AACOMAS: End to Grade replacement?

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What? That's ridiculous. If they're going to make a radical change like that it won't be overnight. They would (or at least should) announce it at least a few years in advance.

Personally, I don't buy it. Why would they do that? It'll only serve to reduce the number of people that could apply (i.e. reduce their profit). Now a specific school may make a policy where they don't take people with retakes or they calculate your grade without the replacement. That's possible, but AACOMAS making a huge change like that overnight is not likely.
 
new MCAT.... no grade replacement... what's next?
 
Unlikely. There have been rumors for a long time, on and off about this supposedly changing.
 
Is this forreals??... time to go to caribbean. :, (
 
even if grade replacement was nixed (god forbid), people with terrible GPA's could still rehab their credentials with even a halfway decent performance in a post-bac or SMP. DO schools are much more receptive to upward trends, post bacs, and grad GPA's than MD's-- even if your initial or current GPA is still terrible.
 
I will have to apply for DO post bacc or smp that takes gpa around 2.7 🙁 sigh...
 
Why is the OP's post not present anymore?
 
I think grade replacement should go. Take upper levels instead. I'm OK with retaking if you have a good reason (tragedy) not if you were just lazy. I say its better to ace a higher level class then taking the same basics over and over again.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
I think grade replacement should go. Take upper levels instead. I'm OK with retaking if you have a good reason (tragedy) not if you were just lazy. I say its better to ace a higher level class then taking the same basics over and over again.
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College isn't for everyone, especially at the age of 18. Some people mature later than others and take school more seriously at a later time. I respectfully disagree with your reply.
 
hv92 said:
College isn't for everyone, especially at the age of 18. Some people mature later than others and take school more seriously at a later time. I respectfully disagree with your reply.
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Just because you're not mature at 18 doesn't mean you should redo it. I rather see people do other stuff. Take genetics/a&P/biochem do a masters. I think that shows more IMO. With the current system obviously its smart to retake d/f coursework but its a waste of time.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
Just because you're not mature at 18 doesn't mean you should redo it. I rather see people do other stuff. Take genetics/a&P/biochem do a masters. I think that shows more IMO. With the current system obviously its smart to retake d/f coursework but its a waste of time.
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If they don't build a solid foundation in the pre-reqs and basics science courses then it will be difficult to master the material in upper divs.. Or move on into a master's program and take more intensive courses and in-depth courses like anatomy, genetics, etc.... won't it? Obviously it's different for everybody and some things just come naturally to people but if you need to retake pre-reqs, I'm a huge proponent for it. I really hope AACOMAS doesn't do away with retaking classes.
 
U can fail gen bio and still do well on the MCAT and in med school (hypothetically speaking of course since none would let u in with an F). U don't have to have a formal class to master something
 
hallowmann said:
What? That's ridiculous. If they're going to make a radical change like that it won't be overnight. They would (or at least should) announce it at least a few years in advance.

Personally, I don't buy it. Why would they do that? It'll only serve to reduce the number of people that could apply (i.e. reduce their profit). Now a specific school may make a policy where they don't take people with retakes or they calculate your grade without the replacement. That's possible, but AACOMAS making a huge change like that overnight is not likely.
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What did the post say by the op?
 
hv92 said:
If they don't build a solid foundation in the pre-reqs and basics science courses then it will be difficult to master the material in upper divs.. Or move on into a master's program and take more intensive courses and in-depth courses like anatomy, genetics, etc.... won't it? Obviously it's different for everybody and some things just come naturally to people but if you need to retake pre-reqs, I'm a huge proponent for it. I really hope AACOMAS doesn't do away with retaking classes.
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I could see retaking for d/f but from what I have seen at my uni people retake over and over and over again till they get a 4.0. Its insane IMO.
 
