Thoughts on a weird GPA? Help needed and appreciated.

[Globizen]

Hi, I'm hoping some people who have been in my shoes can help me here.
My BCPM GPA is a 3.49 and my overall is a 3.78.

The reason for the difference between the two is that I transferred to my current university and none of the transferred credits have grades associated with them, just a "by examination" score. Therefore, my BCPM is being calculated based on mostly upper lever chem classes (my major) and none of the intro classes (chem/phys/bio 101, etc). Here's the breakdown to give you an idea:

CHEM 101/102 (and labs): BY EXAMINATION
CHEM 261 (orgo I): BY EXAMINATION
PHYS 104/105 (and labs): BY EXAMINATION
BIOL 101 (and lab): BY EXAMINATION
Analytical Chem (CHEM 241) A- (lab A)
Biochem (CHEM 430) A-
CHEM 262 (orgo II) B (lab A-)
BIOL 252 (anatomy) B+ (combined with lab)

The science GPA comes out to just 3.49.

Do you think some allowance will be made for my lower science gpa (annoyingly just below 3.5) because of the fact it's only higher level classes, and that I only have one B?

Also, I'm currently in summer school taking another chem upper level class. Getting an A in that course would put me up to 3.52, but I also have a horrifically busy summer. Do you think it's best to request my transcript now, or risk getting less than an A in the summer course and request after the class is done?

Thanks for your time!

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[flip26]

Hi, I'm hoping some people who have been in my shoes can help me here.
My BCPM GPA is a 3.49 and my overall is a 3.78.

The reason for the difference between the two is that I transferred to my current university and none of the transferred credits have grades associated with them, just a "by examination" score. Therefore, my BCPM is being calculated based on mostly upper lever chem classes (my major) and none of the intro classes (chem/phys/bio 101, etc). Here's the breakdown to give you an idea:

CHEM 101/102 (and labs): BY EXAMINATION
CHEM 261 (orgo I): BY EXAMINATION
PHYS 104/105 (and labs): BY EXAMINATION
BIOL 101 (and lab): BY EXAMINATION
Analytical Chem (CHEM 241) A- (lab A)
Biochem (CHEM 430) A-
CHEM 262 (orgo II) B (lab A-)
BIOL 252 (anatomy) B+ (combined with lab)

The science GPA comes out to just 3.49.

Do you think some allowance will be made for my lower science gpa (annoyingly just below 3.5) because of the fact it's only higher level classes, and that I only have one B?

Also, I'm currently in summer school taking another chem upper level class. Getting an A in that course would put me up to 3.52, but I also have a horrifically busy summer. Do you think it's best to request my transcript now, or risk getting less than an A in the summer course and request after the class is done?

Thanks for your time!

I never heard of that...is it like Pass / Fail?

I think you will be OK, but read the AMCAS PDF carefully on this. Is there any chance your old school has a way of convering those to actual letter grades? Or at least to numerical scores (say a 92) with supplemental explanation of how that compared to your peers?

 

[Globizen]

Getting old grade equivalents isn't possible sadly. The truth is I transferred from a school in England, where the course structuring is difference. I didn't actually get any credits transferred from my old school (Imperial College of London), rather I was given the opportunity to take exams to place out of the courses I listed to catch up the time I lost. So I didn't take those exact classes, just was able to place out of them (maybe a point to make somewhere in my primary app, that I might have been disadvantaged in orgo II because I studied organic chem based on an English syllabus, with completely different expectations?)