grade replacement

[NoTownPreMed]

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Did you get verified?

In my area, we have a college system that makes transitioning from a community college easier to UC's & CSU's. We use a website called assist.org that enables us to list the courses we've taken at our community college and then translate it to the UC and CSU system to verify its equivalency.

 

[Dochopeful13]

I only throw that scenario out there because the courses I've failed in my state College were CS41 & CS26, exact same prefixes and courses at my local community college. It seems to me that AACOMAS are starting to tightening up their screws in a way that I believe emulating their "MD" application process policy will not be of a distance future.

Do you have any proof of this or is just your opinion? I think it is more likely that this one big miscommunication. According to other threads people have been successful replacing grades with classes from different schools this cycle.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

Do you have any proof of this or is just your opinion? I think it is more likely that this one big miscommunication. According to other threads people have been successful replacing grades with classes from different schools this cycle.

An opinion based on what I've read so far.

 

[GypsyHummus]

In my area, we have a college system that makes transitioning from a community college easier to UC's & CSU's. We use a website called assist.org that enables us to list the courses we've taken at our community college and then translate it to the UC and CSU system to verify its equivalency.

Make sure to get verified. Never know until it is finalized.

One thing we know for certain, the sooner we get into DO programs, the better.

 

[zero0]

Do you have any proof of this or is just your opinion? I think it is more likely that this one big miscommunication. According to other threads people have been successful replacing grades with classes from different schools this cycle.

This is what I've been seeing more commonly as well. It's hard to get a handle on the situation at this point, whether it's going to severely affect the applicant pool this year or is just isolated to a few rightfully upset and vocal individuals.

 

[Gandyy]

This is what I've been seeing more commonly as well. It's hard to get a handle on the situation at this point, whether it's going to severely affect the applicant pool this year or is just isolated to a few rightfully upset and vocal individuals.

Honestly, I would not be surprised if it did affect the applicant pool as a whole. I say this because many people choose to go a DO route because of the grade retake policy itself as it is their only viable shot of being accepted
to an US accredited medical school. No one wants to go to the Caribbean schools for obvious reasons and US MD schools don't cut you much slack at all for anything unless you are URM.

Not to mention that US MD schools have pretty high stat averages for matriculants. (getting a 3.7 in college and a 31 on your highest MCAT attempt is no joke.)

 

[Gordon Gekko]

Apps for Podiatry should see a rise if this goes on.

 

[Gandyy]

Apps for Podiatry should see a rise if this goes on.

This is why I tell my older family friends they were substantially lucky they were going through the app process 10-15 years ago.

One of my friends who is now 35 years old was telling me he made a 28 on his MCAT and that was average for my state MD school ...... the average for that school is now a 31.

Oddly enough the 3.7 standard for MD schools has stayed the same for decades.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

Make sure to get verified. Never know until it is finalized.

One thing we know for certain, the sooner we get into DO programs, the better.

Yeah, nothing is certain unless applications are sent. I do want to emphasize that we should not dread so much on this policy "change" if it is indeed true. We were all young at one point and have made mistakes academically. Our growth and maturity shows when our grades start going up, therefore proving these board committees and institutions that we are here to prove that we can the field of medicine. I've started my first year in college with a whopping "0.067 GPA", since then it has made an upward trend where I'm currently at a 3.06cGPA and currently working on my prerequisites. Even if DO schools do not permit a "repeat" policy, I'd still feel comfortable submitting my application with a lower end GPA knowing that I've failed at some point of my life, but were able to pick myself back up and move forward.

 

[FutureDrB]

Okay, I've read over this entire thread and I'm still a bit confused.

The way I'm understanding it though...courses retaken at the SAME school must have the same course number and prefix as when you initially took it.

Retakes taken at different schools can still have different course numbers and/or prefixes as long as the credits/content is the same. (no change in policy here)

So the only real change in the policy is the first sentence about retakes taken at the same school.

I sure hope this is the case anyway since I've spent the past 2 1/2 years retaking 20+ classes at different schools.

If they weren't accepting those anymore, I think my head might literally explode.

 

[Major]

Okay, I've read over this entire thread and I'm still a bit confused.

The way I'm understanding it though...courses retaken at the SAME school must have the same course number and prefix as when you initially took it.

Retakes taken at different schools can still have different course numbers and/or prefixes as long as the credits/content is the same. (no change in policy here)

So the only real change in the policy is the first sentence about retakes taken at the same school.

