grade replacement

[darkeon]

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I emailed AACOMAS the a few days ago regarding a grade replacement question. I wanted to retake a 4 credit physics class (lecture and lab combined). However to my dismay, the school I'm at now didn't offer it this spring due to low enrollment issues. While I see there are few schools that do offer physics (lecture and lab combined) for the summer, they are few and far. I do have more schools closer to home that only separate physics lecture and lab courses. So we are talking about registering for a 3 credit course lecture and 1 credit course lab. I wanted to see if there I could do replacement with those two course or perhaps even just replace 3 out of my 4 original credits for 3 new ones from a lecture-only class (credit is expensive at the 4 yr and having a 1 credit C remain won't be hurtful).

THeir response in an email was that they cannot answer questions till May 5, the start of the app season and that their app system is changing so AACOMAS cannot validate any info until instructions of the new system comes into play on May 5th. THey told me to read the instructions when they come out and ask again.

I will call sometime this week and see if I can get a clearer answer but I'm curious if anyone here has been in my situation. Similar threads have different responses so I can't get a good reading on things. Thanks!

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

I'm in a similar situation.

I too took several courses in undergrad that were a combined 4 credit (3 credit lecture 1 credit lab, but show up on transcript as 4 credit). I retook several of these courses, lecture only for 3 credits each. I was originally told by AACOMAS that this would be fine, before I registered for the courses, just to make sure. However, I checked with them again halfway through the semester, and it seemed like it might not be so definite. However, after A LOT of messages back and forth, they said that if I got a letter from registrar stating my courses were 3 credit lecture and 1 credit lab sent to AACOMAS and verified, I could get the retakes to count. Specifically, it would allow me to split the courses on AACOMAS when I enter them, even though my transcript will have listed them as 4 credits. Then I will list my 3 credit retakes which should hopefully count as replacing 3 credits of my split course.

Another minor annoyance, they never told me I had to wait until May 5th, so I had that letter sent over a month ago, so I could get the OK from AACOMAS and feel some minor relief. Then they told me I'd have to resend it on May 5th.

Also, rather than calling, I suggest messaging them. You can create an AACOMAS account now rather than waiting until May 5th. They tend to get back to you quite quickly, and that way you have what they say in writing in case there is some discrepancy.

 

[darkeon]

Thanks for your input Theory! I recall your thread as being one my more favorable ones but it seems you are pretty lucky as other threads posted by others seem to tell different (less than desirable) stories. I suppose it's all about how knowledgable the admissions app representative on the other side of the phone or computer is. Funny thing is that I don't even plan to apply this upcoming cycle. I will take note of your suggestion and see what's up with these folks.

Good luck with your upcoming app cycle starting this cinco de mayo and I truly hope your retakes get accepted. Keep us posted.

 

[darkeon]

Thanks for your input Theory! I recall your thread as being one my more favorable ones but it seems you are pretty lucky as other threads posted by others seem to tell different (less than desirable) stories. I suppose it's all about how knowledgable the admissions app representative on the other side of the phone or computer is. Funny thing is that I don't even plan to apply this upcoming cycle. I will take note of your suggestion and see what's up with these folks.

Good luck with your upcoming app cycle starting this cinco de mayo and I truly hope your retakes get accepted. Keep us posted.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

Thanks for your input Theory! I recall your thread as being one my more favorable ones but it seems you are pretty lucky as other threads posted by others seem to tell different (less than desirable) stories. I suppose it's all about how knowledgable the admissions app representative on the other side of the phone or computer is. Funny thing is that I don't even plan to apply this upcoming cycle. I will take note of your suggestion and see what's up with these folks.

Good luck with your upcoming app cycle starting this cinco de mayo and I truly hope your retakes get accepted. Keep us posted.

I absolutely think that's extremely important, and also whether or not the person feels like being really helpful or not, and how pushy you decide to be. I was first told the standard "credits need to be equal to or greater than original course", then I told them that I was previously told on the phone that courses could be split up when entering into AACOMAS, they said the standard "courses must be entered identically to how they appear on transcript." I then asked if there was anyway I could split them up such as sending course descriptions to AACOMAS showing the courses were 3 credit lecture 1 credit lab combined to 4 credits. And then FINALLY the rep told me the registrar could send a letter stating that, and then I could "split" the courses and my retakes could be calculated. This is all still theoretical, but I'm hoping it works.

So yeah a combination of how helpful the rep wants to be, and you not taking no for an answer😉

And thanks I hope it works too, I'll update my thread when I find out.

