Why the hell did I go to school with a quarter system?!?

[sbs152]

I can't remember if this topic has been addressed, but I can't find it, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people have these type questions, so I'm going to post it again.

How are credit hours transfered in schools with the quarter system? I went to Northwestern, and never once heard the term 'quarter hour'. Everything was done in terms of credits, a course was one credit, and you went up a class after 11 credits.

Secondly, I graduated in 2005. Since I wasn't a bio major, I've spent this past year taking upper level bio classes at Northwestern's School of Continuing Studies while researching full time. Do I list this as a separate college, or just add another year on my existing NU heading? Also, do I put classes taken this year as 'postbac undergraduate', or just 'undergraduate'? It's listed on my undergraduate transcript with all my other undergrad courses, if that helps.

Lastly, and if you're still reading this you rock, I am taking two bio classes this quarter. I want to submit June 1, but the grades for these courses won't be final until June 10, at the earliest. From then, I would have to wait for them first to be listed on my transcript, then sent to AMCAS and verified. This would probably take until early to mid July to be done, and I really don't want to wait that long. If I submit my application with those courses 'in progress', is it a pain to get AMCAS to update it after my app is verified? Does it make sense if I just submit early and later send grade reports to each school I am applying to?

Thanks a lot for reading this far. Now discuss!

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[beefballs]

I can't remember if this topic has been addressed, but I can't find it, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people have these type questions, so I'm going to post it again.

How are credit hours transfered in schools with the quarter system? I went to Northwestern, and never once heard the term 'quarter hour'. Everything was done in terms of credits, a course was one credit, and you went up a class after 11 credits.

Secondly, I graduated in 2005. Since I wasn't a bio major, I've spent this past year taking upper level bio classes at Northwestern's School of Continuing Studies while researching full time. Do I list this as a separate college, or just add another year on my existing NU heading? Also, do I put classes taken this year as 'postbac undergraduate', or just 'undergraduate'? It's listed on my undergraduate transcript with all my other undergrad courses, if that helps.

Lastly, and if you're still reading this you rock, I am taking two bio classes this quarter. I want to submit June 1, but the grades for these courses won't be final until June 10, at the earliest. From then, I would have to wait for them first to be listed on my transcript, then sent to AMCAS and verified. This would probably take until early to mid July to be done, and I really don't want to wait that long. If I submit my application with those courses 'in progress', is it a pain to get AMCAS to update it after my app is verified? Does it make sense if I just submit early and later send grade reports to each school I am applying to?

Thanks a lot for reading this far. Now discuss!

similar boat, since they appear on your undergrad transcript list them there, and no I wouldn't list it as another school. I went to a 1/4 school too and there is a conversion or something on amcas I used last year. Since the class will appear on your transcript you should put down in progress if you don't have a grade.

good luck and consult amcas for any other questions-I didn't find it too frustrating

 

[UMP]

anything taken at the undergrad level after you got your Bachelor's is by definition post-bacc. Put that as your class level for those courses. (Even if they are grad school level courses, but they are not taken towards a graduate degree they are considered post-bacc)

quarter system sucks, all my friends that went to NW start in late september and are in school until late June or something, while the rest of us Michiganders have a nice four month summer from may-august

 

[relentless11]

anything taken at the undergrad level after you got your Bachelor's is by definition post-bacc. Put that as your class level for those courses. (Even if they are grad school level courses, but they are not taken towards a graduate degree they are considered post-bacc)

Your statement about putting the class level as "post-bacc" even if they are grad level courses when taken in a non-degree earning program is incorrect. As defined by AMCAS:

• If you were enrolled in more than one program (e.g., undergraduate and
graduate) at an institution, create a separate entry for each program.

• If you were awarded or expect to be awarded multiple degrees at a single
institution, create a separate entry for each degree."

• Assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level course
work that is not applied to an undergraduate degree.

• Do NOT assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level
course work applied to an undergraduate degree. Assign appropriate
undergraduate status (FR, SO, JR, SR).

Unless there is a post-bacc degree involved, the graduate level courses will NOT be considered as post-bacc and thus be considered as a graduate level class. Thanks to AquasHeladas for looking this up for us in a previous thread.

