Interviewers don't look at transcript?

[chillingpanda]

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Is it true that interviewers don't really look at the classes you take, only your gpa?

 

[Goro]

I and my colleagues sure go through transcripts. I look for the Biology coursework taken ,and upward grade trends. Other people like to look at what interesting courses. A sample interview questions:

Me: So I see you took Advanced Rock Climbing. What's up with that?" (pun unintentional!)

There are some schools where the interview file is closed.

Is it true that interviewers don't really look at the classes you take, only your gpa?

 

[Petrichor1]

@Goro on that mark, what happens if the candidate has taken very few bio courses under the 'bio' department label but plenty of bio related courses under the guise of another major? Curious since a lot of different majors have microbiology and all that jazz but just not under the bio department.

 

[takeurmeds02]

I had two interviewers, on two separate occasions, have a print-out of all my classes. Both went through each course in complete silence as I sat there, beginning to feel the sweat bead on my back and trickle down my spine...suddenly the silence was broken, "...So uh..I see you had a C in PreMed4Dummies...what happened there?"

To say I was in the hot seat would be an understatement. Since then, I've certainly learned the true definition of having a "poker face."

And then I had one interviewer not bring up my classes/GPA at all. He said it was irrelevant since I was already sitting in the interview seat. He said that it was the opportunity to get to know me as as a person outside of my app.

Got into all three of those schools if that makes you feel any better.

 

[tantacles]

Is it true that interviewers don't really look at the classes you take, only your gpa?

At some schools, this is true. At others, it is not.

 

[TX_MD12]

And then I had one interviewer not bring up my classes/GPA at all. He said it was irrelevant since I was already sitting in the interview seat. He said that it was the opportunity to get to know who I was.[/QUOTE]

I like this.

 

[kavorca]

@Goro on that mark, what happens if the candidate has taken very few bio courses under the 'bio' department label but plenty of bio related courses under the guise of another major? Curious since a lot of different majors have microbiology and all that jazz but just not under the bio department.

I am sure they can figure it out.

 

[Petrichor1]

I am sure they can figure it out.

Yea they probably will but I am curious to know how appreciated or underappreciated the coursework would be. I watched a conference a while back where one of the adcom mentioned not focusing on majors that didn't related to bio because they didn't deem them 'difficult' enough?

 

[Espressso]

@Goro on that mark, what happens if the candidate has taken very few bio courses under the 'bio' department label but plenty of bio related courses under the guise of another major? Curious since a lot of different majors have microbiology and all that jazz but just not under the bio department.

Yea they probably will but I am curious to know how appreciated or underappreciated the coursework would be. I watched a conference a while back where one of the adcom mentioned not focusing on majors that didn't related to bio because they didn't deem them 'difficult' enough?

I have had similar thoughts. As a neuroscience major, many of my neuro classes were under the PSY course designator, but psychology is deemed a behav. & social science course. However, AMCAS views neuroscience/anatomy/physiology as biology. When I filled in course work last night, I marked all my neuro classes - the seminars, the neuroanatomy, physiologicalpsych - as bio courses. Curious if anyone else has had a similar situation?

 

[Catalystik]

Is it true that interviewers don't really look at the classes you take, only your gpa?

Interviewers might not look at classes taken, but I guarantee the Application Screeners will.

 

[mistafab]

This is a separate question than thread topic, but FYI I marked all my PSY classes that had significant Math/Biology/Chem as BCPM. For example, I listed brain and behavior as BCPM, and it was accepted as such in AMCAS.

This definitely works - they will review the courses and change what they don't agree with anyway, no harm in doing it. The AMCAS manual says something about this like "if the majority of the content of the class was BCPM, but it is listed under a different department, it is okay to mark as BCPM."

I have had similar thoughts. As a neuroscience major, many of my neuro classes were under the PSY course designator, but psychology is deemed a behav. & social science course. However, AMCAS views neuroscience/anatomy/physiology as biology. When I filled in course work last night, I marked all my neuro classes - the seminars, the neuroanatomy, physiologicalpsych - as bio courses. Curious if anyone else has had a similar situation?

Also, on thread topic, I had a few interviewers who explicitly stated in the interview that "I never look at applications" since "you made it to the interview." This is on an individual/school basis so it really just depends.

 

[haaaaaaaaaaveyoumetted]

I have had similar thoughts. As a neuroscience major, many of my neuro classes were under the PSY course designator, but psychology is deemed a behav. & social science course. However, AMCAS views neuroscience/anatomy/physiology as biology. When I filled in course work last night, I marked all my neuro classes - the seminars, the neuroanatomy, physiologicalpsych - as bio courses. Curious if anyone else has had a similar situation?