 

[Thelonious Chunk]

bumping this because I have a similar concern and it is now May 5th. Any news on the process of splitting the credits?

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

So after hearing a bunch of different things from different AACOMAS reps I think I finally have a clear answer.

3 reps told me, including one who I believe was a supervisor, that you cannot split courses. So you cannot split up a 4 credit combined lecture/lab into 3 credit lecture 1 credit lab; it must be exactly how it appears on the transcript.

However, a 3 credit repeated course WILL replace a 4 credit original course. You simply enter the original course as 0 credits, and the repeat as 3 credits and they will only calculate the repeated course. I know this is contrary to what is believed on SDN, and what I believe used to be the case in previous cycles. But I was told on three separate occasions that this is acceptable, so I guess I'm just gonna take their word for it.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

I got a question. So...will I be able to retake a 3 credit lecture + 1 credit lab and replace it with a 4 credit combined lecture and lab?

If I had to guess, you would just mark the 3 credit lecture to replace the 4 credit original course, and not put the 1 credit lab as a repeat. This would affect your GPA in the exact same way that having both the lecture and lab replace the original 4 credits, assuming you got the same grade in both the lec and lab. Does that make sense?

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

I worded my question weird. Will I encounter any problems if I was taking a 4 credit combined lecture/lab to replace a 3 + 1 lecture plus lab (lecture and lab same grade)?

Oh gotcha, I'm not totally sure. You would think it wouldn't be a problem for them to do that. But maybe they would only used the 4 credit repeat to replace the lecture grade, and leave the lab unaffected, I'm not sure. I think in past cycles it wasn't a problem to replace the 3+1 with a 4, but I've gotten so much contradicting information I really have no idea what to believe.

I'm still not convinced that the info they gave me is correct.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

Hopefully from this quote. It can work in the reverse.

I'm assuming that post is from a previous cycle right?

If for sure used to work where you could definitely split up the courses, whether it be the original or retake that you are splitting up.
I contacted AACOMAS a few months ago and that is what they told me to do, split them up.
However, AACOMAS totally changed and updated for this new cycle (which began May 5th). Since then, I've talked to like 6 different reps and asked the same question. All of them have said no you can't split up the courses, they must be entered exactly as they appear on your transcript. Some reps were clearly uniformed though and said that course repeats only counted if taken at the same institution as the original course, which is totally wrong. And like I said, the reps that seemed fairly informed all said that a lower credit course will replace a higher credit course, and to NOT split anything up.

So I'm just saying, based on my experience, what you quoted is no longer the case.

 

[darkeon]

So they say lower credit can replace a higher credit yet you now can't split up a combined lecture-lab? My, my. I suppose the we can only see what happens once you guys get your apps verified. Of course, I'm sure nobody is going to risk taking the lower to upper credit replacement.

 

[Solving4gravity]

I know I had briefly explained my situation on a previous post, but upon my verification, AACOMAS would not let me replace a combined lab-lecture class with a separated lab-lecture course. However, I was able to replace a lecture-portion of a separated lab-lecture course with a combined lab-lecture. The original lab portion of the course still counted though. As for the post above me, I can pretty much say with 100% certainty, AACOMAS will NOT let you replace any course (even if it the same exact course) in any situation that is lower credits than the original course. All that being said, I don't even think AACOMAS knows exactly what their rules are so who knows. Just my thoughts though.

 

[swollcat]

I know I had briefly explained my situation on a previous post, but upon my verification, AACOMAS would not let me replace a combined lab-lecture class with a separated lab-lecture course. However, I was able to replace a lecture-portion of a separated lab-lecture course with a combined lab-lecture. The original lab portion of the course still counted though. As for the post above me, I can pretty much say with 100% certainty, AACOMAS will NOT let you replace any course (even if it the same exact course) in any situation that is lower credits than the original course. All that being said, I don't even think AACOMAS knows exactly what their rules are so who knows. Just my thoughts though.

Without a doubt you cannot replace a larger unit course with one that has less units. equal to or greater you can.

I have a

gen chem lecture 3 units C-
gen chem lab 2 units C-

and I retook gen chem at another university for 5 units (lecture and lab combined) and received an A.

By your account, am I not allowed to replace BOTH the lecture and lab C- grades with my 5 unit A?

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

Without a doubt you cannot replace a larger unit course with one that has less units. equal to or greater you can.

I have a

gen chem lecture 3 units C-
gen chem lab 2 units C-

and I retook gen chem at another university for 5 units (lecture and lab combined) and received an A.

