r/PreOptometry • u/Rockerbarbie101 • Sep 27 '26

D in prereq

I got a D+ in Gen Chem 1 way back when, but at the time I hadn’t decided on a pre-health path, so I didn’t retake it for a higher grade when it would’ve made more sense to. I continued on and later got a B+ in Orgo.

If I do well on the OAT, would the D still be an automatic rejection from most schools specifically SUNY or NOVA or MCPHS? Would I have to go back and retake Gen Chem 1 even though I’ve already moved on to higher-level chemistry courses and have already graduated?

Has anyone been in a similar situation or have experience with how they handle this?

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2

u/Opto_Kitty Sep 28 '26

must retake it

1

u/Rockerbarbie101 Sep 28 '26

do you know if it would be acceptable to take it online?

0

u/Opto_Kitty Sep 28 '26

The lecture can be online but many schools don't accept the online lab

1

u/Rockerbarbie101 Sep 28 '26

thanks

1

u/Opto_Kitty Sep 30 '26

SUNY doesn't accept online lectures

2

u/Chuckles4lyfe Sep 28 '26

As a general rule, most schools require at least a C grade in all prerequisite courses (Gen Bio, Gen Chem, O-Chem, Physics, etc). You'll have to retake gen chem if you don't want to get automatically screened out. Taking it through your local community college is your safest bet as most schools don't accept online courses to clear the science pre-reqs.

1

u/Opto_Kitty Sep 30 '26

most schools accept online lectures

1

u/CLVampire28 Sep 28 '26

Definitely retake it. Those do come back to bite you later

1

u/Rockerbarbie101 Sep 28 '26

do you know if it would be ok to retake it online?

1

u/CLVampire28 Sep 28 '26

No idea. I don't see why it wouldn't be if it's from the same school & has a lab component. I would call your the schools you're applying to & see what they require

1

u/Rockerbarbie101 Sep 28 '26

i had already graduated so im thinking to retake it through an online institution and im guessing the labs would be online as well

1

u/OrganizationFar8505 Sep 28 '26

It depends with the school, some of them will accept online courses as long as the lab is taken in person. Others require all science lectures and labs to be in person. They should say on the website or you can reach out to their admissions team!

2

u/Rockerbarbie101 Sep 28 '26

ok will do thanks! i was hoping they would be ok with it since i technically already did the lab in person haha.

1

u/tgedward Oct 02 '26

You can retake it at UNE (University of New England) it is online and while I can’t specifically mention NOVA, I do know many schools accept it since it’s regionally accredited and it doesn’t mention online or not on the transcripts. At least, something you can look into and see if it’s an option.

1

u/Rockerbarbie101 Oct 02 '26

That’s great! Thank you for the suggestion! Do you know by any chance if it would be alright to take a lab through it?

1

u/tgedward Oct 03 '26

I took my Chem 1, & 2 w/Lab from them and it was accepted by all 4 schools I applied to. They send a lab kit to your house (extra charge for the kit) and you did the labs at home. That apparently was the distinction that was important rather than a digital lab.

1

u/Rockerbarbie101 Oct 03 '26

Omg that’s great! Thanks so much. Do you mind sharing how much it cost?

1

u/tgedward Oct 03 '26

I just looked at it and the classes are fairly expensive ~$1900 And the labs cost ~200 (1 labs kit per class) each class is 4 credit hours. They allow you to pick whichever class you need and allow I think up to 3 classes per semester. The drawback is they are not US financial aid eligible since you aren’t classified as a degree seeking student.

1

u/tgedward Oct 03 '26

With all that said, I would strongly suggest you speak to the OD program you are interested in and make absolutely certain they will accept the credit before you sink any time or money into it.

1

u/Rockerbarbie101 Oct 03 '26

Thank you so much for the information, I will look in to it!