Do A+'s in BCMP classes count for anything?

[No2Pencil]

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I received an A+ in one of my general biology classes and an A+ in my biochemistry class. Will this give me any sort of advantage when applying to medical schools? Or, will my A+'s simply be looked upon by admissions committees as A's? Thanks.

 

[Evergrey]

I don't believe it makes much of a difference, since an A+ carries the same GPA weight as an A. Moreover, many professors/institutions don't even give an A+ grade (90% of my classes had A as the highest grade, for instance). It would probably be looked on with slightly more favor than an A, though.

 

[Looking Glass]

I received an A+ in one of my general biology classes and an A+ in my biochemistry class. Will this give me any sort of advantage when applying to medical schools? Or, will my A+'s simply be looked upon by admissions committees as A's? Thanks.

No, AMCAS converts all A+ to A which is disappointing since at my school an A means you're in the top 10% but an A+ means you're the highest scoring student in your class. You could take a copy of your transcript to your interview and talk about getting an A+ in those classes, but I think you should avoid obsessing about it.

 

[No2Pencil]

Thanks for your help!

 

[Substance P]

I don't believe it makes much of a difference, since an A+ carries the same GPA weight as an A. Moreover, many professors/institutions don't even give an A+ grade (90% of my classes had A as the highest grade, for instance). It would probably be looked on with slightly more favor than an A, though.

This is a solid case of wishful thinking.

 

[UnfeatyOblation]

Unfortunately, you don't. Its robbery!

 

[JeetKuneDo]

My school doesn't even give letter grades. 🙁

 

[JasonE]

your verified amcas still says A+ next to the class so they will know without looking at your official transcript.

 

[apumic]

Many schools do not even have A+s, so the answer would be "no." Anyway, it would just be yet another source of grade inflation if they did. As it is, very few people should be getting As in a class (as in maybe 3-5% -- should be 1:1 A:F ratio).

 

[futuredoctorboy]

It doesn't count towards your GPA anymore than a regular A does. But remember that an A- counts as a 3.7 on AMCAS. The admissions committees will see A+ grades though, and hey, it can't hurt, right?

 

[teenmachinery1]

wtf is a a+? Also, "a+ is for the top person in the class"... this is silly.

Anyways, imo a+ are a's, and are perceived as such.

 

[onb2014]

wtf is a a+? Also, "a+ is for the top person in the class"... this is silly.

Anyways, imo a+ are a's, and are perceived as such.

sounds like someone's never gotten an A+ before...

 

[teenmachinery1]

sounds like someone's never gotten an A+ before...

I guess my school's just content with a 4.0 system. I can relate though, it was a hard transition from my middle school grading system.

We don't get stars on our paper either. And if we did, we probably wouldn't even be able to pick the color. 🙂

(Not even if we were the top student in the class)

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

what this is confusing to me because my school counts A+ as 4.33..........and that factors into my GPA.......so when I do AMCAS my GPA will be different than my school GPA????

 

[osumc2014]

what this is confusing to me because my school counts A+ as 4.33..........and that factors into my GPA.......so when I do AMCAS my GPA will be different than my school GPA????

so you can actually have a cum higher than 4.0?

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

so you can actually have a cum higher than 4.0?

no you can't the highest overall GPA you can get is 4.0 but the 4.33 is still factored into your GPA

 

[Evergrey]

no you can't the highest overall GPA you can get is 4.0 but the 4.33 is still factored into your GPA

AMCAS calculates your GPA according to your letter grades, not the GPA your institution gives you (so in terms of applying to medical school, the AMCAS one matters, not your school's GPA!). For all intents and purposes, an A is a 4.0, and an A+ is a 4.0 too. Since you can't use your institutional GPA to get an idea of where you stand, you can use the GPA calculator given in this thread instead to calculate what your GPA will be like according to AMCAS.

 

[metalgirl14]

I'm so jealous! I wish my undergraduate institution gave out 4.33 points for A+s! Northwestern doesn't even give A+s. :/

 

[YouNeverKnow22]

I'm so jealous! I wish my undergraduate institution gave out 4.33 points for A+s! Northwestern doesn't even give A+s. :/

yeah well it's pretty hard to get an A+ because usually its an average between a 98-100

 

[mvenus929]

Most schools don't give out A+'s, so it doesn't mean a whole lot to adcoms. If all schools gave out A+'s and they actually meant something (like being ranked #1 in the class, for instance), they might be taken into greater consideration by adcoms.

 

[onb2014]

I guess my school's just content with a 4.0 system. I can relate though, it was a hard transition from my middle school grading system.

We don't get stars on our paper either. And if we did, we probably wouldn't even be able to pick the color. 🙂

(Not even if we were the top student in the class)

???????

i'm just messing with you. don't take it personally.

 

[loveoforganic]

I got 7 A+'s last year..... If only....

 

[mmmcdowe]

Not directly, but I hear that if you live in Japan you can take them to specialized venders that will give you prizes or cash vouchers for them.