By your account, am I not allowed to replace BOTH the lecture and lab C- grades with my 5 unit A?

Do you know if it says what I've bolded anywhere in the instructions for the new cycle?
I'm absolutely not disputing that that was true in previous cycles. I was told last cycle the exact same thing you are saying now, but how do you know without a doubt that it is still the case?

I can say without a doubt, that the current instructions state that you cannot split combined lecture/lab courses and you cannot combine split up lectures and labs. Based on the instructions for listing repeats, I assume you cannot use a single entry to replace two entries, nor can you use two entries to replace a single entry; although I cannot say that with certainty.

I'm just saying that what I've been told NOW for THIS cycle differs from the general consensus from SDN about grade replacement for previous cycles. The information I've received could certainly be wrong, but I think it might be worth it for others to investigate before immediately disregarding it.

 

[GreyF0X]

Did something change this cycle with AACOMAS?

 

[swollcat]

What I'm reporting isn't as current as I'd like it to be, but that was what I was told definitively BEFORE the beginning of this current semester. The reason being is that I too had the opportunity to retake an equivalent course for less units. Having made the same phone call, the rep replied by saying that such a replacement would not work and stated it as if common sense would in no way dictate otherwise. For this reason, I pursued a 5 unit course that undoubtedly met this minimum requirement. It's feasible that the new changes to the system as a whole might have invoked a review and exception to this long standing rule, but by extension would mean allowing 1 unit courses to replace 2, 2 to replace 3, and so on and so forth.

 

[swollcat]

I will gladly amend my statement if it is discovered that such a drastic change was made, but in the interim, it would certainly not be wise to actively pursue retaking lesser unit courses with the hope of replacing greater ones.

 

[Solving4gravity]

Without a doubt you cannot replace a larger unit course with one that has less units. equal to or greater you can.

I have a

gen chem lecture 3 units C-
gen chem lab 2 units C-

and I retook gen chem at another university for 5 units (lecture and lab combined) and received an A.

By your account, am I not allowed to replace BOTH the lecture and lab C- grades with my 5 unit A?

By my personal experience, that is correct. Even though I designated both as repeats, upon verification, they replaced a separate lecture with a combined lecture/lab and still factored in the lab. Keep in mind though, I have heard of this situation being allowed and working for other people so definitely still designate it how you believe it should be.

 

[Solving4gravity]

By all means, if you took a course that is lower in credits that the original, but is the same course, then try to use grade replacement. The worst that can happen is they change it back and count both of them. However, if actively retaking courses for the purpose of grade replacement, then you definitely will want to find a course with equal to or greater credits than the original course, because I would be willing to bet anything that this policy did not change.

 

[Thelonious Chunk]

.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

I emailed AACOMAS yesterday about this concern ( in my situation, replacing a 4 credit course with a 3 credit course). This was their response....

"Good morning,

Thank you for contacting AACOMAS. You can mark whichever courses you like as
repeated, using your own discretion. We will not change the courses you mark as
repeated."

What? I think I just need to call and talk to somebody.

I'm telling you guys, either the grade replacement policy has changed or the entire staff at AACOMAS has no idea what they're talking about. I'm not sure which one I believe more.

Also, Thelonious, when you call, ask to speak to a supervisor or someone who has been working with AACOMAS for awhile. Or ask a lot of questions that you already know the answer to to see how competent the representative is.

Let us know what they say

 

[Dochopeful13]

E

I'm telling you guys, either the grade replacement policy has changed or the entire staff at AACOMAS has no idea what they're talking about. I'm not sure which one I believe more.

Also, Thelonious, when you call, ask to speak to a supervisor or someone who has been working with AACOMAS for awhile. Or ask a lot of questions that you already know the answer to to see how competent the representative is.

Let us know what they say

Even the instructions regarding grade replacement do not mention that course credits have to be the same or higher.

 

[darkeon]

I emailed AACOMAS yesterday about this concern ( in my situation, replacing a 4 credit course with a 3 credit course). This was their response....

"Good morning,

Thank you for contacting AACOMAS. You can mark whichever courses you like as
repeated, using your own discretion. We will not change the courses you mark as
repeated."

What? I think I just need to call and talk to somebody.

lmao!! I love the vague responses. Seriously though, this grade replacement policy fiasco for this new app system is more scandalous than an episode of Scandal.

 

[xstetsonx]

what phone number do you guys use to call them??

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

E

Even the instructions regarding grade replacement do not mention that course credits have to be the same or higher.

