First Semester Grade Mistake

[satinan]

There have been hundreds of threads covering this topic, but I didn't know if my situation would be considered different. I am currently a second-semester freshman in undergrad. It's looking as if I am going to finish off the year with a 3.78 GPA, which I'm content with. However, after taking my math placement exam, I was placed into a pre-requisite algebra class that is not factored into your GPA. Due to a combination of my poor time management skills at that time, my freshman year transition, and my involvement in a large handful of student organizations, I tended to put that class on the backburner, thinking that it would be easy and that my focus should be put into the classes that would be affecting my GPA. This was obviously a huge mistake that I didn't realize until it was too late. I received a D in the class, but went on to get a B+ in my Precalculus class, and am hoping to increase this trend in Calculus next semester with the help of a tutor. While that D was not factored into my GPA, it is still visible on my transcript, which makes me really uncomfortable. Would this wreck my chances of medical school admissions? I know it all sounds a little dramatic, but I am a perfectionist when it comes to my grades, and I regret my laziness first semester. I've grown from it and have never gotten a grade lower than a B since that, but I'm afraid that I've already messed up too much.

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[AttemptingScholar]

Hmmm...wait for more experienced people than me, obviously, but if you're gonna have a D on your transcript, a class that isn't part of your GPA and where you clearly show an upward trend in the subject is probably the best possible place for that D. It's done, I doubt you can expunge it, so try and move on.

 

[satinan]

Hmmm...wait for more experienced people than me, obviously, but if you're gonna have a D on your transcript, a class that isn't part of your GPA and where you clearly show an upward trend in the subject is probably the best possible place for that D. It's done, I doubt you can expunge it, so try and move on.

Thank you. I'm sure I'm being a bit too worrisome, but sometimes it's hard not to be.

 

[Umyo]

It may not be calculated into your university GPA, but doesn't AMCAS require reporting of all college courses taken + the grades received? AMCAS GPA calculation is different than your universities.

 

[satinan]

It may not be calculated into your university GPA, but doesn't AMCAS require reporting of all college courses taken + the grades received? AMCAS GPA calculation is different than your universities.

If that's the case, then I'm a lot worse off than I had thought.

 

[bioboy23]

Same thing happened to me in the same class. I retook and got an A, so I think they'll average out the two grades. In your case I think you're fine, too. It's hard for me to believe getting a D in a pointless gen-ed when you were a freshmen would mess up your chances at med school if you've shown great improvement since.

 

[P0ke]

It will matter a lot. Adcoms care about numbers, and it will get factored into your AMCAS GPA. Doesn't matter that it's in a supposedly easy class... in fact, that probably makes it look even worse, since it should've been an easy A.

 

[fivemoreminutesplease]

I wouldn't sweat it. Just focus on acing your future classes and getting that nice upward trend. When the time comes for med school apps/interviews, you'll be able to put a positive spin on the whole situation by showing the lessons that you learned and how much you've grown as a student. I got a pretty low grade in a class second semester of freshman year due to a flare of symptoms related to a chronic condition but when asked about the grade in an interview I just talked about how that semester taught me a lot about how to effectively manage both my health and my grades. As long as you acknowledge why it occurred and what you learned, I feel that you'll be fine.

 

[Turkishking]

One D will not destroy your application.

 

[satinan]

Thanks, everyone. I'm hearing mixed opinions which makes me nervous but hopefully I haven't ruined my chances already.

Do you think it would be wise to retake the course over the summer, even though I have already taken pre-calc and received a B?

 

[tarheelpenner]

Just to be clear: AMCAS will factor this grade into your overall GPA. That being said, they will also be able to see the breakdown of your courses and your grades, so if they see that it is this one class pulling down your GPA, you should be fine. Just focus on keeping your grades up in the future. You still have 2-3 more years of good grades to report, so assuming you stay on top of them, having one D will have little impact. And most schools are suckers for upward trends.

Also, @bioboy23 , they don't simply average out your grades (they only do this for MCAT scores).

