Retake or CLEP?

[Vith]

I took Public Speaking my first semester out of high school, and quit going about 2/3 of the way through the quarter. For this outstanding display of effort, I was given an F. I absolutely hated the class, and it seemed like the biggest waste of time on the planet.
Now, 8 years later, I still hate the class and retaking it seems like the biggest waste of time, effort, and money I can currently imagine.
I took the DANTES test about a month ago, and easily passed the written portion but failed the speech due to length. Whatever, it was free anyway.
So now that I'm soon to be a civilian, I won't have free CLEP/DANTES access anymore and will have to pay out of pocket for the stupid test to exempt the stupid class.
It would cost 130 bucks to CLEP it again, or about 1200 to take the class (I go to an obscenely expensive private school). Financially it seems better to retest, but I'm curious if that will be looked down upon by adcoms.
Does anyone have any feedback in that regard? I'm hoping to test out of most of my general ed crap. It seems like a really solid way to save several thousand bucks and a lot of time, but I'm wondering if there's a down side I don't know about. I have a Humanities CLEP today and a History I CLEP next week.

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[JuniperB]

At some point you will have to learn to get comfortable with public speaking, especially if you plan to become a Dr.

I strongly recomend Toastmasters: http://www.toastmasters.org/

Find a club near you, join.

As far as cleping vs takign the course - seems that you should be able to do the Comms class at a CC, it is not one of the upper division science classes. Take the cheap option. Get the good grade. I didnt want to take normal public speaking - so I took communication for groups, it has served me very well.

Cheers,

JB

 

[Vith]

I don't have a problem with public speaking.
Having taken it already and then later attended Airman Leadership School (which unfortunately counts as management credit), it just feels like a bridge I've already crossed.
My loathing for the class stems more from the amount of crap you have to do for it, which I feel would be time better spent on other classes or teaching my infant son bad habits.
Maybe I'm just being picky, but it seems like there's enough suffering in this process as it is. Why endure what you don't need to?

 

[gman33]

Unless you are applying DO, there is no reason to retake, unless it is a requirement for your degree.
You would only need to retake if it was a prereq.

 

[Vith]

I think you missed my OP. I have to come up with a grade for the class one way or another because I freakin' failed it 8 years ago.
Anyway, I guess it isn't relevant, since there isn't a speech CLEP, only a DANTES, and I won't have access to DANTES tests in 3 days when I turn back into a normal person.
Just got back from the Humanities CLEP and owned the crap out of it. One less annoying class to take

 

[student1799]

I took Public Speaking my first semester out of high school, and quit going about 2/3 of the way through the quarter. For this outstanding display of effort, I was given an F. I absolutely hated the class, and it seemed like the biggest waste of time on the planet.
Now, 8 years later, I still hate the class and retaking it seems like the biggest waste of time, effort, and money I can currently imagine.
I took the DANTES test about a month ago, and easily passed the written portion but failed the speech due to length. Whatever, it was free anyway.
So now that I'm soon to be a civilian, I won't have free CLEP/DANTES access anymore and will have to pay out of pocket for the stupid test to exempt the stupid class.
It would cost 130 bucks to CLEP it again, or about 1200 to take the class (I go to an obscenely expensive private school). Financially it seems better to retest, but I'm curious if that will be looked down upon by adcoms.
Does anyone have any feedback in that regard? I'm hoping to test out of most of my general ed crap. It seems like a really solid way to save several thousand bucks and a lot of time, but I'm wondering if there's a down side I don't know about. I have a Humanities CLEP today and a History I CLEP next week.

I'm not sure what all this CLEP/DANTES stuff is--sounds like some sort of equivalency testing you do in the military. I agree with previous posters that there is no particular reason to retake this class unless you want to. However, I do want to warn you that even if you "test out" of this class by taking an exam, that is NOT going to wipe out the old F you got in the course for med school purposes. AMCAS is extremely strict, and EVERY college course you ever took (includes military courses, BTW) is included in your undergrad GPA. So if that F hurts your GPA, you would be wise to take other courses (not necessarily in the same subject) and get A's to bring the GPA up. Luckily for you, public speaking is not going to affect your science GPA, which is the most important of all.

 

[Vith]

CLEP is a test anyone can take, and it's something I'd encourage anyone to consider. It's a great option for nontrads who don't have their bachelor's yet. http://www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html
DANTES is military-only, but there are a lot more tests available compared to what College Board offers.
I know testing out of it won't erase a previous bad grade, but neither will retaking it. It's just going to be a cross to bear. I have a couple C's and that F from way back when that I'm going to have to overcome.
Does AMCAS calculate pass/fail classes into your GPA? That would be awesome if it did, because all my military credits are P/F... which sucks at the moment because having 70 hours of P/F electives does absolutely nothing for me other than raising the cap on my Staffords.
Thankfully, I didn't take any science classes before I decided that school was important, so I still have a 4.0 science GPA to offset my cumulative.

 

[JuniperB]

Some colleges dont accept CLEP, do your homework if you are looking at this option. Eg, My school has a CLEP process but it takes the same amount of time as taking the class - lots of hoops to jump through.

 

[Vith]

Thankfully, I don't have that problem.
One of the perks of a small school is the abscence of BS. Yesterday, I walked in and took a test, passed, and got 6 hours of Humanities credit... twice as much as I would have gotten if I would have taken the class. At this rate, I'm going to have like 250 hours before I get an actual degree.
Oh, also one thing I just learned that might help some folks out: Veterans are entitled to CLEP reimbursement by the VA. Not sure how this works in practice, but I assume it means you pay the fee up front and they'll kick it back to you in a direct deposit.

Does anyone have any actual experience CLEPin' a prereq? I'm strongly considering taking the English Comp w/ essay but I don't think it'd count as a semester of English for med school prereqs.

 

[student1799]

I have a couple C's and that F from way back when that I'm going to have to overcome.

I hear ya. I have some really bad grades from 25 years ago that are still following me around.

Does AMCAS calculate pass/fail classes into your GPA? That would be awesome if it did, because all my military credits are P/F... which sucks at the moment because having 70 hours of P/F electives does absolutely nothing for me other than raising the cap on my Staffords.
Thankfully, I didn't take any science classes before I decided that school was important, so I still have a 4.0 science GPA to offset my cumulative.

No, P/F doesn't count in your GPA. (I, for one, am grateful that it doesn't; in that notorious period of my life 25 y.a., I took orgo P/F "not for med school, just because it seemed like a cool subject." WHAT WAS I THINKING? Anyway, this was the class where I learned that it's actually possible to fail a P/F course. Sigh.)

Kudos on the 4.0 BCMP! That should really help you a lot. Just don't let it slip; cut down to 1 or 2 classes at a time if you have to, so you can be sure of getting A's.

 

[Vith]

Kudos on the 4.0 BCMP! That should really help you a lot. Just don't let it slip; cut down to 1 or 2 classes at a time if you have to, so you can be sure of getting A's.

I wish I had time. I'm hell-bent and determined to get my undergrad done before I'm 30. I'm prettymuch going to be taking 3 labs a semester plus a math for the next two years, then science electives and thesis' my last year. It's going to be rough, but it beats working here.