As I've said before, use the Canadian approach and only count the last 60 credits of college for admissions purposes. It save money and it makes more sense than having a guy who aced cell bio, biochem, and genetics retake a C in biology 1 & 2.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
I could see retaking for d/f but from what I have seen at my uni people retake over and over and over again till they get a 4.0. Its insane IMO.
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I agree with you on this. That is just not smart. When I meant not having a solid foundation in a course is when you are receiving a D or F in it, if you are getting a C or a B, then you MAY understand the material, you are just having trouble applying it. All my retakes came from courses I received Ds in. Actually, we are not allowed to retake courses that we have gotten above a D letter grade in. Unless you go to another college and even then it is tricky to match the corresponding pre-reqs required for that institution.
For what it's worth I know the courses I did terrible in, I didn't care for them. I didn't study and only went to class for exams or when we were covering something that interested me. That was the 20 year old me however. It's been a coupe years and now I treat school like a job and it has definitely changed my mindset on things. Retakes are helpful but like anything else, they can be abused and may hurt some in the long run. Good luck
To those who retake, myself included and hopefully we get accepted somewhere. 🙂
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
I think grade replacement should go. Take upper levels instead. I'm OK with retaking if you have a good reason (tragedy) not if you were just lazy. I say its better to ace a higher level class then taking the same basics over and over again.
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Upper level courses usually don't have the same unforgiving curve as introductory science courses. Grade replacement shows that you can do well in a particular set of difficult courses that are fairly standardized from institution to institution.
 
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serenade said:
As I've said before, use the Canadian approach and only count the last 60 credits of college for admissions purposes. It save money and it makes more sense than having a guy who aced cell bio, biochem, and genetics retake a C in biology 1 & 2.
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what do you think the stats for Do school would be without grade replacement. ..3.3/3.2?

Personally that is why I think they are not going to get rid of grade replacement in the near future. It is a way to inflate the numbers to look competitive with md schools. Especially with the expansion of schools no way they are getting rid of grade replacement.
 
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Dochopeful13 said:
what do you think the stats for Do school would be without grade replacement. ..3.3/3.2?

Personally that is why I think they are not going to get rid of grade replacement in the near future. It is a way to inflate the numbers to look competitive with md schools. Especially with the expansion of schools no way they are getting rid of grade replacement.
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Do you have any evidence of this at all, or is it just some reasoning you pulled out of mid-air because you think that DO schools just want to make themselves look like MD schools?
 
GUH said:
Do you have any evidence of this at all, or is it just some reasoning you pulled out of mid-air because you think that DO schools just want to make themselves look like MD schools?
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Why do you think they offer grade replacement?
 
Dochopeful13 said:
Why do you think they offer grade replacement?
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They believe in reinvention. I do also but I believe its better to do that in upper levels.


Mad Jack said:
Upper level courses usually don't have the same unforgiving curve as introductory science courses. Grade replacement shows that you can do well in a particular set of difficult courses that are fairly standardized from institution to institution.
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Atleast in my uni upper levels are more difficult. Its not completely standardized. Grading scales are actually harsher in upper levels at my uni.

Dochopeful13 said:
what do you think the stats for Do school would be without grade replacement. ..3.3/3.2?

Personally that is why I think they are not going to get rid of grade replacement in the near future. It is a way to inflate the numbers to look competitive with md schools. Especially with the expansion of schools no way they are getting rid of grade replacement.
Click to expand...

Plently of people have high GPAs going into DO school with no retakes. My GPA is very high and I have never retook one class. I think DO schools would see little change in numbers if they got rid of this policy.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
They believe in reinvention. I do also but I believe its better to do that in upper levels.




Atleast in my uni upper levels are more difficult. Its not completely standardized. Grading scales are actually harsher in upper levels at my uni.



Plently of people have high GPAs going into DO school with no retakes. My GPA is very high and I have never retook one class. I think DO schools would see little change in numbers if they got rid of this policy.
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The grade replacement policy is as much a philosophical one as it is practical- DO schools are very much about looking at the whole applicant, because the administrators of most schools drink the Kool-Aid and practice what they preach. We'd have lost a few of our best students if not for grade replacement. If individual schools would rather not factor in grade replacement, they can create their own admission standards that recalculate GPAs.
 
