Do course retakes really do much good on a graduate application, or is it a waste of time and money?

[EspeciallyInMichigan]

I mean this question to be fairly general, but I'll give some specifics of my situation if it's relevant.

______________________

I have a couple "C" grades in my major, including two intro courses (actually, one intro course that had two separate class components) and one higher required course. I'm debating whether it's worth my time and money to retake these.

 

Without undergoing any retakes, by the time I graduate, I'm probably looking at around a 3.5 institution GPA and just over a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Similarly, major GPA will be at least over 3.6 (institution and cumulative), probably higher. 

I also have about four course withdrawals in total (W, WF, WP, and WF).  (I had thought I was doing myself a favor before I did more research on the matter.)

 

These stats are most likely okay for the programs I've more seriously considered (counseling and MSW programs).  However, I probably will not go to grad school immediately, and I want to keep my options as open as possible in case priorities change.  I'm aware that these stats wouldn't be considered stellar by grad schools in general.  

So all these things considered, might it be worth my time/money to retake any of the aforementioned "C" courses?

 

Any input that might help would be greatly appreciated.

Edited May 7, 2015 by EspeciallyInMichigan

[MidwesternAloha]

They show initiative.

[EspeciallyInMichigan]

They show initiative.

And this is something I could benefit from, I'm assuming, given that I have four course withdrawals?

[MidwesternAloha]

Absolutely

[twentysix]

And this is something I could benefit from, I'm assuming, given that I have four course withdrawals?

 

I have 7 W's and it was of no consequence, I was still accepted to the #3, #5, and #12 programs in my field/subfield. I guess everyones situation is different, but I'm not sure they matter that much.

 

One of my W's was even a retake of an intro course that I got a C in back when dinosaurs roamed the earth. I took it with good intentions as my 7th course that semester, I ended up putting hardly any effort into it and as a result was only going to get about a B in it anyway. So I dropped it and concentrated on getting A's in the other 6 classes.

 

Though my field is different, my cumulative GPA was about a 3.6 when I applied, and my two major GPAs were closer to 4.0s.

 

I don't know if that helps you, but I would say whatever you do focus on getting perfect scores in your remaining upper level major specific courses.

Edited May 11, 2015 by twentysix

[EspeciallyInMichigan]

Thank you both, this helps me a lot.

[TakeruK]

I don't have any experience with applying to "professional masters" programs like MSW programs. But here are my thoughts, from the point of view of someone applying to research graduate programs after a bachelors degree with regards to course retakes. Maybe these won't apply to your case, but here they are in case you think they can apply to you.

 

1. I don't think retaking a course helps you very much. I agree they show initiative, but if you get a "C" in "Intro to X", it's far better to take "Intermediate X" next and get a better grade than it is to retake "Intro to X". Retaking courses is often a waste of time and money because they don't count towards the other requirements you need.

 

2. Many schools don't even allow retakes. My undergrad school only allow retakes if you got a F. If you end up with a passing grade, that's it. So if you are applying to a school with the same policy, they probably will not appreciate retakes either.

 

3. If you retake the course and get a similar grade, then that's even worse than only taking it once. For example, if you get a C in "Intro to X" and then retake it and get a "C+", that just shows that your skill in "X" really is C level and not an abnormality. Not to mention wasting time and money and effort in the retake. 

[velua]

I don't have any experience with applying to "professional masters" programs like MSW programs. But here are my thoughts, from the point of view of someone applying to research graduate programs after a bachelors degree with regards to course retakes. Maybe these won't apply to your case, but here they are in case you think they can apply to you.

 

1. I don't think retaking a course helps you very much. I agree they show initiative, but if you get a "C" in "Intro to X", it's far better to take "Intermediate X" next and get a better grade than it is to retake "Intro to X". Retaking courses is often a waste of time and money because they don't count towards the other requirements you need.

 

2. Many schools don't even allow retakes. My undergrad school only allow retakes if you got a F. If you end up with a passing grade, that's it. So if you are applying to a school with the same policy, they probably will not appreciate retakes either.

 

3. If you retake the course and get a similar grade, then that's even worse than only taking it once. For example, if you get a C in "Intro to X" and then retake it and get a "C+", that just shows that your skill in "X" really is C level and not an abnormality. Not to mention wasting time and money and effort in the retake. 

 

It's not worth it to show you made a gaffe that one semester. It's only worth it to increase the numerical GPA value on your transcript. So if for example you've already graduated, don't bother retaking it as a post-bac course at your local university. The exception being if you failed an upper level (or maybe even a C grade) class in your major that's very fundamental and not just an elective course.

[Eigen]

And increasing the GPA only works if the school you're graduating from replaces your earlier grade with the new grade. At many schools, that's not the case. 

 

You just get both grades listed on the transcript, in which case doing well in another higher level course would look better for admissions. 

 

I would also say that if you retake a course, you need to be able to get a much higher grade. IE, if you can retake it and get an A, it might be worthwhile. If you don't think you're going to get that A, it's probably not worth it.

