Credit Hour Discrepancy

[booboofah]

I graduated from a school with a 2.4ish cumulative GPA due to low grades in the sciences. I originally hoped for the grade replacement policy to be able to help me out but the problem is that my former undergrad has higher credit hours for classes compared to all of the colleges in my area. For example, an Orgo class at my former UG is 6 credit hours whereas my state school (where I am doing a postbacc) is 5. I know the grade replacement policy only comes in with courses of the same credit hours.

I am doing a second degree in Biology and I have gotten mostly A's for 10 courses so far. I should be finished by the end of 2015. I was just hoping if there was a way that AACOMAS and the DO schools I apply to will take this problem into consideration. The whole situation has given me a lot of anxiety because my GPA could be substantially different if this credit hour issue didn't come into play. Any advice?

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[baxt1412]

You sure the 6 and the 5 are both semester hours? Your official transcript should give conversions if, for example, they are trimester or quarter hours instead.

If they aren't the same number of SEMESTER hours, i know some people have troubles getting grade replacement. best to contact AACOMAS directly

 

[booboofah]

You sure the 6 and the 5 are both semester hours? Your official transcript should give conversions if, for example, they are trimester or quarter hours instead.

If they aren't the same number of SEMESTER hours, i know some people have troubles getting grade replacement. best to contact AACOMAS directly

Thank you for replying. I'm not sure about semester hours. My former undergrad uses a unit system where 1 class unit equals 4 CREDIT hours, 1.25 = 5 credit hours, and 1.5 = 6. Would credit hours be different from semester hours?

 

[baxt1412]

Like I said, they very well could be. It should list conversions on your official transcript. Or call your registrar and ask if you should treat your 6 credit hour class as a 6 or if most other schools would accept it as a 4, etc. Just explain the situation and they will probably help you out. You probably aren't the first to need this type of explanation

 

[booboofah]

Like I said, they very well could be. It should list conversions on your official transcript. Or call your registrar and ask if you should treat your 6 credit hour class as a 6 or if most other schools would accept it as a 4, etc. Just explain the situation and they will probably help you out. You probably aren't the first to need this type of explanation

I just checked my transcript and they do consider credit hour to equal semester hours. Do you think the AACOMAS will see a red flag if I change the conversation? I don't know how to personally reach them. I just feel pretty depressed about this rule since it means I have a longer route and have to take more classes to offset the averages of my GPA.

 

[baxt1412]

I have changed the direction of the email correspondence through the aacomas system and it didn't matter.

 

[booboofah]

I have changed the direction of the email correspondence through the aacomas system and it didn't matter.

Sorry could you expand what you mean by that?

 

[baxt1412]

if I change the conversation?

Sorry could you expand what you mean by that?

I was talking about one topic in the "support" section of aacomas and switched to a related topic and they answered my question. it did not matter that i changed topics slightly.


unless you meant to say "if i change the conversion".. in which case, yes they will red flag it because what you typed and what is on your transcript are different.

 

[booboofah]

I was talking about one topic in the "support" section of aacomas and switched to a related topic and they answered my question. it did not matter that i changed topics slightly.


unless you meant to say "if i change the conversion".. in which case, yes they will red flag it because what you typed and what is on your transcript are different.

Sorry I did mean conversion. So what do you think my best option is?

 

[jsx1]

i had similar issues because I transferred schools and took a pre-req lecture at one, but then the lab at the other blah blah blah.
long story short, i had to get letters from each school breaking down the credits/explaining equivalency etc.. and then AACOMAS made the change. I tried getting it changed on my transcript, but the schools would not do that. But the letters worked fine. It has just been a pain the a**, but as of this morning everything worked out. I suggest getting those letters before you apply so the first application released to schools is an accurate one.

 

[booboofah]

i had similar issues because I transferred schools and took a pre-req lecture at one, but then the lab at the other blah blah blah.
long story short, i had to get letters from each school breaking down the credits/explaining equivalency etc.. and then AACOMAS made the change. I tried getting it changed on my transcript, but the schools would not do that. But the letters worked fine. It has just been a pain the a**, but as of this morning everything worked out. I suggest getting those letters before you apply so the first application released to schools is an accurate one.

Wow that is awesome to hear! So how did you go about bringing up the situation with your schools? Did they just explain their respective course or did they have to compare it with the other? Thank you for sharing! This really has made my day.

 

[jsx1]

Wow that is awesome to hear! So how did you go about bringing up the situation with your schools? Did they just explain their respective course or did they have to compare it with the other? Thank you for sharing! This really has made my day.