That's true, but I don't think that's enough to go off of. If it explicitly said that course credits can be the same, greater than, or less than, then that'd be a different story.

what phone number do you guys use to call them??

617-612-2889. Let us know what they say if you decide to call them.

 

[Dochopeful13]

That's true, but I don't think that's enough to go off of. If it explicitly said that course credits can be the same, greater than, or less than, then that'd be a different story.



617-612-2889. Let us know what they say if you decide to call them.

Any update on this?

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

.

 

[Thelonious Chunk]

Hey all. I just talked to an AACOMAS representative for some clarification on this process. I asked particularly if my 4 credit BIOL 101 course could be replaced by a later 3 credit BIOL 101 course. The representative said that yes, it will replace. I asked if this was a change in policy from previous years and she said that she was not sure about previous year's policies but that for this cycle they are going off of the 'honor policy' and that if you put down a course as repeated, it will count as repeated during verification.

Take that for what you will. I understand that for some this could mean quite a lot in terms of cost of retaking and gpa calculations. For me, I'm putting it as a repeat and calling it a day. Cheers!

 

[darkeon]

Hey all. I just talked to an AACOMAS representative for some clarification on this process. I asked particularly if my 4 credit BIOL 101 course could be replaced by a later 3 credit BIOL 101 course. The representative said that yes, it will replace. I asked if this was a change in policy from previous years and she said that she was not sure about previous year's policies but that for this cycle they are going off of the 'honor policy' and that if you put down a course as repeated, it will count as repeated during verification.

Take that for what you will. I understand that for some this could mean quite a lot in terms of cost of retaking and gpa calculations. For me, I'm putting it as a repeat and calling it a day. Cheers!

Woah! That's quite a statement. If more of these reps say the same thing then it will be quite the radical change to the grade replacement policy. Honor policy can only go so far though. I mean, you can't proclaim your "bio of puppies" to replace your "bio of kittens" grade but I suppose they'll be more lenient with any reasonable request. Essentially, if you do lose a credit if you replace a higher credit with lower credit but I suppose the gpa boost makes up for it.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

It depends on whether your system is quarter or semester.

3 quarter units are 2 semester units. google the conversion.

So therefore... NO. A 2 -unit grade CANNOT replace a 4-unit grade.

 

[darkeon]

i guess at the end of it all, once gpa's get calculated for people, we will know what is and what isn't.

 

[hv92]

nvm.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

nvm.

Knew it.

 

[Phalangicles]

Is anyone planning on taking a class for grade replacement this summer or fall? If so, did you note that you have a repeated class during the "Transcript Review" segment of the application and select both the class you want to replace and the planned class, even though there is no grade/credit value assigned as of yet?

 

[swollcat]

Is anyone planning on taking a class for grade replacement this summer or fall? If so, did you note that you have a repeated class during the "Transcript Review" segment of the application and select both the class you want to replace and the planned class, even though there is no grade/credit value assigned as of yet?

You are not allowed mark a course as repeated in the transcript review unless it has been assigned a grade. So in this case, you just leave it alone as an in progress/planned course. Once you receive the grade on your transcript, you can utilize academic update and your GPA will be recalculated, but not until that time.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

Hey all. I just talked to an AACOMAS representative for some clarification on this process. I asked particularly if my 4 credit BIOL 101 course could be replaced by a later 3 credit BIOL 101 course. The representative said that yes, it will replace. I asked if this was a change in policy from previous years and she said that she was not sure about previous year's policies but that for this cycle they are going off of the 'honor policy' and that if you put down a course as repeated, it will count as repeated during verification.

Take that for what you will. I understand that for some this could mean quite a lot in terms of cost of retaking and gpa calculations. For me, I'm putting it as a repeat and calling it a day. Cheers!

As I stated above, I received the same information that you did. On four separate occasions I think, maybe five. The last rep I talked to was on Friday and he did say that this is a new policy and that in the past, repeat courses had to be greater in credits than the original course, but that this is no longer the case. The "honor policy" was also mentioned numerous times.

Glad you could confirm the information that I've received. Good enough for me, calling it a day as well.

 

[Dreamstoo]

I retook a W in a 2.7 credit course (quarter system, really was 4 credits but with the conversion to semester its' 2.7). My retake was a passing grade and it was attempted at a semester school: 4.0 credit based on the AACOMAS system. Is that OK? I retook this class freshman year and I didn't really think it would be an issue if anything.

Same course name however my retake was more intense as shown in the description (it covered a few more topics).

