Undergrad Courses and GPA

[wilsonlaguna]

I have three really bad grades from three colleges class. I took them at a junior college and I was only 15 (A very long time ago). Anyone else with a similar scanario and have already applied through AMCAS? How did the admissions board looked at your grades?

I have taken those course over and have gotten "A" for all three at the University where I am graduating. Any Advice?

Without these pesky grades, I would have a 3.88 BPM and a 3.9 overall with a 3.92 AO. But with these grades, they'll be 3.75 BCPM and 3.59 overall.

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[Morsetlis]

They will count. You will have to submit them, plus the transcripts, to the AMCAS.

 

[wilsonlaguna]

They will count. You will have to submit them, plus the transcripts, to the AMCAS.

Oh I will submit them. No doubt about it. I just wanted to know if anyone has gone through this yet. And if they did, how did med schools look it.

 

[Catalystik]

Since you still have a decent cGPA despite them, I doubt they will have much impact. And anyone microanalyzing your transcript will see they happened long ago. Time tends to diminish the impact of lower grades. Your more recent coursework will be given greater weight.

 

[the duck]

I also have about 30 units of college credit from a community college when I was 15-16. I had a 4.0. Age is no excuse for failure.

 

[wilsonlaguna]

I also have about 30 units of college credit from a community college when I was 15-16. I had a 4.0. Age is no excuse for failure.

Well, I think the majority of 15 or 16 years olds won't have what you claim. So, on a comparative basis, I don't think I'm in too bad of shape. Besides, it seems like everyone is saying grades count for very little nowadays and, as long as you're 3.5 and above, the shift is towards your Extra Curriculars and Volunteerism.

The two iffy courses were the very first two college class I took. After those two, I took some more classes as a minor and did got 2 B's and all A's for the next 18 units. So, one slip as a pre-pre freshman. Hope it doesn't count!!!

 

[Drrrrrr. Celty]

I also have about 30 units of college credit from a community college when I was 15-16. I had a 4.0. Age is no excuse for failure.

I think saying that a bad start is excused by a good finish. If your working full time you can honestly get some brownie points for that, adcoms will look at that and see that.

 

[Morsetlis]

Excused, yes, but you'll not have the chance to shine like the people with straight A's.

I do agree that MCAT+EC matter more than GPA.

 

[indianjatt]

I disagree with theduck. For example when I was a sophomore in high school I was allowed to take two math classes during the summer in order to skip pre calculus and move on to calculus the following school year because I was one of the best students in my class. When I came into the class I assumed that I just needed to get two B's and didn't really need to try because my goal was just to skip Pre Calc. At the time I didn't even know that your grades from different colleges would be carried over. Boy was I wrong. So I already have 2 B's. Then I soon realized they do carry over and I got 2 A's in philosophy classes and two A-'s at a state university in my Foreign Language.

 

[Morsetlis]

I'm going to say that the person with the philosophy of "Get A's" deserves a higher GPA than a person with the philosophy of "Get B's".

 

[bravofleet4]

Yeah, I totally regret signing this slip at the beginning of my senior year in high school for calc saying this course is equivalent to a CC course. Our teacher must have thought he was helping us by getting it done in high school but I kept getting B's no matter how hard I tried. I was pissed knowing that I would start off my college career with them and that had I taken it at my college it probably would've been easier (curve wise). In the end, it didn't make much of a difference, so save yourself the stress.

I disagree with some of the previous posters and think that at age 18-19 regardless of where you are, you should get a fresh start. I mean my god telling people that at age 15-16 failure isn't an option? People really need to turn off the pre-med mode sometimes.

 

[indianjatt]

I'm going to say that the person with the philosophy of "Get A's" deserves a higher GPA than a person with the philosophy of "Get B's".

I have an A mentality. It's just that at the time I took the math courses B's were all I thought I needed to accomplish what I wanted.

 

[Dr Optimistic]

Yeah, I totally regret signing this slip at the beginning of my senior year in high school for calc saying this course is equivalent to a CC course. Our teacher must have thought he was helping us by getting it done in high school but I kept getting B's no matter how hard I tried. I was pissed knowing that I would start off my college career with them and that had I taken it at my college it probably would've been easier (curve wise). In the end, it didn't make much of a difference, so save yourself the stress.

I disagree with some of the previous posters and think that at age 18-19 regardless of where you are, you should get a fresh start. I mean my god telling people that at age 15-16 failure isn't an option? People really need to turn off the pre-med mode sometimes.

^

 

[wilsonlaguna]

Yeah, I totally regret signing this slip at the beginning of my senior year in high school for calc saying this course is equivalent to a CC course. Our teacher must have thought he was helping us by getting it done in high school but I kept getting B's no matter how hard I tried. I was pissed knowing that I would start off my college career with them and that had I taken it at my college it probably would've been easier (curve wise). In the end, it didn't make much of a difference, so save yourself the stress.

I disagree with some of the previous posters and think that at age 18-19 regardless of where you are, you should get a fresh start. I mean my god telling people that at age 15-16 failure isn't an option? People really need to turn off the pre-med mode sometimes.

Yeah I so agree with you on that last part. Students under 18 years are minors. No criminal records are available for minors, why should there be one for academics. It seems like we're being punished for trying new things to prep ourselves for college. They encourage us to take hard classes, then throw us under the bus for not getting "A"s in them when we're just kids! Oh well, thanks everyone for your comments and suggestions so far.

 

[wilsonlaguna]

I have an A mentality. It's just that at the time I took the math courses B's were all I thought I needed to accomplish what I wanted.

Rock on dude. Same here. I was pressured by my counselor to take those undesirable course at CC because our school was impacted. I didn't really care as much to earn "A's" since they told me it won't count towards my high school transcript and, hence, not seen by undergrad. colleges. So they picked me, the salutatorian by the way, to throw under the bus.

 

[wilsonlaguna]

I'm going to say that the person with the philosophy of "Get A's" deserves a higher GPA than a person with the philosophy of "Get B's".

yeah that's true. But how do you account for the fact that different people choose to turn up the "A" phil. at different times, especially when they are misinformed?

 

[wilsonlaguna]

Excused, yes, but you'll not have the chance to shine like the people with straight A's.

I do agree that MCAT+EC matter more than GPA.

Hoping for not too many people with straight "A"

Or that my 38 MCAT falls through!

 

[Morsetlis]

You can know exactly how many people have straight A's if you look on the AAMC website.

http://www.aamc.org/data/facts/applicantmatriculant/table24-mcatgpa-grid-3yrs-app-accpt.htm

 

[wilsonlaguna]

Since you still have a decent cGPA despite them, I doubt they will have much impact. And anyone microanalyzing your transcript will see they happened long ago. Time tends to diminish the impact of lower grades. Your more recent coursework will be given greater weight.

I got a response from an admissions director that said the same thing! At this point, I'm sorta hoping that they consider, but disregard the HS section of the AMCAS GPA.