I withdrew from biology in the fall semester and now I took it again in the summer. However, I am getting a B and my GPA is already low. I want to withdraw again but how bad do 2 W’s look (from the same class)? Is it better to take the B or the W? I am thinking to rather take the W but my advisor is saying to take the B!!!
I am aiming for a T10 medical school, too. Therefore, I would rather have a high GPA.
I just don’t know how medical schools are going to react to see 2 W’s from the same class–especially since I took it in the summer (and it is advised to NOT take science summer classes). Please help I am panicking!
Given most get turned down for med school, I don’t think top 10 should be a goal. People go to the dr that take their insurance and typically where they live.
And your med school app will be about more than a gpa.
So a good goal is getting in.
Have you spoken to your pre med advisor ?
Others will comment on your specific situation but take a deep breath.
This is like taking cello lessons and “aiming” to become Yo Yo Ma.
Your goal should be to get into ANY medical school. There is not a single med school in the US that will not prepare you to become a skilled and caring physician.
I understand this, and I truly appreciate your response! However, my question was focused on how a B looks compared to a W for medical schools. Are you still saying to stick with the B?
However, more information would help us give more accurate advice.
I am assuming that you are already a university student. Is this correct? What year are you in? How low is your college/university GPA? How low is your science-only GPA?
One daughter recently got her DVM. The required undergraduate pre-vet classes are the same as the required undergraduate premed classes. There were a few cases where she just could not get an A in a class. Organic chemistry was one example. At the time she said that it was the most difficult B- that she had ever had in her life. This did not stop her from getting into very good DVM programs. She has since said that on average the classes in her DVM program were just as tough. I do not think that an MD program will be any easier.
However, premed classes are tough. They are supposed to be tough. From everything that I have heard, medical school (and DVM programs) are just as tough. Some students just are not able to maintain a medical-school-worthy GPA in these classes. Some students need to find a plan B.
But one B will not keep you out of medical school. A history of repeatedly dropping the same course looks bad to me.
Why?
Why did you ignore what you were advised to do?
I think that first you need to step up your study habits. Then you take the B. Then you start to take this process as a marathon rather than a sprint, pace yourself appropriately, and if you want to ever make it to any medical school then you work very hard and focus very strongly on your classes. I do not know if you have jumped ahead in any classes but if you are tempted to do so, then just no.
Take the B. Repeated withdrawals from the same class look suspicious to adcomms. Like you’re looking for an easier way to take the class or that you needed repeated “bites of the cookie”" to get a strong grade. In fact, the second W might signal to them that you’re actually failing the class, not getting a B.
Also having a few Bs won’t keep you out of med school—unless you give those Bs a whole lot of more Bs to keep them company. Heck, even an F won’t keep you out to med school. Plenty med students with Cs, Ds, and Fs on their undergrad transcripts. It’s not ideal, but it definitely not fatal either.
You and every other pre med in the US. However, realistically only about 3% of accepted pre-meds get a T10 acceptance. You need to be open to ANY med school, including osteopathic med schools. The goal is to become A doctor, not a doctor who graduated from a particular med school.
( FWIW, Where you go to med school does not affect how much you get paid, nor what kind of specialty you 'll match into. Starting salaries are the same no matter where you go to med school/residency. Your future specialty is all dependent on you and how well you perform in med school and how well you meet the expectations of the specialty–including research, test scores, LORs and interview skills. Even students from the lowest ranked med school can and do match into neurosurgery, orthopedics and dermatology. )
it is advised to NOT take science summer classes). Please help I am panicking!
And now you know why. Summer sessions are shorter, more intense and there is less opportunity to recover from a poor quiz or exam grade than there is during a regular semester/quarter class.
Please, do yourself a favor—don’t even consider taking Ochem over the summer next year.
I think this is a classic kind of CC question, “I have xyz problem which makes me not competitive for abc. How can I still be competitive for abc?” But in fact, if you are doing B-level work for the second time in a core science class, you are probably not T-10 material.
My DS20 graduated top in his class at MIT and he did get into T-10 medical schools (MD-PhD which is even more competitive), and he didn’t get into everywhere he applied. His grades were all As with several A+es which I didn’t even know could happen at MIT.
Not getting into a T-10 medical school doesn’t mean you can’t be a doctor!!