Arrogant to Point out GPA trend on secondaries?

[jr doctor in sd]

What are your thoughts? The only reason I am bringing this up is because I have a very huge upward GPA trend. Unfortunately, my overall GPA is a 3.63 and my sGPA is a 3.53.

However, my sGPA goes as follows:

freshman year (3.12)-->sophomore (3.45)-->Junior (3.85)-->Senior (4.0)

My overall GPA follows a very similar trend. Will the Admissions committees make sure to make a note of my trend...or will they spend 30 seconds on it while skimming quickly to get on to the other 5,000 apps?

They ask on numerous secondaries "If there is anything else you would like to share, write it below". There is no sob story/real reason. I entered college at 17 and was immature and drinking and going out with chicks rather than sitting with a book and learning something. So i dont think i could explain it well if asked haha.

So would you make a mention of it or hope that they find out and notice?

---

Members don't see this ad.

 

[TDX]

Of course you should mention it. As for how to explain it, that's easy - you've matured since starting college.

Leave out the bit about the drinking, though.

 

[jm192]

I personally wouldn't consider it arrogant.

Showing a strong upward trend can be huge. I would hope they'd notice it by seeing the transcripts, but people are human. I don't know if they spend the time to always check for that type of thing. It doesn't hurt to let them know to look for it.

 

[ILikeDrugs]

I think that there is an unspoken rule that if your GPA sucked at first and then got better, you need to explain why it sucked and of course supplement that with how/why it got better. It's a common to do amongst people who had a low GPA at the beginning of their college studies.

 

[LizzyM]

Your gpa by academic year and broken out by BCPM, All other (AO) and Total is right there on your AMCAS application. What you want to tell the adcom is not to point out that obvious improvement in performance (the numbers) but to describe your maturation process: your age at attending college, any change in the freedoms you "enjoyed" (living on campus, less supervision by parents, attending classes optional, etc) as well as your motivations for working hard and getting good grades in your later years. (For some people the hard work was steady throughout but they played catch-up having had poor preparation in H.S. or with competing demands on their time due to a need to work or provide other support to family members).

 

[boggvir]

My trend goes from 1.6 -> 2.1 -> 3.8 -> 3.9 -> 3.9 -> 3.9.

3.9 for the last 120 credits (incl. postbac), like 1.9 for the first 40. I think it probably requires some explanation.

I mentioned the reasons why in my PS. You just have to hope they don't screen you out. If they get past that, I'm sure they'll read your explanation of it and make their own decisions whether they care.

I have a 3.5 though overall...yours is a 3.6 and that's a big jump - I doubt most schools would set their screen numbers higher than a 3.6. I think you're fine.

 

[Ischemic]

No, good idea to point it out ifyou have an upward trend, not so much if you're spiraling down the drain.

 

[saveourpens]

probably not arrogant, but I don't know how impressed adcoms are considering there are people who had a consistently high gpa throughout college.

 

[boggvir]

Probably not if you go from 3.0 to 3.6, but if you reach really high and stay really high year after year (3.9-4.0) after starting with really low GPA and end up with a 3.5, I hope it matters a little bit more than someone who got 3.5 every year. Then again, maybe it doesn't. Who knows? I'll be happy as long as it doesn't hurt me.

 

[Overmjnd]

You guys will be fine. No need to worry, just do what LizzyM said and explain in a thought out and thorough way. I'm actually in the same boat as you all 2.9->3.1->3.6->3.7->3.9->3.9->4.0->4.0 .

The hard works already done.

 

[ownage]

Your gpa by academic year and broken out by BCPM, All other (AO) and Total is right there on your AMCAS application. What you want to tell the adcom is not to point out that obvious improvement in performance (the numbers) but to describe your maturation process: your age at attending college, any change in the freedoms you "enjoyed" (living on campus, less supervision by parents, attending classes optional, etc) as well as your motivations for working hard and getting good grades in your later years. (For some people the hard work was steady throughout but they played catch-up having had poor preparation in H.S. or with competing demands on their time due to a need to work or provide other support to family members).

wow i never knew adcoms would be interested in my age when I attended college or quality of my high school education. I was 16. Also my high school is ranked like lowest of all schools in my state. I graduated high school only knowing algebra and some easy biology class which everyone passed. I wish I made it a point somewhere.

 

[Longshanks]

wow i never knew adcoms would be interested in my age when I attended college or quality of my high school education. I was 16. Also my high school is ranked like lowest of all schools in my state. I graduated high school only knowing algebra and some easy biology class which everyone passed. I wish I made it a point somewhere.

Mention it in your secondaries. That seems very relevant since 16 is very young in comparison to your undergraduate peers, so it is a big change in environment from high school to college then (yes two years may not seem bit, but really... there is a big difference between a 16 year old and a 18 year old). And with your high school not preparing its students well, you've demonstrated the ability to work hard, strengthen your fundamentals, and excel later in college, so definitely use it to your advantage to sell yourself.

 

[Cleavername]

does the summer classes u took in between ur freshmen and sophomore year counts toward freshmen or sophomore year?

 

[Keem]

does the summer classes u took in between ur freshmen and sophomore year counts toward freshmen or sophomore year?

soph

 

[Cleavername]

soph

are u 100% sure of that?

 

[Dianyla]

Arrogant, no. Irrelevant, maybe.

It's elsewhere in your application. Unless you have some serious GPA disasters to explain, there's no need to repeat yourself.

 

[LoveTheRunner]

if you want to get picky the entire application process is arrogance. pick me i'm the best! you have a very nice trend though - congrats. chalk it up to maturity (yes lame stereotype, but hey you now have a better example than 3/4 of the applicants. no offense to people who committed crimes earlier in their lives, but something like this can better show growth as a person) and chalk it up as a win. doesn't need to be more than a mention in a sentence or two though

 

[Keem]

are u 100% sure of that?

Yes read the AMCAS instruction guide if you are interested to confirm

 

[Cleavername]

Yes read the AMCAS instruction guide if you are interested to confirm

oh nah i trust u, thanks.