 

[stiffany]

Your statement about putting the class level as "post-bacc" even if they are grad level courses when taken in a non-degree earning program is incorrect. As defined by AMCAS:

• If you were enrolled in more than one program (e.g., undergraduate and
graduate) at an institution, create a separate entry for each program.

• If you were awarded or expect to be awarded multiple degrees at a single
institution, create a separate entry for each degree."

• Assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level course
work that is not applied to an undergraduate degree.

• Do NOT assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level
course work applied to an undergraduate degree. Assign appropriate
undergraduate status (FR, SO, JR, SR).

Unless there is a post-bacc degree involved, the graduate level courses will NOT be considered as post-bacc and thus be considered as a graduate level class. Thanks to AquasHeladas for looking this up for us in a previous thread.

Thanks. This is helpful. Perhaps I should be reading the AMCAS guidebook instead of perusing SDN. Also of note though is there's a thing you can select that says "postbac" as your year in school once you create a new school entry for your postbac program.

 

[snobored18]

Just a not of warning AMCAS really likes to mess with how the credits are counted for those of us from schools on term/quarter systems. For me last year my full credit humanities classes were given 3.3 semester hours instead of the 4 the equivalent class would have been rewarded at a semester school. So yeah they definitely mess with us and it can impact your calculated GPA which is a bit bogus.

 

[beefballs]

yeah my gpa took a hit from amcas

 

[sbs152]

Just a not of warning AMCAS really likes to mess with how the credits are counted for those of us from schools on term/quarter systems. For me last year my full credit humanities classes were given 3.3 semester hours instead of the 4 the equivalent class would have been rewarded at a semester school. So yeah they definitely mess with us and it can impact your calculated GPA which is a bit bogus.

so is there somewhere i can find how credits are transferred to hours?

 

[MediMama23]

http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/conversionguide2006.pdf

 

[luhando]

so is there somewhere i can find how credits are transferred to hours?

I'm a senior at NU. as i remember they change it to 3.3 per class, but i THINK you enter them as 1 and AMCAS will take care of it. i would double check that.

also...don't wait til your new grades are out unless you really think it will have some kind of major impact on your app (and i doubt 2 classes will but i could be wrong). What you can do is contact teh schools you sent primaries to and update your grades with them. that way your app goes in asap and you have a good excuse to call the admissions office 🙂.

 

[sbs152]

I'm a senior at NU. as i remember they change it to 3.3 per class, but i THINK you enter them as 1 and AMCAS will take care of it. i would double check that.

also...don't wait til your new grades are out unless you really think it will have some kind of major impact on your app (and i doubt 2 classes will but i could be wrong). What you can do is contact teh schools you sent primaries to and update your grades with them. that way your app goes in asap and you have a good excuse to call the admissions office 🙂.

so i just spoke with the registrar's office (should have done that in the first place 🙂) and they said one credit is converted to 2.6 semester hours and a credit during the summer session is 3 semester hours. does this sound familiar?

 

[medstylee]

I can't remember if this topic has been addressed, but I can't find it, and I'm pretty sure a lot of people have these type questions, so I'm going to post it again.

How are credit hours transfered in schools with the quarter system? I went to Northwestern, and never once heard the term 'quarter hour'. Everything was done in terms of credits, a course was one credit, and you went up a class after 11 credits.

Secondly, I graduated in 2005. Since I wasn't a bio major, I've spent this past year taking upper level bio classes at Northwestern's School of Continuing Studies while researching full time. Do I list this as a separate college, or just add another year on my existing NU heading? Also, do I put classes taken this year as 'postbac undergraduate', or just 'undergraduate'? It's listed on my undergraduate transcript with all my other undergrad courses, if that helps.

Lastly, and if you're still reading this you rock, I am taking two bio classes this quarter. I want to submit June 1, but the grades for these courses won't be final until June 10, at the earliest. From then, I would have to wait for them first to be listed on my transcript, then sent to AMCAS and verified. This would probably take until early to mid July to be done, and I really don't want to wait that long. If I submit my application with those courses 'in progress', is it a pain to get AMCAS to update it after my app is verified? Does it make sense if I just submit early and later send grade reports to each school I am applying to?

Thanks a lot for reading this far. Now discuss!

i also went to northwestern - on amcas i designated each one of my courses as 2.7 credit hours (this is what the former nu pre-med advisor told me to do), and it worked fine for me. best of luck.