I sure hope this is the case anyway since I've spent the past 2 1/2 years retaking 20+ classes at different schools.

If they weren't accepting those anymore, I think my head might literally explode.

Partly correct.

Some people are reporting retaking a course at a different university with different prefix/course number and then the newest grade replaces the old.

Others like myself, are getting retakes rejected all over the place.

Retakes from different universities being rejected and retakes within the same university being rejected.

I am at loss, that's all I can say

 

[FutureDrB]

Partly correct.

Some people are reporting retaking a course at a different university with different prefix/course number and then the newest grade replaces the old.

Others like myself, are getting retakes rejected all over the place.

Retakes from different universities being rejected and retakes within the same university being rejected.

I am at loss, that's all I can say

Jeez I'm sorry to hear that. This really needs to be figure out.

Initially, I was only concerned about a couple of courses I've retaken (at a different school) that had different course names/numbers, but similar content. However, I wrote AACOMAS (last year) and their response was the standard "we can't tell you for sure until you apply...but went on to say, reading the course descriptions you provided, they appear to be close enough to satisfy." Again, that was last year...so who knows now.

This is a mess.

 

[Major]

Jeez I'm sorry to hear that. This really needs to be figure out.

Initially, I was only concerned about a couple of courses I've retaken (at a different school) that had different course names/numbers, but similar content. However, I wrote AACOMAS (last year) and their response was the standard "we can't tell you for sure until you apply...but went on to say, reading the course descriptions you provided, they appear to be close enough to satisfy." Again, that was last year...so who knows now.

This is a mess.

Thank you. Yeah this very very different from previous cycles of what is going on with retakes being accepted and rejected.

The instructions/policy given to us on AACOMAS for retakes appears to be a very liberal policy. There is no mention at all about prefix, course titles, exact universities etc.

And every customer rep I have spoken too, before hitting submit, confirmed that I was good to go with my retakes.

And then the rep I spoke to on Friday(after getting verified and seeing my retakes Not going through) still kept saying the same thing as the others I spoke to, the retakes should have gone through just fine, but I have to write a formal appeal...Which now with all the info Steph has gathered, makes it all seem pointless now to write a formal appeal.

But I would be remiss if I didn't go through with it and push on to really get to the bottom of all of this.

 

[FutureDrB]

Good luck. Keep us posted.

 

[mathnerd88]

I wonder if most schools calculate their own GPA, and not go with what AACOMAS tells them.

 

[hv92]

Just got verified and my retakes didn't count. I retook them at a CC and they had same prefix as my university courses. I was told if they were at the same university, which is 8-hours away, then they would have counted.

It looks like whatever the aacomas rep is saying is false and it really depends on who is verifying your grades.

 

[Gordon Gekko]

 

[IDK22]

.

I hope that is the case. Keep us posted.

Just got verified and my retakes didn't count. I retook them at a CC and they had same prefix as my university courses. I was told if they were at the same university, which is 8-hours away, then they would have counted.

It looks like whatever the aacomas rep is saying is false and it really depends on who is verifying your grades.

Man, that isn't good. Just curious since I'm a first time applicant - is this a brand new application system being used this year? Is it a kink in the system maybe or is it a live person from AACOMAS who's consciously deciding what counts/what doesn't? And who would be the best person to reach out to to get to the bottom of this- AACOMAS or AACOM?

If the rep is saying one thing while the verification is showing another, I say we all have a right to demand our retakes to count. I just wasted a whole year and a whole lot of money due to this miscommunication.

Also, did they by chance average your two grades or calculate them all in?

 

[Gandyy]

I wonder if most schools calculate their own GPA, and not go with what AACOMAS tells them.

I would think they go with what AACOMAS tells them. It would seem like more work on top of what they already have to do.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

Just got verified and my retakes didn't count. I retook them at a CC and they had same prefix as my university courses. I was told if they were at the same university, which is 8-hours away, then they would have counted.

It looks like whatever the aacomas rep is saying is false and it really depends on who is verifying your grades.

That'd would've been my next guess. It would have solely depend on who is reviewing your app and their perception on "grade replacement" policy. Now it can also possible mean that those who are designated to review applications are either new to the "grade replacement" system or AACOMAS are really tightening down with their policy. I really hope it's the latter.

