crosslisted BPCM courses

[rikio]

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do i have a choice of deciding how i should classify a course if a course that counts as a BPCM crosslists as one that isnt? (for example, there is an astronomy course that is crosslisted as geology... astronomy counts as a physics, but geology doesnt).... BPCM or not?

 

[IndyZX]

if it appears on your transcript as a class taught by the astronomy department, you should put it under physics.

that said, i think its strange that you have a AST course that is cross-listed with a geneolgy course, what was the class?

 

[dmitrinyr]

First of all, how does astronomy count as a physics?

At least in my school, we have astronomy 101,102 and so forth.

BPCM classes are only those that are preseeded by Biology, Physics, Chemisty and Math.

For example, if a class is listed as Psychology 215 and the name is Statistics. Doesn't matter if the whole class is like a math class, you CAN'T list this class as a Math. Or at least I wouldn't because If these catch this it might mean trouble for you.

A lot of people try to bring up their BPCM gpa by calling classes that are "sort-of" biology or chemistry and physics BPCM and then entering their grade under BPCM gpa.

Trust me, I would love to add my A- that I got in Psych 101 and a couple of other A's that I got to be counted towards BPCM gpa but doesn't matter that the material in many of my classes was similar to my Bio 101 class, I still can't list it as a "BIOLOGY" course.

I may take my advice and you may not. Just trying to help.

dmitri

 

[rikio]

dmitrinyr---

the aamcas handbook has a list of departments that fall under BPCM... i think its on page 25 - 28 of the 2004 handbook (you can check it online, i dont have the link on me now).

indyzx--

the astronomy course crosslists as GEOLOGY.. 'arcaheoastronomy'

 

[BerkeleyPremed]

To Dmitrinyr: If you look at the AMCAS 2003-2004 Instruction booklet, all courses you took in Astronomy are counted under the Physics section. In other words, the OP's Astronomy course DOES count in the BCPM GPA. The link to the 2003-2004 AMCAS Instruction Booklet is provided below for your convenience. You're correct that it's probably not best to count courses that are "sort of" BCPM even though they're listed under other departements on your transcript. However, AMCAS does have certain guidelines as to certain courses being classified as "BCPM" and Astronomy is one of those courses. See page 28 of the Instruction Booklet.

2003-2004 AMCAS Instruction Booklet: http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/2004instructionbook.pdf

Berkeley '05

 

[IndyZX]

sounds like a cool class, and you can indeed include it in your BCMP under physics as confirmed above. it will probably be considered fluff, but who cares.

 

[dmitrinyr]

fluff or no fluff, if you get an A in a class and you can count it toward the BPCM gpa, it all good. Last year I took a class which could be thought of as fluff, it was called "introduction to human genetics". It was listed as a BIO 021 in order to get non-majors to register. It was a pretty interesting class but definetely wasn't as hard as your average major-level genetics class. The one good thing is that we dealt with a lot of disorders and the symptoms rather than the advanced genetics terms. I got an A- in it (i really should have had an A, but who cares).

dmitri

 

[ice_23]

Actually, if the content of the course reflects a "BCPM" type course, then you can count it towards BCPM, I've been told.

For instance, I had an economics course that was called "intro to statistics." After asking my premed advisor, I was told to put it into the BCPM category, because it is there where statistics is classified (as a math). Hence, it is less about the department and more about the class content, and my AMCAS app seemed to go through fine (no x's for that class). I suppose this is the way the methodology for applicants to classify their BCPM classes tries to stop applicants from putting down (and fails, for students list it as BCPM anyways), for example a physics class that only focuses on history of physics and no physics,.

Just my two cents! 🙂

-Ice

 

[rager1]

My pre-med advisor told me the same thing as Ice-23's.

Essentially, if the course title indicates that it is primarily BCPM in content, you can list it as a BCPM class. For example, Computer Science is not considered a BCPM department, but a few of my courses in my school's CS department were entitled Discrete Mathematics and I have every intention of including them in my BCPM average.

Even UnderwaterBasketWeaving 254 could be a BCPM course if it's primary content is the physical behavior of fluids in the presence of knot-tying.


--Rager1

 

[noy]

Same with engineering, thermodynamics is offered by our Chem Eng dept - same material as by the chem dept, therefore BCPM...

Physical electronics, by the Elec Eng dept - basic solid state physics, also BCPM.

Probability and Random Processes, a EE course, basically 2 semesters of stats in 1 - also BCPM.

Although I have yet to hear if AMCAS approves of this, but they should.

The engineering depts often teach their own courses so they can spin them right and use real world examples...

 

[Marina9]

Sweet. Cognitive science courses crosslisted with neuroscience count towards BCPM! In this case, assuming I have AP Bio credit, does a neuroscience course count as an upper-level biology course?