Easy class to boost GPA?

[jkm111]

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do you guys suggest taking easier classes for hopes of it being a science/math-GPA booster? E.g: intro calculus? (got a 3 in AP calc which technically fulfills the math requirement at my school, took honors calc in high school)


thanks

 

[NickNaylor]

Adcoms will see your transcript. You're not going to be fooling anyone if you take "easy" classes and do well.

 

[Catalystik]

If you want some GPA boosters that won't look ridiculous on your transcript, consider Statistics, Microbiology, and Astronomy.

 

[catalase]

Hard work boosts your GPA too.

Just sayin.

 

[jkm111]

calc would be the sort of class that looks ridiculous?

 

[deleted202457]

calc would be the sort of class that looks ridiculous?

Intro to Calc after you already have AP credit would look ridiculous, very ridiculous.

I agree with above. Stats, astronomy, micro, maybe a psychology class. A lower level class you have an interest in can easily boost your GPA. You just have to be careful to not get a prof that is very tough or it can hurt you too.

 

[NickNaylor]

Intro to Calc after you already have AP credit would look ridiculous, very ridiculous.

I agree with above. Stats, astronomy, micro, maybe a psychology class. A lower level class you have an interest in can easily boost your GPA. You just have to be careful to not get a prof that is very tough or it can hurt you too.

Yeah, because God forbid we actually have to work for a grade!

 

[cfx]

calc would be the sort of class that looks ridiculous?

On your transcript, yes, it would probably look ridiculous. You've already essentially taken the class and done well enough, so retaking it for no apparent reason would be silly.

 

[jkm111]

i thought (at least at my school) if you give up your AP credit, the credit is deleted from your transcript. do med schools see AP score reports from collegeboard too?

then why do people give up AP credit to take general chem/bio when they can take a higher level class?

 

[NickNaylor]

On your transcript, yes, it would probably look ridiculous. You've already essentially taken the class and done well enough, so retaking it for no apparent reason would be silly.

Well I did exactly that for all of my pre-reqs except ochem. I'll let you know how it turns out. For some reason, I'm not shaking in my boots.

 

[Catalystik]

i thought (at least at my school) if you give up your AP credit, the credit is deleted from your transcript. do med schools see AP score reports from collegeboard too?

then why do people give up AP credit to take general chem/bio when they can take a higher level class?

If you retake a class that you got AP credit for after your school awards credit, both will appear on your AMCAS transcript in my experience.

High School AP content can be very different from a university-level course at a rigorous school. Some elect to retake to have the best possible foundation for the even more rigorous upper-level classes.

 

[NickNaylor]

If you retake a class that you got AP credit for after your school awards credit, both will appear on your AMCAS transcript in my experience.

High School AP content can be very different from a university-level course at a rigorous school. Some elect to retake to have the best possible foundation for the even more rigorous upper-level classes.

Agreed. I wouldn't consider my university rigorous, but compared to what I "learned" in my AP course, I shouldn't have received any credit at all from the exam. The whole thing is really a racket and unfortunate.

I can't imagine at a school where pre-reqs are treated as weed-out courses.

 

[cfx]

Intro to Calc after you already have AP credit would look ridiculous, very ridiculous.

I agree with above. Stats, astronomy, micro, maybe a psychology class. A lower level class you have an interest in can easily boost your GPA. You just have to be careful to not get a prof that is very tough or it can hurt you too.

99% of psych classes probably won't be counted in your science GPA, though.


I guess I don't see the point of padding your GPA with "easy" classes. Just because you got an A in "Taxonomy 101" isn't going to make anyone ignore a C in organic chemistry. What is your sGPA? Are you worried about a cutoff or something?

 

[ownage]

I boosted my gpa down by taking easy classes and never doing any work in them lol. i like 2 take classes that requires no work. just tests

 

[bold text]

don't pick classes, pick professors. Ratemyprofessors.com is your friend.

 

[morning]

Microbiology. Intro astronomy. Intro geology ("rocks for jocks.") I don't think taking an easy class is going to hurt you as much as other people think it will. If they ask, tell them you have an interest in it. They like people with interests outside of suturing and anal polyps.

 

[Mute98]

don't pick classes, pick professors. Ratemyprofessors.com is your friend.

exactly-- I boosted my gpa dramatically by picking the right neuro electives for my major. So it looks legitimate and I get the gpa booster. Also see some word of mouth from your peers

 

[Trexate]

The easiest class to do well in is one that legitimately interests you. Having good profs doesn't hurt either.

 

[HakunaMatata22]

don't pick classes, pick professors. Ratemyprofessors.com is your friend.

