<p>I'd really appreciate help with a problem I've encountered. Last semester, I had to miss my finals due to pnuemonia and ended up receiving a D in my Chemistry lab. I am very concerned as to how this will impact my med school chances; I am a junior with a 3.65 GPA (including the D) and, besides likely having to retake the lab to get a better grade, I'm worried about how my transcript will look now. This grade is very out of character for me, as it was due to my illness preventing me from taking the final. Before this, the lowest grade on my transcript was a B+ in orgo. Can anyone help me out with some advice or words of wisdom? I'm really freaking out right now and would appreciate it.</p>
<p>Seems like a reasonable explanation to me. Just share it with the med schools when you apply.</p>
<p>Why weren’t you allowed to make up the final once you recovered?</p>
<p>^ exactly - if you missed a final, most schools will give you an “Incomplete” until you make up the final - pneumonia seems like a reasonable excuse to me. In any case, if there’s no way to appeal the decision and the class is a pre-req, you’re going to have to retake it since med schools won’t accept anything less than a C for a pre-req. (even if its not a pre-req, you should retake it)
Its not a dealbreaker for med school, especially since you have a valid reason for the grade.</p>
<p>Most colleges should let you appeal the grade - the university’s policy should be able to supersede the chem lab profs.</p>
<p>absolutely go through the proper channels in your school to get this taken care of…serious illness is definitely an excused absence at any point (even if its a final exam) and they should let you make up the final you missed. Don’t just take a grade you don’t deserve. This all of course is contingent on the fact that you actually had pneumonia and can get a doctor you visited to vouch for that…having “pneumonia” and staying in your dorm room without seeing a physician or at least going to health services won’t cut it.</p>