"Padding" BCPM GPA?

[HCW212]

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I was talking to my advisor and he told me not to put down the entomology and astronomy classes I have taken under my BCPM GPA because they aren't "hard" sciences. even though astronomy is listed under physics and entomology under biology, he says it will "insult the adcom" and they will "question your drive". now...this guy has a rep for telling bs, but I just wanted to know what yall think. is it really that bad?

 

[PanicAttack]

I disagree with him. The Adcom will look at the rigor of your courses, of course, but it would be dishonest to include them anywhere else.

 

[Anthony212]

well astronomy isnt technically Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Math... is it? isnt thats what BCPM is?

 

[beachblonde]

you have to put down any biology, chemistry, physics, and math courses under BCPM. So if they have any of those headings, it's not like you have a choice anyways.

and I think your advisor is blowing smoke out his...yeah, you get the idea. it's not insulting to take astronomy! whatever, I think it's cool and there's nothing wrong with taking a science course you liked. or hec, there's nothing really wrong with taking a science course you knew you could do well in.

 

[Bacchus]

well astronomy isnt technically Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Math... is it? isnt thats what BCPM is?

There are subdivisions of each that AMCAS designates. This is in the AMCAS handbook.

 

[Corker]

My advice would be to list the classes where AMCAS instructs them to be listed. Nothing against your advisor, but he may not be up to date with the AMCAS instructions. If you list them in the wrong place so as "not to insult the adcoms," the courses will be moved by AMCAS to the correct category anyway, and you will have a big X by the class on the application (which looks like you couldn't follow directions.) Taking astronomy isn't necessarily "padding" either...maybe you were just interested in the course!!! Good luck!

 

[Bacchus]

On a sidenote, where do some of these pre-med advisors get their ideas from? From half the statements I see on SDN I would not trust half of the pre-med advisors across the country.

 

[beachblonde]

well astronomy isnt technically Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Math... is it? isnt thats what BCPM is?

Astronomy is physics. If it's taught right, it's very difficult physics. An astronomy course I took was far more difficult than any physics class I ever had.

 

[TMP-SMX]

Hard science means nothing. I'd file the Entomology under Bio and Astronomy under Physics. What is the problem especially if they are in those departments. If AMCAS changes it so what at least you tried. Honestly it won't make much difference in your BCPM GPA but if you had only a few classes maybe it would make a difference.

 

[bodonid]

Only for those interested.




Course Classification
Each course must be assigned a course classification based entirely on the primary content of the course. See the listing of course classification examples below for guidance in selecting Course Classifications. The Course Classifications below are bolded, and are titled as they appear in the Course Classification drop-down list. Click each Course Classification to open a list of example courses for that classification. The bulleted items beneath each bolded Course Classification are examples of courses for which you should select that bolded Course Classification. 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. AMCAS is not responsible for any processing delays or incorrect GPA calculations resulting from incorrect Course Classifications. In addition, AMCAS will not make corrections to course classifications based on information that becomes available after you submit your application.

Course Classifications, in addition to describing the courses you enter, are used in the calculation of your AMCAS GPA. On the list of Course Classification examples below, Course Classifications that are followed by "BCPM" indicate that courses for which you choose this Course Classification will be calculated in your BCPM GPA. The BCPM GPA is comprised of courses, which are considered to be Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Mathematics courses. Course Classifications that are not followed by "BCPM" indicate that courses for which you choose this Course Classification will be calculated in your AO (All Other) GPA.


