If you fail many classes in college is it still possible to get into specialized schools like med school?

Question

Hi, my questions is if you fail a class or many classes in college, is it still possible to graduate or get into a specialized school, such as Law School, Medical School, Pharmacy School, etc? Do you have to have straight A's and a 4.0 GPA to get into these schools?

What if you have poor or decent grades? Is there any way you can re-do those classes, or is it all stuck on your permanent record? Even with poor grades, is it still possible to go back to school and try to do better in hopes of one day being able to get into those specialized schools?

If you do get bad grades in college is it over for you, or is there still some hope if you keep at it and try to do better and work harder, even if you have to keep going back to school and paying more? Even though it costs a lot of money, are your dreams and hopes all dashed to pieces or can you keep trying again and again?

Thanks for your time and help.

Answer 1

To graduate from a college, you generally need 120 hours of classes (15 per semester times 8 semesters). If you fail a course, you get no credit and have to take it over if it is in your major or take a different course so as to get the 3 credits. On your record you will then see the first time you failed (for no credit) and the second time that you hopefully passed the course (and get the credits). Some schools may allow you to erase the official transcript of the failed courses.

Now, that said, you asked if you can fail many courses and still get into graduate schools. Well, no. If you fail even one course, the college will counsel you. If you fail many courses, the college will drop you (and suggest a different career choice or a different school). So, no...If you fail many courses you'll probably not be able to continue at the school much less graduate. You should plan on passing ALL your courses, and do not allow yourself to think negatively about failure. Graduate schools generally do not expect all students to be 4.0 GPA students, but a student who fails more than one course is highly suspect and would likely be passed over, all things being equal. Medical school in particular is highly competitive. A school would want someone who'd shown an aptitude for study and learning and success over someone no matter how determined who kept failing subjects. In a few, rare cases, I suppose you might get accepted after years of effort to pass courses you'd failed--but this would be merely an attempt to give you a chance--one chance only--to prove yourself. Any more failures, and you can kiss your dream bye bye...Or go to a second-rate medical school (or engineering school, or whatever) in some third-world country (like Grenada which has a medical school for people who couldn't get into a decent school) that cares more for your money than your grades, and you can then still perhaps be a doctor, but you'd be limited to working in Podunk, ND, or some other remote location.

So, overall, your chances of success are not completely abolished by failing some course, but if you fail consistently, you'd better be prepared for an alternate career...Maybe MacDonald's...Your best bet is to make sure you pass every course. No failures allowed.

Answer 2

First, I must commend you on your manners and detailed question. I will try my best to respond.

1) A 4.0 GPA is not required by most colleges and/or universities. They will not ostracize you, nor turn you away. As a matter of fact, many schools require you to have AT LEAST a 2.0 GPA to be considered. Yes, you heard right, a 2.0!
You MUST maintain this or higher to be considered for the next school of your choice. Though I do not specifically know for Law, Medical or Pharmacy, because I went into the IT program at my particular university.
Please check with the schools and call them, or read about their requirements on the school website.

2) If you feel you have poor grades, retaking a class or two may help to perk up your GPA. Also, taking an easy-cheesy class will also help (make sure the easy class is something YOU LIKE and not Basket-weaving 101 or something).
Also, remember that what's on your transcript doesn't necessarily condemn you. Retaking a class for a better grade usually erases the previous grade (Now, please look closer into this as things may have changed since I was in school).
Sure, it will be another semester or two of heck, but it will be well worth it in the long run.
If you have a specific, specialized school in mind, find out what classes are needed before you take them. Many community colleges and colleges offer non-credit classes on EVERYTHING. These classes are usually less costly because they're non-credit. Also, you can choose to audit a class. Sitting there for free in order to get a professor's style or what materials will be needed. After that, you can then choose to pay for the class by registering. Also, you can just walk into said school and ask to briefly speak with their academic advisors.

3) It is NEVER OVER. Pursuing one's dreams is often a lifetime achievement, and things are never over unless one dies, and to most of us, even that's not the end;)
One thing I kept telling my classmates over and over: READ THE STUDENT HANDBOOKS
that a college/univ/vocational/technical school provides.
These are often FREE and it will become your HOLY BOOK as you navigate through the world that is upper education. You can walk into any school and ask where to pick up the handbook, though they are often in the registrar offices or registration department. Most of what I said and some of what you may not hear from academic advisors WILL BE in these Student Handbooks.

So no, don't give up hope. A dream not pursued is really not a dream at all. It wouldn't be much of a dream or hope if it was easily attained now, would it?

Answer 3

It depends on several factors. If your failures all came early in your studies, and since then you've retaken the courses that are prerequists for the grad school programs (i.e., biology for med school), and you aced them; and you've done well in every course since then, you may be okay. You'd have shown a record of improvement, and that can count for a lot.

Likewise, if you messed up all throughout undergraduate, but since then have worked and taken some pertinent continuing ed classes and done well in them, then you may be okay for some programs.

And then it depends on the type of graduate program you're going after:

Medical School: If you failed many classes, it's unlikely that there is anything you can do to get into a US-based medical school. Competition is too fierce. Students with straight A's and good test scores are denied admission - there simply are not enough places. However, there are some foreign medical schools that will accept students who don't fit the normal US med school profile, so you can try them. But even there, your chances are not good.

Law school: It depends on the school. It's unlikely you'd get into one of the elites, but there are a lot of law schools out there - more places than there are applicants in some years. You may stand a chance at one of the less prestigious schools. But graduates from less prestigious law schools sometimes have a hard time finding a job afterwards.

MBA: Your best chance may be getting into a less prestigious MBA program. You'd need to work a couple of years before applying, and it's unlikely you'd get into one of the top schools, but you may get into one of the lower level schools. And even graduates from less prestigious MBA schools, if they have the right work experience backing them up, can do okay upon graduation.

So, unfortunately, medicine is out. Pharmacy I'm not familiar enough with to talk about. Law - you may get in to some schools. Business - you may get into some schools, and there you have a realistic chance of also getting a job.

So there is hope. Just try to do very well from here on out, and prove yourself. Finish your coursework up strongly, work for a couple of years, then think about applying for a graduate degree.

Good luck.

Answer 4

It may be possiblem, but it'll take longer and you'll have to work harder. You'll have a harder time getting into one and you might not be able to get into the best schools.

Answer 5

it depends on the school wish i could be of more help but I'm not the particular college your asking sorry