MCAT info and Med School question

[Jesusfreak97]

I am a Sophomore biology major, and I am not sure yet what I want to do with my major but am looking into different options. I hear all these crazy, scary stories about the MCAT. Is it true that it is as hard as everyone says? Also, if I am considering the Med School, I have a C in General Chemistry 1 and 2. Does this kill my chance of med school?? Should I retake Gen Chem even if I do well in O Chem?
Thanks so much!

[smf6824]

I am a Sophomore biology major, and I am not sure yet what I want to do with my major but am looking into different options. I hear all these crazy, scary stories about the MCAT. Is it true that it is as hard as everyone says? Also, if I am considering the Med School, I have a C in General Chemistry 1 and 2. Does this kill my chance of med school?? Should I retake Gen Chem even if I do well in O Chem?
Thanks so much!

Never took the MCAT but you should prepare for it as the rigorous test it is known for. There are study materials out there. You can always do a class over but if I were you I would just focus on studying, getting good grades, and making yourself marketable to the medical schools you are interested in. Finally start this conversation with your advisor at school and get in good with the premed faculty since you will likely need a recommendation from some of them. Good luck

[dfrecore]

You can look at the med school(s) you are considering applying to, and see what the average GPA is for that particular school, and some schools will also list the average GPA for the prerequisite courses as well (all of the sciences, possibly a few other courses like psych, english comp, etc.). If the average is 3.67, then those 2.0's are going to hurt your average quite a bit.

I would check with your school and see what someone more knowledgable thinks though. Since you're going to need at least 1 letter of recommendation from an instructor, going to one now and asking some intelligent questions may help when you need a letter (see smf6824's response as well).

[sanantone]

There is a lot of information on the Student Doctor forum, but most of the members there are a-holes.

[cookderosa]

I am a Sophomore biology major, and I am not sure yet what I want to do with my major but am looking into different options. I hear all these crazy, scary stories about the MCAT. Is it true that it is as hard as everyone says? Also, if I am considering the Med School, I have a C in General Chemistry 1 and 2. Does this kill my chance of med school?? Should I retake Gen Chem even if I do well in O Chem?
Thanks so much!

Yes retake both Gen Chem classes. Even if the C wouldn't kill your chances, you undermine your ability to do well on the chem part of the MCAT.

[bluebooger]

since you got a C on both semesters of General Chemistry what makes you think you'll do well in Organic Chemistry which is MUCH more difficult

[Jesusfreak97]

since you got a C on both semesters of General Chemistry what makes you think you'll do well in Organic Chemistry which is MUCH more difficult

I'm not certain I'll do better, but I'm hoping I will. I have heard from multiple junior and senior bio majors at my school that you tend to either be O Chem or Gen Chem inclined. Im hoping since I was so week in Gen Chem, that I will do better in O Chem.

[smf6824]

I'm not certain I'll do better, but I'm hoping I will. I have heard from multiple junior and senior bio majors at my school that you tend to either be O Chem or Gen Chem inclined. Im hoping since I was so week in Gen Chem, that I will do better in O Chem.

Yea.... Organic chem is generally harder, but everyone learns differently.

[cookderosa]

I'm not certain I'll do better, but I'm hoping I will. I have heard from multiple junior and senior bio majors at my school that you tend to either be O Chem or Gen Chem inclined. Im hoping since I was so week in Gen Chem, that I will do better in O Chem.

MCAT rockstars are both gen chem AND orgo inclined. That's more to the point, that while we can argue the merits of a test based admissions process, the fact remains that if you hvae "C" level of understanding today, how much better will it be in 1-2 years when you take the MCAT?
I think you're already excluding yourself from many programs with these 8 credits at a 2.0 You should retake them. Remember, you'll have a general GPA but also a science GPA. That's going to make it very hard to have a competitive science GPA. EDIT TO ADD: I've attached the admissions table. Even if you earn all A's in your other 3 sequences, you can't get above 3.5 for science. I think you could improve your chances GREATLY if you retook your chems.
The problem with med school admissions, is that EVERYONE is excellent. EVERYONE has excellent grades, excellent letters, excellent MCAT scores, excellent everything. You have to be excellent plus something else.
Listen, I'm not going to lie- I was out at physics. I couldn't do it, so there is probably some level of bias in my advice to you, but I ended up using my premed sequence for grad school anyway (nutrition) which was fine, but it's brutal. I earned all A's in every one of my premed courses (including Microbiology, A&P I and II) but my level of understanding wasn't good enough.
If it was easy, everyone would do it..... https://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applican...dgpas.html

[bjcheung77]

You shouldn't need to worry too much as it's not the only course they'll be looking at when admissions to whichever medical program you're applying to reviews your application. I would suggest getting whatever you can completed with higher grades for the courses you're taking now... and then study for the MCAT. As you know more in each science course, that exam should be easier to you. Furthermore, they look at other requisites as well. When you're done your exams, I wouldn't stress over it, apply to several schools across the nation and see what they all say.