<p>Im in my sophomore year of college. Freshman year I failed chemistry (got a D+), and as a result I am retaking chemistry this year. Due to chemistry being a major requirement for medical school, will the fact that I failed it the first time set me back quite a bit in the medical school admissions process? </p>
<p>A little more background:
Of the two semesters I have attended college, my GPA is on an upward trend (went up from 2.4 to 3.0). I have also been able to become involved and acquire a leadership role in one of my school's health organizations and will be beginning either volunteer or research work this year. </p>
<p>Any advice/thoughts/critique is greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>While not fatal, the failed chem class is going to hurt your chances, though maybe not in the way you thinking.</p>
<p>Since AMCAS requires that every grade you earn be reported, that D+ will be calculated into your overall and science* GPA. While it seems your overall GPA is improving, you don’t mention what your other science/math grades look like.</p>
<p>*sGPA includes every bio, chem, math and physics class you take.</p>
<p>What is your sGPA?</p>
<p>If it’s low, you are going to need to take additional BCPM classes beyond the minimum requirements for med school admission to dilute that D and get your sGPA into an acceptable range (3.5+) in order to be a viable candidate.</p>
<p>Since you are retaking gen chem as s sophomore, your schedule may put you behind the usual timetable for med school. You may not have completed your pre-reqs or raised your sGPA high enough to apply after junior year. I’d strongly recommend waiting to apply after you graduate so that your academic record has time to recover and you have a suite of strong science grades to show med school adcoms.</p>
<p>One other comment–research and volunteering is not an either-or situation. You need to be doing both if possible. But regardless, you need to concentrate on improving your grades even if it means not getting into research or volunteer work this year.</p>