AMCAS cgpa/sgpa are .2 lower than actual

[socalrulez]

amcas cgpa ~ 3.6 and BCPM ~ 3.5. Actual gpa for both are around a 3.8 on transcript. Issue is solely due to an F on transcript from cc during high school years. It's pretty clear, thanks to the amcas year by year breakdown that these are not indicative of my actual gpa. However, still concerned what difference this might make for schools offering IIs since I went from a competitive gpa and dropped .2/.3 to numbers that aren't really impressive for MD schools. MCAT >35 if it helps. Thanks for your input.

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[Goro]

Take a deep breath.

You're still very competitive!

Now chill.

amcas cgpa ~ 3.6 and BCPM ~ 3.5. Actual gpa for both are around a 3.8 on transcript. Issue is solely due to an F on transcript from cc during high school years. It's pretty clear, thanks to the amcas year by year breakdown that these are not indicative of my actual gpa. However, still concerned what difference this might make for schools offering IIs since I went from a competitive gpa and dropped .2/.3 to numbers that aren't really impressive for MD schools. MCAT >35 if it helps. Thanks for your input.

 

[GiveMeThatMD]

With an MCAT of >35, and the average at ~27, you're still more than competitive. Just sit back and relax a little.

 

[MrLogan13]

Chill.

 

[socalrulez]

should I talk about my why I got that grade in the "anything else section" or leave it for them to mention it during the interview? I don't want to get glossed over by top 20s because of those amcas numbers

 

[nwts]

should I talk about my why I got that grade in the "anything else section" or leave it for them to mention it during the interview? I don't want to get glossed over by top 20s because of those amcas numbers

I would only talk about it if you have some sort of legit reason why you failed it. If you just performed poorly in the class and got an F, I wouldn't talk about it. Then, you're just calling attention to it and opening up a can of worms in which they may think that you aren't appropriately taking responsibility for it. Even if you don't talk about it, they'll be able to see that the F from high school is the reason for your lower GPA because the AMCAS breaks it down as a GPA for each year, so they will see that all 4 years of undergrad have much higher GPAs.

 

[Banco]

Including HS dual enrollment courses is a dumb policy, I've said it time and again. But I think as soon as an eye gets on your app they will see what the issue is.

 

[Fedekz]

Including HS dual enrollment courses is a dumb policy, I've said it time and again. But I think as soon as an eye gets on your app they will see what the issue is.

Why so? You're taking college classes with degree seeking students, why shouldn't it be included? Don't want the possibility you'll perform poorly and forever scar your transcript? Then maybe you shouldn't be in the dual enrollment classes to begin with.

 

[Banco]

Why so? You're taking college classes with degree seeking students, why shouldn't it be included? Don't want the possibility you'll perform poorly and forever scar your transcript? Then maybe you shouldn't be in the dual enrollment classes to begin with.

1.) Hardly anyone ever knows that these transcripts will be needed for medical school until they read the AMCAS instructions.

2.) You're in HS and as young as 13 years old. A few B's in a college course are seen as a good accomplishment often times. Not so much for med school.

3.) Often dual enrollment courses are actual HS courses that you can just get credit for, but the course is taught in HS by HS instructors. These still count - might as well include all HS courses if you're gonna do that.

4.) All it does is create a way to artificially decrease (or increase) your AMCAS GPA; I have no idea how adcoms even take these into account or compare them, but if you're a marginal applicant then it may put you at the peril of the screen (not in OPs case obviously since he is a strong applicant).

5.) It is simply arbitrary; the requirement could easily be "include all transcripts after graduating from high school or GED", but its not.


Ultimately one must deal with and I give adcoms enough credit to realize what the situation is when they see it. But for marginal applicants it really could hurt in the screening process.