3.68 vs 3.70 Spring Quarter- wait or submit?

[ronnicus]

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Spring quarter grades won't be in until June 21st at the earliest. Should I wait for them and get that boost or submit June 1st? Here are the differences:
Current: cGPA: 3.72, sGPA: 3.68, After spring quarter: cGPA: 3.74, sGPA: 3.70

Is it worth applying later in the cycle for the 3.7? I'm a pretty average applicant (nothing special) so I really need some advice.

 

[dboyhaaan]

Is it possible to update your grades after submitting?

 

[Toutie]

Spring quarter grades won't be in until June 21st at the earliest. Should I wait for them and get that boost or submit June 1st? Here are the differences:
Current: cGPA: 3.72, sGPA: 3.68, After spring quarter: cGPA: 3.74, sGPA: 3.70

Is it worth applying later in the cycle for the 3.7? I'm a pretty average applicant (nothing special) so I really need some advice.

Wait. As long as you are in by July 1, you are "early".

 

[ronnicus]

Is it possible to update your grades after submitting?

That's a good question I was wondering myself. If I apply this early though, med schools may read my app before my school even finishes processing grades.

 

[dboyhaaan]

That's a good question I was wondering myself. If I apply this early though, med schools may read my app before my school even finishes processing grades.

Maybe you can mention somewhere on the app your GPA is going to go up and you're just waiting for the grades to be submitted?

 

[bananafish94]

I don't think a .02 difference is worth delaying your application.

 

[Toutie]

Once your app is submitted, you can not add grades to it.

Your application will not be harmed by waiting to submit it in mid/late June when your grades are posted. Off the top of my head...UCLA, U of Washington, Northwestern, and Stanford are all on the quarter system. Do you honestly think the applications of their graduates are harmed because the final quarter grades don't come in until mid/late June?

Relax, you're fine. As long as your app is in before July, you will still be early.

 

[ronnicus]

I don't think a .02 difference is worth delaying your application.

Yes but it's a .02 bump to a 3.7 which at least to me would look more favorably than a 3.68. I don't know how medical schools interpret this cutoff though which is why I'm wondering.

 

[bananafish94]

Yes but it's a .02 bump to a 3.7 which at least to me would look more favorably than a 3.68. I don't know how medical schools interpret this cutoff though which is why I'm wondering.

I think the only way it would make a difference is if the schools gave the same score to different GPA brackets and a 3.6X would be worth a different score than a 3.7X.

I just re-read your post...if you submitted your primary on June 21 you would still likely be fine. At that point, it may very well be verified fast enough to be sent out with the first burst of applications. If you get your application in during the first couple weeks of July, you should be fine.

 

[ronnicus]

Rule 1: Take a Breath

1) Adcoms do not see GPA as overall all isolated number, but do so in the the context of the "grade grid" as below. Applicants are far, far too focused on the single GPA number as a point of evaluation by an adcom. They do see your grade trends, MCAT and entire application.
2) The difference in a .02 is about a half percent difference from 3.68 to 3.70
3) Personally, I expect to see a student's spring grades when reviewing an app
4) Having your transcript request to your UG school, received by AMCAS, verified, and transmitted, would be about 3-4 weeks time frame, so schools gets them 3 week of July. Still early
5) Please see my signature quote. It isnt there solely to be humorous

So if you get an app without a student's spring grades how do you respond? Because as you mention, it's only a half percent difference and I don't know how long it will take to process my transcript, and have amcas verify before I submit, it may be close to end of July.