AMCAS: Q Regarding classes taken after graduation

[greensleeves]

Hello everyone


I have a question for one of my friends who is currently filling out their AMCAS (I filled mine out about 10 years ago so I didn't want to give the wrong information).

Well, my friend wants to take 2 more classes, however they already graduated from college last week. Will these 2 classes be implemented into the row for Cumulative Undergradate GPA? Or will it be separated into the rows for Posttbacc Undegraduate / Graduate GPA ?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

(FYI I called the AMCAS people and they were not 100% sure)

Thank you!

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[Doctor-S]

Hello everyone


I have a question for one of my friends who is currently filling out their AMCAS (I filled mine out about 10 years ago so I didn't want to give the wrong information).

Well, my friend wants to take 2 more classes, however they already graduated from college last week. Will these 2 classes be implemented into the row for Cumulative Undergradate GPA? Or will it be separated into the rows for Posttbacc Undegraduate / Graduate GPA ?

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!

(FYI I called the AMCAS people and they were not 100% sure)

Thank you!

According to the 2021-2022 AMCAS Applicant Guide (see page 28):

Assign Postbaccalaureate (PB) status to any undergraduate-level coursework you enrolled in:

* After receipt of your initial BA/BS degree.
* While enrolled in a graduate program, if coursework is not applied to a graduate degree.

* Assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level coursework that is not applied to an undergraduate degree.

Simply stated:

* If your friend is enrolled in undergraduate-level coursework after receiving their initial BA or BS degree, then the undergraduate level post-bacc coursework is listed on a separate line (undergraduate PB) because it is not being applied to any graduate-level program/professional program.

* On the other hand, if the post-bacc class is being applied to any professional or graduate-level coursework, then it will be listed as PB graduate status (GR).

Hope this information is useful to you.

 

[greensleeves]

According to the 2021-2022 AMCAS Applicant Guide (see page 28):

Assign Postbaccalaureate (PB) status to any undergraduate-level coursework you enrolled in:

* After receipt of your initial BA/BS degree.
* While enrolled in a graduate program, if coursework is not applied to a graduate degree.

* Assign Graduate (GR) status to any professional or graduate-level coursework that is not applied to an undergraduate degree.

Simply stated:

* If your friend is enrolled in undergraduate-level coursework after receiving their initial BA or BS degree, then the undergraduate level post-bacc coursework is listed on a separate line (undergraduate PB) because it is not being applied to any graduate-level program/professional program.

* On the other hand, if the post-bacc class is being applied to any professional or graduate-level coursework, then it will be listed as PB graduate status (GR).

Hope this information is useful to you.

Doctor-S

Thank you so much for the detailed response.
Using your information, this means it would be included into their PB GPA


With that said, My follow up question would be - do you know if admissions committees will calculate a TOTAL AMCAS GPA? Or will they just look at the PB GPA and Cumulative Undergrad GPA separately?

 

[LizzyM]

It can look at the GPA a dozen different ways. Are two more courses really going to move the needle that much? Will the grades be posted before the applicant submits transcripts for verification? I don't remember if post-bac courses are counted in overall undergrad GPA but I think that they are.

 

[greensleeves]

It can look at the GPA a dozen different ways. Are two more courses really going to move the needle that much? Will the grades be posted before the applicant submits transcripts for verification? I don't remember if post-bac courses are counted in overall undergrad GPA but I think that they are.

LizzyM

Thank you also for responding. I also wrestled with those questions. However, I do think it will help my friend, as they are currently at a 3.37. In the event they get 2As over these summer undergraduate classes --> their GPA will increase to a 3.41 (we calculated it). However, I only believe it will be worth it if my friend is evaluated by the admissions committee using a 3.41. I am confident this student will do well over the summer.



What are your thoughts about this?


Also, we are also applying for a formal post bacc to start in August , but I thoguht it would be best to maximize the undergraduate grades before starting post bacc (FYI)

 

[LizzyM]

But not applying in 2021, correct?

 

[greensleeves]

But not applying in 2021, correct?

Correct. The plan is to

June 2021-August 2021: 2 summer classes
August 2021-May 2022: Post Bacc
June 2022: submit AMCAS
August 2023: Start medical school

___________

Ok, sorry if my question is not clear. But here is a friend of mine who gave me their AMCAS so I can demonstrate my question (I took out the name of the student)

The small arrow is pointing at the student's undergrad GPA before the post bacc. My friend (Z) then took a bunch of extra undergrad classes after graduation as you can see in the post bacc row. Then, the large arrow is pointing at the Total GPA after the extra classes. To my understanding, it does not appear Z's post bacc classes were included in the total GPA cumulative.

If this is correct, then my initial friend's grades at a 3.37 will stay this way, despite getting 2As in summer school.

Am I interpreting this correctly? (If I am, I don't personally think it's worth it to do the summer school. We should just focus on the post bacc)

 

[LizzyM]

Yes, the post bac classes are included. The sGPA without the post-bac classes would be 2.52 (252.562 grade points divided by 100.3 credits).

 

[greensleeves]

Yes, the post bac classes are included. The sGPA without the post-bac classes would be 2.52 (252.562 grade points divided by 100.3 credits).

LizzyM

Okay, that makes complete sense.

It sounds like if my friend will take the 2x summer classes and get 2As, this will be included in the Post Bacc Undegraduate Row. However, these post bacc grades are subsequently included in the overall Cumulative Undergraduate GPA, as you have demonstrated above.

I will advise my friend to take the summer school classes

Thank you very much!

 

[LizzyM]

Applying this year makes no sense, particuarly if your friend will not apply until after summer grades are posted. Your friend should maximize undergrad GPA before submitting an AMCAS application.