So I’ve been getting this question about transfer credit (courses done at a community college, college, or university, NOT testing credit thru the AP/CLEP/IB program) a lot with respect to GPA & grade points, so I’ll clarify what the facts are:
If your courses were/are taken within the University of Missouri (UM) system (UM-Columbia, UM-St. Louis, UMKC, Missouri S&T) you get GPA & grade points awarded for it. If you take undergraduate coursework outside of those 4 schools to fulfill undergraduate degree requirements, then you get credit, but not the GPA & grade points that go with it: https://www.umkc.edu/registrar/transfer-credit/
Whether or not to take summer classes in the first place before starting up officially in Year 1 of the BA/MD program in the Fall of 2020 I think is an individual decision based on several factors:
- How much incoming credit you are coming with into the BA/MD program (both transfer credit & testing credit).
Keep in mind that outside of the AP/IB exams you all take in May of senior year of high school, you can also take CLEP tests which are available year round to knock off requirements that may apply to your degree major. Just keep in mind that only 30 hours total of testing credit can be applied towards your degree: https://www.umkc.edu/registrar/transfer-credit/test-credit.html
- Your energy level at the end of high school where many of you have worked really hard academically & extracurricular involvement for a full 4 years so you want some type of mental break, which is totally understandable because health & wellness are very important before entering a program like this.
Many of you have had things like AP summer reading assignments so finally having a summer where you have NOTHING to do feels pretty great and can help you to recharge your batteries.
- Whether it is feasible for you to actually take classes in the summer, as often families have plans for extended vacations during that time.
Many of you all are probably quarantined at home right now because of the COVID-19 pandemic & the school year may have even ended early for you, so #2 may not eveb apply as much by the time that it gets to June, like it has for previous entering Year 1 BA/MD classes.
The question that this transfer question most often comes up under is about the General Chemistry I & II + Labs sequence and whether or not incoming students should take it early (one semester or both semesters’ worth) or whether to wait until you get to UMKC in the fall to take it for the grade points & GPA, since the UMKC School of Medicine calculates a science GPA for promotion for BA/MD students.
I don’t think there is a right or wrong answer to this because I’ve seen it done both ways & I think there are indeed pros & cons to both.
I do think taking Cell Biology + Chem 320 + Chem 320 Lab can feel like quite a lot in a condensed 8 week summer semester, so if there is a way in which you can be eligible to take Chem 320 + Chem 320 Lab in a regular 16 week semester, in the Spring of Year 1, your summer in Year 2 won’t be as packed.
Again, I know some students who didn’t come in w/any Chem credit who felt it was just fine, but I think this can vary by individual.
Here is advice from current BA/MD students on this thread too:
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19560536/#Comment_19560536
http://talk.qa.collegeconfidential.com/discussion/comment/19565284/#Comment_19565284