C+ in 1st semester orgo

<p>hi,</p>

<p>i'm a sophomore at duke, and i unfortunately fell to a C+ in orgo this past semester thanks to a less than stellar final exam performance...anyway, i'm aware that's not going to be helpful for med school admissions, and i plan on making sure i hang on to at least a B in 2nd semester orgo, but i just thought i'd come here to see if any of you guys might be able to offer some perspective on where i stand now in terms of the GPA aspect of med school admissions...</p>

<p>through 3 semesters:
3.541 overall (2A, 7A-, 1B+, 1B, 1C+)
3.175 BCPM (A- advanced general chem, C+ 1st semester orgo, A- 1st semester general physics, B multivariable calc)</p>

<p>and i plan on being a chem major if that's relevant</p>

<p>thanks for any honest input you might be able to offer</p>

<p>I'll let the original BlueDevilMike handle this one...but a C is not the end of the world.</p>

<p>As someone who got a C+ in first semester orgo during my sophomore year at Duke, it's not going to be gamebreaking. It's a big deal, and it "uses" up any margin for error you might have had. Do notice that a 3.54 is about the average overall GPA, and I believe a 3.3 is the average BCPM GPA for kids who get into medical schools from Duke, so in that sense you're right on track with the overall but need to bring up the BCPM noticeably (but not hugely).</p>

<p>The C does have some "shock" value to it, and certainly you're going to have to find a way to make up for that.</p>

<p>Chem at Duke is brutal. And, largely, pointless for medical school purposes. I hesitate to tell you to change your major, but the fact is that p-chem isn't going to be doing you any favors when you get there, and a-chem is pretty brutal, too. I'd recommend browsing around to see if there's anything else that interests you. I tell this to everybody who's in chem -- it's really just that hard. But I especially tell kids that after they've received a C+ in organic chemistry.</p>

<p>I don't mean to comfort you too much. This C+ is a big deal. It's not gamebreaking. Especially given the B's there as well, you certainly cannot afford to repeat this. You need to bring up the BCPM GPA. You will need to present a no-hits application (i.e. no other negatives) in every other regard, and at least one of your other factors is going to need to be very strong (i.e. a point strongly in your favor).</p>

<p>thanks for the response</p>

<p>AND MAKE SURE YOU ARE NOT IN CRAIG'S CLASS!!!!!!!!!!!!
i had him last year and MY ADVICE DO NOT DO NOT DO NOT TAKE HIS CLASS!
PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!1
well, if u don't trust me, u can ask ur friends who had taken craig's class how they did and they will scream in horror!!!!!!!!!<em>unless they are truly genius..............</em></p>