Behavioral & Social Sciences (BESS)
·Anthropology
·Economics
·Family Studies
·Psychology
·Sociology
Biology (BIOL) - BCPM
·Anatomy
·Biology
·Biophysics
·Biotechnology
·Botany
·Cell Biology
·Ecology
·Entomology
·Genetics
·Histology
·Immunology
·Microbiology
·Molecular Biology
·Neuroscience
·Physiology
Business (BUSI)
·Accounting
·Business
·Finance
·Human Resource Studies
·Management
·Organizational Studies
·Marketing
Chemistry (CHEM) - BCPM
·Biochemistry
·Chemistry
·Physical Chemistry
·Thermodynamics
Communications (COMM)
·Journalism
·Media Production & Studies
·TV, Video, & Audio
Computer Science/Technology (COMP)
·Computer Science
·Computer Engineering
·Information Systems
·Telecommunications
Education (EDUC)
·Counseling & Personnel Services
·Curriculum & Instruction
·Educational Policy
·Educational Administration
·Health Education
·Human Development
·Physical Education (except for sports courses such as tennis, golf, aerobics, etc. Use Other for these types of courses.)
·Special Education
Engineering (ENGI)
·Aerospace Engineering
·Biomedical Engineering
·Chemical Engineering
·Civil Engineering
·Electrical Engineering
·Engineering
·Environmental Engineering
·Mechanical Engineering
·Nuclear Engineering
English Language & Literature (ENGL)
·English Composition & Rhetoric
·English Creative Writing
·English Language & Literature
Fine Arts (ARTS)
·Art
·Art History
·Dance
·Fine Arts
·Music
·Photography
·Theatre
Health Sciences (HEAL)
·Allied Health
·Chiropractic
·Dentistry
·Hearing & Speech Sciences
·Hospital Administration
·Kinesiology
·Medical Technology
·Medicine
·Nursing
·Nutrition & Food Sciences
·Occupational Therapy
·Optometry
·Osteopathy
·Physical Therapy
·Physician Assistant
·Public Health
·Pharmacology & Pharmacy
·Sports Medicine
·Veterinary Medicine
History (HIST)
·History
Foreign Languages/Linguistics/Lit. (FLAN)
·American Sign Language
·Comparative Literature
·Linguistics
·Foreign Language(s) & Literature
Government/Political Sci/Law (GOVT)
·Criminology & Criminal Justice
·Government
·International Relations & Studies
·Law/Legal Studies
·Political Science
·Public Affairs & Policy
·Urban Policy & Planning
Math (MATH) - BCPM
·Applied Mathematics
·Mathematics
·Statistics
Natural/Physical Sciences (NPSC)
·Agriculture
·Animal and Avian Sciences
·Forestry
·Geography
·Geology
·Horticulture
·Landscape Architecture
·Meteorology
·Natural Resources
·Oceanography
·Environmental Science & Policy
Other (OTHR)
All courses which do not fit appropriately into another category, including:
·Architecture
·Interdisciplinary courses
·Library Science
·Military Science
·Sports (tennis, golf, aerobics, etc.)
Philosophy/Religion (PHIL)
·Ethics
·Logic
·Philosophy
·Religion
·Theology
Physics (PHYS) - BCPM
·Astronomy
·Physics
Special Studies (SSTU)
·Afro-American Studies
·American Studies
·Gender Studies

 

[Doublecortin]

I was talking to my advisor and he told me not to put down the entomology and astronomy classes I have taken under my BCPM GPA because they aren't "hard" sciences. even though astronomy is listed under physics and entomology under biology, he says it will "insult the adcom" and they will "question your drive". now...this guy has a rep for telling bs, but I just wanted to know what yall think. is it really that bad?

your advisor is a *****, adcomms are not going to have the time to look through all your transcripts, agonizing over if entomology is "hard" science

 

[lacesoutdan]

Astronomy is BCPM. It's physics.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I agree put them under BCPM.

Another question medical spanish would be listed as what?? For some reason the course number at my school lists it as biology.

 

[CubaLibre]

i don't know why advisers are paid so well. SDN is your adviser now. pad that gpa, no matter what people tell you, it's solely about the numbers, most of the time.

 

[JStreet11]

I'd say Medical Spanish would be just a foreign language...I'd assume that you are only learning medical terminology in Spanish? If there is any scientific content, perhaps it would go under bio, but I'd assume that you are just learning new words and phrases and such.

BTW - Lucky! That sounds like a great class.

 

[ChubbyChaser]

I'd say Medical Spanish would be just a foreign language...I'd assume that you are only learning medical terminology in Spanish? If there is any scientific content, perhaps it would go under bio, but I'd assume that you are just learning new words and phrases and such.

BTW - Lucky! That sounds like a great class.

we also have a service portion. I spend 3 hours a week at a primarily hispanic Pediatric clinic, where i interact wit hthem trying to pick up more spanish while learning about the medical field.

 

[nevercold]

pad that gpa, no matter what people tell you, it's solely about the numbers, most of the time.

I agree that astronomy and entomology should both be listed as BCPM, but I disagree that it is solely about the numbers. Absolute cut-offs are often lower than you think even at very strong schools. After that though, the people reviewing the applications are very experienced at looking through lists of courses very quickly. They may not go so far as thinking about how to numerically weight each course and recalculate a weighted GPA, but they can recognize patterns very easily. This isn't to say that astronomy and entomology will be seen as easy courses. The screeners look for performance in the basic courses everyone takes -- basic biology, chemistry, organic, physics -- independent of the calculated BCPM. Then they look for harder courses that you may have done well in that mitigate a lower grade trend in the basics (or poor performance to suggest you've fallen off your game...). Any other science course is likely just evaluated as another course. After you've interviewed, if you're being evaluated for acceptance or not, the Adcom has a whole additional chance to go back through each detail of your application and usually has at least one person do so before presenting that information to others.

 

[thePathOfMed]

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