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A+ vs A?
- Thread starter HunterPB
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It doesn't matter, don't waste your time.
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An A is all you need. But I don't think you want to work less because you only need an A...
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i don't see any numerical benefit to your gpa. an A+ at my school is still a 4.0, nothing additional. sure, it might look nice on top of an A, but it's really not necessary. perhaps if someone got an A+ in every single prereq class it may garner some attention.
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AMCAS calculates A+ as 4.0, so there will be no benefit to get that over the A on that end of things.
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I think they can still see it if they look at your AMCAS grades or your school transcript even though it doesn't count in the gpa. If you can get them then go for it. I had several in my post-bac and when people went to write my LOR's and I gave them the transcripts they were very impressed. I think that when an adcomm reviews your file they would be just as impressed. Every little thing helps!
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Really, that's good news! Yes, I should have at least some A+ grades in post-bacc, 10 years after a poor showing in undergrad. Thanks and congrats on your acceptance (not sure if you're a new med student or not).
As been said, according to AMCAS an A+ is no better than an A.
That said, I find that grades have a huge psychological factor for me. The less margin of error I have, the more pressure I feel and consequently, the worse I do. If I aim for an A+, the absolute best, then I feel less pressure and have some "fiddle room" in case I don't do well on an exam -- and I still get an A. In the times I've though to myself "I'm only aiming for an A", I slack of where I shouldn't have and end up really pressured to maintain an A. Sometimes I've gotten a B when an A was easily within reach.
So in the end, no, an A+ doesn't mean anything but keeping your eye on the prize might help you pull off at least an A with minimal stress.
That said, I find that grades have a huge psychological factor for me. The less margin of error I have, the more pressure I feel and consequently, the worse I do. If I aim for an A+, the absolute best, then I feel less pressure and have some "fiddle room" in case I don't do well on an exam -- and I still get an A. In the times I've though to myself "I'm only aiming for an A", I slack of where I shouldn't have and end up really pressured to maintain an A. Sometimes I've gotten a B when an A was easily within reach.
So in the end, no, an A+ doesn't mean anything but keeping your eye on the prize might help you pull off at least an A with minimal stress.
