How is engineering not BCPM?

[Ross434]

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Or is it? WTF? Engr. classes are like, the purest math and science you can get! Shouldnt this help your science gpa?

 

[scrappysurfer]

Or is it? WTF? Engr. classes are like, the purest math and science you can get! Shouldnt this help your science gpa?

I think my engineering courses went into my science GPA. Although they we BIOengineering which may have made a difference.

 

[Bigsheed920]

Or is it? WTF? Engr. classes are like, the purest math and science you can get! Shouldnt this help your science gpa?

If only it was that simple

 

[tmarsh]

When I filled out my AMCAS I didnt use my Eng classes in BCPM but I wish I had. I think you can but I couldnt go back and change it once it was submitted. It is doubtful anyone would argue that thermo, reactor design, and heat transfer dont require knowledge and application of the basic sciences.

 

[pakidoc]

computer engineer here...

engineering classes are NOT counted as science classes (BCMP classes)

dont ask why, i dont know either.

 

[SamDC]

Or is it? WTF? Engr. classes are like, the purest math and science you can get! Shouldnt this help your science gpa?

I think it depends on the specific class you're talking about. For example, I counted thermodynamics (chemistry), numerical methods (math), finite element methods (math), physiology for engineers (biology), and a spattering of other classes I don't feel like listing towards my BCPM GPA. I think it depends on how YOU interpret it since YOU are the one who took it. However, with that said, don't get too creative in your definitions.

Classes like mechanical design, EE lab, or objected-oriented programming would probably not be BCPM-kosher even though one could argue that they involve basic sciences or math. It really gets down to splitting hairs. Best bet is to count the ones that you honestly feel are a "basic" science, and also be able to back up your claim in case you're asked to defend it.

Sam

 

[tinkerbelle]

Or is it? WTF? Engr. classes are like, the purest math and science you can get! Shouldnt this help your science gpa?

I was a biomedical/materials engineer and I counted almost all of my engineering classes in my BCPM gpa. My classes were almost all physics/math related, and I did well in them. There was nooo way I was going to leave them out 😛

 

[Ross434]

I was a biomedical/materials engineer and I counted almost all of my engineering classes in my BCPM gpa. My classes were almost all physics/math related, and I did well in them. There was nooo way I was going to leave them out 😛

What's biomedical materials engineer?? Im doing materials engineering, which consists mostly of metallurgy, welding, casting, etc, and a lot of metallic chemistry related stuff, doesnt seem like it correlates with biomedical at all. Im just curious.

 

[LauraMac]

as someone else mentioned, you can put classes in any category you want as long as it's reasonable. AMCAS will change them if they don't agree with you. personally, my engineering grades were my worst, so i was happy to not include them in my BCPM gpa.

 

[tinkerbelle]

What's biomedical materials engineer?? Im doing materials engineering, which consists mostly of metallurgy, welding, casting, etc, and a lot of metallic chemistry related stuff, doesnt seem like it correlates with biomedical at all. Im just curious.

Biomedical Engieering w/ a concentration in Materials. At hopkins, they made BMEs take classes in a traditional engineering field. So I took stuff like electronic & mechanial property of materials, structure of materials, thermo, all that stuff. It's was interesting stuff 😀 I liked my materials classes more than my bme classes 😛

 

[OSUdoc08]

Or is it? WTF? Engr. classes are like, the purest math and science you can get! Shouldnt this help your science gpa?

It doesn't matter what the subject material is in a course. For example, you can take a math course (statistics) in the department of psychology or math. Only the math will count. This is why they call it BCPM.

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Math

If the course is not in the above departments, it does not count.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

It doesn't matter what the subject material is in a course. For example, you can take a math course (statistics) in the department of psychology or math. Only the math will count. This is why they call it BCPM.

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Math

If the course is not in the above departments, it does not count. Period.

This is stupid and yet more evidence of the stupidity of the adcoms. Some people are getting credit for nursing and pharmacy and "human biology" classes as science classes, whereas engineering doesn't count. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

 

[LauraMac]

It doesn't matter what the subject material is in a course. For example, you can take a math course (statistics) in the department of psychology or math. Only the math will count. This is why they call it BCPM.

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Math

If the course is not in the above departments, it does not count. Period.

this is incorrect. ask AMCAS directly if you are not sure if a class counts as BCPM.

 

[mercaptovizadeh]

this is incorrect. ask AMCAS directly if you are not sure if a class counts as BCPM.

Regardless of what Amcas says, I would STILL put down borderline classes, like bioengineering, biotech engineering, even chemical engineering/catalysis, etc. and then see if AMCAS accepts them - if not, they'll always be able to remove them, and it's not like you put English.

 

[Stanford_Playah]

I'm amazed that people actually want to count the engineering classes in their science GPA! At Stanford, the traditional science classes are a joke compared to most of the engineering classes.

 

[chopper]

I'm amazed that people actually want to count the engineering classes in their science GPA! At Stanford, the traditional science classes are a joke compared to most of the engineering classes.

Amen. If I had to put EE classes into my BCPM, lets just say I wouldn't be a pre-MS1. Much easier to pull up a BCPM when it's a few classes like Chem and Calc, than 50+ credits of engineering.

 

[hardy]

Or is it? WTF? Engr. classes are like, the purest math and science you can get! Shouldnt this help your science gpa?

As a math person I can just say the following about your statement:

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Why don't you take some real math classes (like functional analysis) and then we talk again?

 

[tinkerbelle]

Amen. If I had to put EE classes into my BCPM, lets just say I wouldn't be a pre-MS1. Much easier to pull up a BCPM when it's a few classes like Chem and Calc, than 50+ credits of engineering.

i hear ya.... but you don't have to include *all* of your engineering classes. Just be smart about what you count.