 

[xBODOMx]

.

 

[mathnerd88]

Just got verified and my retakes didn't count. I retook them at a CC and they had same prefix as my university courses. I was told if they were at the same university, which is 8-hours away, then they would have counted.

It looks like whatever the aacomas rep is saying is false and it really depends on who is verifying your grades.

Did they have the same credit-hours?

 

[Major]

Good luck. Keep us posted.

Thank you! Will do

 

[Gandyy]

AACOMAS is trying to be AMCAS. hmm I figured they would wait just a few more years before this happened.

I hope this works out for everyone again.

 

[Stephanopolous]

Just got verified and my retakes didn't count. I retook them at a CC and they had same prefix as my university courses. I was told if they were at the same university, which is 8-hours away, then they would have counted.

It looks like whatever the aacomas rep is saying is false and it really depends on who is verifying your grades.

So your situation is similar to @MajorUnderDog. This is devastating news to all of us that have spent the past 1-2 years or whatever amount of time doing re-takes.

 

[Major]

^^. Like those posting above. Seems like it is dependent upon whoever is doing the actual verification of our applications.

Whoever did mine, Stephs, and others Did not follow the policy given to us when we filled out our applicantion then put in our credit card info

 

[Stephanopolous]

I hope that is the case. Keep us posted.


Man, that isn't good. Just curious since I'm a first time applicant - is this a brand new application system being used this year? Is it a kink in the system maybe or is it a live person from AACOMAS who's consciously deciding what counts/what doesn't? And who would be the best person to reach out to to get to the bottom of this- AACOMAS or AACOM?

If the rep is saying one thing while the verification is showing another, I say we all have a right to demand our retakes to count. I just wasted a whole year and a whole lot of money due to this miscommunication.

Also, did they by chance average your two grades or calculate them all in?

Yes it is a brand new application system.

Per management (Vicky and Nicole) at AACOMAS, this is a new change this year that they are following strictly.

I have e-mailed AACOM but that was this past Friday night so I don’t anticipate hearing back until next week from them.

I wish/hope that this is just a miscommunication but my gut tells me it’s not.

 

[Major]

The reps are giving us all a different story, @Stephanopolous gets a completely shocking answer from the managers, and nothing written about this has been given to us.

What a cluster f***!

 

[NoTownPreMed]

AACOMAS is trying to be AMCAS. hmm I figured they would wait just a few more years before this happened.

I hope this works out for everyone again.

I know I'm stepping out of my boundaries on this one, but could the AOA/ACGME merge possibly have some influences on this decision.

 

[Major]

* But that would be more of an AOA deal, right?

 

[Stephanopolous]

The reps are giving us all a different story, @Stephanopolous gets a completely shocking answer from the managers, and nothing written about this has been given to us.

What a cluster f***!

True. When I asked the manager where it was written (this new policy, matching prefixes, etc) she said “I don’t know”. She confirmed that it was not written that way in the FAQ/Questions that applicants see.

 

[hv92]

Reading through their instructions and stuff, AACOMAS stands by their process and once grades are verified, that's it. The schools are now in possession of our application packets.

AACOMAS STILL has the retake policy, but it just has to be at the same university/college as the original course, with the same prefix.

Can't do anything about it now. Oh well. I'm confident I will still get in somewhere this cycle. Good luck to everybody!

 

[Gandyy]

Honestly If I were in the shoes of the people in this situation, I would start considering postbac's heavily. Applying for a Post Bac Does not go through AACOMAS and you have to do it separately.

Find out which schools take retakes and try to meet the minimum cutoff. If you do really well in a postbac, and then apply through AACOMAS to only the connected Osteopathic school of medicine,

you can still make it.

That would be the only viable option at this point IF THEIR POLICY STANDS. Realistically speaking it looks like this might be a strict policy they do enforce.

Maybe its not, but looking for postbac problems isnt going to hurt you anyways so I would do it now.

 

[mathnerd88]

Do they do verifications on the weekends?

 

[Gandyy]

Do they do verifications on the weekends?

I was wondering the same thing. lol

 

[Stephanopolous]

Do they do verifications on the weekends?

Doubt it, I’m guessing this person was verified last week but is looking at it today.

Post-bacc is not something I am interested in doing since I’ll be 30 this month and currently have 40k in undergrad debt. I will just try my chances this cycle and see what happens, while formulating a back up plan.