Same boat here- I was given a science creidit at my school for physiopsych, so I listed it yesterday as biology... sounds like this is an acceptable definition if the majority of the content of the course was science

 

[djsbaseball2014]

What about psychology research taken for a grade. Does that fit into BCPM or just under the cGPA?

 

[CognitiveSci]

What about psychology research taken for a grade. Does that fit into BCPM or just under the cGPA?

What was the research about? I think the topic of study will determine how you can classify it. If you were studying the physical aspects of the brain (more neurosciene-y) you might be able to get away with it, but I'm sure you'd have to elaborate on it.

What do you guys think about a cognitive psychology course? Would that fit? We spent most of the class on neuroanatomy and function.

 

[Espressso]

What was the research about? I think the topic of study will determine how you can classify it. If you were studying the physical aspects of the brain (more neurosciene-y) you might be able to get away with it, but I'm sure you'd have to elaborate on it.

What do you guys think about a cognitive psychology course? Would that fit? We spent most of the class on neuroanatomy and function.

That's another class I was curious about. For me, it was definitely a neuroscience staple class. So I marked it as BCPM.

 

[CognitiveSci]

That's another class I was curious about. For me, it was definitely a neuroscience staple class. So I marked it as BCPM.

Lol, I guess I'll do the same and see how it goes. Do they ever ask for syllabi to verify these things? I hope not because I took those classes over 2 years ago.

 

[Espressso]

Lol, I guess I'll do the same and see how it goes. Do they ever ask for syllabi to verify these things? I hope not because I took those classes over 2 years ago.

From what I hear, no they do not. Worst case, they switch it for you to a behav social sci course.

 

[kiwifriend]

From what I hear, no they do not. Worst case, they switch it for you to a behav social sci course.

If it doesn't affect sGPA much, would you guys still think it makes sense to mark neuro/psych courses as biology rather than behavioral/social science? I don't want to risk them being reclassified, but they were fairly bio heavy courses. I also didn't take many pure bio classes apart from pre-rec classes.

 

[ChrisMack390]

If it doesn't affect sGPA much, would you guys still think it makes sense to mark neuro/psych courses as biology rather than behavioral/social science? I don't want to risk them being reclassified, but they were fairly bio heavy courses. I also didn't take many pure bio classes apart from pre-rec classes.

I did this with my Brain and Psychology class. There is no "risk" - if they are reclassified, they are just reclassified and no additional time is wasted or anything. If you feel very strongly they should go under bio, you can petition for them to change it back.

I also listed an English course "Advanced Writing in the Disciplines" as biology, because my discipline was biology and I spent the whole semester reading and writing journal articles and grant proposals and such. Why not give it a shot? As long as you don't go overboard and stupidly classify a bunch of inappropriate classes they are just going to change them for you.

 

[Espressso]

If it doesn't affect sGPA much, would you guys still think it makes sense to mark neuro/psych courses as biology rather than behavioral/social science? I don't want to risk them being reclassified, but they were fairly bio heavy courses. I also didn't take many pure bio classes apart from pre-rec classes.

I did this with my Brain and Psychology class. There is no "risk" - if they are reclassified, they are just reclassified and no additional time is wasted or anything. If you feel very strongly they should go under bio, you can petition for them to change it back.

@kiwifriend as @ChrisMack390 mentions, there really isn't any risk for doing that, nor any potential lost time. And in my honest opinion, any additional class/lecture for the coveted sciGPA wouldn't hurt... I know for me, the majority of my major classes were my best classes too. So I'd like to keep them in the science category.

 

[kiwifriend]

@kiwifriend as @ChrisMack390 mentions, there really isn't any risk for doing that, nor any potential lost time. And in my honest opinion, any additional class/lecture for the coveted sciGPA wouldn't hurt... I know for me, the majority of my major classes were my best classes too. So I'd like to keep them in the science category.

I guess I was just worried about what gonnif said about them sending it back to fix if they have to reclassify too many. But I don't think that will end up being the case though. Thanks! (In the same vein, would y'all categorize psych stats as math?)

 

[Espressso]

I guess I was just worried about what gonnif said about them sending it back to fix if they have to reclassify too many. But I don't think that will end up being the case though. Thanks! (In the same vein, would y'all categorize psych stats as math?)

I did. That was my statistics course. Haha, we're literally in the same boat.

 

[ChrisMack390]

I did. That was my statistics course. Haha, we're literally in the same boat.

I heard somewhere on SDN it was 10 or more and they send it back. Like I said, don't post anything totally absurd as biology (no your French class doesn't count just because you learned how to name body parts) and you will be fine.

 

[djsbaseball2014]

@CognitiveSci the research is a combination of neuroscience and psychology basically looking at the effects sleep and a particular drug have on learning and memory