It was a long process.. I had issues with my General Chemistry II lecture/lab and with one of the Biology lecture/lab pre-reqs (the course that focuses on cell biology, genetics, biochem.. not the animal/evolution one. That was how the courses were at both schools, so I am assuming its similar across the board).

The chemistry one was the most difficult and required the letters. It was because at one school it was 4 units lecture and lab combined and the other it was 3 unit lecture +1 unit lab, separate grades. So basically the problem on my original app was I was showing up as not taking one of the labs and missing that as a pre-req. The registrar wouldn't split the grades, so I had to get an official letter breaking them down from the Chemistry Department head explaining I did take the lab and the grade I received in just that portion.

The biology one they were not going to accept b/c of the differing course titles. It was the same course in terms of content, but at one school it was titled General Biology I and the other it was Introductory Biology II. It was complicated because at one school the "General Biology" was for biology majors and the "Intro Biology" was the GE class. At the other school the "Intro Biology" was for biology majors and the "General Biology" was the GE class. Also, the numbering/sequencing was reversed in terms of content (Gen Bio 1=Intro Bio 2, Gen Bio 2=Intro Bio I). So that involved sending syllabi, and letters stating equivalency between the courses.

It was very frustrating having to go back and forth between 2 different schools and AACOMAS. The fact that it was during the summer also made it more difficult in terms of getting in touch with the necessary people. For every course you repeated/transferred/you think will be in question, I would suggest getting letters from professors/department head/registrar at the school you most recently took the course, stating it is equivalent in terms of content and credits to the course you had taken previously. Had I known there would be so many issues, I would have dealt with this during the semester before the cycle opened.

Your situation is different than mine though, but I am assuming it would work the same way. If you have any other questions let me know..

 

[booboofah]

It was a long process.. I had issues with my General Chemistry II lecture/lab and with one of the Biology lecture/lab pre-reqs (the course that focuses on cell biology, genetics, biochem.. not the animal/evolution one. That was how the courses were at both schools, so I am assuming its similar across the board).

The chemistry one was the most difficult and required the letters. It was because at one school it was 4 units lecture and lab combined and the other it was 3 unit lecture +1 unit lab, separate grades. So basically the problem on my original app was I was showing up as not taking one of the labs and missing that as a pre-req. The registrar wouldn't split the grades, so I had to get an official letter breaking them down from the Chemistry Department head explaining I did take the lab and the grade I received in just that portion.

The biology one they were not going to accept b/c of the differing course titles. It was the same course in terms of content, but at one school it was titled General Biology I and the other it was Introductory Biology II. It was complicated because at one school the "General Biology" was for biology majors and the "Intro Biology" was the GE class. At the other school the "Intro Biology" was for biology majors and the "General Biology" was the GE class. Also, the numbering/sequencing was reversed in terms of content (Gen Bio 1=Intro Bio 2, Gen Bio 2=Intro Bio I). So that involved sending syllabi, and letters stating equivalency between the courses.

It was very frustrating having to go back and forth between 2 different schools and AACOMAS. The fact that it was during the summer also made it more difficult in terms of getting in touch with the necessary people. For every course you repeated/transferred/you think will be in question, I would suggest getting letters from professors/department head/registrar at the school you most recently took the course, stating it is equivalent in terms of content and credits to the course you had taken previously. Had I known there would be so many issues, I would have dealt with this during the semester before the cycle opened.

Your situation is different than mine though, but I am assuming it would work the same way. If you have any other questions let me know..

That's interesting. The problem with me is that my former UG just counts the each class with more credit hours. A nonsceince class there would be 4 credits and a class with lab is typically 5 or 6 credits. My state university counts a non-science class as 3 credits and the science courses as 4. I emailed a general email to AACOMAS telling them my situation. I understand from your experience that both of your classes are technically the same credits and probably just expressed differently. Thanks for telling me your story and giving me a heads up. Did they eventually accept the Biology after all the letters?

 

[WesternRedCedar]

Look long and hard and find a university that has equal or greater credits than your former UG. There is no exceptions to the rule.

 

[jsx1]

That's interesting. The problem with me is that my former UG just counts the each class with more credit hours. A nonsceince class there would be 4 credits and a class with lab is typically 5 or 6 credits. My state university counts a non-science class as 3 credits and the science courses as 4. I emailed a general email to AACOMAS telling them my situation. I understand from your experience that both of your classes are technically the same credits and probably just expressed differently. Thanks for telling me your story and giving me a heads up. Did they eventually accept the Biology after all the letters?

Yes they did accept the biology.
I remember when discussing this with AACOMAS in the beginning I was told that in regard to repeats: (this may not be the same for your situation, but is what I was told)
a repeat course can not be LESS units than the original to be counted as a repeat (without further documentation.) If the repeat course is MORE units than the original one taken then it can be counted as a repeat.

