Grade Conversion Question. Anyone apply to med school from Oakland University undergrad?

[moxie555]

I have scoured the forums and called AMCAS/my school's registrar and have yet to find an answer to this question. For anyone who has filled out an AMCAS with grades from Oakland University, how were your grades converted? For example, how did AMCAS interpret something like a 3.8 or 3.6 grade in a class?

For those of you who didn't go to Oakland University, the school utilizes a 32 point numerical grading system with passing grades from 1.0-4.0. Individual grades in classes would be numerical. For example, you could get something like a 3.8 or a 2.4 in a class. The university senate has published a conversion for external purposes that converts any grade from a 3.6-4.0 an A, 3.5-3.0 a B, etc. but the conversion isn't anywhere on the official transcript.

Someone please help so that I can estimate my AMCAS GPA with some sort of accurary! Thank you!

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[Doug Underhill]

That's an interesting grading system they have there.

https://www.oakland.edu/Default.aspx?id=24856&sid=282&CWFriendlyUrl=true

The website says to contact Dr. Keith A. Berven. I'm guessing he can help you with that.

 

[moxie555]

Thanks, but he's no longer the pre-med adviser over there. I contacted the current pre-med adviser who couldn't really answer my question.

 

[Gregarious_and_Hilarious]

I did a Google search and found this:

Maybe type in grades according to this scale and then the AAMC can adjust it during their verification?

 

[detroitstudent]

I'm also from OU and I have the same problem! I've been looking for an answer for months and the registar office showed me that conversion scale, but it is NOT on the official transcript like you said. I've heard from a couple people they don't use that scale, and I've also heard they do. It's frustrating because I'm hoping a 3.6 is at least some type of "A" considering in almost all my bio classes a 3.6 is a 91%, and a 4.0 is a 98%.

 

[moxie555]

Yea, I've been trying to get in touch with someone who graduated from OU and has applied to medical school, but I'm a postbacc student so I don't know very many people at the school. I think that finding someone who has actually applied would be our best bet. Let me know if you have any luck!

 

[detroitstudent]

Will do. There are multiple people I know of with the same question.

 

[detroitstudent]

Bump. Anyone have experience with a similar situation?

 

[ZigPig]

I did premed work at OU. I'm confused on the problem though. More schools than not use a 4.0 Scale for GPA, right? My middle school, high school, undergrad, and various colleges I did classes at used a scale to give a GPA on a 4.0 scale. A = 4.0, A=3.7, B+=3.3, B = 3.0 , etc. Grades are averaged, and you come up with GPA. OU giving a grade for a class is still using the 4.0 scale, just that they use less discrete increments.

 

[tantacles]

Bump. Anyone have experience with a similar situation?

Call the AAMC

 

[moxie555]

Call the AAMC

I tried calling a couple of times and got different answers depending on who I spoke to.

 

[moxie555]

I did premed work at OU. I'm confused on the problem though. More schools than not use a 4.0 Scale for GPA, right? My middle school, high school, undergrad, and various colleges I did classes at used a scale to give a GPA on a 4.0 scale. A = 4.0, A=3.7, B+=3.3, B = 3.0 , etc. Grades are averaged, and you come up with GPA. OU giving a grade for a class is still using the 4.0 scale, just that they use less discrete increments.

So are the point values assigned by OU averaged in as is? In that case would something like a 3.8 as a class stand as a 3.8 instead of either being rounded up to a 4.0 or down to a 3.7? I guess I'm just confused because there's nothing that corresponds to this system in the AMCAS manual.

 

[detroitstudent]

Call the AAMC

I tried calling a couple of times and got different answers depending on who I spoke to.

Same thing happened when I called.

 

[detroitstudent]

I did premed work at OU. I'm confused on the problem though. More schools than not use a 4.0 Scale for GPA, right? My middle school, high school, undergrad, and various colleges I did classes at used a scale to give a GPA on a 4.0 scale. A = 4.0, A=3.7, B+=3.3, B = 3.0 , etc. Grades are averaged, and you come up with GPA. OU giving a grade for a class is still using the 4.0 scale, just that they use less discrete increments.

Well it's not that simple. When putting the grades in AMCAS they are usually converted. The questions are:

1. When they convert OU's grades will they be using the "A, A-, B+, B" scale or will they be using the "A, B, C, D" scale? Neither the office of registar or AAMC is giving a straight answer, and I have heard both possibilities (this is also the case for other students I've spoken to on campus). Also, there is absolutely no scale on the official transcript.

2. Secondly, if they do in fact use the "A, A-, B+, B" scale how would a "3.6" or a "3.8 be interpreted as? This is a serious concern because professors grade as if a 3.6 was a A, and in most, if not all biology classes a 4.0 is a 98% (Not uncommon for a 4.0 to be 100% in some classes). It seems like OU is considering a 4.0 to be sort of like an "A+" type of thing.

Thank to everyone that has replied so far for your suggestions, I do appreciate it! If anyone else can provide their opinion (maybe someone who has already applied from OU) it would be very appreciated.

 

[msuboy1111]

Bump did anyone find the answer to this out

 

[detroitstudent]

nope lol.

 

[Fedekz]

I had a similar grading system at one school. My 3.8 and 3.9 got "converted" to a 4.0 by AMCAS. The 3.6 got converted to a 3.7. Didn't have anything lower than a 3.6 so that's all I can speak for!

 

[foreverblue28]

Sorry for bringing up an old thread, but I've taken a few pre-reqs at OU, and I had a 3.3 in one and a 3.4 in another, would both be rounded to a 3.3 or B+ on the AMCAS/AACOMAS?