Retaking freshmen prereq?

[doomgirl_]

So, last semester I got mainly A's and one B. I withdrew from chem I and am taking is this summer along with chem II. This semester I can already tell I'm going to screw up calculus, probably get a C. Would it be better to withdraw from calc or retake it? How do med schools view this? My goal GPA is a 3.7+, and right now it's at a 3.7 surprisingly. If I have a high GPA and excellent MCAT score, does retaking a class/withdrawing still screw up my chances?

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[HomeSkool]

Just withdraw and take it later. An isolated W on your transcript will make no difference to adcoms. AMCAS doesn't allow grade replacement, though, so retaking a course won't extinguish a poor grade the first time around.

As a side note, you should never retake anything in which you get a C or better, prereq or not. Refer to my post here when deciding whether to retake a course.

Be careful not to overload your summer term. Since summer terms are shorter, classes tend to be a bit more intense.

 

[doomgirl_]

Just withdraw and take it later. An isolated W on your transcript will make no difference to adcoms. AMCAS doesn't allow grade replacement, though, so retaking a course won't extinguish a poor grade the first time around.

As a side note, you should never retake anything in which you get a C or better, prereq or not. Refer to my post here when deciding whether to retake a course.

Be careful not to overload your summer term. Since summer terms are shorter, classes tend to be a bit more intense.

When you say "retaking a course won't extinguish a poor grade the first time around", do you mean adcoms will look at my GPA without the retaken grade or that it won't affect my GPA at all? If I withdraw now, I'll have two W's on my transcript. How will they look at that?

 

[freedoctor17]

When you say "retaking a course won't extinguish a poor grade the first time around", do you mean adcoms will look at my GPA without the retaken grade or that it won't affect my GPA at all? If I withdraw now, I'll have two W's on my transcript. How will they look at that?

He means both grades will be counted as part of your GPA. So if you don't withdraw, get a C, and retake it and get an A. Both the C and the A will factor into your GPA.

 

[HomeSkool]

When you say "retaking a course won't extinguish a poor grade the first time around", do you mean adcoms will look at my GPA without the retaken grade or that it won't affect my GPA at all?

When your GPA is calculated for AMCAS purposes, all grades you got in college-level courses are counted. Retaking a course and getting a better grade doesn't remove the initial poor grade from your AMCAS GPA calculation, even if your undergrad institution allows such grade replacement when calculating the GPA on your transcript. By disallowing grade replacement in GPA calculations, AMCAS levels the playing field: all applicants' GPAs are calculated the same way, preventing individuals from enjoying unfair advantages based on institutional policy differences.

If I withdraw now, I'll have two W's on my transcript. How will they look at that?

They'll look at it as two W's, which carry no weight in your AMCAS GPA calculation. Two W's won't matter one bit to adcoms; they're more worried about people with twenty W's.

 

[doomgirl_]

He means both grades will be counted as part of your GPA. So if you don't withdraw, get a C, and retake it and get an A. Both the C and the A will factor into your GPA.

Oh okay, thanks.

When your GPA is calculated for AMCAS purposes, all grades you got in college-level courses are counted. Retaking a course and getting a better grade doesn't remove the initial poor grade from your AMCAS GPA calculation, even if your undergrad institution allows such grade replacement when calculating the GPA on your transcript. By disallowing grade replacement in GPA calculations, AMCAS levels the playing field: all applicants' GPAs are calculated the same way, preventing individuals from enjoying unfair advantages based on institutional policy differences.


They'll look at it as two W's, which carry no weight in your AMCAS GPA calculation. Two W's won't matter one bit to adcoms; they're more worried about people with twenty W's.

That makes me feel a lot better. Is it acceptable if I end up taking chem + chem lab at a smaller state college over summer since I'm out of state?

 

[HomeSkool]

Is it acceptable if I end up taking chem + chem lab at a smaller state college over summer since I'm out of state?

Adcoms won't care about the venue, only that you do well in the courses.

 

[doomgirl_]

Adcoms won't care about the venue, only that you do well in the courses.

Thanks so much!