Pass/Fail Courses (esp. Texas Med Schools!)

[ManlyMan246]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if any of you know what Texas medical schools think about pass/fail courses. I had a heavy work-load this semester and so I decided to take a Biology class P/F. I probably got a B+ in the course, but I chose to take the P/F just in case I couldn't keep up with the work. I have already taken a number of Biology classes and done quite well in them, earning between a B and an A+ depending on the course.

I've heard from some students that medical schools will consider any 'P' to be equivalent to a 'D' because a 'D' is passing. I've already completed the minimum pre-med requirements for Texas schools, and I go to a top-tier university, so my grades are not inflated and the rigor of my academic program is pretty well-known, but I'm really worried that medical schools are going to count my decision to P/F the course against me. I was really interested in the material but I knew that it might be a class that I would struggle in, especially given that I had to take several upper level courses for my major this semester.

Please let me know if medschools (especially TX ones) are really going to see my P/F Bio course as negatively as some people have said they would. We're encouraged to take courses P/F here because we have a pretty liberal academic policy that promotes academic risk-taking, so I'm suddenly freaking out it. My BCPM GPA and my cGPA are borderline for accepted students right now so if I uncover my grade it might also damage my GPA.

Thanks!

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[DocMcCoy]

Hi everyone,

I was wondering if any of you know what Texas medical schools think about pass/fail courses. I had a heavy work-load this semester and so I decided to take a Biology class P/F. I probably got a B+ in the course, but I chose to take the P/F just in case I couldn't keep up with the work. I have already taken a number of Biology classes and done quite well in them, earning between a B and an A+ depending on the course.

I've heard from some students that medical schools will consider any 'P' to be equivalent to a 'D' because a 'D' is passing. I've already completed the minimum pre-med requirements for Texas schools, and I go to a top-tier university, so my grades are not inflated and the rigor of my academic program is pretty well-known, but I'm really worried that medical schools are going to count my decision to P/F the course against me. I was really interested in the material but I knew that it might be a class that I would struggle in, especially given that I had to take several upper level courses for my major this semester.

Please let me know if medschools (especially TX ones) are really going to see my P/F Bio course as negatively as some people have said they would. We're encouraged to take courses P/F here because we have a pretty liberal academic policy that promotes academic risk-taking, so I'm suddenly freaking out it. My BCPM GPA and my cGPA are borderline for accepted students right now so if I uncover my grade it might also damage my GPA.

Thanks!

DON'T listen to those students. A P is not looked at like a D. It does not compute at all into GPA, it is solely recorded for credit earned for coursework. ADCOMs will not equate the two. The only numbers you need to worry about are cGPA and sGPA that will show up as a number. The only thing that would hurt you is if you fail a class and do not receive credit.

I had two Ps on my transcript, it was never brought up once. Ws matter more than Ps and they won't keep you out of medical school either (had two of those too).

 

[GoRiceOwls]

On Rice's pre-medical advising webpage it says something similar to the OP's concerns.

 

[DocMcCoy]

From Rice website:

Q: Is it discouraged to take a class pass/fail? Back to top
Yes. Not only is it discouraged, we strongly recommend that medical school-bound students (professional school) take all courses for a grade, that includes courses that are not included in the pre-med requirements.There are a number of reasons for this stance.Many medical schools will not consider any pass/fail courses as fulfilling premedical requirements. Even in cases where there is no absolute prohibition, it is very inadvisable to take courses pass/fail.A "D" counts as a "Pass" in a pass/fail course, and a "D" is probably what skeptical admissions committee members will assume you deserved in the course.

The first bolded sentence is absolutely true. However, the second assumes way too much on behalf of an admissions committee member and is speculative at best. Some undergraduate institutions require students to take coursework pass/fail. My undergrad required a capstone course to be taken pass/fail. Unexplained W's are a far better indicator if a student bailed a course due to difficulty.

A 'P' does not affect your GPA as calculated by TMDSAS, which are the hard numbers adcoms will use to qualify you for an interview.

It also seems a little ironic that some Texas medical schools would frown upon Pass/Fail undergrad grades when they calculate grades using H/P/F or some other variation rather than A-F.