When Does It Become GPA Padding?

[TeachEm]

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I have two questions if anyone could help me out. The first is "When does taking extra units become GPA padding?" I'm planning on taking ~16 units during the summer at two CC's. I actually need two classes for my General Education requirements, but the rest would be classes that I'd be taking to nudge my GPA. My second questions is "Why is GPA padding looked down upon?" The classes that I'm taking aren't easy (Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Sociology (for MCAT), General Health Science, Nutrition, Human Sexuality), if I do well in those courses, why would that be looked down upon by AdComs? Any insight or opinion on this matter would be greatly appreciated.

 

[aprilfools]

If you take your prereqs it doesn't "become GPA padding" ever.

 

[LizzyM]

Compared with someone who took a rigorous courseload (17-18 units rather than 15) every quarter at a school with very high admission standards and has the same GPA , a student with the same GPA who took a weak course load during the academic year and a bunch of entry level courses at a less competitive college during the summer is not considered as strong.

 

[aprilfools]

My original statement was a tad extreme. The point I was trying to make though is that maintaining a high GPA is of greater importance than courseload difficulty, correct @LizzyM ?

 

[LizzyM]

My original statement was a tad extreme. The point I was trying to make though is that maintaining a high GPA is of greater importance than courseload difficulty, correct @LizzyM ?

A poor GPA can get you screened out. When the eyeballs are on your application trying to determine if you are better or worse than the 1,000 other applicants with a 3.72, then discriminating between the weak schedules and majors and the stronger ones takes place.

 

[efle]

"When does taking extra units become GPA padding?" I'm planning on taking ~16 units during the summer at two CC's. I actually need two classes for my General Education requirements, but the rest would be classes that I'd be taking to nudge my GPA.

I think it's more the fact it's at CC that will make it look like padding, rather than some number of units looking like padding.

The classes that I'm taking aren't easy (Abnormal Psychology, Introduction to Sociology (for MCAT), General Health Science, Nutrition, Human Sexuality)

Are you saying these are your summer plan or what you are in currently?

 

[md-2020]

I think it's more the fact it's at CC that will make it look like padding, rather than some number of units looking like padding.

This definitely. I can't imagine taking a heavy summer courseload at a reputable university would automatically be considered GPA padding, esp. since adcoms have no way of knowing what you needed those classes for, i.e. maybe to graduate on time or get honors in your major etc.

 

[Lawpy]

Compared with someone who took a rigorous courseload (17-18 units rather than 15) every quarter at a school with very high admission standards and has the same GPA , a student with the same GPA who took a weak course load during the academic year and a bunch of entry level courses at a less competitive college during the summer is not considered as strong.

A poor GPA can get you screened out. When the eyeballs are on your application trying to determine if you are better or worse than the 1,000 other applicants with a 3.72, then discriminating between the weak schedules and majors and the stronger ones takes place.

How do adcoms determine the strength and rigor of schedules and majors?

 

[mwsapphire]

^ I think its just done by credits.

 

[efle]

^Def not, 18 credits full of low level humanities and soft science is not going to impress someone more than 15 credits of advanced BCPM

 

[md-2020]

But summer classes are often perceived as less rigorous simply because they are being taken in a compressed time frame

so taking and then failing a large summer courseload, in order to demonstrate its difficulty, is the way to go then? 😉

 

[Lawpy]

But summer classes are often perceived as less rigorous simply because they are being taken in a compressed time frame

How? Just because there's a compressed time frame doesn't necessarily mean there's less content being taught and fewer tests being given. And quarter-system schools are used to working under compressed time frames, so summer quarters have the same duration as fall/winter/spring quarters.

Besides, aren't preclinical curricula in medical schools heading towards the direction of being shorter (from 2 yr to 1.5 yr and 1 yr)? I don't understand how shorter time frame is perceived as less rigorous.

 

[mwsapphire]

^ Gonnif has mentioned that sometimes AdComs think the compressed time frame means adjunct faculty who are softer than those who teach in the usual session, and that some chapters may be skipped due to the compressed time frame.
I was wondering the same thing.

 

[Lawpy]

Because of the shorten time framed, which is less typically less than the regular term at any school, be it quarter or semester, the perception is that the material maybe rushed and not all of it covered. It also a perception that many of these courses may be taught by adjunct faculty which adds to worry about rigor of the material. This leads to question in an adcom's mind, and the risk to the student, that he/she is taking courses as an easier path over regular term.

So applicants should be judicious with their use of summer courses or be able to show why this was done in the context of the rest of their application. In this case, we do not know what the OP current school is (4 year? Ivy?) nor do we know what year he/she is in, what major, what other coursework they have, etc. They are however taking non-BCPM prereqs and some others. As @LizzyM, the Grand Dame of SDN said earlier in this thread



Let me also point out that prior to 2000, some summer courses were truly red flags, such as Organic Chem. Perceptions, such as summer course work or CC as being less rigorous, still remain through out the admissions community.

