Retaking courses

[AspiringPA21]

I took Gen Chemistry three times. 

I took it twice at once college (got a D in lecture, A- in lab and the retake at the same college was C+)

I then took Gen Chem 1 and 2 at a community college because I was not allowed to take Gen Chemistry 2 without taking the first and got an A in both Gen Chem 1 and 2 (not a separate lab).

Schools say the minimum grade is a C in all pre-reqs. Can I still apply to these programs? Do they consider all 3 grades to make that minimum C in the pre-req?

Thank you in advance for the help.

[LadyNichiavelli]

You can definitely apply with those 2 A's (and even the C+), because you've now surpassed the minimum grade needed. However, be cautious of the programs that state a max number of allowed retakes.

[AspiringPA21]

10 hours ago, LadyNichiavelli said:

You can definitely apply with those 2 A's (and even the C+), because you've now surpassed the minimum grade needed. However, be cautious of the programs that state a max number of allowed retakes.

Does that mean I can leave out the D grade when putting in pre-requisites for each school? Since I took it in a different college can I just put the grade from the second school and leave it out of the first school (leave out the D and C+)?

[ilygurlie]

I mean, I would include all grades but they will most likely take the highest grade when calculating your pre req GPA.

[AspiringPA21]

28 minutes ago, ilygurlie said:

I mean, I would include all grades but they will most likely take the highest grade when calculating your pre req GPA.

So that means I can apply to schools that also require a minimum of a B- or B as pre-requisites?

[ilygurlie]

3 minutes ago, AspiringPA21 said:

So that means I can apply to schools that also require a minimum of a B- or B as pre-requisites?

Yes if the school doesn't average the retakes. I have not come across any school that won't just take the higher grade.

[AspiringPA21]

On 8/22/2017 at 0:45 PM, ilygurlie said:

Yes if the school doesn't average the retakes. I have not come across any school that won't just take the higher grade.

How exactly would you know they average it? Is it usually said on their website? I have never seen it being said anywhere.

[MT2PA]

Let me sum this up:  You need to report ALL grades.  All transcripts.  CASPA will average the grades when calculating your GPAs for duplicate courses.  A school will take the highest grade when considering if you've met the minimum requirements.

Keep in mind, though, that programs can see all your grades.  If it took you 3 tries to finally get an A (after a D and C+) and not even at the same university, it doesn't necessarily look good.  It's one thing to do poorly once.  It's another to do pretty poorly twice.  So while yes, you did eventually meet the minimum, your app isn't as strong as someone who met the minimum the first time.  And THAT'S what you need to consider programs are evaluating.

[JD2012]

I failed organic chemistry the first time I took it. After retaking it, I got a B+. When checking off pre-reqs for each program on CASPA, I only put in the B+.  I am sure the schools also look at your whole transcript so it's not like that F won't stick out like a sore thumb.

PS- I have 3 interview invites this cycle (2nd).

[mmchick]

You know you could also, like, call the schools to figure out all of these specific questions as well. Seems you have a list of certain schools, so I would check with them.

[AspiringPA21]

On 8/23/2017 at 4:01 PM, MT2PA said:

Let me sum this up:  You need to report ALL grades.  All transcripts.  CASPA will average the grades when calculating your GPAs for duplicate courses.  A school will take the highest grade when considering if you've met the minimum requirements.

Keep in mind, though, that programs can see all your grades.  If it took you 3 tries to finally get an A (after a D and C+) and not even at the same university, it doesn't necessarily look good.  It's one thing to do poorly once.  It's another to do pretty poorly twice.  So while yes, you did eventually meet the minimum, your app isn't as strong as someone who met the minimum the first time.  And THAT'S what you need to consider programs are evaluating.

I'm aware you have to report all grades. But another member on this thread has stated he did not post all grades for his pre-requisites (Failed orgo the first time but only reported the grade for the retake as a pre-req) and my question related to that since if I do have to have a minimum grade and the third time I've made that minimum, do I only put that grade as the pre-req and not show all. I applied this cycle and for the Chem 1 class I listed all three grades in my pre-reqs, which is why I'm more confused now since JD2012 states he only put his retake grade.

[LadyNichiavelli]

1 hour ago, AspiringPA21 said:

I'm aware you have to report all grades. But another member on this thread has stated he did not post all grades for his pre-requisites (Failed orgo the first time but only reported the grade for the retake as a pre-req) and my question related to that since if I do have to have a minimum grade and the third time I've made that minimum, do I only put that grade as the pre-req and not show all. I applied this cycle and for the Chem 1 class I listed all three grades in my pre-reqs, which is why I'm more confused now since JD2012 states he only put his retake grade.

Okay, so with regards to the submitting your transcript and the transcript entry, yes, you absolutely must report every grade. But some schools also request that you match their required pre-requisites from your transcripts. In that case, it is truly your call. I know some people just match ALL of their course attempts, and some only match their highest obtained grade. There isn't a hard and fast rule for this unless a school is specific about which attempt(s) they want from you.

In my case, I went ahead and just listed all of my attempts, because it gave me peace-of-mind, but even if I didn't, schools could refer to my transcripts. The pre-req matching just makes the process easier for them. However, I do have an Intro to Chem grade from my Freshman Year that was a C-, and I didn't list it at all on any matching forms, because every school I applied to required at least a C or a B-. And that's totally fine.

So translated to your situation, I would personally match the C+ and A for Chem, but like I said, it's a little subjective. You really could just match the A. It depends on what you feel most comfortable with (being completely open about your attempts vs. putting emphasis on your strongest grade).

 

P.S. If you're applying this cycle, don't dwell too much on this. You need to submit your application if this is the only thing you have left, because the cycle is getting late at this point.

[AspiringPA21]

9 hours ago, LadyNichiavelli said:

Okay, so with regards to the submitting your transcript and the transcript entry, yes, you absolutely must report every grade. But some schools also request that you match their required pre-requisites from your transcripts. In that case, it is truly your call. I know some people just match ALL of their course attempts, and some only match their highest obtained grade. There isn't a hard and fast rule for this unless a school is specific about which attempt(s) they want from you.

In my case, I went ahead and just listed all of my attempts, because it gave me peace-of-mind, but even if I didn't, schools could refer to my transcripts. The pre-req matching just makes the process easier for them. However, I do have an Intro to Chem grade from my Freshman Year that was a C-, and I didn't list it at all on any matching forms, because every school I applied to required at least a C or a B-. And that's totally fine.

So translated to your situation, I would personally match the C+ and A for Chem, but like I said, it's a little subjective. You really could just match the A. It depends on what you feel most comfortable with (being completely open about your attempts vs. putting emphasis on your strongest grade).

 

P.S. If you're applying this cycle, don't dwell too much on this. You need to submit your application if this is the only thing you have left, because the cycle is getting late at this point.

That makes sense. Thank you very much! I sent my applications 2 weeks ago but began dwelling on this recently haha. Always taking some stress even after since the wait process is nerve wracking