Grade Replacement? what happened?

This forum made possible through the generous support of SDN members, donors, and sponsors. Thank you.

Knicks17

"First Pakistani-American Surgeon General?"
7+ Year Member
Joined
May 1, 2016
Messages
237
Reaction score
72
General question here: I have been browsing posts on SDN lately, and noticed that osteopathic schools have stopped grade replacement. Out of curiosity does any one know why they stopped this? It seemed like a good incentive to go DO in the past
 
There's a LOT of information (and speculation) about this on the pre-osteo forums. If you look back in the past 5 pages or so of that forum, I think you'll find quite a few threads that might help to answer your questions!
 
Didn't browse through there thanks for the info!
 
While each school can technically calculate your GPA using grade replacement, the GPA reported will not. With thousands and thousands of applicants, you really think they're going to go out of the way to do that?
🙁
 
While each school can technically calculate your GPA using grade replacement, the GPA reported will not. With thousands and thousands of applicants, you really think they're going to go out of the way to do that?

Not that hard to see a grade trend though. You don't have to calculate a GPA to see someone had bad grades starting but mostly A's towards the end, plus that would probably be mentioned elsewhere in your app. So I'd assume as long as you're above some auto-screen (which I don't imagine is much higher than 3.0 for DOs), it's up to each individual ADCOM to interpret your academic ability.
 
Not that hard to see a grade trend though. You don't have to calculate a GPA to see someone had bad grades starting but mostly A's towards the end, plus that would probably be mentioned elsewhere in your app. So I'd assume as long as you're above some auto-screen (which I don't imagine is much higher than 3.0 for DOs), it's up to each individual ADCOM to interpret your academic ability.

I'm not disagreeing with that. But the question was if it is up to the individual schools to calculate grade replacement. It is, but realistically, no school is going to calculate that GPA for thousands of applicants. They've always taken grade trends into account, but your 3.4 with grade replacement will be a 3.1 now regardless (pulled numbers directly from ass).
 
What irks me about this is that it seems like it would be quite easy for someone to write a piece of software for the individual schools that would automatically do grade replacement for them. It's not like they'd be paying someone to physically do it for thousands of apps.

They had that. It was called the primary app. There really isn't any point in them calculating that anymore because the GPA they report will not include grade replacement.
 
The removal of grade replacement might be a good idea. It is the lack of communication and warning (ideally a notice at least a year ahead of time) on AOA/COCA part that was controversial and problematic.
The sadder part is the fact that it seems like they can get away with it because competition is so fierce. It almost makes it not worth it anymore.
 
The removal of grade replacement might be a good idea. It is the lack of communication and warning (ideally a notice at least a year ahead of time) on AOA/COCA part that was controversial and problematic.
Agreed
 
The removal of grade replacement might be a good idea. It is the lack of communication and warning (ideally a notice at least a year ahead of time) on AOA/COCA part that was controversial and problematic.

Yeah the whole thing has actually soured me on applying DO.
 
I think the schools just want people who truly want DO, not people who view DO jus as a backup plan on the pathway to being a dr./money/semi-prestige/other reason if you f*** up in undergrad. Needless to say, it's still messed up how out of the blue this was regarding other people who put their life on hold to meet the standards of DO betting on grade replacement.

Note: a mod's probably gonnna come in here and say somethng along the lines of:
Please continue the discussion in the official "DO wtf announcement" thread. *link here* Closing thread.
 
Top