But these perceptions are not based on anything. Adcoms don't know the academic policies of each and every undergrad, so they don't know how summer classes are being run. It looks to me adcoms are acting on cognitive biases here.

 

[efle]

But these perceptions are not based on anything. Adcoms don't know the academic policies of each and every undergrad, so they don't know how summer classes are being run. It looks to me adcoms are acting on cognitive biases here.

This just in: admissions committee members human beings

 

[Lawpy]

This just in: admissions committee members human beings

Further showing the subjective nature of the application process and unpredictable outcomes. No surprise why the application process is perceived to be random.

 

[cactusman]

So how much CC summer work is ok? I'm considering taking Psych, Soc, or Spanish (or a couple at the same time) at a CC this summer, the psych/soc so I don't have to rely just on self-studying for the MCAT and the Spanish just because I want to be at least partially proficient in the language and I haven't been able to stay on track for self-teaching. Is this okay as long as I have a high GPA at my home institution? I'm not very close to any 4 year institutions, there are some about an hour away but they're all significantly less selective than my home institution.

 

[Lawpy]

And because of 5000 plus schools of secondary education, adcoms are making generalizations that are widely accepted . My frequent list of medical schools with formal statements on the rigor of community college has be posted more times then the FBI's most wanted list. Whether or not this is justified, biased, or fair, it is the reality of what applicants to medical school must face.

yeah this is true. kinda sad that admissions is a subjective process but that's what it is.

 

[Orthopedics101]

It doesnt take a rocket scientist to see that

Wait, I have taken summer courses and even a winter course or two but they were all at my undergraduate (Ivy league) and taught by the same professors that taught it during the semester. They weren't premed prereqs but they were courses that I needed for either my biology major or business minor. How would this be viewed?

 

[sundays24]

Compared with someone who took a rigorous courseload (17-18 units rather than 15) every quarter at a school with very high admission standards and has the same GPA , a student with the same GPA who took a weak course load during the academic year and a bunch of entry level courses at a less competitive college during the summer is not considered as strong.

What about a 3.6 with a rigorous courseload from a school with very high admissions standards VS. a 3.7 who took upper level science courses at a less competitive college during the summer (both applicants from the same undergrad)?

Also, just how much of a distinction do adcoms make between courses that were taken at different colleges? do they come as separate transcripts all together? And is there a distinction made between summer courses at less competitive colleges that were taken during fresh/soph/junior summers as opposed to postbac summers? I've taken summer courses at a less competitive college after my fresh/soph years, but also plan on taking them after i graduate.

 

[LizzyM]

What about a 3.6 with a rigorous courseload from a school with very high admissions standards VS. a 3.7 who took upper level science courses at a less competitive college during the summer (both applicants from the same undergrad)?

We are likely to find a 3.7 who took a rigorous courseload and upper level science courses at that same undergrad and pick that one. Remember, many of us are able to interview only 10-20% of the applicant pool. That's when these course load decisions are being made, when choosing the subset for interview.

Also, just how much of a distinction do adcoms make between courses that were taken at different colleges? do they come as separate transcripts all together? And is there a distinction made between summer courses at less competitive colleges that were taken during fresh/soph/junior summers as opposed to postbac summers? I've taken summer courses at a less competitive college after my fresh/soph years, but also plan on taking them after i graduate.

Where you took the course is shown on your application. We see everything listed chronologically. The red flag is seeing someone who matriculates at, let's say, Brown but does O-Chem or Physics at "Gateway Community College" back in their hometown over the summer. It just looks like someone who was trying to avoid a weed-out at Brown. In fact, some committee letters will even say, "Although many students at [our school] take some of their pre-requisites elsewhere in the summer, Joel took all of his pre-requisite courses at [our school] during the academic year." (insinuating that he did not cut corners to protect his GPA).

 

[TeachEm]

If you take your prereqs it doesn't "become GPA padding" ever.

Could you elaborate on this? Do you mean as long as my pre-requisites are not taken at a CC or during the summer, it wouldn't be considered GPA padding?

 

[TeachEm]

Are you saying these are your summer plan or what you are in currently?

Those are the classes I plan on taking during the summer at a local CC.

 

[WGSgrad]

It probably becomes a bigger deal as it corresponds to your MCAT. You rock the MCAT and apply to MD schools that accept CCs and DO schools, I would guess no one cares that your classes were at a CC or that you GPA was padded...since 1) they use your MCAT to predict your ability to pass standardized test (test taking is a skill) and 2) they don't have to report where you took your classes to USNWR. (Here, USNWR is code for every possible reason they might have to report applicant statistics...including USNWR).

You have a padded GPA and then you do mediocre on the MCAT, seems like they have two reasons to reject.

Ultimately, and while I respect all the folks in this thread, it seems like medical school applications are an arms race. The goal is to get the best possible stats in every category possible. If you are at or below median, it seems like GPA padding should be one of your least concerns.


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