 

[Major]

I'm starting to formulate some backups plan right now. Top of my list being a PostBach/SMP program that is affiliated with a DO school.

But the part that is killing me, is not having official official word yet.

I mean, I want to hear it from the head of AACOM themselves that this is the new retake policy

 

[hv92]

Do they do verifications on the weekends?

No they don't actually. Just to clarify, I got the email on Friday when I was driving that I was verified. But I just sat down to look over my GPA calculations and stuff since the PDF wasn't downloading properly.

 

[Gandyy]

Doubt it, I’m guessing this person was verified last week but is looking at it today.

Post-bacc is not something I am interested in doing since I’ll be 30 this month and currently have 40k in undergrad debt. I will just try my chances this cycle and see what happens, while formulating a back up plan.

Ah well, I'm at a loss then.

 

[mathnerd88]

What's odd is that some people are getting their classes from different institutions count.

 

[NoTownPreMed]

* But that would be more of an AOA deal, right?

Though AACOMAS and AOA are totally different body organization, they still represent over hundreds of thousands of osteopathic physicians practicing today. The merger is still unknown how it will affect both MD/DO, but one thing is certain and that residencies from the AOA are expected to be on par with their ACGME counterpart in the near future. My guess is that AACOMAS are taking the initiative to raise their standards as well, in comparison to their AMCAS counterpart. Is that true? Who knows, perhaps it's a clerical error or maybe I'm just over thinking it as a conspiracy theory. 🙂

 

[Gandyy]

What's odd is that some people are getting their classes from other institutions count.

Yea, if this is true, then this is another organization problem. The Reps on the other side of the phone call dont care enough to cross check with other applicants who got their retakes counted from other institutions.

Most of them are irritated in picking up the phone in the first place, and have a hard time understanding that I dont want every single letter sent to every single DO school that I applied to.


sigh...... AMCAS >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> AACOMAS.

 

[Stephanopolous]

What's odd is that some people are getting their classes from different institutions count.

It makes sense to me, and shows the lack of communication between management and representatives at AACOMAS. Prior to speaking with management, every rep I spoke with this cycle (since 5/5/15) has told me my repeats were fine and helped me to enter them correctly. So it would seem that not everyone has been made aware of the change, which leaves a wildly unfair practice for the input of re-takes this year, with some people skating by and others being negatively impacted.

 

[mathnerd88]

Well, if AACOMAS has to rewrite their GPA policy and those people verifying and re-correcting GPA's, it would severely delay the application process by several weeks at least for everyone.

I don't know if they will have time or the manpower to undo all of this.

 

[Gandyy]

It makes sense to me, and shows the lack of communication between management and representatives at AACOMAS. Prior to speaking with management, every rep I spoke with this cycle (since 5/5/15) has told me my repeats were fine and helped me to enter them correctly. So it would seem that not everyone has been made aware of the change, which leaves a wildly unfair practice for the input of re-takes this year, with some people skating by and others being negatively impacted.

Yea they need to pick one system. Either enforce the policy for everyone or dont.

 

[Gandyy]

Well, if AACOMAS has to rewrite their GPA policy and those people verifying and re-correcting GPA's, it would severely delay the application process by several weeks at least for everyone.

I don't know if they will have time or the manpower to undo all of this.

Perhaps thats why they arent sending the applications out till late June now instead of June 15th? @Stephanopolous

 

[Stephanopolous]

Perhaps thats why they arent sending the applications out till late June now instead of June 15th? @Stephanopolous

Correct, per AACOMAS management, the apps will not be sent to schools until the “end of June”. The prior date was 6/15/15. When I asked why the date had changed the manager told me she wasn’t sure.

 

[hv92]

WAIT. OMG I'm SOOOOOO dumb. I was looking at my undergrad science GPA. That didn't budge. My retakes actually did count. My overall science was the one I didn't look at and came out to be exactly what I calculated before I started retaking!

whew! OMG I'm soo happy! My bad guyss!!!

 

[mathnerd88]

Well, then that means it DOES count...

 

[NoTownPreMed]

WAIT. OMG I'm SOOOOOO dumb. I was looking at my undergrad science GPA. That didn't budge. My retakes actually did count. My overall science was the one I didn't look at and came out to be exactly what I calculated before I started retaking!

whew! OMG I'm soo happy! My bad guyss!!!

doh!