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Penalty for lighter course loads?


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Western's Dentistry page says,

 

"Grades of years with a course load equivalent to a minimum of four full courses will be utilized in the admissions process, but if the course load is less than five, a slight penalty is assessed against the grade, if used in the application process, to reflect the fact that it is based on a lighter course load. The average achieved in an academic year in which fewer than four full-course equivalents are taken will not be considered in entrance decisions."

 

What exactly do they mean by a "slight penalty"?

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Western's Dentistry page says,

 

"Grades of years with a course load equivalent to a minimum of four full courses will be utilized in the admissions process, but if the course load is less than five, a slight penalty is assessed against the grade, if used in the application process, to reflect the fact that it is based on a lighter course load. The average achieved in an academic year in which fewer than four full-course equivalents are taken will not be considered in entrance decisions."

 

What exactly do they mean by a "slight penalty"?

 

They will add a penalty to your average... i.e. deduct a certain percentage depending on how light your course load was. No one knows what the penalty is... it is confidential!

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I thought they tell you whether you are good/bad waitlisted. Maybe I'm confusing this with some other school.

 

And OP, It's not really unfair that they don't tell you the penalty. If they did and it turned out to be only a couple of %s then people would take advantage and go with a lighter course load. That's how I see it anyways.

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I thought they tell you whether you are good/bad waitlisted. Maybe I'm confusing this with some other school.

 

And OP, It's not really unfair that they don't tell you the penalty. If they did and it turned out to be only a couple of %s then people would take advantage and go with a lighter course load. That's how I see it anyways.

 

My problem is that I've done courses in the summer before so that now I can't have a full course load for both of my semesters. I don't want to waste more money and pay for more courses than I need to graduate so I just wanted to know the penalty.

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My problem is that I've done courses in the summer before so that now I can't have a full course load for both of my semesters. I don't want to waste more money and pay for more courses than I need to graduate so I just wanted to know the penalty.

 

I'm also in the same shoes as you, but am taking full course-load regardless. I know it's a waste of money but that extra money you spend is definitely worth it if it turns out that the penalty is more than 5%. Unless you have a 95%+ average in which case I say take the penalty (these are just random estimations btw).

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I'm also in the same shoes as you, but am taking full course-load regardless. I know it's a waste of money but that extra money you spend is definitely worth it if it turns out that the penalty is more than 5%. Unless you have a 95%+ average in which case I say take the penalty (these are just random estimations btw).

 

I hadn't really thought of the penalty much before, but now that you said 5%, I realize it can be a big deal. I wish I knew what the % was...

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