Just re-examined my grades from first tenure at the University … man, did I score poorly. I really had no idea that I made so many low grades. One term - 2 F’s!!! HOLLY CRAP. Course, when I noticed the date, it correlated with the time that both of my grandparents past-away. My UCF GPA was left at a 2.8. My CC GPA was a 2.9. Thankfully, my recent GPA is a 4.0. But my previous GPA’s are going to take a long, long time to elevate. I guess this will limit some of the med schools that I consider - since it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to match their GPA requirements. Sigh. I just can’t believe how poor I did previously - and it was in life sciences (micro: D, genetics: C, even biology: C). My thermodynamics, fluids, robotics were more likely to be B’s. Yawn.
I know it will take a lot to bring my GPA up, but I will soon run out of pre-req work and general sciences. Should I be planning to take many more electives (i.e. Ethnobotany, Molec Bio, Comp Animal Phys, etc.) before the MCAT and application process just to raise my cumulative GPA?
If you haven’t already, it would probably be a good idea to re-take the classes you got a D or F in to prove to an adcom that you had a bad semester and can handle it. I’m not sure about the C’s - depends on your time frame, but if you had the time I would re-take them, too. Those grades would also go into the BCMP and raise it some. If you have already re-taken some of these, then I would continue to get your GPA up by taking other BCMP classes to show you can handle upper-level ones.
The bottom line is getting your GPA up and to make sure the adcoms know you can handle a rigorous courseload.
Yea I would retake a D or F if it was a major class, but if it was along time ago (like 7 or 10 years) and it is not needed for anything then maybe I would skip retaking and continue to do well. Look, they look at the GPA, then, now and the sci gpa (all sci courses rolled together). I would look at time and also run by the whole package by an admission consultant. You will spend peanuts on an consultant vers what application and retaking courses cost not to mention time.
Good Luck.
So, I’m assuming the combined science GPA will include my previous Engineering Sciences (thermo, fluids, etc). Or would that only be life/health type sciences? I already re-took Micro (though at a CC level) and intend to re-take Genetics. I hadn’t though of retaking Biology - but a more advanced elective instead - though, Biology I/II would probably advance my GPA more easily. And yes, these were over 10 yrs ago.
So, I’m guessing the bottom line does include a better GPA than I will likely have after just completing the minimum pre-requisites. So, those more advanced sciences seem to be in my future…
Next question: do I delay taking the MCAT until I pull my GPA up and take many of the upper level sciences? I always associate taking the MCAT just before applying to med school. But, if I wait that long, maybe my Gen Chem & Physics skills/knowledge will be “gone” by then …
At the school I’m applying to the MCAT is good for three years. If you feel good about your ability to do well on it right now and you are going to apply to med school in the next couple of years, my vote would be to take it. If your timeline is further on, maybe check with the schools you are interested in and see if there is any age limit placed on the MCAT. If there is make your judgement from there.
WOW don’t know about Sci courses other than Chem Physics and Bio? That one maybe another OPM can comment on, as far as engineering, no I wouldn’t retake any of those course, they were so long ago too so I do not think you will get winged on that too much.
Good luck
WARNING: my information is out of date and I hope someone who’s been through the app process recently (or is going thru it now) will also comment…
It was my understanding that by “BCPM” they meant courses that were, by God, Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics. I had science courses that were part of the nursing school but their “call letters” were NURS 310 or such - and when I investigated in the AMCAS materials I concluded that they couldn’t be included in the BCPM.
Based on that, my first thought is that ENGR 406, Thermodynamics [making up a random example], wouldn’t count. Or that you’d have to argue with the people at AMCAS to get it to count. (I was fortunate not to have that experience but I hear that it’s a pretty pointless effort.) This is bad news for you, as those engineering courses would bring up your BCPM, but don’t forget that the “AO” (all others) and “overall” GPAs are also looked at, and you’ll get props for your engineering grades there.
Um, normally I’d sign off “hope that helps,” but this probably isn’t at all what you want to hear so…
good luck!
Mary
My engineering courses went in my all others category and helped bring up my B’s in the softer classes such as English and History that were mandatory at my undergrad. The fact that they don’t go in the BCPM isn’t all bad.
But like Mary, I went through this process four years ago, so it may have changed- though I doubt it.
Hope this helps,
Tara
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…It was my understanding that by “BCPM” they meant courses that were, by God, Biology, Chemistry, Physics or Mathematics. I had science courses that were part of the nursing school but their “call letters” were NURS 310 or such - and when I investigated in the AMCAS materials I concluded that they couldn’t be included in the BCPM.
