<p>I have 2 B's in 2 premed classes: physics I and organic chemistry I, does anyone know if i should retake these classes?
my school drops the lowest grade from the gpa but keeps the grade on the transcript</p>
<p>i really need some answers b/c i rlly dnt know wat to do! :-(</p>
<p>I wouldn’t bother unless you intend to apply to DO schools and are a nonscience major. 2 Bs out of all of your pre-med courses isn’t terrible.</p>
<p>why not? i mean if i have time to do it then why wouldn’t i retake them? it just really makes me nervous especially since my gpa is around a 3.4 now which is not great for med schools</p>
<p>You would be better off taking new science classes and getting As than retaking classes and getting As. It is both perceived better and also will improve your GPA more.</p>
<p>Adelle, the grades are not replaced for AMCAS GPA purposes. The B’s stay there forever … even if you re-take. Just take 2 higher level courses and make A’s and you come out in the exact same GPA position and …as mm said…it looks a whole lot better.</p>
<p>hmm alright i guess that makes sense…thanks for the help! </p>
<p>but i do have another question, if the average gpa for getting in is around a 3.65 does it mean that they take in people with like 3.2 b/c they’re bound to take some 4.0’s…</p>
<p>also, i got a B in the honors organic chemistry class but I want to move down to the regular orgo class since it’s significantly easier, and i’m pretty sure i can pull an A in the regular class…what do you think?</p>
<p>Yes, some 3.2s are taken, but certainly not as many as 4.0s. Remember,an average doesn’t necessarily mean that there is equal distribution on both sides, or equal numbers for that matter.</p>
<p>Will your school even let you do that?</p>
<p>also i’m very nervous bc this one guy in my school had a 3.9 a lot of research and volunteer work and he didn’t get in anywhere…(ps i go to nyu)</p>
<p>and yes my school will let me do that…they don’t really care what you do…i don’t know if med schools would care though, i just know i’ll have a very hard time pulling an a in honors…what do you think?</p>
<p>[Table</a> 24: MCAT and GPA Grid for Applicants and Acceptees to U.S. Medical Schools, 2005-2007 (aggregated) - FACTS - AAMC](<a href=“http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm]Table”>http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm)</p>
<p>That link will give you an approximation of your chances using only your GPA and MCAT. Keep in mind that other factors are important too.</p>
<p>Performance on interviews, LORs, quality of extracurricular activities and their relationship to clinical issues as well as the rigor of courses taken are also important parts of a med school app. </p>
<p>The advice by curmudgeon and others is also relevant. Although you might expect to do better on a retaken course, if you only elevate your grade by 0.3 (B to B+), this would reflect poorly on your application. Its far better to continue with an upward trajectory on new coursework instead of repeating a course in which you’ve received a B</p>
<p>my only concern is that the only upper level classes i would take is physics 2 and orgo 2 which i’ll do my best to get A’s in but can’t promise…</p>
<p>also i have a question about mcats if anyone knows…can u chose which scores to send in? like if you do better second time around do u need to report both scores? and also would you recommend taking a class or just studying on your own?</p>
<p>You can’t choose which score to send in. Nor should you plan on taking it more than one time.</p>
<p>Whether or not to take a course depends on how comfortable you are with the MCAT as well as how much $$ you feel like throwing at it.</p>
<p>Most people I know took a course (usually Kaplan) and generally recommend it. They say the resources given to you are the most valuable part of the program (the books, the online whatevers, the massive study timeline/outline), and it helps keep you on track with studying.</p>
<p>But, that’s not for everyone. I know people who have studied on their own and done well, but it takes a lot of motivation to do all the research: what to study, how much to study, how to do the studying, when to study, blah blah. The MCAT is a massive beast and you can’t just crack open a few practice books if you do well (of course, there are people out there who have done it, but it’s not a safe bet), so if you’re studying on your own you have to make sure you know what you’re getting yourself into.</p>
<p>to your original question:
<p>it’s shocking to me that people did not shoot down your desire to retake two Bs immediately because it is completely asinine</p>
<p>I think everyone did, just in a polite manner</p>