Repeating Freshman Coursework

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SGOT

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Hi everyone,

I apologize in advance, Im sure this question can be found in another thread...
Just curious to know if US medical schools devalue repeating freshman coursework, and possibly 1 upper year course?
I am in my final year of studies at a Canadian university and have managed to maintain an upward trend in grades, especially in upper year science courses. I plan to retake 3 courses, General Chemistry, Cell Biology & only 1 upper year course, Spectroscopy.

Would appreciate any and all feedback, thanks!

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Just curious to know if US medical schools devalue repeating freshman coursework, and possibly 1 upper year course?
I am in my final year of studies at a Canadian university and have managed to maintain an upward trend in grades, especially in upper year science courses. I plan to retake 3 courses, General Chemistry, Cell Biology & only 1 upper year course, Spectroscopy.

Would appreciate any and all feedback, thanks!
Can you explain the reason for doing this?
 
Can you explain the reason for doing this?

Of course,

I only need 6 more credits to graduate and my cGPA is 2% shy of achieving 4.0 status. So I figured retaking a couple of the mcat pre-reqs would be in my best interest for 3 reasons: 1) An obvious increase in the cGPA 2) Solidify the foundations in those disciples 3) To display maturity in showing that I am able to make amends for poor performances . As for the spectroscopy class, that is my only senior level Major's course in which I did not receive an A- or better, that is to satisfy my ego more than anything.
 
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Of course,

I only need 6 more credits to graduate and my cGPA is 2% shy of achieving 4.0 status. So I figured retaking a couple of the mcat pre-reqs would be in my best interest for 3 reasons: 1) An obvious increase in the cGPA 2) Solidify the foundations in those disciples 3) To display maturity in showing that I am able to make amends for poor performances . As for the spectroscopy class, that is my only senior level Major's course in which I did not receive an A- or better, that is to satisfy my ego more than anything.
This would be viewed darkly for a couple of reasons.
First, the goal is to learn and distinguish yourself, not get a 4.0.
Second, it will be a strange thing to do and will draw fire for obvious gpa padding.
The student members will see this from a mile away. They don't want classmates that game like this.
 
This would be viewed darkly for a couple of reasons.
First, the goal is to learn and distinguish yourself, not get a 4.0.
Second, it will be a strange thing to do and will draw fire for obvious gpa padding.
The student members will see this from a mile away. They don't want classmates that game like this.


Well when you put it that way, I can definitely see why it would not be a good idea.
But the only reason why I mention the 4.0 is because anything 80% + for a Canadian student (At some Universities...) is considered a 4.0 in the states. If i did not repeat a course or two then I'd be applying with a 3.0 (70-79%) and I think that would severely hinder my chances at being invited for interviews.

I'm more or less trying to give myself the chance to be competitive, as opposed to climbing to the top of the elite pool.

P.S My EC's are good (Coaching, Tutoring, Volunteering, Physician Shadowing, Athletics, Research)
 
Well when you put it that way, I can definitely see why it would not be a good idea.
But the only reason why I mention the 4.0 is because anything 80% + for a Canadian student (At some Universities...) is considered a 4.0 in the states. If i did not repeat a course or two then I'd be applying with a 3.0 (70-79%) and I think that would severely hinder my chances at being invited for interviews.
A 3.0 is close to a deal breaker for a US MD applicant.
I can only recommend repeating courses for an attempt at DO.

There is something strange about how you are calculating a gpa if it only results in integers.
 
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Well when you put it that way, I can definitely see why it would not be a good idea.
But the only reason why I mention the 4.0 is because anything 80% + for a Canadian student (At some Universities...) is considered a 4.0 in the states. If i did not repeat a course or two then I'd be applying with a 3.0 (70-79%) and I think that would severely hinder my chances at being invited for interviews.

I'm more or less trying to give myself the chance to be competitive, as opposed to climbing to the top of the elite pool.

P.S My EC's are good (Coaching, Tutoring, Volunteering, Physician Shadowing, Athletics, Research)
I'm a little confused by your explanation. Are you saying that your overall GPA is currently a 3.0, but if you retake a few courses, your overall GPA will become a 4.0? If so, your school calculates GPAs in a way that is very different from the AMCAS. If you are merely saying that your score in those classes is currently a 3.0 (B), but you could retake it to make it a 4.0 (A), this isn't a good idea. Getting some B's is totally fine, and it will look bad to retake B's. Also, you know that you have to list both times you took the course on the AMCAS if you retake, right?
 
