Should I mention a class I am repeating, and the reasons?

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I am almost finished with my pre-reqs for transferring to a BSN program. My grades are pretty good (about 3.6 GPA) and all have been 3.2 to 4.0- except for organic chem, in which I got a 2.3, so I am planning to retake. This is a passing grade, so some people have been saying why bother retaking it, but the program I am applying to is very competitive, and I don't think it's good enough. Anyway, the personal statement essay asks about any educational challenges I have had, and I am thinking I should mention this class, and the fact I am retaking it this quarter, and I expect to earn an A- since decisions will be made prior to the finish of the quarter. But I don't know if I should draw attention to the fact (though I am sure they will see it?) Also, the main reason I did so poorly was that I was taking 3 difficult sciences, my husband was traveling a lot on biz, and I had a 2 year old. But also, the instructor was just terrible, and a high % of people failed (many were also good students, who are retaking it with me). He never told us what to study, and put stuff on exams we had never covered in class before. I don't want to sound like I am blaming the instructor, because I suspect that is frowned upon, but how do I address this in essays?

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.

Few questions: is organic chem a requirement? What is your overall GPA??? What is your required science GPA???

I ask this is because I find a list of posters stressing over the grades. News flash: EVERY program is competitive...If you have the right GPA, and you pass your entrance exam between 80-90%, your chances are high that you will enter the program.

You can have you essay about your challenges...what other challenges have you gone through, and how you have prevailed??? Put on an air of resiliency, you have an amazing GPA. Relax and be confident that you have all the abilities to achieve this!

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Honestly, I think they want to read about educational challenges that you have overcome and succeeded in, in the end. Not saying you should or shouldn't mention the organic chem class, but if you do, definitely include the challenges you overcame too.

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I wouldn't make failing and re-taking the class the main subject of the essay. It technically qualifies as an educational challenge, but not really. Many students do poorly in a specific class and repeat it for a better grade, and many students also tackle several sciences at once, sometimes at the cost of their GPA. As I said, it can be mentioned in the essay, maybe towards the end, but I wouldn't make it the sole focus of the essay. School's may look at it as, well she shouldn't have taken on 3 sciences at once, or if you blame the professor, they'll likely see that as placing blame as opposed to owning up to your own decisions. As I said, it technically qualifies as an educational challenge, but I would keep an eye out on how you word the essay.

If they require an essay, then you want a strong essay, because it will likely count towards admission decision (otherwise they wouldn't waste the time requiring it). While a 3.6 GPA is good, you want to do everything you can to guarantee acceptance, and your GPA alone may not cut it, depending on the program. I know one of the programs I am applying to had a 3.7 GPA cut-off for last round admissions. So make sure your essay is strong, along with your GPA, as well as your entrance exam, if required. Good luck.

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LadyFree28, yes O-chem is a requirement for this program (though not all programs I am applying to). My overall GPA is 3.6 and science GPA is about the same, or maybe 3.5. This program does not give an entrance exam, which is unfortunate, because I scored in the 97th percentile on the TEAS (individual score 86% I think). I did talk about the other challenges, and the fact that I did prevail (for the most part).

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Yes, I definitely did not make it the focus of the essay, there were several points they wanted me to address and educational challenges was just one of them. It was 997 words! (750-1000 suggested length).

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Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
LadyFree28 yes O-chem is a requirement for this program (though not all programs I am applying to). My overall GPA is 3.6 and science GPA is about the same, or maybe 3.5. This program does not give an entrance exam, which is unfortunate, because I scored in the 97th percentile on the TEAS (individual score 86% I think). I did talk about the other challenges, and the fact that I did prevail (for the most part).[/quote']

Ok...so you STILL have a chance to get in :) !

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Specializes in Psych/Mental Health.

You're right, blaming the instructor will make you look bad. Your GPA looks good to me though.

Think about what you could've done. It's true that some instructors don't tell students what's going to be covered, but maybe you could've been more proactive in communicating with him/her? Maybe you could've visited him/her more frequently to go over what might be covered on the tests? Also, maybe talk about how you learned that taking 3-4 heavy science classes was a bad idea and/or how you will arrange your schedule next time around to prevent a bad grade (self exploration and discovery always looks good on an essay). If you have spending money, I recommend hiring a professional college essay consultant if you want to maximize your chances.

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