 

[darkeon]

The Honor policy- I hope they honor my requests when I apply next year lol

Currently, I'm taking a class called "Cell Bio" at my current school, in attempt to replace a class called "Cellular and Molecular Bio", taken from my first school. initially, I thought there'd be no issue since they are the same (at least very highly similar in syllabus and "cell and molec" transfers over as "cell bio" to few other schools in my state)

However, with the recent changes to the course classification, Biological science course list has Cell Bio and "Cell and MOlecular Bio" as two separate entries. Very weird for me but no point in worrying about at this stage since I'm finishing the course. I guess I'll find out next year when applying if this Honor Policy grants my wish.

 

[swollcat]

I retook a W in a 2.7 credit course (quarter system, really was 4 credits but with the conversion to semester its' 2.7). My retake was a passing grade and it was attempted at a semester school: 4.0 credit based on the AACOMAS system. Is that OK? I retook this class freshman year and I didn't really think it would be an issue if anything.

Same course name however my retake was more intense as shown in the description (it covered a few more topics).

is that okay in what sense?

Showing ADCOMS that you're capable of a lot more than that W on your record? Ya, that looks fine.

Is that okay with regard to anything AACOMAS related? No, it doesn't mean a thing because W's are inputted as 0.00 credits. W's don't come into play at all when looking at gpa, grade replacement, etc.

 

[Dreamstoo]

is that okay in what sense?

Showing ADCOMS that you're capable of a lot more than that W on your record? Ya, that looks fine.

Is that okay with regard to anything AACOMAS related? No, it doesn't mean a thing because W's are inputted as 0.00 credits. W's don't come into play at all when looking at gpa, grade replacement, etc.

Oh wow, that clears up a lot. Yeah, that one W was from freshman year. I just felt overwhelmed as most freshman do. Haven't had a W since.

 

[Thelonious Chunk]

You are not allowed mark a course as repeated in the transcript review unless it has been assigned a grade. So in this case, you just leave it alone as an in progress/planned course. Once you receive the grade on your transcript, you can utilize academic update and your GPA will be recalculated, but not until that time.

I have planned coursework marked as repeat on my app currently.

 

[swollcat]

I have planned coursework marked as repeat on my app currently.

Yes you can do this literally but have you contacted AACOMAS about it? I asked a rep this question verbatim and they said not to unless assigned a grade. I'm considering now that you mentioned this bc it would save a step later no?

 

[Thelonious Chunk]

I think all it would help us with is letting schools know that we are in progress retaking a class. We will still have to wait until the update period in September to update the retake grades.

 

[TheoryOfEverything]

If you are marking a planned course as a repeat, does that mean you marked the original course as 0.00 credits? That doesn't seem like it would be allowed.

 

[glepurple]

I have a question...I am a returning non trad student who has a below average gpa of 2.37. Luckily I have yet to take majority of my pre reqs yet so I can still improve. I plan on applying D.O and I had a question about grade replacement. Lets say I graduate with a gpa of 3.0, but with grade replacement my cumulative gpa is 3.4-3.6. Would I get screened out during app cycles or will the gpa with grade replacement be what my app is judged on amongst mcat and ec's.

 

[swollcat]

If you are marking a planned course as a repeat, does that mean you marked the original course as 0.00 credits? That doesn't seem like it would be allowed.

That's one of the reasons the rep told me not to mark or mess with potential replaced courses until you get a new grade + notify them during one of the academic update periods. Deviations from this are grounds for delay.

 

[Thelonious Chunk]

That's one of the reasons the rep told me not to mark or mess with potential replaced courses until you get a new grade + notify them during one of the academic update periods. Deviations from this are grounds for delay.

Thanks for letting me know

 

[Dochopeful13]

I have a question...I am a returning non trad student who has a below average gpa of 2.37. Luckily I have yet to take majority of my pre reqs yet so I can still improve. I plan on applying D.O and I had a question about grade replacement. Lets say I graduate with a gpa of 3.0, but with grade replacement my cumulative gpa is 3.4-3.6. Would I get screened out during app cycles or will the gpa with grade replacement be what my app is judged on amongst mcat and ec's.

They will only see your gpa with retakes.

 

[glepurple]

They will only see your gpa with retakes.

ok thanks

 

[dial1010usa]

How about if at the university the class is Chem2A and CC it is Chem1A with same course and same contents, 5 qtr units at university vs CC 5 semester units, will this be a problem because Chem2A vs Chem1A? How do they verify? This will be a repeated class.