If you have retaken classes in the past – or expect to need to retake a class in the future – this post will help you understand this element of your profile, in general, for the AMCAS application, and for the AACOMAS application, as needed.
Do people get accepted into medical school despite having failed a course or two? Yes. The most important thing you can do is to learn from the experience and do better going forward. Many students have been accepted to medical school after failing and retaking a course or two early in their college education. That said, three or more Fs might be considered a deal-breaker.
If you are not able to retake a course you failed on the same campus, it is still a good idea to take an equivalent course on a different campus, even though AMCAS will not consider it a “repeat.” You can simply explain in your application essays that you retook the course for a higher grade.
For the AMCAS application, candidates must manually enter all coursework and grades. You might wonder why you need to complete this seemingly repetitive and arduous section, given that the organization collects official copies of all your transcripts. This is because it allows AAMC to create a standardized GPA calculation with which to compare all applicants.
Both of these application services request that applicants enter their coursework to create a standardized approach and final calculation, but each medical school has its own way of reviewing academic records. Individual schools might rely only on official transcripts, only on the data entered by the applicant, on some combination of the two, and/or on only a portion of either. For example, some osteopathic medical schools review only the last 60 hours of a candidate’s coursework. Each school and each individual selection committee member has their own approach.
Here is the most important information that you need to know for each application system.
1. All grades earned are calculated into the cumulative GPA.
Although your college might offer grade forgiveness on transcripts for any classes you failed and repeated, AMCAS does not and will calculate all grades for such courses. Even though the failing grade will negatively affect your GPA, not retaking the course and earning a passing grade would be worse. This is true whether the course is a prerequisite or not.Do people get accepted into medical school despite having failed a course or two? Yes. The most important thing you can do is to learn from the experience and do better going forward. Many students have been accepted to medical school after failing and retaking a course or two early in their college education. That said, three or more Fs might be considered a deal-breaker.
2. If you fail a course, retake the course on the same campus
If you decide to repeat a class, whether you passed or failed it, be aware that only courses taken on the same campus can be labeled as repeat courses. In other words, if you fail a class on Campus A and take a similar class on Campus B, you cannot label the second course as a “repeat,” though you will receive GPA credit for taking it.If you are not able to retake a course you failed on the same campus, it is still a good idea to take an equivalent course on a different campus, even though AMCAS will not consider it a “repeat.” You can simply explain in your application essays that you retook the course for a higher grade.
4. Don’t retake courses you passed unless you are returning to school and need the foundational knowledge.
If you received a C or better in a course, there is no need to retake it. It is far more impressive for a student to take new, upper-division courses and excel in them than to repeat lower-division coursework. Upper-division courses are more similar to the level of course you will take in medical school. The only situation in which someone should retake a course they passed is if they have been out of school for years, need the foundational knowledge, and plan to take additional courses in that subject.How the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine (AACOM) and the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) view your grades
The AACOM and the AAMC use all grades received for repeated coursework in a candidate’s total GPA (i.e., including the failing grade and any subsequent attempts).For the AMCAS application, candidates must manually enter all coursework and grades. You might wonder why you need to complete this seemingly repetitive and arduous section, given that the organization collects official copies of all your transcripts. This is because it allows AAMC to create a standardized GPA calculation with which to compare all applicants.
Both of these application services request that applicants enter their coursework to create a standardized approach and final calculation, but each medical school has its own way of reviewing academic records. Individual schools might rely only on official transcripts, only on the data entered by the applicant, on some combination of the two, and/or on only a portion of either. For example, some osteopathic medical schools review only the last 60 hours of a candidate’s coursework. Each school and each individual selection committee member has their own approach.
Here is the most important information that you need to know for each application system.
For AACOMAS
- All attempts at repeating a failed course must be recorded with the units and grades earned each time, because the grades are calculated into the GPA.
- It does not matter where you took or retook a class, as long as you designate it as an equivalent course by labeling it “Repeated.”
- Withdrawals cannot be considered repeats.
- Classes that are designed to be retaken repeatedly, such as PE classes, should not be listed as repeats.
- If your undergraduate institution allows you to take a class for credit again, you can list the class as “Repeated,” even if you did not receive a failing grade in it the first time.
- Some DO medical schools use this GPA calculation, others rely on official transcripts, and still others might review only the last 60 hours of coursework.
For AMCAS
- All attempts at repeating a failed course must be recorded with the units and grades earned each time, because the grades are calculated into the GPA.
- AMCAS relies on the institution’s guidelines with respect to allowing a student to retake a class. Often, repeating is allowed only for classes in which a student has received a failing grade, which is defined by each individual institution. AMCAS does not have its own definition.
- Any class you repeat but do not receive credit for should be listed as an “Exempt” course. Such classes have no impact on your GPA.
- Do not include withdrawals and incompletes as repeat courses.
- AMCAS will not consider courses retaken on other campuses as “repeats.”
Summing up
- If you do need to retake a class, retake it at the same institution if at all possible, so that whether you apply to osteopathic or allopathic schools, it will be considered a repeat course and demonstrate your improvement.
- Before deciding to repeat a course, research your undergraduate institution’s policies on how it defines a failing grade and what rules are in place around retaking classes, including the number of times you can retake a class.
- Taking classes for which you will not receive credit will not help you in any way. Be strategic in your approach. Many students who have had to repeat classes have gotten accepted into medical school – it’s a matter of how quickly you can bounce back.
