What counts as a college class?

[biophysicianai]

Hey all,

I'm wondering what counts as a college class for the purposes of GPA/science GPA purposes.

After exhausting the math curriculum at my high school, I began taking college classes while in high school (multivariable calc, linear albegra, and differential equations). I did alright, but not stellar (Bs). Considering that the latest of these was in the summer after my junior year of high school, should they be included in my GPA calculations when I apply to med schools? That was four years ago already...

FYI, if this will help you help me: I took 1 more semester of math in college, and 1 semester of statistics. I'm also a biophysics major, so I've done plenty of quantitative classes.

Thanks!

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[HumidBeing]

Those classes will be counted in your college GPA. Any classes you take at a post-secondary institution count, even if you were still enrolled in high school at the time.

When AMCAS splits them up, they will show in a category of their own as being taken prior to your freshman year, but they will be averaged with the rest for the final GPA calculations.

 

[biophysicianai]

thanks for the quick response.



i don't like the answer tho....

 

[biophysicianai]

I just realized that the Bs I got in college level math classes while I was a junior in high school bring down my science GPA by a whole .11

This sucks.

 

[aebvd97]

uhhhh?? I'm not sure what isn't clear about the word college in college class. oh SDNers....oy vey.

 

[biophysicianai]

uhhhh?? I'm not sure what isn't clear about the word college in college class.

Same here. oh SDNers....oy vey.

 

[Snake Doctor]

Oh they'll definitely count towards your AMCAS & BCPM GPA.... but you wouldn't be as penalized as you would be had you took them say your junior year in college. I'm in a similar situation. So I know how you feel. It's not fair but they are college courses.

If you took geometry or something like that, I don't believe that will count.... but if you took college level Stats that transfered over to your university, then it will count.

I don't think algebra II or trig will count as they are not university level courses, esp. if they aren't transferable (that should be a hint right there).

As long as your performance as a full time college student is stellar, you'll be fine.

 

[biophysicianai]

Do you know whether schools will take the time to calculate my college GPA v.s. my GPA including the college courses I took in high school?

I'm sure this will vary from school to school, but I'm just asking for a generalization if there is one. My worry is that I'll be eliminated by a preliminary GPA cut off of some sort, before a thorough evaluation of my transcript occurs.

I apologize for being needier than usual, but I just recently discovered this problem and am now troubled by it.

Any thoughts on this, anyone? Any adcoms around who know about the affect this will have?

 

[GoSpursGo]

Do you know whether schools will take the time to calculate my college GPA v.s. my GPA including the college courses I took in high school?

I'm sure this will vary from school to school, but I'm just asking for a generalization if there is one. My worry is that I'll be eliminated by a preliminary GPA cut off of some sort, before a thorough evaluation of my transcript occurs.

I apologize for being needier than usual, but I just recently discovered this problem and am now troubled by it.

Any thoughts on this, anyone? Any adcoms around who know about the affect this will have?

Unfortunately, no school will have to "take the time" to calculate it, because AMCAS will automatically do that for them. They won't even see your institutional GPA, it'll just show your overall GPA. So it won't vary from school to school, it'll hurt you equally at all of them

It does indeed suck. I was actually asked in an interview about some class I took through a community college via my high school and my interviewer didn't even realize I'd taken it in HS before I told him. It's why I'm now telling my brothers in HS that they've got to stay on top of this stuff in HS, cuz once the term "college class" starts getting used, it follows you forever.

 

[biophysicianai]

Am I obligated to report these classes on my application?

Though the courses were taken at a college, I was not a college student. It doesn't seem to make sense that the advanced math courses I took as a junior in high school would negatively affect my application.

Does AMCAS have rules about this?

 

[Snake Doctor]

you would think that this issue is taken into consideration since there are always a few applicants with this situation year in and year out

 

[HumidBeing]

Yes, the AMCAS does have rules about this. Here's how it works, and it really wouldn't matter if it was geometry, differential equations, or basket weaving that you took. If the preparatory courses show on any college's transcript, they are counted as well.

If you took the courses through any type of post-secondary institution and they maintained a record of those courses, they must be reported, and you must get a transcript from the school. Those are the rules.

The exception to this is that there are a few programs that have agreements with local high schools in which the college does NOT maintain any type of transcript. In that situation a letter must be obtained from the college which states that they are unable to produce a transcript. Those classes cannot be reported because classes and transcripts must match exactly. That situation is very rare.

AMCAS will break your grades down between BCMP, ALL Other, and OVERALL for the following divisions:
pre-college
freshman
sophomore
junior
senior
post-bacc

Plus, there will be final GPA breakdown where all years are lumped together.

I try to catch the high school students to explain the possible pitfalls, as well as the benefits of taking dual-enrollment courses. I wish counselors would explain the pitfalls up front, but I doubt that they are even aware of them.

 

[Snake Doctor]

Thanks for the info! Are you sure about courses like geometry, swimming, or even algebra? I thought they wouldn't be factored in the gpa calculation because they were not "college level" courses. Yes, they'll be on the transcript... but I remember reading about the courses having to be "college level". Some courses definitely aren't recognize by the UCs and therefore not transferable. Note-I haven't applied yet. So I shall defer to HumidBeing's response.

Just a side note-I probably wouldn't have gotten into my undergraduate institution had I not taken college courses really early, but at the same time those courses may cost me GPA wise despite graduating with honors (hence my consideration of taking a year off just so I can list the latin honors but with a lower than expected overall gpa that includes pre college courses).

Oh and I totally agree about the possible pitfalls, esp.if they're considering to be pre-med.

 

[biophysicianai]

let's hope that someone looks at our transcripts and realizes that our overall "undergraduate" GPAs have been diminished by our high school ambitions


this is a pretty major let down for me.

 

[FlowLimited]

College courses are college courses regardless of when you take them. It wouldn't make sense not to count the ones you took before college, just like it wouldn't make sense not to count the ones lots of folks take after college.