<p>Well, I am an undergraduate bio major in U of C, aiming at top graduate school in bio.
But I kind of messed up my bio major course in this quarter. I got A or A- in other couses in my major, but the course I am currently taking is so tough that I am fearing getting B or even C. Would this alone be sufficient to drop me down from getting into top graduate schools?</p>
<p>What year are you? If you're a senior already, they won't see it. If you're a freshman, I'm sure they'll forgive it. But how many Bs and Cs have you been getting in courses outside of your major?</p>
<p>Well, I am second year and I got 3 Bs (on3 B+, one B0 and one B-) in non-major courses. By the time I apply for graduate school, I expect my cumulative GPA to be about 3.7</p>
<p>I had a C in physics E&M, which didn't pose much of a problem for my applications -- nobody ever even asked about it during interviews. :)</p>
<p>There are very few things that will absolutely kill an application with no chance of salvation. A single C isn't one of them.</p>
<p>I'm in a pretty similar situation. Sophmore bio major, probably getting a B in this semester's biology class.</p>
<p>I don't know for sure, but I would imagine (or hope), it would be forgiven, as long as you're getting mainly A's in most of your upper level bio courses</p>
<p>There are so many more important things than one C in a class.</p>
<p>3.7 gpa from U of C is just fine.</p>
<p>4 years of college, not a single A grade (lots of B+ and some A-). 3 years off to work in stuff unrelated to grad school. MA program in my intended grad discipline, 3.9 GPA, mid-tier school. Got into most top PhD programs in my field. Had several C's in my major on my undergrad transcript. Nobody seemed to care...</p>
<p>Just out of curiosity, how could you get 3.9 GPA without a single A?</p>
<p>The 3.9 was from an MA program; the bad grades were from undergrad.</p>
<p>Grad schools look for trends. if you have C's all over the place, that's a red flag. If you have ONE C, or even moreso a B, no one cares.</p>
<p>Actually, I don't think most PhD students ever got more than a couple of Cs...</p>
<p>I got an F and a C as an undergrad. :)</p>
<p>Let's rephrase. "Most" modern PhD students don't get more than a couple of Cs.</p>
<p>...I don't think that's true at all...</p>
<p>There are many people who get plenty of C's during their first two years and make it up later on.</p>
<p>As long as you make up your gpa during your junior/senior year or have a high major gpa, your probably fine.</p>
<p>Also, there are SO MANY other ways you can prove yourself to be a fit for grad school.</p>
<p>One had LESS than a 3.0 and got into and med school.</p>
<p>I know another person who had less than a 3.0 for both grad and undergrad and is currently a phD student at a top 10 program for her field.</p>
<p>Less than a 3.0 for both UG and Grad and still got into a Top 10 PhD program? I don't think I want to know how she acieved that...</p>
<p>No matter what anecdotal evidence you read. Grades matter in getting you into grad school. A single C might not ban you from entering, but it definitely will not help you.</p>
<p>Grades obviously do matter, but a single C will rarely sink you.</p>