Some of the best advice that has ever been given to me.

 

[Electronegative]

Linear algebra, that class was a cakewalk.

EN

 

[Kip]

Anything Psychology.

 

[cfx]

Anything Psychology.

Again, I don't think the vast majority of psych classes are counted in your sGPA (which is what OP is looking to boost). If you want a psych course that might count, you're going to be in classes with rigorous scientific foundations, and they will be far from an easy A.

Also, "anything psychology" is a pretty big overstatement. Yes, most people can breeze through psych 101, intro to social psych, etc., but once you start getting into upper-level courses in topics such as neuropsych, cognitive psychology, clinical psych, memory, perception, etc., things get very complex, abstract and esoteric pretty quickly.

 

[CarlATHF]

PHYS 629 - Quantum Mechanics

But seriously, if you really want to know, just ask around. Upperclassmen are a great resource for this.

 

[ohgodidonteven]

My first two years were all the prereqs I needed for application (mostly science classes). This semester I'm taking Intro to PCHem, Microbio lab, and two liberal arts requirements. Does that look bad? I'm taking the two LA classes now because I need extra time to study for the MCAT.

 

[Ischemic]

There's nothing wrong with sandwiching hard classes with relatively simple ones. I personally think it'd be dumb not to do that. Obviously don't take pottery 101 or sunbathing ethics: top or no top, but taking a class that is known for easy As isn't ridiculous. Adcoms don't know EVERY class at EVERY school, what's an easy A what's not. Really people it's simple common sense ... why does it seem like premeds lack this inherently basic process?? Too much overthinking in here.

 

[deleted202457]

I like the rocks for jocks idea

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

Agreed. I wouldn't consider my university rigorous, but compared to what I "learned" in my AP course, I shouldn't have received any credit at all from the exam. The whole thing is really a racket and unfortunate.

I can't imagine at a school where pre-reqs are treated as weed-out courses.

most classes at my school that are pre-req are weed out classes

 

[bold text]

most classes at my school that are pre-req are weed out classes

your school gives out weed

 

[Cramster]

ratemyprofessor.com

Only instructors are easy or hard. The class itself is secondary.

 

[chman]

I vote statistics. Not only is it not very difficult, it is pretty much essential to really understanding scientific journals in many cases, not to mention useful in many other aspects.

Aside from that, your best bet is to take a science or math class that seems really interesting. It is also not a bad idea to ask peers about professors.

 

[jkm111]

thanks for the website. so if i don't plan on taking upper level calc, it would maybe be a bad thing to take an intro level calc and not continue?

 

[deleted202457]

Maybe take a Nutrition class through the Biology dept if your school offers it? It could actually be helpful in the future.

 

[PreMedder]

ratemyprofessor.com

Only instructors are easy or hard. The class itself is secondary.

How would you know if your instructors were hard?

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

ratemyprofessor.com

Only instructors are easy or hard. The class itself is secondary.

hate this website bc only people that did bad in the class comment saying bad things about the professor...take info with a grain of salt.....talking to upperclassmen is you're best bet

easy classes IMO:nutrition, stats, psychology, communications, calculus..all will be helpful in some manner

 

[mcant]

I think every school has its share of "bird courses." I decided to take an intro-level atmospheric + oceanic science course based solely on its reputation, and it was hell. I mean, yes, it was easy, but it was a complete waste of credits and I had to remove every distraction possible to make any progress while studying (ie: the basement of the most obscure library on campus). There was one interesting section about the big bang theory; the rest was memorizing rock types and mountains. Barf.

Pick courses you want to study - I loaded up on pharmacology and music courses because I loved them, not because they were easy. I'm not saying you go for cal3 because you like math or something, but read course descriptions and use ratemyprof.

 

[searun]

OP, also try to avoid the hard classes in med school. Don't take anatomy first year or you might see dead people and you will have to memorize alot of stuff.

And when you are a third year med student, just coast in the tough rotations. Act bored and tell the residents that you really need a good nights sleep.

And when you are interviewing for residency, ask them how many hours per week you are expected to work so you can plan if you will need botox for your wrinkles.

 

[Cramster]

hate this website bc only people that did bad in the class comment saying bad things about the professor...take info with a grain of salt.....talking to upperclassmen is you're best bet

easy classes IMO:nutrition, stats, psychology, communications, calculus..all will be helpful in some manner

Most courses will have bad feedback for the reason listed above. Some courses will have unusually bad feedback. Avoid these instructors because it may be difficult to get an A.

 

[Electronegative]

OP, also try to avoid the hard classes in med school. Don't take anatomy first year or you might see dead people and you will have to memorize alot of stuff.

