Retaking Classical Mechanics for Higher GPA

[PurpleBook]

I am a Physics major, just completed my junior year. During my fall semester I took the first level to the upper level Classical Mechanics sequence and received a C. I know that this was because I was working part time at that time so I was not able to put in as much time as I should have into my studies. I have been thinking about retaking the course during the fall of my senior year. Is this a good idea, or would graduate schools look down upon this when they see my transcript? The main reason I would like to retake the course is just because I feel like I haven't learned the material properly, and I would also like to boost my Physics GPA (which is rather low at the moment)
My grades are as follows for my Physics/math courses required for my school's program:
Physics I: A; Physics II; B+; Physics III: B+; Physics IV: B+
Quantum Mechanics I: B; Quantum II: B-; Mechanics I: C; Mechanics II: A
Calc I, II: B+; Calc III: A; Diff Eq: A; Linear Algebra: A; Partial Diff Eq: A-
My overall GPA is a 3.326 and my Physics GPA is a 3.376

Thank you in advance for your help

 

[PieceOfPi]

I'm not a physics major, so my comment may not be that helpful.

I don't think retaking a class to improve your grade would hurt your chance of getting into a graduate school, unless your original grade for that class is like B or above. If you feel like you haven't learned the material properly the first time, then you are actually doing a favor by retaking a course, since you are likely to see that stuff again in grad school.

The only thing I am wondering here is that you got an A in Mechanics II. Isn't Mechanics II a continuation of Mechanics I? If you got an A in its sequence that already shows that you know something about mechanics already, so retaking it might seem pointless (in fact, it shows that you have made some improvement!). But again, I am not a physics major, so I might be wrong on this.

My ultimate advice: Do it only if you have nothing more important to do than retaking the first semester of mechanics.

 

[PurpleBook]

Thank you for your advice.
Mechanics I and Mechanics II covered completely different topics, even though Mech I and II both used the same textbook. I guess I just had more time to study for it, giving me an A. I just feel like C in Mech I really stands out on my transcript, and I'm sure it looks bad to have a C in one of the upper level courses.
At this point, so far most people have suggested that I do not retake it, but I don't know yet.

 

[mege]

Does your school allow you to retake 'C' grades for credit & grade?

 

[PurpleBook]

Yes. My school allows retakes, and the new grade will replace the old grade even if it is lower. But both grades show up on the transcript.

 

[nlsherrill]

Yes. My school allows retakes, and the new grade will replace the old grade even if it is lower. But both grades show up on the transcript.

I am in a similar boat. I just got a C+ in classical mechanics 1 and am pretty upset about it. I wish I could have the option to retake it, but that's not happening at my school. If you got an "A" in classical mechanics 2 though, then I think graduate schools may see that as a great improvement(at least, that's what I myself am hoping). You also got B's in Quantum 1 and 2. There are definitely things you take from classical that you use in quantum, so there again it seems like you made up for a C. I wouldn't worry about it. I assume you have not taken E&M and stat. mech yet? If you keep making better grades and show improvement from 1 small slip up, I can't see why a graduate school would hold 1 "bad" grade against you when you have made better grades in arguably just as advanced/more advanced courses.

 

[eri]

Even if your school allows retakes, it's very common not to allow a retake of a class you earned a C or better in - otherwise, rich students (you can't use financial aid to retake a class you passed) could just keep retaking everything until they had a 4.0. And retaking a class you passed (C or better is a passing grade in a class for your major) does look bad to grad schools if you could have been learning something else instead - and especially if you then did well in the second semester of the course, which means you've learned enough in Mech I to apply it.