Please Evaluate p/np Plan

<p>So...I screwed up in physics 7A. I'm not going to fail, but I'm most definitely going to get some kind of B at this point. I know that may not sound horrible, but I'm pre med as well.</p>

<p>I'm pretty sure at this point, I'd better p/np physics and retake it over the summer, perhaps with the 8 series. But will the p/np be super detrimental when they're evaluating my transcript for med school? Or, will they just consider the letter grades for the 8 series, as long as I complete both 8a and 8b, and ignore the p/np? </p>

<p>Thanks</p>

<p>Anyone have any idea?</p>

<p>I honestly think you need to sit down and write a note about your goal and what is the big picture. I sound preachy, but I’m not joking.</p>

<p>Alright, fine, but for curiosity’s sake, lets say I was in danger of getting a D or F and had no choice but to take the route I described. What then? Would it look sketchy or neutral?</p>

<p>Some sort of B is fine if you make it up with a lot of As in your other courses, even if you’re pre-med. Don’t retake physics…especially with the easier 8-series because then medical schools will look at your transcript and ask why did this student have to retake the easier physics…If you were in danger of failing…then maybe consider the P/NP option, but honestly, in the BIG picture, a B is nothing if you compensate with a lot of As.</p>

<p>Also, do well in ochem. Just saying.</p>

<p>so if you’re getting a B in physics, what makes you think you wont get B’s the rest of your time here, or another B in summer school? jw. </p>

<p>people who look at the big big picture never sweat the details that make up the picture. in the big picture 1 B and 19 A’s will average out to an A. but at this level, physics 7A, you’re feeling like you’re struggling. obviously you’re not struggling say as much as people with Cs or Ds or Fs, but held to your personal standard, you make it sound like it’s the end of the world for you. how much more so in 7B and 7C (if you have to take it?) or the chem courses like Ochem? </p>

<p>if i were in your opinion, i’d do the best i could for the rest of the semester and swallow down whatever grade i get. and then decide from there what kind of student i am. am i one that will always get B’s or was this a fluke? what will stop this “fluke” from repeating next time with more advanced courses? </p>

<p>if you can come up with reasons this was a fluke and you can prove to yourself you can manage the rest of your time here at cal and get into a good med school (i presume <em>that</em> is your goal) then i say continue down this path. </p>

<p>one B is indeed nothing in the “grand scheme” of things, hell undergrad GPA is indeed nothing in the “grand scheme” just like high school GPA ended up fading away in importance as its role was fulfilled. </p>

<p>in the end you should be more <em>cause</em> oriented than <em>outcome</em> focused, imo.</p>

<p>The reason I’m asking is because my roommate (also premed) tried taking the 1 series for math, didn’t do so well, p/np’ed it, and is taking the 16 series now. He seems certain that med schools won’t care that he’s retaking with the easier series. Not only is he sure, but he’s adamant about this. So does his view point have any real validity? </p>

<p>I was thinking that it’s both reasonable that they’ll consider it strange (in a bad way) or neutral, but I’m just not sure . Also, if I were to retake, would it be better to retake 7A or the 8 series?</p>

<p>interesting, have you asked him where he got his confidence (or self-deception) from? </p>

<p>if you’re really curious about it, just go to your favorite med school’s website, call the office of admissions, and ask em yourself. a quick question is what they’re there for, especially if itll help you figure out your college “path”</p>

<p>Honestly, his reasoning doesn’t sound too convincing. It’s basically contingent on the fact that he thinks med schools don’t really know about the specific courses at Berkeley and that as long as a year of the required classes are taken, and that those courses fulfill minimum med school requirements, that they won’t look into (or even realized) why one class was p/np’ed or whatever.</p>

<p>Honestly, at this point, I’m really ambivalent as to what to do. Does anyone else have any reliable input on this matter? I emailed the UCLA med school office a week ago but they still haven’t gotten back to me…</p>

<p>I’m pretty sure that med schools don’t know the specific classes at Berkeley. One of my friends currently at UCSD med school (after Berkeley undergrad) told me that med schools think that the Math 16 series is harder than the Math 1 series, just because 16 is a bigger number than 1. The same could possibly be true for the Physics 8 series vs. Physics 7. </p>

<p>I doubt that med schools spend long enough on your application to look up which classes are the hardest ones at each university.</p>

<p>Here’s the thing: If I take physics 8a after 7a, I get no credit. It doesn’t work like it does dropping from Math 1A to 16A where you still get 2 credits of whatever grade you get. So on my transcript, it would (I think) show 0 in my credit count, which would, I fear, look very bad to med schools.</p>

<p>So I really have no idea what to do at this point…</p>