And when you are a third year med student, just coast in the tough rotations. Act bored and tell the residents that you really need a good nights sleep.

And when you are interviewing for residency, ask them how many hours per week you are expected to work so you can plan if you will need botox for your wrinkles.

Ouch.

EN

 

[morning]

Most courses will have bad feedback for the reason listed above. Some courses will have unusually bad feedback. Avoid these instructors because it may be difficult to get an A.

In general, reviews are faulty. I see it a lot on one product review website I look at. People will give something a bad rating because they don't like the way it smelled or because the company that shipped it was slow. What you need to do is read as many reviews as possible and try to find the common theme. If a lot of people complain about the same thing, it's probably a genuine problem and not individual bias.

 

[Sammich117]

Hard work boosts your GPA too.

Just sayin.

 

[jkm111]

ok. i happen to know there's work involved as a premed. just looking for a class to balance out a tough schedule. thanks for people who gave suggestions.

 

[vic90]

If we take astronomy or geology that counts for a science GPA, do adcoms automatically think we're doing it for the easy A?

 

[sonia1177]

Yeah, I agree with others in the sense that you should not take AP Calc again. The reason people can take Intro Bio or INtro Chem again without being necessarily "penalized" for it is because taking them again provides a solid foundation for other upper level courses that AP courses alone can not. For instance, my Intro Level Bio class was 10x harder than my AP Bio class. You go into so much more detail. Also, YOu most likely will not be taking a bunch of upper level math courses unless you are math or engineering major (and even engineer majors dont take too many of upper level math classes) so there is absolutely no point in taking the Calc class again. I take Psychology classes not because they are GPA boosters but because I truly like to take them. I always have atleast one class in my schedule that I simply purely want to take it because it sounds interesting. And this keeps me sane! That class is usually some sort of Psychology class. Heck last semester I took a dance class and absolutely loved it (it was a good balance because I was taking Orgo and an upper level bio class). So in the midst of hard core science classes also take classes that you find interesting. And this makes good for interesting answers to interview questions.

 

[vic90]

so if we take astronomy or geology that counts for a science GPA, do adcoms automatically think we're doing it for the easy A?

 

[ceng2doc]

PHYS 629 - Quantum Mechanics

But seriously, if you really want to know, just ask around. Upperclassmen are a great resource for this.

You think you're sarcastic, huh! Pick your poison from below:

Fluid Dynamics
Circuit Analysis
Biological Interactions with Materials
Biomedical Engineering Design

OP - Nowadays, we hear people studying musics and applying to medical schools. If they're eligible, why not you take history of jazz, etc. to boost your GPA up a little (well, I don't know how much you could boost it, though, after, let's say 100 of prior course credit with a cumGPA of less than something; so, it depends on your current GPAs, too.)

Medical schools, as they declare themselves nowadays, would like to see "well rounded" applicants. So, round it up a little bro/sis.

 

[Narmerguy]

Adcoms will see your transcript. You're not going to be fooling anyone if you take "easy" classes and do well.

I actually think this is overstated. If we keep in mind the quantity of apps the adcoms will be sifting through, the likelihood of them scanning through every class on your transcript is small, especially if the class was an A (I think they would pay attention more to the classes that you didn't do that well in to find out why). In addition, there are a plethora of reasons that could compel one to retake a class that he only has AP credit for so that's not exactly that spectacular...

Similarly, take whatever classes you want. If you care more about preserving your GPA than learning interesting material or material that would be helpful for you, then take easy classes. Otherwise, take some of the others.

 

[glypha1104]

"OP - Nowadays, we hear people studying musics and applying to medical schools. If they're eligible, why not you take history of jazz, etc. to boost your GPA up a little".

Interesting, microbiology is considered a GPA damager at my university, usually second to like bio classes like Biochem. Also, "ceng2doc" don't assume that all humanities and social science classes are GPA boosters. I know quite a few people who have taken intro to music, thinking it would be a breeze, and were very unhappy to see that test averages were in the 60s and ended up with a C.

 

[aerin47]

Anything where the professor would give out bonus assignments. You would just need to be hard working to qualify.

 

[sonia1177]

so if we take astronomy or geology that counts for a science GPA, do adcoms automatically think we're doing it for the easy A?

Well astronomy is considered extremely difficult in my school. So I don't think they "classify" the courses. The general consensus of what is easy vs. hard will differ from school to school. So you just have to do well in whatever it may be that your pursue.

 

[mtbtx]

Oceanography. I agree that adcoms aren't going to go over your transcript with a fine toothed comb and question every "easy" class you took.