Retaking Classes: Question

[kellerac]

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First of all I'd like to mention that I searched to see if this specific question has been asked before I posted; it has not.

I'll make it short and sweet:
I'm preparing to apply to PT grad school this fall. I have a 3.6 cGPA w/ a 3.4 Core GPA. I have only ever gotten one C (Gen Chem II) and it's holding my GPAs down. My question is: Does a 3.6 gpa with no re-takes look better or worse than a student with a 3.8 but who repeated a bunch of classes? Do admission boards look at this at all?

Thanks for your replies!

 

[Grizzlyman]

Your reading to much into it. A higher GPA (cumulative or pre-req) is always better regardless of the path you took to get there. Retakes are already discounted because the two grades are averaged.

An A is always better than a C.

 

[astarblaze]

My understanding is that many programs don't delve too deeply into your transcript, and mainly rank candidates based on calculated GPAs. They just don't have time with the number of applications they receive to do anything more in depth. Thus, raising your GPAs will make you more competitive, regardless of whether you do this via retakes or just taking additional classes.

Depending on the program, your prereq GPA would benefit from retaking Chemistry and getting an A. Some programs will just take the most recent grade, but most (as well as PTCAS) will average the original and repeated grades, so a C and A become the equivalent of a B. I think as long as you get an A, repeating the class isn't frowned upon, and your prereq GPA will improve, making you a more competitive candidate.

For cumGPA, repeated classes aren't typically averaged with the original class, so your cumulative won't improve as much. (Basically repeating is the same as just taking a completely new class in terms of how it affects this number.)

So, if you're thinking of retaking Chemistry, I don't think it can hurt you, as long as you do well. One thing to be aware of is that some programs don't really consider your fall classes, so if you're thinking of taking it this fall after you've already submitted apps, it might not help you for admissions to some programs. Your best bet is always to contact the program directly to find out.

 

[tcpt]

First of all I'd like to mention that I searched to see if this specific question has been asked before I posted; it has not.

I'll make it short and sweet:
I'm preparing to apply to PT grad school this fall. I have a 3.6 cGPA w/ a 3.4 Core GPA. I have only ever gotten one C (Gen Chem II) and it's holding my GPAs down. My question is: Does a 3.6 gpa with no re-takes look better or worse than a student with a 3.8 but who repeated a bunch of classes? Do admission boards look at this at all?

Thanks for your replies!

Our program does not penalize a student for retaking classes as long as they do better with the second class. Applicants who retake classes is very common and it doesn't diminish the record in our system. The GPA calculations matter and efforts taken to improve those help an applicant communicate that they are a motivated student eager to improve their record.