Mad Jack said:
The grade replacement policy is as much a philosophical one as it is practical- DO schools are very much about looking at the whole applicant, because the administrators of most schools drink the Kool-Aid and practice what they preach. We'd have lost a few of our best students if not for grade replacement. If individual schools would rather not factor in grade replacement, they can create their own admission standards that recalculate GPAs.
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Yea I get it. I just hate to see people constantly retaking classes. It just seems like such a waste of time. Maybe a system that allows retakes but caps it after a point would be better. It was also annoying for me taking OCHEM with people who took it 3 times already. They already knew the info and hurt the curves a bit. Oh well.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
Yea I get it. I just hate to see people constantly retaking classes. It just seems like such a waste of time. Maybe a system that allows retakes but caps it after a point would be better. It was also annoying for me taking OCHEM with people who took it 3 times already. They already knew the info and hurt the curves a bit. Oh well.
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Multiple retakes change your grades, but the schools still see them. It's not like it's a free pass. Guy who took Ochem 3 times and got an A is certainly not going to be seen in the same light as guy that took Ochem once and got an A.
 
Mad Jack said:
The grade replacement policy is as much a philosophical one as it is practical- DO schools are very much about looking at the whole applicant, because the administrators of most schools drink the Kool-Aid and practice what they preach. We'd have lost a few of our best students if not for grade replacement. If individual schools would rather not factor in grade replacement, they can create their own admission standards that recalculate GPAs.
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In your opinion do you think aacomas will eliminate grade replacement?
 
Mad Jack said:
Multiple retakes change your grades, but the schools still see them. It's not like it's a free pass. Guy who took Ochem 3 times and got an A is certainly not going to be seen in the same light as guy that took Ochem once and got an A.
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Yea that's true but it still made it harder for me to get the A then it would have otherwise. And I wasn't about to sit there and retake a class until I got an A.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
Yea that's true but it still made it harder for me to get the A then it would have otherwise. And I wasn't about to sit there and retake a class until I got an A.
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Depends on if your class is truly curved or not. Mine had a natural curve- it wasn't based on student grades, it was just refined over the years so that it was 10% A, 25% B, 50% C 10% D and 5% F (excluding people that dropped). So theoretically everyone could get As if they tried hard enough, but it never happened. The professor would even post grades after every exam, and sure enough, every category would fit the curve, plus or minus 5%.
 
Mad Jack said:
Depends on if your class is truly curved or not. Mine had a natural curve- it wasn't based on student grades, it was just refined over the years so that it was 10% A, 25% B, 50% C 10% D and 5% F (excluding people that dropped). So theoretically everyone could get As if they tried hard enough, but it never happened. The professor would even post grades after every exam, and sure enough, every category would fit the curve, plus or minus 5%.
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My classes weren't curved but the profs were told how many A's and such they should have. And the final was curved. I was happy they were doing well but it put me at a disadvantage that it was only my first time taking the class. I'm not against a retake every now and again but some people take it to far IMO.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
My classes weren't curved but the profs were told how many A's and such they should have. And the final was curved. I was happy they were doing well but it put me at a disadvantage that it was only my first time taking the class. I'm not against a retake every now and again but some people take it to far IMO.
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As part of my B.S. I had to take intro to organic chem and intro to chem, which both gave me a serious edge over the freshmen that were taking their first chem/ochem class at the college level. In a case of restricted As, that would be quite unfair, but you can't really compensate for things like that. The kid who went to a private school that had college-level chemistry classes is going to have an edge over the inner city kid that had no access to organic chemistry coursework at all and only a basic chem lab with limited enrollment. It's a tough thing to balance, but I can understand your frustration.
 
