<p>I am going into my Junior year of college and I am going in the final week of my summer school quantitative analysis class. Needless to say the best possible grade I can get in this class is a B and that is if I absolutely ace my final. I have given serious thought of failing my final so I could retake the class. My overall GPA at the moment is 3.32 but it will drop down with this grade. My sciences GPA is 3.36 and I recently changed majors from Chemical Engineering to Biochemistry. I switched due to a realization that engineering did not fit me and that I really want to go into a medical type field. I am especially drawn towards cardiology. I have given serious thought and finally committed to pursuing medical school, but I worry that I waited to late and my poor engineering grades will ruin my GPA and any chances I have at med school. Any help would be greatly appreciated!</p>
<p>Hmm…failing the class and then retaking it will not help toward the end of a semester. Both grades need to be reported and are included in the AMCAS GPA calculation - assuming that you will apply to MD schools here.</p>
<p>I think DO schools will “forgive” your poor previous grade (by not including the grade.) but MD schools will not.</p>
<p>Could you drop the class and retake it later? Even if you have to take a W, that may be better than getting an F, provided you don’t have a slew of other W’s on your transcript.</p>
<p>You haven’t ruined your chances for medical school, but you have put yourself in bad place w/r/t your GPA. You need to do serious serious GPA improvement during the next 2 years and I would recommend postponing applying for med school until after graduation so you can have the extra time to remediate your GPA. </p>
<p>How are your grades in med school pre-req classes? Have you taken OChem yet? </p>
<p>It’s not too late to decide upon a medical career. The average age of an entering MS1 is 24. (And some schools skew older than that.)</p>
<p>Fail and retake is definitely the worst option. Getting a C and just moving on would even be better than that. If it’s your only W and it’s an option, withdrawing is not a bad idea.</p>
<p>I think OP posted that he is in the final week of the summer session. At most schools, the student is not allowed to withdraw on a such a late date. But I heard of one school which allows their students to do that without a record, but it is only in the fall semester in the freshman year. (This happens at a private school of course. Parents’ deep pocket is helpful a little bit sometimes :)</p>
<p>GPA is on a low side, DO might be more fittng option…</p>
<p>Just to chime in, I agree w IWBB’s assessment and WOWMom’s suggestion of a gap year. Keep in mind you need to collect an impressive array of meaningful extracurriculars, and if you’re not starting those in earnest until your junior year and were originally planning to apply during the “standard” summer between junior and senior years, you likely won’t have time to build an impressive enough portfolio. Additionally, if you take a gap year, then you’ll have senior year grades to add to your GPA; done correctly, this could bring your GPA up into a more competitive range. </p>
<p>You’ll have the rest of your life to work. If you know this is the path for you–and I’m not questioning your dedication–then taking a year to build your application is well worth your time if it means you don’t have to reapply. Rushing through things like MCAT prep, building your portfolio, and cramming prereqs together while effectively delaying your application to the “late end” (Sept-Oct) of the application season seems to be the kiss of death for many applicants. I’d definitely recommend taking the time to do it right the first time–no need to be black balled by schools as a reapplicant.</p>