Apply before or after summer retakes?

[ddukbokeeboi]

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Hey all,

Currently I have a cGPA of 3.2 and an sGPA of 2.9. I will be retaking two courses during Summer 1, so I should have that transcript ready in mid July. Since one of my GPA's is below the 3.0 mark, should I wait till all of my grades are in or go ahead and apply early (June 1)?

After retakes (assuming I get A's), cGPA of 3.33 & sGPA of 3.12 👍

30 MCAT, good EC's, good LOR's, minimal research, non-URM, nontrad.

I appreciate any and all input!

 

[TriagePreMed]

After. You don't want a screen preventing your file from being seen.

 

[ddukbokeeboi]

But only a couple of DO schools do a screen, right? And are those screens applied to both science AND cumulative gpa or just one?

 

[spleencakes]

I would wait until your grades are in. In the meanwhile, complete as much of the application as possible so that once your retake grades are in, you can add those to your application and then submit right away. I can't recall off the top of my head which schools do GPA screening, but if you want to first apply to non-screening schools and then add the rest, keep in mind that it does cost more to add extra schools after submitting your app, compared to what it costs to add those schools the first time around (if you're on a strict budget).

For what it's worth, I submitted my AACOMAS in like...Sep/Oct(?) and didn't get verified until very late in November. I may have lucked out, and in no way am I suggesting that applying that late is a good idea, but I wouldn't think it's the end of the world if you submitted mid-July, especially if you can raise your GPA. The DO cycle is preeeeetttttyy long. ;D If you're worried about timing, you can also pre-write a few secondaries so you can get those submitted as soon as you get your secondary invites.

Just my two cents. Hopefully someone wiser can provide more/different input. 😉

Good luck!

 

[gmcguitar4]

Wait until after the grades are in and you bump your gpa above the 3.0. The DO cycle is very long and your 30 MCAT will keep you in the running no problem.

 

[Dark Ace]

I agree, after. But how exactly does one find out which schools screen as of 2013? I did a quick search and found a thread that was 4 years old. I imagine things have changed a lot since then.

 

[pepes1lv1a]

I'm in the exact same position as you, but I have WAY too many classes on my undergrad transcript because I overloaded like mad for no good reason, so the 2 courses this summer will barely push my sGPA over a 3 (current 3.2 cGPA, 2.98 sGPA<--not even kidding) . I had a 34 MCAT, which is why I decided to bother applying at all, and I have heard from mentors I've emailed with to apply as early as possible. I'd like to know how many colleges screen as well.

 

[TwinsFan]

I dont mean to hijack this thread but can people really be accepted with 3.2-3.3c, 2.98 - 3.12s GPA's? I saw that the average GPA's were around 3.5-3.6 c/s for most DO schools if im not mistaken. Does a 30-33 MCAT score really weigh that heavily when it comes to low GPAs?

If the gpa was ~3.0 for all the years then probably not. But if there is a large upward trend with a good mcat set against a dismal start, then you are looking a solid student. Just like an MCAT retake turns a 22 student into a 29 student, a couple of years of 3.7+ shows that one is now a strong student.