 

I also can't speak as much for professional programs, but where some people imply it shows initiative, I would think it shows poor time management skills. I wouldn't consider retaking a course that you did "OK" on a worthwhile expenditure of time or money- you're not necessarily learning anything new. Taking initiative would be taking a higher level course than the one you did poorly on, and having that to show to balance the lower, earlier, grade.

[velua]

And increasing the GPA only works if the school you're graduating from replaces your earlier grade with the new grade. At many schools, that's not the case. 

 

You just get both grades listed on the transcript, in which case doing well in another higher level course would look better for admissions. 

 

I would also say that if you retake a course, you need to be able to get a much higher grade. IE, if you can retake it and get an A, it might be worthwhile. If you don't think you're going to get that A, it's probably not worth it.

 

I also can't speak as much for professional programs, but where some people imply it shows initiative, I would think it shows poor time management skills. I wouldn't consider retaking a course that you did "OK" on a worthwhile expenditure of time or money- you're not necessarily learning anything new. Taking initiative would be taking a higher level course than the one you did poorly on, and having that to show to balance the lower, earlier, grade.

I agree mostly. I'm probably going to take an online probability class. Many programs want it as a pre-req, and although I have a pretty good handle on the material already, I learned it by studying for an actuarial exam, which is kind of awkward to show on applications. That said, I should still learn some stuff and fill in gaps in my knowledge. But the tuition for the course is really cheap and I probably wouldn't take it if it were an expensive course.

 

(This isn't about a retake per se, just about spending time/money on a class where you don't learn a huge amount.)

Edited May 12, 2015 by velua

[EspeciallyInMichigan]

Thanks a lot, everyone!

 

It seems like there's somewhat of a consensus that it would be better to simply take a "higher level" course than it would be to retake the course.  I have previously taken numerous other courses in my major that are "higher level", but none of them have corresponded to the specific topic of the course I am considering retaking.  Also, as velua noted to be an important exception, the course I''m considering retaking could be considered fundamental within my major.  Lastly, I do not have the option of taking a higher level course that corresponds to the specific topic at hand, as TakeruK suggested.  Any input on how my situation factors in, given all this?

 

(Just to be clear: The course is behavioral psychology, and I am a psychology major.  It could be considered a fundamental major course, and I have considered obtaining a graduate-level certification that relates.  I have taken and done well in higher level courses in the past, but none related to behavioral psychology.  I have no option of taking a higher level behavioral psychology course at my institution.)

Edited May 14, 2015 by EspeciallyInMichigan

[twentysix]

I don't have any experience with applying to "professional masters" programs like MSW programs. But here are my thoughts, from the point of view of someone applying to research graduate programs after a bachelors degree with regards to course retakes. Maybe these won't apply to your case, but here they are in case you think they can apply to you.

 

1. I don't think retaking a course helps you very much. I agree they show initiative, but if you get a "C" in "Intro to X", it's far better to take "Intermediate X" next and get a better grade than it is to retake "Intro to X". Retaking courses is often a waste of time and money because they don't count towards the other requirements you need.

 

2. Many schools don't even allow retakes. My undergrad school only allow retakes if you got a F. If you end up with a passing grade, that's it. So if you are applying to a school with the same policy, they probably will not appreciate retakes either.

 

3. If you retake the course and get a similar grade, then that's even worse than only taking it once. For example, if you get a C in "Intro to X" and then retake it and get a "C+", that just shows that your skill in "X" really is C level and not an abnormality. Not to mention wasting time and money and effort in the retake. 

 

Is that a canadian thing?

 

Retakes are allowed for us regardless of what one earned the first time around. Retakes allow GPA to be increased, but do not count towards honors status.

 

If you got a C the first time, it will always be a C as far as being Magna Cum Laude is considered, but your actual GPA will reflect the retake.

[TakeruK]

I can't speak for all Canadian schools, but I know my undergrad school (UBC) does this and I just did a check for two other big Canadian schools, Toronto and McGill. Toronto also does not allow repeat for courses with credit granted; however some exceptions apply (but the repeated course does not count towards your GPA). McGill does allow repeats but both attempts are included in the GPA calculation.

 

Here are the links to these school's policies

 

UBC: http://science.ubc.ca/students/degree

 

Toronto: http://www.artsandscience.utoronto.ca/ofr/calendar/Rules_&_Regulations.html

 

McGill: https://www.mcgill.ca/study/2010-2011/university-regulations-and-information/gi_grading_and_grade_point_averages

 

Note: It does seem that these are not always campus-wide policies. In doing this research, I learned that UBC students in the Faculty of Science are not allowed to repeat passed courses but students in the Faculty of Arts are allowed to do it once. Anyways, if you are wondering about a particular school/program, probably best to look up their policies.

[RunnerGrad]

In my experience (and it may be a Canadian thing), you are not allowed to repeat courses you passed, and graduate programs don't look kindly on retakes.

I have two undergraduate degrees (I needed to take the second in order to become a registered dietitian). The dietetics program (2nd degree) wanted me to retake biochem, despite having a 92 in the course, because they felt it had been too long since I had taken it as part of my first degree. I was not allowed to retake it, as I has passed it the first time around. I would have needed special permission to retake it if the dietetics program had insisted on the retake.