What's More Important: Overall GPA or Pre-Req GPA

[BeefyLilTank]

I'm just wondering what's more important, overall GPA or pre-req GPA?

My pre-req GPA sucks because the pre-reqs in my first years of school and did horrible. Though as I got more committed to school, my marks went up. 2.6 GPA vs 3.5 or so (though I'm not sure how they convert the Canadian grading system to the a GPA)

So now I'm deciding if I should retake my pre-reqs: Chem I & II, Bio I & II, Psych I & II and Physics I & II. My A&P I and II are at 90% mark, so I'm not worried about that

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[jdaniels360]

What were your grades in the above classes you think you might need to re-take?

 

[nicolej5]

pre req by a mile. as long as your overall is 3 or higher it doesn't matter much (of course it helps to have a higher overall...). pre req classes are those that they think predict future success in the program

 

[BeefyLilTank]

What were your grades in the above classes you think you might need to re-take?

I got C's in majority of my pre-reqs, minus A&P

 

[pubicsymphysis]

I got C's in majority of my pre-reqs, minus A&P

Ya.. Retake all the classes you got C's in.

 

[BeefyLilTank]

Ya.. Retake all the classes you got C's in.

Awesome to know

And love the username

 

[NewTestament]

As long as your overall GPA is >3.0, most schools don't care. Your pre-req GPA is more important because it indicates how well you'll handle the demands of PT school. I met plenty of people at open houses/interviews who had a low overall GPA but had a stellar pre-req GPA. Get those grades up! Aim for As in biology and AP too. If you don't think you can get straight A's in your pre-requisites, then do a lot of observing, have a job, and do well on your GRE.

Kevin

 

[BeefyLilTank]

As long as your overall GPA is >3.0, most schools don't care. Your pre-req GPA is more important because it indicates how well you'll handle the demands of PT school. I met plenty of people at open houses/interviews who had a low overall GPA but had a stellar pre-req GPA. Get those grades up! Aim for As in biology and AP too. If you don't think you can get straight A's in your pre-requisites, then do a lot of observing, have a job, and do well on your GRE.

Kevin

I don't know what my overall GPA is, since the Canadian system doesn't use a 4.0 scale. We use percentages. I tried converting it, but got something miserable.

It blows my mind how people can have a 3.5 - 4.0 GPA. Which converts into a 90 - 100%, and to have that on the Canadian side is unheard of

 

[nicolej5]

I don't know what my overall GPA is, since the Canadian system doesn't use a 4.0 scale. We use percentages. I tried converting it, but got something miserable.

It blows my mind how people can have a 3.5 - 4.0 GPA. Which converts into a 90 - 100%, and to have that on the Canadian side is unheard of

i thought that PTCAS had a conversion thing for canadian scales but idk. what part of canada are you from? I was born in Edmonton lol.

 

[Sasky]

I feel your frustration about the conversion of percentage to GPA, especially when you get an 88 or an 89 in a class and it converts to a plain B. I've always felt that my Canadian transcripts were more accurate because of the percentage.

In order to get an accurate depiction of your GPA, you should convert each class individually because your GPA will also depend on how many credit hours each class was. It can be time consuming but it will be worth it.

Another thing to remember is that most universities down here have separate lab classes for things like Biology and Chemistry. For example, up north I took Organic Chem 1&2 at 3 credit hours a piece, labs included. I ended up having to take an extra Organic Chem class down here because I needed 8 credit hours and they would not accept my 6, even though I produced syllabi that showed I had covered all topics. It's something to look into if your Canadian university uses the 3 and 6 credit hour scheme like mine did.

Also, before you apply, call and talk to the admin staff about having international credits. Some will not accept foreign credits for pre-reqs! One university I have applied to will not accept foreign credits but requires 8 credit hours of general or organic chem. Well, I have taken all four of those classes in Canada, plus one organic chem down here. They will not accept biochemistry or biophysical chemistry as a substitute for gen chem or organic! If accepted I will have to take a gen chem course prior to matriculation...should be a piece of cake compared to biophysical chemistry ; ).

*sigh*. The joys of being a transfer student...good luck to you, and make sure you have copies of all of your syllabi so that you can show them what topics your classes have covered!

 

[BeefyLilTank]

i thought that PTCAS had a conversion thing for canadian scales but idk. what part of canada are you from? I was born in Edmonton lol.

PTCAS just labeled my GPA as 0.00 - Awesome! I was actually born in Lethbridge, and then moved to SK. Now living in the US

I feel your frustration about the conversion of percentage to GPA, especially when you get an 88 or an 89 in a class and it converts to a plain B. I've always felt that my Canadian transcripts were more accurate because of the percentage.

In order to get an accurate depiction of your GPA, you should convert each class individually because your GPA will also depend on how many credit hours each class was. It can be time consuming but it will be worth it.

Another thing to remember is that most universities down here have separate lab classes for things like Biology and Chemistry. For example, up north I took Organic Chem 1&2 at 3 credit hours a piece, labs included. I ended up having to take an extra Organic Chem class down here because I needed 8 credit hours and they would not accept my 6, even though I produced syllabi that showed I had covered all topics. It's something to look into if your Canadian university uses the 3 and 6 credit hour scheme like mine did.

Also, before you apply, call and talk to the admin staff about having international credits. Some will not accept foreign credits for pre-reqs! One university I have applied to will not accept foreign credits but requires 8 credit hours of general or organic chem. Well, I have taken all four of those classes in Canada, plus one organic chem down here. They will not accept biochemistry or biophysical chemistry as a substitute for gen chem or organic! If accepted I will have to take a gen chem course prior to matriculation...should be a piece of cake compared to biophysical chemistry ; ).

