Hi all,
I know it would make sense to retake both lab and lecture but is it horrible if I only redo the lecture component? My liberal arts college decided to break up one subject grade into lecture and lab after my sophomore year:
FRESH/SOPH
received only one grade for:
- bio 1 (B) and bio 2 (B+)
- chem 1 © and chem 2 (B-)
JR/SR
received separate grades for lecture and lab:
- ochem 1 (B)
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]- ochem 1 lab (A)[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
- ochem 2 (B)
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]- ochem 2 lab (A)[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
- physics 1 w/calculus (B-)
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]- physics 1 w/calculus lab (A)[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
- physics 2 w/calculus (B+)
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]- physics 2 w/calculus lab (A)[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
Ideally, I would want to retake biology and chemistry with both lab and lecture but if I study smart and do well on the MCAT, I would love to save time and just focus on that. Would that be okay? :? I highlighted my labs because I felt better learning by doing and I did extremely well with them. This is why I decided to focus on research because lab work felt so natural to me. Anyway after 3 summer research internships, 1 master’s in developmental reproductive biology and finishing up my master’s in clinical embryology and andrology (online course)… but still no MCAT because I felt traumatized by mediocre grades “Bs” in science lecture courses.
I worked as a research assistant [with a publication (1st author) back in 2013] for 18 or so months for my master’s in an mammalian embryology lab, 10 months employed as a lab manager (PI relocated to Chicago so when he left, funding for my job left with him) in an mammalian embryology lab , 5 months as a lab manager in an immunology lab focusing on acute and chronic stress in the mouse (ironically, the lack of funding and contract job left me chronically stressed out and I was homeless for a few months since my contract job left me from 40hrs/week to barely 15hrs/week so I resigned).
**IT WAS DURING THIS TIME I decided I wanted to try my luck at gearing my efforts towards working in a clinical setting. Research funding is depressing and often I worked a second job tutoring during my research experiences just to make ends meet. To be frank getting paid $14-20/hour wasn’t enough to make ends meet, especially in the San Francisco Bay Area where rent was minimum $900+ for room or a portion of a living room per month.
As luck would have it, I was hired as a junior embryologist because of my background in embryo micromanpulation, ability to assess embryo development and my overall fascination with developmental reproductive biology because of my previous work in mouse embryology labs. But with limiting patient interaction and the limitations of understanding a patient’s treatment plan and outcome (eg did she miscarry? did she carry to term? what was her AMH level anyway?), my curiosity lingered to taking the MCAT. AAAAND HERE I AM… I moved back home to save money and take a stab at retaking the very same classes that gave me such great anxiety.
overalundergraduate sgpa: 3.1
undergrad cumulative: 3.37
master’s sgpa 3.7
Finally, I’m willing to see if I can try my luck. :roll:
OTHER UNDERGRAD SCIENCE COURSES
SOPH YEAR:
Vertebrate Zoology (A)
Developmental Biology (B+)
JR/SR
Genetics C+
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]Genetics Lab A[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
Gen Microbiology A-
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]Gen Microbiology Lab A[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
Biochemistry I B-
Biochemistry I Lab B-
Cellular/Molecular Biol B+
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]Cellular/Molecular Biol Lab A[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
Immunology B
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]Immunology Lab B[/highlight:u9zte5xp]
Biochemistry II B
[highlight=yellow:u9zte5xp]Biochemistry II Lab A[/highlight:u9zte5xp]