 

[tinkerbelle]

It doesn't matter what the subject material is in a course. If the course is not in the above departments, it does not count.

This isn't true. The subject matter decides whether a course counts as a bcpm class.

 

[atomi]

Being a EE, nearly all of my classes would count (they should anyway, all I do is math all day). The only ones that might not would be ones like digital design/microprocessors/embedded systems, although I think they should.

 

[atomi]

Amen. If I had to put EE classes into my BCPM, lets just say I wouldn't be a pre-MS1. Much easier to pull up a BCPM when it's a few classes like Chem and Calc, than 50+ credits of engineering.

I completely agree. Although at my school we have to take special sections of chemistry and physics for engineers, which are much more difficult than those that other premed students take.

 

[OSUdoc08]

This isn't true. The subject matter decides whether a course counts as a bcpm class.

Perhaps some things have changed since I filled out my AMCAS?

 

[lorelei]

From the 2005 AMCAS instructions: "Each course must be assigned a course classification based entirely on the primary content of the course." Note that it does NOT say "based on the department that offers the course."

These courses can be classified as biology:

Biology (BIOL) - BCPM
Anatomy

Biology

Biophysics

Biotechnology

Botany

Cell Biology

Ecology

Entomology

Genetics

Histology

Immunology

Microbiology

Molecular Biology

Neuroscience

Physiology


These courses can be classified as chemistry:

Chemistry (CHEM) - BCPM
Biochemistry

Chemistry

Physical Chemistry

Thermodynamics


These courses can be classified as physics:

Physics (PHYS) - BCPM
Astronomy

Physics


These courses can be classified as math:

Math (MATH) - BCPM
Applied Mathematics

Mathematics

Statistics


These courses are classified as engineering, NOT BCPM:

Engineering (ENGI)
Aerospace Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Nuclear Engineering


So if, for example, you take an engineering thermodynamics course, and the content is primarily thermo, you can certainly classify it as chemistry. (I did.)

Another quote: "You are responsible for selecting the correct Course Classification. However, AMCAS reserves the right to change Course Classifications if the assigned Course Classification clearly does not apply."

 

[avinash]

i hear ya.... but you don't have to include *all* of your engineering classes. Just be smart about what you count.

i thought we had to list every single class we have taken at every single university.

 

[evajaclynn]

I purposely left my engineering courses out of the BCPM b/c it was MUCH higher without them. If it benefits you to put your engineering courses in your BCPM, then try to figure out which ones apply. If it doesn't, then leave them out because AMCAS will not argue with you about those courses anyways!

I think that one of the purposes of BCPM is to put people on a more level playing field, which is why they don't include engineering courses, etc.

 

[evajaclynn]

i thought we had to list every single class we have taken at every single university.

Perhaps tinkerbelle meant that you can put some of your engineering courses under BCPM and leave the others out. It all depends on which ones apply according to their primary subject matter.

 

[tinkerbelle]

Perhaps tinkerbelle meant that you can put some of your engineering courses under BCPM and leave the others out. It all depends on which ones apply according to their primary subject matter.

yup, that's what i meant

 

[Scarletbegonias]

I applied for the c/o 2009 this year. My major is psychology and I took research methods:statistics (math), and physiological psychology (basically a biology class). I took CALC II and it did count. Neither of those classes counted as part of my AMCAS bcmp gpa. So, OSUDoc08 is at least correct about psychology classes not counting, and may have a point about classes having to be biology, chemistry , math, physics to be part of bcmp. I don't know about engineering. It doesn't seem fair that they didn't count those classes for me, as they would have made my bcmp gpa higher. But that's the way it is.

 

[CanIMakeIt]

It doesn't matter what the subject material is in a course. For example, you can take a math course (statistics) in the department of psychology or math. Only the math will count. This is why they call it BCPM.

Biology
Chemistry
Physics
Math

If the course is not in the above departments, it does not count.

This is not true.....I had a few classes count under BCMP because I was able to justify them........I never got any email/corrections from AMCAS and no those classes were not take in Pure sciences college (read under BCMP deptts)

 

[OSUdoc08]

From the 2005 AMCAS instructions: "Each course must be assigned a course classification based entirely on the primary content of the course." Note that it does NOT say "based on the department that offers the course."

These courses can be classified as biology:

Biology (BIOL) - BCPM
Anatomy

Biology

Biophysics

Biotechnology

Botany

Cell Biology

Ecology

Entomology

Genetics

Histology

Immunology

Microbiology

Molecular Biology

Neuroscience

Physiology


These courses can be classified as chemistry:

Chemistry (CHEM) - BCPM
Biochemistry

Chemistry

Physical Chemistry

Thermodynamics


These courses can be classified as physics:

Physics (PHYS) - BCPM
Astronomy

Physics


These courses can be classified as math:

Math (MATH) - BCPM
Applied Mathematics

Mathematics

Statistics


These courses are classified as engineering, NOT BCPM:

Engineering (ENGI)
Aerospace Engineering

Biomedical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Civil Engineering

Electrical Engineering

Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Mechanical Engineering

Nuclear Engineering


So if, for example, you take an engineering thermodynamics course, and the content is primarily thermo, you can certainly classify it as chemistry. (I did.)

Another quote: "You are responsible for selecting the correct Course Classification. However, AMCAS reserves the right to change Course Classifications if the assigned Course Classification clearly does not apply."

Yup, at my undergrad, all of those courses were actually in their respective departments, Biology, Chem, Phys, and Math. If they weren't in the department, the weren't counted.

There are some colleges that have their own microbiology or biochemistry departments for example. Those courses are under the Biology or Chemistry department at my school, and this is certainly not true for all schools.