Can't make changes to verified application- my gpa is screwed. What do I do?

[Bebe12]

My application finally got verified today and I see that my grade replacements are all screwed up. I have courses that I took in the past that I got low grades in and once I retook them, I got mostly an A (and a couple Bs). For example I got a F in orgo in the past and an A when I retook it (years later). In fact I redid all my prereq courses and had a 3.7 GPA when I finished. AACOMAS calculated my sGPA at 3.26.

I called AACOMAS and they said that since my application has been verified already, they can't do anything about it. I called one of the schools I'm applying to and told them the situation and they said AACOMAS should be able to change it.

I'm almost certain that I'm the one that made the mistake here during the 'review and finalize transcript' step. I've asked AACOMAS if they can undeliver my application so that I can redo stuff but they said they can't since it's been verified already. So at this point, besides beating up myself about it, what do I do? Should I send an addendum to each school about my application? Any other ideas? I can't be the only one that has ever done this

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[cjcarter]

The same thing happened to me. My retakes weren't counted and my GPAs were a lot lower than they should have been. I emailed AACOMAS twice and they said there was nothing they could do. Finally I decided to call and complain and the person I spoke to was very nice and said whoever verified my app made a mistake, so they re-verified my app and updated my GPAs correctly. Just keep calling until you get someone who can help you.

Before I called I emailed every school I applied to and informed them of the GPA errors that AACOMAS made and most of them added a note to my file. So if they refuse to correct your GPAs, at least schools can add at note to your file with your explanation.


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[Bebe12]

Thanks- that's encouraging to hear. I've called them twice so far but I'll keep trying until someone helps me out! Glad it worked out for you

 

[Mcat_hokage]

I'm so worried something like that with me that will just make the verification process even longer

 

[Mr. D.O.five]

Honestly, that's your fault. You should have read the instructions and reviewed what you put in carefully. This is analogous to a physician charting through a patients visit.

 

[Promethean]

Honestly, that's your fault. You should have read the instructions and reviewed what you put in carefully. This is analogous to a physician charting through a patients visit.

Sure. Except that a physician has been through medical school and residency and however many years of practice and so is fully aware of the import of accurate documentation. It isn't something that has been drilled into the average pre-med yet. This application system is really their first encounter with the Kafka-esque world of medicine where a single innocent mistake can have such disastrous consequences.

Give a little slack. This is a learning opportunity.

 

[NUresearcher]

Honestly, that's your fault. You should have read the instructions and reviewed what you put in carefully. This is analogous to a physician charting through a patients visit.

Hey man, not going to lie. Having both charted and filled out AACOMAS - they aren't alike at all. **** happens, & people make mistakes. The worst case is he has to reapply next year. Best case it can get fixed and he'll be a lateish applicant this cycle. Middle ground and he'll still get in to a few DO schools. Especially the newer ones. Being helpful and offering constructive criticism is great, but your suggestion is a leap. This is usually a persons first exposure to the application. Things can happen. What's important - always - is to learn and move on.

To OP: It'll be fine! Even if you are stressing, just know that if you put in the work (you did it sounds like), have the EC's, and can function as a normal person in a social setting you'll be okay. I got in, and you definitely will too! (especially if your MCAT is above 500 with a gpa like that). End of the day, schools are businesses. Businesses consist of people who understand that we're all human. Try to get it sorted out if you want. Another alternative is to call schools you care about most and tell them to do a double take at your app. a 3.2 won't weed you out and if they look closer they'll clearly see your real grades. That way, you won't delay your process by having to reverify, but that's a choice entirely up to you!

 

[Promethean]

I got in and my correctly calculated GPA was only around a 3.3. (I was homeless freshman year and had to drop out one semester after it was too late to withdraw, so I had a 1.37 GPA my first year of school.)

Even if you can't get it sorted, you have a good shot of getting a seat. Stats aren't everything. As long as you can get some interview love, you'll get to clarify, even if you can't work things out with AACOMAS. And adcoms can read more than just numbers. If they see an upward trend in grades, they are going to interpret that positively, even if the absolute number isn't ideal.

 

[Alienman52]

Hey man, not going to lie. Having both charted and filled out AACOMAS - they aren't alike at all. **** happens, & people make mistakes. The worst case is he has to reapply next year. Best case it can get fixed and he'll be a lateish applicant this cycle. Middle ground and he'll still get in to a few DO schools. Especially the newer ones. Being helpful and offering constructive criticism is great, but your suggestion is a leap. This is usually a persons first exposure to the application. Things can happen. What's important - always - is to learn and move on.

To OP: It'll be fine! Even if you are stressing, just know that if you put in the work (you did it sounds like), have the EC's, and can function as a normal person in a social setting you'll be okay. I got in, and you definitely will too! (especially if your MCAT is above 500 with a gpa like that). End of the day, schools are businesses. Businesses consist of people who understand that we're all human. Try to get it sorted out if you want. Another alternative is to call schools you care about most and tell them to do a double take at your app. a 3.2 won't weed you out and if they look closer they'll clearly see your real grades. That way, you won't delay your process by having to reverify, but that's a choice entirely up to you!

Not to mention that I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) that this was one of the first times AACOMAS used this new application layout. Definitely confusing!


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[Bebe12]

Generally schools have been very receptive to me calling and trying to clear up things...not all schools though. Thankfully my incorrect GPA is higher than the cut offs so I don't think it's hurting me as much as I thought. The bonus is that I've ended up talking to some admissions counselors about how my stats look (as a default of them pulling up my application)...so I guess something good comes out of it. But still a pain in the butt.

Also, seems like I'm not the only one who has made this error. One of my schools told me that they've received a few calls with the same issue.
Something to look out for for those applying next cycle and re-applicants (hopefully not me!)...

 

[SailorHg]

Generally schools have been very receptive to me calling and trying to clear up things...not all schools though. Thankfully my incorrect GPA is much higher than the cut offs so I don't think it's hurting me as much as I thought. The bonus is that I've ended up talking to some admissions counselors about how my stats look (as a default of them pulling up my application)...so I guess something good comes out of it. But still a pain in the butt.

Also, seems like I'm not the only one who has made this error. One of my schools told me that they've received a few calls with the same issue.
Something to look out for for those applying next cycle and re-applicants (hopefully not me!)...

Just curious, what kinds of things have they said about your stats? I have a similar sGPA. Thanks!

 

[Bebe12]

Just curious, what kinds of things have they said about your stats? I have a similar sGPA. Thanks!

Overall, I've gotten positive feedback about the GPA, especially after they see that I've been working a full time job while attending school. Usually things like...you're a competitive applicant in our pool, your progression is impressive (I've improved my sGPA over the years), etc. I get the sense that a 3.5 or above is a good place to be in...esp when it comes to your sGPA. It's when they look at my MCAT, that's when it things get a lil tough but that's a whole another topic.

Fun fact, VCOM recalculates GPA and takes the last 120 credits. I didn't know that until I talked to them.