 

[optimistic3]

Yes they did accept the biology.
I remember when discussing this with AACOMAS in the beginning I was told that in regard to repeats: (this may not be the same for your situation, but is what I was told)
a repeat course can not be LESS units than the original to be counted as a repeat (without further documentation.) If the repeat course is MORE units than the original one taken then it can be counted as a repeat.

In the second scenario where the repeated course is more units than the original one, which units are counted? The original lower number or the higher number? They didn't specify on the AACOMAS instruction manual.

I'm kind of in a similar situation to you with course repeats. I am planning to repeat a few classes but I'm worried that they won't count. I hate that there is no way to know if they will count beforehand. Do you think they'll be helpful if I call or email them about this? I'm sure they get this request frequently.

I'm glad to hear they accepted your retakes, though!

 

[jsx1]

In the second scenario where the repeated course is more units than the original one, which units are counted? The original lower number or the higher number? They didn't specify on the AACOMAS instruction manual.

I'm kind of in a similar situation to you with course repeats. I am planning to repeat a few classes but I'm worried that they won't count. I hate that there is no way to know if they will count beforehand. Do you think they'll be helpful if I call or email them about this? I'm sure they get this request frequently.

I'm glad to hear they accepted your retakes, though!

If it is the same course title and credit value, then it shouldnt be a problem.
In my case with the second scenario, they needed a letter breaking down the credits and equivalency. It worked out fine.
In the first case, where the repeat was more units, it was not an issue. They accepted it.

Not sure if calling will be very helpful if you are not applying right now and they dont have anything to look at. I still had problems with it, despite talking to them on the phone in May before I submitted. My situation was complex, so I ended up having to do things differently after being verified, than what was discussed on the phone prior.

 

[booboofah]

Do you think there is a chance that DO schools will take into consideration my course load? I'm afraid that if I just apply then I'll get auto rejected since none of my recounts will count.

 

[jsx1]

Do you think there is a chance that DO schools will take into consideration my course load? I'm afraid that if I just apply then I'll get auto rejected since none of my recounts will count.

The thing is, you aren't going to get anything done officially before you apply. You could ask them about it, but nothing will be definite until its all on paper. I would enter everything the way you want it to count (repeats etc..) then wait until you get verified and see what they accepted and didn't. Then you will actually know officially what the specific issues are. Then you can work to resolve them from there. It is frustrating, but I have learned from past experiences (with colleges, not accomas) to get everything in writing.

My application has been released to schools three times because of changes being made after verification. I was still selected to receive secondaries from schools even with having a lower GPA calculated on the original application. There are also a lot of schools that send secondaries to everyone and they probably won't be looking at your app until late August/September. That way, if you apply at the opening of the cycle you should be able to resolve everything in June/July/August before they really start the process... I know some schools start looking earlier, but I wouldn't worry about that. I feel like they give people with high stats ii first. So it's not like it would delay anything, if that makes sense. I would just recommend having all of your transcripts sent to AACOMAS in May so then when you submit on June 1st, you will get verified quickly, and then can work to resolve any issues. My friend had all her stuff in and submitted on June 1st and was verified within a few days. I submitted June 1st, but one of my transcripts was not received until June 20th.. so I had to wait a month to get verified and then work at resolving everything...

 

[booboofah]

The thing is, you aren't going to get anything done officially before you apply. You could ask them about it, but nothing will be definite until its all on paper. I would enter everything the way you want it to count (repeats etc..) then wait until you get verified and see what they accepted and didn't. Then you will actually know officially what the specific issues are. Then you can work to resolve them from there. It is frustrating, but I have learned from past experiences (with colleges, not accomas) to get everything in writing.

My application has been released to schools three times because of changes being made after verification. I was still selected to receive secondaries from schools even with having a lower GPA calculated on the original application. There are also a lot of schools that send secondaries to everyone and they probably won't be looking at your app until late August/September. That way, if you apply at the opening of the cycle you should be able to resolve everything in June/July/August before they really start the process... I know some schools start looking earlier, but I wouldn't worry about that. I feel like they give people with high stats ii first. So it's not like it would delay anything, if that makes sense. I would just recommend having all of your transcripts sent to AACOMAS in May so then when you submit on June 1st, you will get verified quickly, and then can work to resolve any issues. My friend had all her stuff in and submitted on June 1st and was verified within a few days. I submitted June 1st, but one of my transcripts was not received until June 20th.. so I had to wait a month to get verified and then work at resolving everything...

Really appreciate the advice. I'm glad it worked out for you! Thanks for telling your story