I attend an expensive university, and this summer I wanted to take two online elective classes. I really wanted to raise my GPA by doing this as well as focusing on my core science classes for the fall + spring term. The problem is it will cost up to 4000 for just these 6 credits and I will have to take up a loan. This will make my cost for fall to spring to summer add up to 9500 loan debt for the first year of 37 credits (fall,spring,summer). But there was another option of taking these other elective classes at a community college to transfer them. Problem is they wont raise my GPA. I need advice, is this expensive for it to be 9500 in total this year or should i just take 3 credits at my uni and find a private loan?
fall + spring term was 5500 in loan debt but now 4000 if i take the summer credits
Why are you trying to raise your GPA? Is this to keep a scholarship that you’d otherwise lose, for med school of other admissions, because you have a very low GPA that you’d like to look better or for some other reason? And how does your school calculate GPA? Do they show both a school GPA and an overall GPA (that’s what my daughter’s school does), or do outside courses not count at all toward any GPA? There would have to be a really good reason to take the course at the expensive university before I’d take a $4000 loan to take elective summer courses there if they could otherwise be taken at a local community college, and simply raising GPA (without something else), wouldn’t be a good enough reason for me.
Where would you be getting this loan? Since you’re already maxed out on your federal loans, I assume it’d have to be a private loan for which you’d need a cosigner. Are your parents (or another person with good credit) willing to cosign?
You may not be allowed to borrow for summer if you already have 5500 for school year. Ask your school if summer counts for prior year or following year.
Trying to raise my GPA to become a PA, Just finished freshman year, no i would not lose any scholarships since I only took federal loans, GPA is calculated is overall, outside courses like in community college only count for credit, the loan would be a parent plus loan
Average loan debt at my school after graduation is around 33,000. I commute to school and save.
@StudyxKos Can you take one or two core classes at community college? Lighten your load for the next year and keep electives which you can easily do well in. Sometimes these core classes are easier in the summer anyway (my experience).
@gearmom Yes I can try, the community college term starts June so I have time. I think I have decided to do it at a community college because I can save lots of money. I guess I will just try harder and focus during my sophomore year to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
@StudyxKos I would only take extra classes if it helped speed up my graduation proccess, your gpa will never be raised by classes outside of the university they will always just take them as P/F, how much does each of your classes weigh gpa wise. Mine are 4 credits weighing 16 points, so if you take 3 credit classes weighing 12 points you can still make up ground also some colleges allow you to retake a class to get a better grade and they’ll drop your old grade. Why take extra classes that may not be necessary, you still have a couple years and if your done with your requirements for your major and feel as though you need to boost your gpa then retake the classes you wish. Obviously they will only be counted once so make sure you have met your credits for major requirement to do so. It is not worth paying that amount now unless you want to go to community college knock some requirements off then later in your studies retake the classes you want. That would make more sense to me.
@StudyxKos Take the harder courses during the summer.
@raulhumber2 Those expensive classes would be taken at my university. The classes are like you described them I think so 3 credit hours equals 12 points and would be a grade handed to you. The community college, I don’t know if they are pass and fail. These classes in the community college would be a core of common studies so i might take like sociology for the diverse culture 3 credits required and a literature class for literature and performing arts requirement. @gearmom just checked the community college is not look to accept those big hard courses during the summer. Im only 3 credits behind after this freshman year according to the curriculum.
Thanks for the help everyone I will continue to read if anyone writes, this has been giving me a headache for the past week
And the PA program will require more loans.
You will probably have to take harder science classes next year (organic chemistry?). Make sure you start with tutoring right away as to not get behind.
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guess I will just try harder and focus during my sophomore year to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA.
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who has been advising you in regards to applying to PA schools? You’re going to need a GPA higher than a 3.0.
What is your science GPA? (The GPA of your bio, chem, physics, and math classes?)
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→ The average PA school student has between a 3.36 and 3.47 overall GPA and an undergraduate science GPA between 3.36 and 3.47
The average undergraduate overall GPA for PA school applicants who WERE ACCEPTED into PA school was 3.49, undergraduate science GPA was 3.36, and non-science GPA was 3.56.
The average GPA for students who WERE NOT ACCEPTED into PA school was 3.16"
The PA program will want a 3.5, not a 3.0.
So, I would take some science classes at community college in order to reinforce what you need to improve at college, improve your GPA at your college Fall and Spring, and then advise, decide if you must take these expensive/easy classes because you have a shot at a 3.5 with them, or if they won’t push you to that level.
Going to summer school is expensive, a luxury. If you have FA during the school year with merit aid or need based aid, especially if you school charges a flat fee for taking 12-18 credits, it’s just a pure added cost as you get no help with it. My daughter wanted to do the same thing as you, take an online course for about $3000 in the summer to make her spring semester lighter (only taking 12 or 14 credits) as that’s when she plays her sport (and because she’d heard the online classes were easier). Well, we just didn’t have the $3000. All her FA is for the school year and she can take 18 credits for the same price as 12. The course was ‘free’ if taken during the school terms, $3000 if taken during the summer. She could have taken the course at our local community college or urban university over the summer for about $500, but she just went ahead and took it during the school year.
I think it is too high a price for your parents to take a Plus loan.
I say don’t worry about it. Take courses next year which you know you’ll be successful to bring up that gpa. Take fewer courses if you need to. Work this summer to make enough so you won’t have to have a job next fall, or only a job with 10 hours a week.
My Uni for PA
Data for Accepted Students (Fall 2012 acceptances):
Average UG gpa: 3.3 overall; 3.2 science (on a 4.0 scale)
Average GRE Scores: Verbal 463.12; Quantitative 584.52; Analytical 9.04
Any back up plans with a Biomedical Science Major? I still want to be in the medical field. I mean I still have time and I know plenty of med students who did very bad freshman year and went on to go to med school.
@twoinanddone Is it bad if I stay an extra year or retake Major science courses to improve grades?
Fall 2012 acceptances is not exactly recent. You are going to have to work as hard as possible, and apply to several PA programs.
Is it bad? It might be financially impossible if you have a merit scholarship that is only good for 8 semesters. You have to look at the entire package. One of my kids has scholarships that run out after 4 years. No way could I afford even a semester extra ($28k with no scholarships). For her, the best plan would have been to take a few courses in the summer at a cheaper public school, but she’s done fine, will finish in 4 years. For my other daughter, most of her FA also has an 8 semester limit, but it is a cheaper school and if we have to, we’ll come up with the extra money for a 9th semester… Also her school charges per credit, so to take an extra 3 credit class in the summer costs just a little more than it does in the fall or spring (just the student fees for the term). Every credit costs the same whether it is in the summer or school year.
You have to deal with your situation. You can’t afford summer school. Maybe next year.