will I get a chance to explain myself? Here’s my situation: After I graduated from undergrad and was two years into my job as an insurance analyst, I took a COBOL I programming class at a community college because I thought it would help with my job (we were working with a lot of software systems).
Mid-way through the course (and after the add/drop/withdrawal period), I got transferred to another city. The professor said I could complete the class via mail, but life happens, and I never finished it. So, I got an F for the class (Ouch!).
I have a 3.5 cumulative pre-pre-reqs (and not counting this F)…but the med schools will see this on AMCAS. So, do you think they’ll give me a chance to explain?
I never thought about that class until now because I could really care less about computer programming. If anything, the class taught me how much I did not enjoy it.
Will this F put me out of the running for med school? I’m so worried about it now (woulda, shoulda, coulda - urgh).
Sorry but I’m afraid it counts toward your GPA. There are various threads discussing whether to point out such things on your personal statement and how to phrase it. But the bottom line is that the GPA number is fixed. The only recourse you have is to retake the course if you’re applying osteopathic because AACOMAS lets you substitute new grades for old, whereas AMCAS does not.
Though it’s worth noting that one F is not the kiss of death, either. If it were, many of us would not be here 
.
- ForTheGreaterGood Said:
Mid-way through the course (and after the add/drop/withdrawal period), I got transferred to another city. The professor said I could complete the class via mail, but life happens, and I never finished it. So, I got an F for the class (Ouch!).
I have a 3.5 cumulative pre-pre-reqs (and not counting this F)...but the med schools will see this on AMCAS. So, do you think they'll give me a chance to explain?
I never thought about that class until now because I could really care less about computer programming. If anything, the class taught me how much I did not enjoy it.
Will this F put me out of the running for med school? I'm so worried about it now (woulda, shoulda, coulda - urgh).
i did something similar, although your excuse is much better than mine.....i blew a whole semester (13 credit hours) when my marriage was arranged for the coming summer.....i completely forgot about that semester until a week ago, and went into a panic attack! i couldn't remember if i had dropped the classes, or withdrawn, etc. i contacted the college and had them send me an unofficial transcript, and lo and behold, 13 credit hours with nothing to show for it..... wish me luck explaining that to the adcoms! hopefully, the fact that i was only 18 and was still making mistakes in life, and didn't foresee a future in medicine at the time, will play in my favor..... scary.....
I blew a semester too. I ended up with a C, a D, and an F for the semester. The F was in Psych 100, which is hilarious because that was the single easiest class I took in college. I missed the final, and didn’t bother making it up. That was a terrible semester… but it was 13 years ago and I am much older and wiser now. I was just a messed-up kid back then.
Hopefully it won’t hurt me too badly… we’ll see in a year or two when I apply.
Trust me, you are not alone in having an F on there.
One “F” in a somewhat non-relevant course isn’t likely to cause a major problem. It will go into your AMCAS gpa. However, with a slew of courses going into an overall gpa, it isn’t likely to make a big difference one way or the other.
Once you begin getting secondary applications, there is often a “Is there anything else you want to tell us?” question. This would be the place to explain that.
Cheers,
Judy