prerequisite advice please

[pghstudent]

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Hi, I'm not sure if anyone else was extremely frustrated by PTCAS when they applied to schools, but I retook a few prerequisite classes the past few years and really brought up my gpa. However, it seems that when we have to designate what our prerequisite classes are, we have to include the original class grade as well if a course was repeated. This severely brings down my GPA and I am worried that school's won't even look at my application if they see that GPA, which is unfortunate since I ended up with A's in some of the classes I did poorly in my freshman year.

I was wondering if everyone including both courses as prereqs if you retook one? Or did anyone have any advice on how to avoid this GPA discrepancy. It also doesn't help that each school has different requirements too. Thanks to any help

 

[wrennywren]

Hi, I'm not sure if anyone else was extremely frustrated by PTCAS when they applied to schools, but I retook a few prerequisite classes the past few years and really brought up my gpa. However, it seems that when we have to designate what our prerequisite classes are, we have to include the original class grade as well if a course was repeated. This severely brings down my GPA and I am worried that school's won't even look at my application if they see that GPA, which is unfortunate since I ended up with A's in some of the classes I did poorly in my freshman year.

I was wondering if everyone including both courses as prereqs if you retook one? Or did anyone have any advice on how to avoid this GPA discrepancy. It also doesn't help that each school has different requirements too. Thanks to any help

Yeah, I had the same problem when I applied 2 years ago... PTCAS GPA calculations actually dropped my GPA under a 3.0, which was the minimum requirement for both the schools I applied too.

Don't worry too much, as most schools do their OWN calculations based on your transcript. They have their own methods of evaluation and I got interviews at both the schools I applied to. Many schools place a much greater emphasis on your last 2 years of schooling, so don't sweat it too much even if it doesn't look right.

 

[pghstudent]

Really! That's reassuring.. do you mind sharing what schools you got interviews at? That's pretty much the only downfall of my application, so it's what I'm worried most about. I called most of the schools and most said they look at the PTCAS GPA, BUT the people I talked to didn't sound too confident in their answer and I'm wondering if there's some discrepancy among the admissions committee.

 

[starrsgirl]

I am in the same boat!!! I have a masters degree with a 4.0 and have A's from my pre requisite classes...but my dismal undergrad from a long time ago still drags everything down. By my calculations, I'm going to be lucky to get a 3.0 cumulative. I am calculating a 2.99 right now. The school I am applying to says they look at the cumulative GPA and don't specify that they consider any other variations. I'm glad to hear there might be hope for us!