AO GPA and applying early

[cstapes]

I will be applying to medical school next year. At the end of the winter quarter before applying, I will have an AO GPA of 3.69, a BCPM GPA of 3.85, and an overall GPA of 3.83. However, if I wait and include my spring quarter grades in the application, I can raise my AO GPA to around a 3.71, above that critical 3.7 mark. My BCPM and overall GPA will stay relatively the same. The down side to waiting is that I won't be able to submit my application then until after July 1.

My question: is it better to submit the application early (around June 1) or wait the extra month and include the GPA raise? Does anyone think raising the AO GPA that much even matters?

Just wanted to get someone's opinion. Thanks for any input.

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[Chirurgien]

Here's my opinion: I'd wait until July 1 so that my GPA would be over the 3.7 mark - it does seem like a critical boundary. I submitted my AMCAS in mid-July, received my secondaries shortly afterward, and was complete at all schools by September. I was then invited for interviews in October so I don't think submitting your app in July would hurt you at all.

 

[exmike]

Chances are you wont even be able to submit your AMCAS on June 1st. I waited until my transcripts came out (early june) and I still got verified before they started transmitting (sometime in July I think).

I think its a fair assumption that you need to add one month to any date that AMCAS says they'll start something.

 

[Spitting Camel]

I think it's the cumulative being over the 3.7 mark that matters, buddy. BUT, this might change your situation: if you have a 3.695,6,7,8, or 9, AMCAS will count your non-science GPA as a 3.70! They round off to 2 decimal places. I applied with a 3.6999999999999 cumulative, and it gave me a 3.70. BAM! haha...

Seriously, though... whatever floats your boat! The non-science GPA doesn't matter all that much.

 

[docmemi]

you can type it all in with your spring grades in may. if it bumps you up to a 3.7 then there you go. also consider that they accept apps in june but dont transmit till later on around july as exmike pointed out. i submitted july 12 and i was just fine...since secondaries didnt come out until like late aug or so anyway.

 

[JohnHolmes]

Everyone pretty much includes their spring term grades. I am on the semester system, so this is what I did at least.

As long as you submit the AMCAS app by July 1 you are ok. Schools dont even start to download the primaries until mid july or so at the earliest. If you submit by July 1, your app should be cleared and verified in time for the first downloads.

CCW

 

[docmemi]

i just checked my amcas. i didnt get transmitted by any schools until august 5th-19th and i was complete way before that in july. so you can kind of use that as a guide.

PS: i submitted on july 16 and my transcript was verified and completed by july 30th. schools didnt start transmitting till august.

hope that helps.

 

[scrabbler]

I think the science and cumulative gpas are looked at more closely, and that a 3.69 -> 3.71 isn't very different. However, I've heard of adcoms frowning on not including spring quarter grades (looks a little strange when schools start looking at you in the fall), so I think that's the bigger concern. If you decide to submit the AMCAS early without the spring grades, I'd suggest sending updated transcripts to all the schools individually. In addition, if you have great stats, I think it becomes less important to apply so early.

 

[cstapes]

Thanks for the input everyone; it's very helpful.