MarfaLights Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 Hello all, I've tried help from the coordinator of my PA school of choice, also tried CASPA a couple times with no real answers. I'm hoping someone here can answer my questions. I have a GPA just below the acceptable limit, and have been bringing it up with A's in all prereqs and other classes that I didn't do so well in while doing an undergrad about a decade ago. I have a chance to take an EMT class for 12 credit hours that is graded A-F that can lead to a certification at the end of the course, but I don't believe it's actually part of the course, just an option at the end. Will this class count as GPA credit in general? If so, is there a possibility that it could count as sGPA or not? I believe EMT classes count as Science-Other. For some reason I am thinking that CASPA states that courses graded on an A-F scale are fair game for GPA, but if you get a certificate at the end, then it's not added to GPA. I'm stuck in limbo and don't want to waste my time. Help! Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw67PA Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 EMT classes that count for academic credit (aka have letter grades) will count towards your science GPA. EMT classes are a great way to boost your science GPA since their usually a lot of credits. Regardless of whether you're getting a certificate or not at the end of the course, the classes will still count towards your GPA 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarfaLights Posted October 22, 2020 Author Share Posted October 22, 2020 @Jaw67PA, thanks for your answer! That excites me so much - it sounds almost too good to be true. I contacted CASPA after reading this and, yet again, attempted to explain the situation. They constantly reply with a stock answer of "if you get a certification for the course, it is not counted at all by CASPA"...are you certain or have you encountered this situation before? Obviously, I'm new to the forum, and don't want to step on toes, but this is a make or break for what has been a 3 year plan, and I definitely don't want to be on the wrong side of the answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaw67PA Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 (edited) CASPA help is very useless IMO. I contacted them multiple times over this cycle and they never know anything so I would take what the help desk says with a grain of salt lol. What you can rely on though is their course subject list: https://help.liaisonedu.com/CASPA_Applicant_Help_Center/Filling_Out_Your_CASPA_Application/2._CASPA_Academic_History/4CASPA_Course_Subjects If you take a look at the list you’ll see that courses listed as Emergency Med-Tech (aka EMT) count towards your science GPA. Only way it will not count is if you don’t receive a letter grade for the course. I took an EMT course a few years ago that was just pass/fail so while it showed up on CASPA it didn’t affect my GPA because my final grade was just a “P”. Now if I had received an “A” it would’ve boosted my GPA depending on how many credits the course was. Just make sure you will be able to get a transcript sent to CASPA showing the course name and letter grade once you complete it and you will be golden. edit: Also good for you for being so thorough and not just taking some stranger on the internet’s word as truth lol I completely understand your skepticism. If you want more proof, search this site a bit. You’ll see that questions like yours regarding EMT classes and GPA have been asked hundreds of times on here. Hope this helps! Edited October 23, 2020 by Jaw67PA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarfaLights Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 @Jaw67PA Thanks! I used the Science/Other argument against them, as well, and they just give me the stock answer of "certification=no GPA score" even when I say that it is graded. I even sent an email with the course description and instructor's description with a flat out "no" reply. I think I'm gonna take it. Hypothetically, to say that I could take a Meteorology class and have it help towards my sGPA and not have a real-life medical situation to benefit from an EMT class sounds absolutely ridiculous to me, but I guess that's life sometimes. Again, thanks for your opinion and replies. I needed someone to bounce some ideas off of, since CASPA is very little help unless it's after the fact. I'll search some more on the forums just to be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qcheedude86 Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 I've done this exact thing. Took an EMT class at a community college which greatly boosted my GPA and had no issues from CASPA. Also got an EMT certification after passing the exam which I never even used since I never became an EMT. Unsure if anything has changed since then as this was back in 2013 but am now practicing as a dermatology PA and loving every minute of it! Hope this helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarfaLights Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 @qcheedude86 Thanks for your reply. That's good news and makes me trust my judgement to roll the dice and take the class. The front that CASPA puts on makes me question absolutely everything that might push me back another year (I'm gaining on 40 and have considered a major life/career change). I would seriously pay CASPA to pre-judge my GPA to see what I need before my application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DiggySRNA Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 On 10/23/2020 at 10:49 PM, PossiblePA said: ... I would seriously pay CASPA to pre-judge my GPA to see what I need before my application. haha! Don't give them any ideas lol 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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