 

[efle]

It is going to go into AMCAS.

It isn't going to wreck your app, having a low grade in freshman year algebra followed by strong grades in pre-calc and calc will do a lot to negate the damage

 

[bioboy23]

Just to be clear: AMCAS will factor this grade into your overall GPA. That being said, they will also be able to see the breakdown of your courses and your grades, so if they see that it is this one class pulling down your GPA, you should be fine. Just focus on keeping your grades up in the future. You still have 2-3 more years of good grades to report, so assuming you stay on top of them, having one D will have little impact. And most schools are suckers for upward trends.

Also, @bioboy23 , they don't simply average out your grades (they only do this for MCAT scores).

Oh really? I thought I had seen that said a lot on here, but I guess a lot of people don't really know what they're talking about. So they just factor them both into your AMCAS GPA? How is that not the same as just averaging the two grades?

 

[efle]

How is that not the same as just averaging the two grades?

I've seen cases where course weights are different so it comes out differently. Like if someone has a 3-credit D in a prereq and transfers colleges, takes it at the new university and now it is a 4-credit B, you end up factoring it in at slightly higher than 2.0

 

[bioboy23]

I've seen cases where course weights are different so it comes out differently. Like if someone has a 3-credit D in a prereq and transfers colleges, takes it at the new university and now it is a 4-credit B, you end up factoring it in at slightly higher than 2.0

I see. That's kind of weird. Well I guess I'll find out eventually!

 

[tarheelpenner]

Oh really? I thought I had seen that said a lot on here, but I guess a lot of people don't really know what they're talking about. So they just factor them both into your AMCAS GPA? How is that not the same as just averaging the two grades?

It could wind up averaging in your GPA (or not, as efle pointed out). But they will also look at the two separate grades and recognize that you took it and got a D and then retook it and got a B, not 'oh he effectively got a C'. Does that make sense?

 

[bioboy23]

It could wind up averaging in your GPA (or not, as efle pointed out). But they will also look at the two separate grades and recognize that you took it and got a D and then retook it and got a B, not 'oh he effectively got a C'. Does that make sense?

Yes that totally makes sense. Thank you!

 

[Alienman52]

There have been hundreds of threads covering this topic, but I didn't know if my situation would be considered different. I am currently a second-semester freshman in undergrad. It's looking as if I am going to finish off the year with a 3.78 GPA, which I'm content with. However, after taking my math placement exam, I was placed into a pre-requisite algebra class that is not factored into your GPA. Due to a combination of my poor time management skills at that time, my freshman year transition, and my involvement in a large handful of student organizations, I tended to put that class on the backburner, thinking that it would be easy and that my focus should be put into the classes that would be affecting my GPA. This was obviously a huge mistake that I didn't realize until it was too late. I received a D in the class, but went on to get a B+ in my Precalculus class, and am hoping to increase this trend in Calculus next semester with the help of a tutor. While that D was not factored into my GPA, it is still visible on my transcript, which makes me really uncomfortable. Would this wreck my chances of medical school admissions? I know it all sounds a little dramatic, but I am a perfectionist when it comes to my grades, and I regret my laziness first semester. I've grown from it and have never gotten a grade lower than a B since that, but I'm afraid that I've already messed up too much.

Not really a huge deal if it isn't factored into your GPA. To make up for the mediocre qualitative effect it may have id just do exactly what you said; focus on doing as well as possible in your remaining math classes.

Edit: even if factored into AMCAS it will not be a deal breaker. Just do better in your math courses from here on out.


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[DOCzilla15]

You're fine

 

[satinan]

Just to clarify, the algebra class was a prerequisite class to pre-calculus. I got a D in that Algebra class (not factored into my GPA) but proceeded to get a B+ in pre-calc, which is a more advanced class that is factored into my GPA. I didn't retake the algebra class, but I'd be willing to do so at my community college if it would improve my application. However, I'm not sure if simply doing well in the more advanced classes would suffice.