What classes count towards your science GPA?

Pre-Med & Medical School Pre-Med Topics
1

<p>So, I think it seems to be the general consensus that your overall GPA and your science GPA are two different factors considered in med school admissions.</p>

<p>Does anyone know what classes exactly count towards your science GPA: only the core classes (gen chem, orgo, physics, bio) or also any other science classes you take (i.e. a 100-level bio class on life sciences, 200-level chem class on analytical chem, etc.)
What about a psych class called intro to neuroscience, or what about a 200 level cognitive science class on the brain and cognition?
Do math classes also count towards your science GPA?</p>

<p>Any input would be appreciated.</p>

2

<p>ALL the math, chem, physics and bio courses you take count towards your science GPA.</p>

3

<p>Calculus level math is counted towards your science GPA. But what about pre-cal?</p>

4

<p>Non-calc math classes also count towards your BPCM GPA. Math isn't just calculus.</p>

5

<p>AMCAS mostly pays attention to department listing, so psych is unlikely to count. Cognitive science I'm less sure of.</p>

6

<p>And I also heard that classes like earth science and other sciences not in the ones BDM listed don't count either...?</p>

7

<p>Nutrition count?</p>

8

<p>Is it Biology, Chemistry, Physics, or Math?</p>

9

<p>Your Science or "BCPM" GPA</p>

<p>Hello. I had a quick question for you: what do I count in my pre-med GPA? Is it all science courses or just the required pre-med courses? Do engineering and math classes count? What about astrophysics and geoscience? Thanks so much for your help.</p>

<p>Answer: Your "pre-med" GPA is more commonly known as your science GPA, and sometimes referred to as your "BCPM" GPA (Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Math). When you apply to medical schools using the online AMCAS application, you may include any course under the "BCPM" heading if over 50% of the content of the class was one of those four basic science subjects, regardless of the course number, professor, or Department. AMCAS leaves these decisions up to you; you are the person who categories your courses as science or "all other." So when we ask for your science GPA, that's what we mean. Engineering, Geosciences, Astrophysics, some Psychology and Neuroscience…there are many fields that involve "science," but according to your med school applications a majority of the courses must be Bio, Chem, Physics, or Math. </p>

<p>This is from Health</a> Professions Advising - Princeton University </p>

<p>Would I be correct in saying that it depends on you?</p>

10

<p>
[quote]
Would I be correct in saying that it depends on you?

[/quote]
If so, then that's ridiculous. I'd like to know about it, too.</p>

11

<p>You can mark the class down as whatever you want. AAMC will correct you.</p>

<p>They will look at two things to determine whether it is a science course or not: the department it's offered under and the title. Courses offered under BPCM departments are science obviously. Certain other courses can also be counted as science. I've seen stats and biological psychology counted as science even when not offered by the math or bio department.</p>

12

<p>
[quote]
You can mark the class down as whatever you want. AAMC will correct you.

[/quote]
</p>

<p>Med schools receive lots of applications, and examining each application to confirm that all of an applicant's BCPM courses are BCPM and all of the AO are AO will take a lot of time. On top of that they may have many other tasks like evaluating EC's.</p>

13

<p>Medical schools don't verify your courses. The AAMC does. That's what you pay them for: they receive all of your transcripts and go through your courses (ONE BY ONE) to make sure your courses are listed correctly and then they calculate your BPCM, overall, and AO GPA's. Then they send the verified app to med schools.</p>

<p>This is why we tell you to apply early. In June, when I turned in my app, my application was verified in only 2 days. By August and September, there was such a backlog that it was taking 6-8 weeks before your app was verified.</p>

14

<p>AMCAS has a very specific set of rules: statistics (or anything in the statistics department) is Math; etc.</p>

<p>They WILL go through with a fine-toothed comb. They WILL correct you. And they WILL err on the side of exclusion rather than inclusion when in doubt.</p>

15

<p>What kind of information has to be provided for the application from the applicant? Course description?</p>

16

<p>Department, number, title, grade received.</p>

17

<p>hate to bring up an old thread, but my question is rather similar:</p>

<p>do ethics classes count under science GPA (specifically bioethics or medical ethics)?</p>

<p>How about astronomy or fish science classes?</p>

18

<p>Do they count BPCM GPA based on course department or course title?</p>

<p>Case 1: (Course Department is under Biology)</p>

<p>INTBIO C100-Communicating Ocean Sciences 2010
(INTBIO=Integrative Biology)</p>

<p>Does this count toward BPCM?</p>

<p>Case 2: (Course Title is under Biology [Microbiology], but the course department is not)</p>

<p>PH 162A-Public Health Microbiology
(PH=Public Health)</p>

<p>Does this count toward BPCM?</p>

19

<p>Last paragraph starting on page 59</p>

<p><a href=“http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/amcas2009instructionmanual072808.pdf[/url]”>http://www.aamc.org/students/amcas/amcas2009instructionmanual072808.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>search for BCPM to take you directly to the courses that matter.</p>

<p>You can list the classes as you like. They will be reviewed and changed at the very worst, but as long as it seems justifiable they won’t.</p>

20

<p>I went into college with an AA degree I got during high school. From the start, I took upper level (300+/Jr) science classes for a dual degree in chemistry and physics. I have science credits coming out my ears! I ended up getting a degree in just physics, with minors in chemistry, materials science, and math. THEN I decided I wanted to be a veterinarian instead and got a Zoology degree (and I got a MUCH higher gpa I might add). I went to vet school for 2 semesters, and got sick of the lack of humanity I experienced and decided that I have a much better mindset and aptitude for medicine.</p>

<p>My question is - can I pick which science classes to include in my BCPM calculation that maximize my science GPA?
For example: I did great in my calculus classes, but not so great in Applied partial differential equations (400 level). Great in Modern Physics (300 level), not as great in Classical Physics (200)… etc. Also I took an anatomy class that I adored, totally rocked, and later was a TA for - can I add that one to biology, and not genetics or molecular biology?</p>