Duke Physician Assistant Program Admissions Blog
In honor of Groundhog Day, let’s discuss repetition; specifically, repeating courses.
If you have a low grade on a course, don't panic. After all - as long as your name isn't Bill Murray - tomorrow is a new day!
With that unsatisfying grade lingering on your transcript, you may be wondering "should I retake the course for a better grade, or take a completely different, higher level, course?"
When it comes to your GPA, CASPA includes everything. Retaking a course does not replace the grade in the GPA that CASPA sends to individual schools.
So, there is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question.
Frequently, it does not matter if you replace apples with apples.
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The first thing to consider is whether the class is a required prerequisite for the schools that interest you. If it is, make sure that taking a different course wouldn’t leave you short a prerequisite.
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What level was the course you are considering repeating? If the course in question is a high-level course you feel will impress readers, you might consider taking it again. But only if you are sure you can do better this time around.
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How long ago did you take it? Failing a course, even an intro course, a decade ago is unlikely to matter much if your grades since then have been solid.
Consider why you didn’t do well the first time around.
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Did you take a class you were not interested in, just for the glam and sparkle it might bring to your application? Just like we hope that everyone’s favorite weather prognosticating marmot won’t bring in another six weeks of winter, do you really want to spend another semester in a class you did not enjoy?
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Was the class above your abilities at the time? Have those abilities grown?
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Or was it another combination of factors not likely to be repeated?
Other considerations
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Is the same course still offered?
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Will it fit into your schedule?
Since course offerings vary from school to school and semester to semester, the availability of the course might make your decision for you.
All this information may not tell you exactly what to do, but hopefully you can rest easy knowing that most of the time there is no wrong answer.
The Duke Physician Assistant Program Admissions Blog presents information based on the experiences of Duke PA Program staff and faculty. While the information provided is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication, requirements can change. Please visit the Duke PA Program website for the most up-to-date information.