amcas gpa and post bacc Question

[utopia6]

Hello, I have been reading this forum for a while and still need to clear up a couple of things.
1) I am confused about the AMCAS gpa calculations for a failed class though I think I figured it out now.
Example: I have just taken General Bio and failed it. That is 0 quality points for 4 hours. Then I retake General Bio and make an A. This is 16 quality points for 4 hours. SO... does this mean that my grade for Gen. Bio will be a 8 quality points for 4 hours (The F and A averaged together to make a C) or does this mean I will have 16 quality points for 8 hours total?

2) Post Bacc: I am quite confused on this one. My gpa is very low with a sGPA of 2.72 and a overall GPA of 2.93. (Failed 2 classes, this GPA is after I retook both of them and calculated the "last" way I stated above) I am a Junior as far as hours go. I was just going to stay in school for an extra year to take more upper division science courses to boost my sGPA. Is this not an option? I am just confused as to why you have to have special programs when you could just stay at the university you are already attending and just take more undergrad courses. (I may be/and feel like I am completely misinformed on this topic).

I'm sure I will have more questions but that will do for now. Thank you for your time.

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[Mobius1985]

1) that you have 16 quality points for eight hours of coursework is correct.

2) You are absolutely correct that a formal postbac program can be replaced with an informal one which you design yourself, taking the courses you most need or that most appeal to you. Whether you graduate and take another year or two of coursework somewhere or add an extra year or two before graduating, the courses are still calculated into your overall undergraduate GPA just as formal post-bac program coursework would be.

That is not to say that you do not receive additional benefit from paying for an expensive postbac sequence. Some are affiliated with a med school, increasing your chances of an acceptance there if you do well. There are often embedded opportunities for research, volunteerism, and shadowing. They have counselors adept at helping to get you excellent Letters of Recommendation and suggesting the best med schools to apply to.

 

[utopia6]

Wow, thanks for the very informed response. I was really hoping it would be the first grading style where my failed class would be a C when I made an A in it when I retook it. That's pretty harsh to retake a class and understand more material walking out of it than anyone else in the class and to the med schools I apply to it will look like I have two C's in it. Very upsetting. But live and learn. Again, thanks for the quick response. Hopefully the significance of an upward trend that I read about is true. Maybe that will give me a shot to apply next year. :-S