Based on that, my first thought is that ENGR 406, Thermodynamics [making up a random example], wouldn’t count. Or that you’d have to argue with the people at AMCAS to get it to count. (I was fortunate not to have that experience but I hear that it’s a pretty pointless effort.) This is bad news for you, as those engineering courses would bring up your BCPM, but don’t forget that the “AO” (all others) and “overall” GPAs are also looked at, and you’ll get props for your engineering grades there.
Mary
Mary, this is still the case, and your RN coursework woud now be classified as HEAL (health sciences). However, themodynamics currently is considering part of BCPM (via Chemistry). All other BCPM courses are relatively self-explanatory.
For those who want to look further into this issue, look at the current AMCAS 2006 Student Application Help booklet on the AMCAS site, pp: 67-69.
Cheers,
Judy
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. And yes, these were over 10 yrs ago.
Many schools will not accept pre-reqs over ten years old. This might also factor into your decision to retake biology I/II. Yes, you do want to boost your GPA as much as you can, but you have to look it realistically. What you really need to show is that you can handle the basic science coursework. You do this with a strong recent upward trend and possibly upper level science coursework. You may never be able to bring your GPA up to a level to get past schools that have a minimum GPA cut-off. However, most schools will look at your entire academic record and recent trends before rejecting you. I had a 2.77 undergrad GPA. I don’t remember what my overall GPA ended up being after I took the pre-reqs, but I don’t think it was all that outstanding. However, I kicked butt in the pre-reqs.
Consider having a knowledgable admissions counselor (or two or three) look at your academic record, if you haven’t done so already. See what they recommend.
Good luck -
Amy
P.S.- For the reasons Mary stated, I listed an Anatomy and Physiology class that was a “Fire Science Technology” course as a non-BCPM class. For reasons unknown to me, when AMCAS verified my app, they changed it to a Biology class and included it in my BCPM GPA.
Caveat:
It depends on where you are applying.
AACOMAS does not consider math as part of the science GPA. Just Life, Physical, and Health Sciences (not nursing). Engineering courses count as science with AACOMAS. In addition, a course such as Biometry, even though in a biology department is counted as math, therefore non science. Interestingly, they count PA studies, but not Nursing.
AMCAS does count the math in with everything else. They count Biology, Chemistry, Math, Physics. Not Engineering. Not PA studies. Not Nursing.
In case you didn’t know, BCPM stands for Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math.
Confused yet? I am.
AMCAS: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2006instructionbook.pdf
AACOMAS: https://aacomas.aacom.org/html/ins_sess_ac.htm
HTH
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Confused yet? I am.
Oh yea - I’d say I’m real confused now. So confused that I don’t know if my previous Engineering type GPA is a good or bad thing. Most of the jr/senior classes I took ended with scores of B. However, many of the fresh/sophmore courses were C’s (including calculus). So, some of them I’d hope would be included, some not.
If I apply to a school that doesn’t look beyone 10 yrs - does that mean the GPA will ONLY reflect my recent coursework? That would be grand!
Thanks for the info - though overwhelming - it gives me insight to considerations I hadn’t made …
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If I apply to a school that doesn’t look beyone 10 yrs - does that mean the GPA will ONLY reflect my recent coursework? That would be grand!
Unfortunately, probably not.
I can’t speak to how the osteopathic application works, but AMCAS will STILL count those old grades in your GPA. What it means is that you may have to make a decision to be happy with applying to schools that will accept pre-reqs > 10 years old or to retake the pre-reqs. A lot of people have recommended that if you haven’t taken biology in a long time, that you DO retake it. A lot has changed in biology in 10 years. Chemistry and Physics haven’t changed QUITE so much.As for the engineering thing, a lot of engineering majors are applying to medical schools now and I think that adcoms are starting to become aware of/and take into consideration the fact that engineering classes are often extremely rigorous and those students tend to have lower GPA’s.
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If I apply to a school that doesn’t look beyone 10 yrs - does that mean the GPA will ONLY reflect my recent coursework? That would be grand!
I’m not sure who does this. The application services take it all into account and do the calculations for the schools. The med schools I applied to still take my withdrawal F’s into account even though they are all over 10 years old.
Yea all above makes sense, look it’s the whole package not just grades, yea a good gpa is needed but you can (must) do that now and show the great person you are in school then the rest, volunteer work, experience, MCAT. ect…
When they look at years ago and current then they will see the hard work and focus.
Just my 2 pence! 
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If I apply to a school that doesn’t look beyone 10 yrs - does that mean the GPA will ONLY reflect my recent coursework? That would be grand!
AMCAS counts EVERY college class that you have EVER taken, even classes at a community college that you may have taken during high school and received college credit. Additionally, every grade must be reported, even if you repeated a course and the original grade was “replaced” on your transcript. AMCAS wants the original grade as well as the replacement grade.
Cheers,
Judy