Hi all,
Getting right down to business. Here are my science grades from undergrad. All were taken between 2001 and 2003. Back then the social life was number one priority. My how time changes things/me. Ready to start this process for real this time.
Looking for the following advice/opinions/insight: Which, if any, of these can I go without retaking? What other courses would you recommend (besides the required 8) to help prepare me?
Bio I - B (Lec) B+ (Lab)
Bio II - C (Lec) B (Lab)
Chem I - C+ (Lec) B+ (Lab)
Physics I - C
Physics II - C-
Thanks!
I am certainly not an expert but given the grades and the fact that these are already 7 to 10 years old (and only getting older), I would say it is in your best interest to retake those. Especially if you go DO (since they replace your grades).
But again, I am no expert.
You are going to med school, I am assuming that an A in Bio is a must. As for Physics, I don’t know how important it is.
Aside from this, another good reason to redo those is for the MCAT. I know students who maintain a 4.0 through their science pre-reqs and still screw up the MCAT… Acing the MCAT is not only about the knowledge, but the ability to comprehend a problem, apply your knowledge under pressure (time). So I think that the knowledge should be mastered to the best extent possible. Retaking the pre-reqs will help with this aspect.
In any event good luck.
Retake them all. Good grades on the second try will go a long way in proving your committment. Aside from that, you need the most current information to prepare for the MCAT and beyond. Even at the basic science level, a lot has changed in 8 years.
I would probably say start with Bio II, if you can as far as grades are concerned. I wouldn’t worry with the labs. If I have B’s in my labs I am not retaking them. There is a lot of time involved in a lab class with little benefit as I see it especially if you are just going to replace a B with an A. If you don’t feel like you could step into Bio II without the knowledge of Bio then I would retake it.
I did not retake Bio I and II, but since then I have taken and gotten A’s in upper level Bio’s so the info that I am getting my be different than what other have been given.
I agree with jmdmd. Take everything over. Your grades aren’t great, and (in bio, at least), a LOT has changed since you were in school. And I disagree with the previous poster – I think you should take the labs as well. You should brush up on your ability to do experiments and just BE in a laboratory environment, because you will be doing a lot more complex things later on (i.e., in biochem, microbio, etc.). The best way to do that is to get your feet wet in intro labs, which are pretty basic but are good exposure to techniques and equipment. But that’s just my opinion.
Much of the content we had this last few weeks in med school Biochemistry referred back to PCR, recombinant DNA, northern, western, and southern blot tests,Elisa tests, DNA sequencing and other lab techniques, ALL of which we did in my “freshman” bio class’s lab during my postbacc. It made it a lot easier to keep straight, having actually done the procedures myself.
Kate
I just relooked at this. You might be able to get away with not redoing the Chem 1 lecture if you aced Chem II and Organic. Everything else you should redo, in my opinion.
Kate
Im glad someone shed light on this question. I have similar grades (as the OP) and I’ve wondered whether or not I should retake my pre-reqs…
I’ll be honest, I’ve taken physics 4 times, orgo 4 times… If that hasnt screwed up my chances for med school, i’ll be surprised - and relieved…
My labs on the other hand are A’s and B’s.
But I agree with the other posters on this. Retake it all. Start anew. Show commitment and get the grades.
Looks like thats what i’m going to have to do as well…
Putnam - do you have similar grades from courses during your BA, or from your more recent BS?