Mad Jack said:
As part of my B.S. I had to take intro to organic chem and intro to chem, which both gave me a serious edge over the freshmen that were taking their first chem/ochem class at the college level. In a case of restricted As, that would be quite unfair, but you can't really compensate for things like that. The kid who went to a private school that had college-level chemistry classes is going to have an edge over the inner city kid that had no access to organic chemistry coursework at all and only a basic chem lab with limited enrollment. It's a tough thing to balance, but I can understand your frustration.
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For some reason it doesn't annoy me if people had previous exposure that doesn't include retakes. If you worked hard in high school and went above and beyond then kudos to you. I always feel bad for the inner city kids though. In my chem class I knew everything from AP chem so I had that I guess. Half the class dropped and it was easy for me. I guess I was close to doubling class averages so that must have been frustrating for the people that didn't have the same background as me. You made a good point.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
For some reason it doesn't annoy me if people had previous exposure that doesn't include retakes. If you worked hard in high school and went above and beyond then kudos to you. I always feel bad for the inner city kids though. In my chem class I knew everything from AP chem so I had that I guess. Half the class dropped and it was easy for me. I guess I was close to doubling class averages so that must have been frustrating for the people that didn't have the same background as me. You made a good point.
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What can I say. It's not surprising that many kids at Harvard and Yale are going to be products of private schools with long histories of molding students into college ready adults.

The inner city youth has none of that and likely a societal mindset that education is either not for them or going to make their family and people around them feel inadequate and hate them.
 
serenade said:
What can I say. It's not surprising that many kids at Harvard and Yale are going to be products of private schools with long histories of molding students into college ready adults.

The inner city youth has none of that and likely a societal mindset that education is either not for them or going to make their family and people around them feel inadequate and hate them.
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Some people are just dealt a crappy hand. Got to work hard to get yourself out of the situation (not impossible but very difficult) so then hopefully your kids have it easier. It would be nice if the government did more for these people.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
Some people are just dealt a crappy hand. Got to work hard to get yourself out of the situation (not impossible but very difficult) so then hopefully your kids have it easier. It would be nice if the government did more for these people.
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It's hard for the government to do anything since it is within the corporate interests to keep them that way.
Poverty and ignorance is much more profitable than a society populated by academics.
 
serenade said:
It's hard for the government to do anything since it is within the corporate interests to keep them that way.
Poverty and ignorance is much more profitable than a society populated by academics.
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Thats why we need to take coporate money out of politics so that isn't a factor to screw over the population in favor of fat cats in the big multi national corporations. Politicians should be elected by the people instead of the corporations. They are supposed to represent us. Currently they represent the corporations because they are legally bribed by them.
 
so if you got a C+/B- in say gen chem, but aced all your upperlevels, wouldn't you wanna retake that to boost your GPA? You'd already proven you are capable of handling the upperlevels, all you need now is the grades so as not to be 'too far' from the schools average if not higher.
 
DoctorSynthesis said:
Thats why we need to take coporate money out of politics so that isn't a factor to screw over the population in favor of fat cats in the big multi national corporations. Politicians should be elected by the people instead of the corporations. They are supposed to represent us. Currently they represent the corporations because they are legally bribed by them.
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It's not that I disagree. It's just that I don't think that's all it will take. We've simply put too much money into keeping old wrong values that we've set the clock back too far. It's a slow process to fix a non-digital clock. America just isn't ready for that Ihome yet.
 
serenade said:
It's not that I disagree. It's just that I don't think that's all it will take. We've simply put too much money into keeping old wrong values that we've set the clock back too far. It's a slow process to fix a non-digital clock. America just isn't ready for that Ihome yet.
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Its a great start!
 
csx said:
so if you got a C+/B- in say gen chem, but aced all your upperlevels, wouldn't you wanna retake that to boost your GPA? You'd already proven you are capable of handling the upperlevels, all you need now is the grades so as not to be 'too far' from the schools average if not higher.
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I've always wondering about that B-. I've seen forums here encouraging retakes of F/D/C grades but what about B-. It's it not a icky C but gpa-wise, it's less than a 3.0. For some reason, 2.75 to 3.00 looks like a bigger jump than B- to B, despite both pairs being the exact same thing in terms of value.
 
Lol this is a prime example of taking everything with a grain of salt when it comes to SDN... DO schools will take out grade replacement when they want to. Simple as that.

BTW what the heck did the OP originally post? It seems like he/she just made the title and started some thread to draw up some unnecessary excitement and anxiety in a forum full of already semi-neurotic pre meds.

Chill people. Study hard. Take your courses. Ace them. If you have to retake, then do that and move on. Do as best as you can on your MCAT. You'll get in if it's meant to be.
 
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