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Repeat course to increase GPA. Possible? Would you recommend it?

2hourcommuteftw
edited December 2013 in General
Hey guys.

It turns out that a 3.87 GPA isn't that great for UBC med school (average % is 88) for acceptance), and the only reason my GPA isn't 3.95 - 4.00 is Chem 122 which turned out to be a B for me.

It is possible for me to repeat this course, get an A, and essentially have a GPA which I can enter med school with?

Is it possible to do this?

Would you say that it is a smart decision, or it is a waste of time and money?

Comments

  • ryan
    Well it depends.

    1) Have you finished your degree already? In which case retaking the course would mean only taking the one course?
    2) Have you tried just applying to med school with what you currently have?

    For one I don't see how increasing your cgpa into the realm of 3.95. (A quick calculation on my end seems like an A would leave you with 3.88-3.89 ), in which case I'm not sure it is worth it. Also 88% by SFU's standards is between an A- and an A, which you already have. I know UBC's grade equivalency charts are often not favorable for SFU students though. Still it is possible your marks are already competitive. 

    That said if you have a few courses left and would be adding chem 122 to your load then it might be worth while. In the end it comes down to whether you can live with the uncertainty as to whether or not it would have made a difference if you do not get accepted.  
  • indictmentindictment
    You might want to check what UBC's policy on handling retakes is. It's possible that they take the average of the two grades instead of the better one.
  • 2hourcommuteftw
    Thanks for your response Ryan.

    No actually I have only finished 32 credits thus far, and I am thinking ahead of time of going to med school.

    If I repeat Chem 122 and change it from a B to an A, my cGPA goes from 3.87 to 3.99, which is pretty awesome.

  • Whydoihavetoregister
    You still got more courses to improve upon, I wouldn't fret about it.
  • ryan
    Ah, my math assumed 120 credits.

    Well since you are still early on in your degree I would wait for now. If you still want to redo it when you are close to finishing then you can consider it then. By that point you will likely find that redoing it will not have a large impact on your gpa and will not really be worth it.
  • iStudent
    @2hourcommuteftw your name is awesome.
  • ezc
    3.87 is a pretty solid GPA, even for UBC med.  Plus, you've got lots of time to bump it up if need be.  Just make sure the rest of your application is solid and you'll be fine.
  • Flash
    As others mentioned after 120 credits, 1 mark in your course will not affect the CGPA almost at all. It's about consistency
  • Canuckred
    UBC uses an average of the two courses. So if you first get a B and repeat an A- UBC will average it to a B+. I would wait for a while before I repeated. You are still young in your academic career and it is possible that there may be other courses you wish to repeat later. You only get three repeats.

    Entrance is focused on the interview and extracurriculars as much as GPA. I would suggest to work on those areas, and keep up the strong grades. You will clear up the B very quickly if you keep your grades up!
  • BeAnBeAnBeAnBeAn
    Good luck. Did you take psyc 100?
  • 2hourcommuteftw
    Thanks for the great input and advice guys.

    And BeAnBeAn, no I have not, and I don't think I will.

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