those that average them, your GPA/grade would only be going up minutely. Retaking the organic would be the better option. However, it's hard to give a solid bit of advice without knowing the rest of your application.

 

[PrionPerson]

I had a lot of lower B's and high C's in my prereqs and CoffeeQuestionMark is right, you can't just retake the classes that you got an okay grade in until you get an A. What I did instead was take upper level courses in those subjects, which my IS school said they accepted (and one advisor said favored) in place of the lower level courses. So to make up for my B- in Genetics 301, I took a 400 level genetics and listed that as my pre-req class. I can't 100% vouch for this strategy because I haven't gotten in yet, but I did receive an interview invite this cycle where last time I applied (in 2017, with just the "standard" preqs) I did not.

I think this strategy worked for me because in the lower level courses I didn't struggle with the material as much as I was struggling with external factors (working 60 hours a week to stay afloat on top of school, mental health, etc.) Once I was in a better/ more stable place and could focus on school things were much better. I think if the material itself was a struggle for you this may not be the strategy to take as upper level courses are more difficult than the introductory courses. But if you're very worried about it/ have schools that say you need to improve in the prereq area, it is a viable option.

 

[SpiderPony]

Retaking a B would be a waste of time for the vast majority of schools. For those that average them, your GPA/grade would only be going up minutely. Retaking the organic would be the better option. However, it's hard to give a solid bit of advice without knowing the rest of your application.

kind of what I figured, but I’m sitting here waiting on answers and thinking through what to do in the spring. The main reason I’ve considered it is because I’ll have to take a certain number of hours to fix my last 45, more than I need to finish my degree, and taking courses at a local college is so so much cheaper than adding hours at my UG. I also have a C in two 1hr labs for lectures I made a B in, so those two sciences and organic (12 hr total) actually work out to 6 hours of Cs and 6 Bs. Really trying to keep debt as low as I can

As far as the rest of my application, if you have any advice I’d very much appreciate it.

LORs are from a vet I used to shadow/work for, research supervisor, and prof that I’ve worked for

I have ~1150 vet hours (spread across small, mixed, equine, research, zoo, and exotic wildlife)
~1200 listed under animal exp (lots of equine, farrier, some large animal, exotic)
~500 non-vet supervised research, different projects but majority in the same lab, presented a poster at one point
4+ years at equine repro facility, half full time
Weekend work at shows, a couple of local trainers, camp counselor and taught lessons several years ago
Under leadership I have collegiate judging, student delegate to as part of a student org I was the equivalent of an officer in, I’ve gone abroad twice with programs that aren’t animal related (both times I was sponsored) and once for a vet internship. Couple smallish scholarships.
Community service has a few outreach/volunteer entries, ~350 hours. Extracurricular, I take commissions and sell stuff (on a pretty small scale) and was able to list that. Under healthcare related I had a few days at an AIDS shelter. So there’s something under every TMDSAS category.

I guess I could get more recent vet hours or an internship, if that’s the better use of my time

 

[SpiderPony]

I had a lot of lower B's and high C's in my prereqs and CoffeeQuestionMark is right, you can't just retake the classes that you got an okay grade in until you get an A. What I did instead was take upper level courses in those subjects, which my IS school said they accepted (and one advisor said favored) in place of the lower level courses. So to make up for my B- in Genetics 301, I took a 400 level genetics and listed that as my pre-req class. I can't 100% vouch for this strategy because I haven't gotten in yet, but I did receive an interview invite this cycle where last time I applied (in 2017, with just the "standard" preqs) I did not.

I think this strategy worked for me because in the lower level courses I didn't struggle with the material as much as I was struggling with external factors (working 60 hours a week to stay afloat on top of school, mental health, etc.) Once I was in a better/ more stable place and could focus on school things were much better. I think if the material itself was a struggle for you this may not be the strategy to take as upper level courses are more difficult than the introductory courses. But if you're very worried about it/ have schools that say you need to improve in the prereq area, it is a viable option.

Meant to reply to both at once. I should’ve clarified in the OP that it’s the Cs in lab + B in lecture that had me considering it, and the cost. Maybe I’m totally off base, but figured I’d ask. Good luck with your interview!