I'm a little confused by your explanation. Are you saying that your overall GPA is currently a 3.0, but if you retake a few courses, your overall GPA will become a 4.0? If so, your school calculates GPAs in a way that is very different from the AMCAS. If you are merely saying that your score in those classes is currently a 3.0 (B), but you could retake it to make it a 4.0 (A), this isn't a good idea. Getting some B's is totally fine, and it will look bad to retake B's. Also, you know that you have to list both times you took the course on the AMCAS if you retake, right?

Yes that is what I am saying. I don't know why the conversion between US grades and Canadian grades is not concrete and every school has a different way of calculating the. But by the looks of it, in general, Canadian students get a GPA boost when they apply internationally. Don't quote me on that, it's what I have been told from others who have applied internationally.


80% + = 4.0
70-79% = 3.0
60-69% = (you're not getting in, aka 2.0)
50-59% = (NO.. 1.0)
0 - 49% = (really.....0.0)

The 3 classes I mentioned, I got C's in them.
No I wasn't aware that I had list them both times, thanks for the heads up.
I haven't applied before, it's what I plan on doing in summer 2016.

I also have a year worth of classes in the 70-79% range, my current cGPA is 78.2%
 
A 3.0 is close to a deal breaker for a US MD applicant.
I can only recommend repeating courses for an attempt at DO.

Thank you for your insight, I appreciate the reply.
 
Yes that is what I am saying. I don't know why the conversion between US grades and Canadian grades is not concrete and every school has a different way of calculating the. But by the looks of it, in general, Canadian students get a GPA boost when they apply internationally. Don't quote me on that, it's what I have been told from others who have applied internationally.


80% + = 4.0
70-79% = 3.0
60-69% = (you're not getting in, aka 2.0)
50-59% = (NO.. 1.0)
0 - 49% = (really.....0.0)

The 3 classes I mentioned, I got C's in them.
No I wasn't aware that I had list them both times, thanks for the heads up.
I haven't applied before, it's what I plan on doing in summer 2016.

I also have a year worth of classes in the 70-79% range, my current cGPA is 78.2%
Okay, well it will help you a lot in your decision-making to understand how the AMCAS will calculate your GPA. Here's how it works: They will ask for transcripts for every college course you have ever taken. You will also have to manually enter the courses. Then, they will look at each course you have taken and assign a number of GPA points to that course based on your grade (A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0, etc.). They will multiply this number of GPA points by the number of credit hours for the course to give you a number of "quality points." So, if you took a three-credit biology course and got a C, your quality points for that course would be 6.0. Then, they add up all of your quality points that you've earned over all your courses and divide by the total number of credit hours you've taken. This is your GPA. This means your GPA will not be 4.0 or 3.0, but something in between.

I hope this helps with your decision making. Please let me know if there's anything about this that is unclear.
 
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^As stated above, this:

80% + = 4.0
70-79% = 3.0
60-69% = (you're not getting in, aka 2.0)
50-59% = (NO.. 1.0)
0 - 49% = (really.....0.0)
is not how AMCAS will calculate your GPA. There will not be any full point jumping 3.0 vs 4.0. You'll provide the numerical grades you earned per each class and AMCAS will convert that using their conversion system for the specific type of Numeric Canadian grading used at your university:

tbtpMYC.png



Found on the last page of the AAMC grade conversion guide

In the end you'll have a 3.XX, just like American applicants would
 
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Okay, well it will help you a lot in your decision-making to understand how the AMCAS will calculate your GPA. Here's how it works: They will ask for transcripts for every college course you have ever taken. You will also have to manually enter the courses. Then, they will look at each course you have taken and assign a number of GPA points to that course based on your grade (A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0, etc.). They will multiply this number of GPA points by the number of credit hours for the course to give you a number of "quality points." So, if you took a three-credit biology course and got a C, your quality points for that course would be 6.0. Then, they add up all of your quality points that you've earned over all your courses and divide by the total number of credit hours you've taken. This is your GPA. This means your GPA will not be 4.0 or 3.0, but something in between.

I hope this helps with your decision making. Please let me know if there's anything about this that is unclear.

Awesome will do! Thanks for your help
 
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