*sigh*. The joys of being a transfer student...good luck to you, and make sure you have copies of all of your syllabi so that you can show them what topics your classes have covered!

Speaking of SK, not sure if the user name implies anything 🙂 Though I'm glad to see someone understands what I'm going through.

And that didn't even cross my mind about how the 3 credits and 4 credit thing worked. I just assumed since I had three credits AND a lab in class it would be converted to 4 credits.

One thing I'm thankful is I'll be doing my pre-reqs here the US. So I can take class with the 4 credits, if need be. But I'm just hoping I don't need to retake damn AP I and II.

 

[Sasky]

Yeah, thought you might pick up on the user name! Where is SK were you living? I'm from a farm around Rosetown/Kindersley area...went to U of S for a few years then finished the Biotechnology program at SIAST.

 

[PTisfun]

As long as your overall GPA is >3.0, most schools don't care. Your pre-req GPA is more important because it indicates how well you'll handle the demands of PT school.
n

Contact the school you are interested in and ask. We do not weight pre req GPA nearly as high as overall GPA. Of course if you do not have a 3.0 overall and meet GRE minimums we do not even look at your application. But pre req GPA is a minimal part of our admissions since there is absolutely no evidence (published or based on our own university's experience) that shows pre req is any better than overall. So we so not use it much. Sounds like some applicants have heard from univ that it is important so contact the school as each does something different.

 

[BeefyLilTank]

Yeah, thought you might pick up on the user name! Where is SK were you living? I'm from a farm around Rosetown/Kindersley area...went to U of S for a few years then finished the Biotechnology program at SIAST.

I went to HS in Prince Albert and went to the U of S. Completed a Kinesiology degree there

 

[BeefyLilTank]

Contact the school you are interested in and ask. We do not weight pre req GPA nearly as high as overall GPA. Of course if you do not have a 3.0 overall and meet GRE minimums we do not even look at your application. But pre req GPA is a minimal part of our admissions since there is absolutely no evidence (published or based on our own university's experience) that shows pre req is any better than overall. So we so not use it much. Sounds like some applicants have heard from univ that it is important so contact the school as each does something different.

What I'm somewhat hoping for is that they see I'm interested and committed to the field of DPT. Hence why I want to retake my pre-reqs and show that I'm dedicated and want to be competitive

 

[nomattic]

Contact the school you are interested in and ask. We do not weight pre req GPA nearly as high as overall GPA. Of course if you do not have a 3.0 overall and meet GRE minimums we do not even look at your application. But pre req GPA is a minimal part of our admissions since there is absolutely no evidence (published or based on our own university's experience) that shows pre req is any better than overall. So we so not use it much. Sounds like some applicants have heard from univ that it is important so contact the school as each does something different.

Doesn't this seem a little short-sighted? Just looking at a cumulative number doesn't tell you much about an applicant. What if they got their poor grades all in their freshman year, with a significant upward trend and great grades over a sustained period during post-bacc? Do schools really just glance at a number with no added detail or context in which to place it? This is not an inflammatory post, I'm just curious.

 

[BeefyLilTank]

Doesn't this seem a little short-sighted? Just looking at a cumulative number doesn't tell you much about an applicant. What if they got their poor grades all in their freshman year, with a significant upward trend and great grades over a sustained period during post-bacc? Do schools really just glance at a number with no added detail or context in which to place it? This is not an inflammatory post, I'm just curious.

This is my story exactly. Hoping some schools take it into consideration

 

[PTisfun]

Doesn't this seem a little short-sighted? Just looking at a cumulative number doesn't tell you much about an applicant. What if they got their poor grades all in their freshman year, with a significant upward trend and great grades over a sustained period during post-bacc? Do schools really just glance at a number with no added detail or context in which to place it? This is not an inflammatory post, I'm just curious.

Yup. Probably short sighted. But for the last 5 years we have received between 800 -1000 applicants per year and it is unreasonable for a detailed review of all of the applications. We admit less than 50 so have to do something to get the applicant pool to something reasonable. It is not always fair but we have to look at straight numbers to get to a reasonable number of applicants to delve deeper. If we just eliminate those who do not meet minimums ( GPA and GRE) we can get something we can deal with. . But even all of those will not be invited for interview. We just cannot it. That is why I said contact the school you are interested in. I can only speak about the school I am associated with. Applicants may not like our process but it is what we have figured out to work with. But an applicant will usually get accepted somewhere. Just have to find the right school.

 

[nomattic]

Yup. Probably short sighted. But for the last 5 years we have received between 800 -1000 applicants per year and it is unreasonable for a detailed review of all of the applications. We admit less than 50 so have to do something to get the applicant pool to something reasonable. It is not always fair but we have to look at straight numbers to get to a reasonable number of applicants to delve deeper. If we just eliminate those who do not meet minimums ( GPA and GRE) we can get something we can deal with. . But even all of those will not be invited for interview. We just cannot it. That is why I said contact the school you are interested in. I can only speak about the school I am associated with. Applicants may not like our process but it is what we have figured out to work with. But an applicant will usually get accepted somewhere. Just have to find the right school.

I should have specified "among students who meet the minimums". I definitely knew that schools toss aside applications below the minimums. Was curious more about those who might be on the lower end but still over the 3.0 mark. Definitely puts it all into perspective hearing it from the point of view on the other side of the table.