Pass/Fail Options

[sunshine02]

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Will it look bad for med school admissions if you opt to take courses on pass/fail? My school allows that but do med schools generally look down on this option and prefer the letter grade system? Thanks!

 

[catzzz88]

I took Spanish and art pass/fail as a 5th class for three semesters. So, I have three P/F classes, but I took them as extra classes and just for fun 🙂

I don't think it is a problem if you do it like I did.

 

[sunshine02]

Thanks! I was thinking about doing P/F for class that I'd want to explore like economics or some other class that I'm interested in but don't know if I could do extremely well in. So would you discourage doing P/F for science classes?

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

Thanks! I was thinking about doing P/F for class that I'd want to explore like economics or some other class that I'm interested in but don't know if I could do extremely well in. So would you discourage doing P/F for science classes?

A lot of the med schools I have looked into, if not all, will not accept any prereqs if they were taken with the pass/fail option. So, if you want to take some courses pass/fail, I would do as the other poster suggested; stick to exploration courses outside of BCPM.

 

[Ironmandoc]

They won't factor into your gpa. My undergraduate school offered "independent research" classes where you got credit toward the major but they were P/F. In AMCAS, you'll select that they are P/F and they will be irrelevant to your gpa.

 

[semicharmed]

A lot of the med schools I have looked into, if not all, will not accept any prereqs if they were taken with the pass/fail option. So, if you want to take some courses pass/fail, I would do as the other poster suggested; stick to exploration courses outside of BCPM.

This. If it's an elective course, it won't look great, but it won't destroy your application.

Do not do any science or pre-req courses P/F unless you absolutely have to. I'm not sure whether a "W" is worse, I think it is...

 

[catzzz88]

it can be a nice cushiony excuse to take an extra class per semester. Looks good and ambitious to take extra hours of classes, and its also fun to explore in your education. I would encourage you to take a class pass/fail that you normally wouldn't take for fear of your GPA. If you think of it, each semester costs the same no matter how many classes you take. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOUR EDUCATION! 🙂

 

[SnowyRox]

If you think of it, each semester costs the same no matter how many classes you take.

I paid extra for every credit over full-time student.

But I agree with the other posters. Adcoms will see a "passing" grade as equivalent to a C grade, but it won't factor into your gpa. Thus, it really doesn't matter unless you're taking a prerequisite class. I took Chinese Calligraphy P/F because I was/am awful at calligraphy but wanted to learn.

 

[Jaqen Hghar]

If you think of it, each semester costs the same no matter how many classes you take.

This policy is University dependent. My school has a set price for each individual credit no matter p/t or f/t. Others do have a range of credits you can take for the same price(eg. 12-18). It does bring up another point, though. Look into your own school's policy, OP, and think decide if it is financially possible for you to do.

 

[MedBound1]

You need to have grades for all your actual pre-reqs. But if you're talking about random electives that you're taking for fun or gym classes or something, Pass/Fail seems like a fine way to go.